A guide to the Gaza conflict

Fighting resumed between Israel and Gaza, a region of Palestine, on July 8, when Israel retaliated to rockets fired by Palestinian political group Hamas.

Israel and Palestine’s hostility towards each other has continued for more than 50 years, centering on border disagreements and religious incongruity. Although Palestine and Israel have maintained a somewhat peaceful relationship over the past couple of years, recent peace negotiations have been unsuccessful.

gaza mapThe unrest was sparked by the kidnapping and killing of three Israeli teens who were in the West Bank, a major portion of territory in Palestine, in June, according to ABC News. When the bodies were found two weeks later, Israel accused Hamas of kidnapping the teens and, as a result, arrested over 300 Palestinians.

timelineGaza responded to this arrest by launching airstrikes into Israel, initiating a period of violence in July.

According to CBC News, one of Israel’s airstrikes killed three Hamas leaders, causing Gaza to kill 18 Israeli spies on Aug. 22. Benjamin Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of Israel, “vowed a tough response to the killing.”

Only a day later, a missile from Israel destroyed an 11-story apartment in Gaza, wounding ten civilians, four of whom were children.

Donna Gilbert, the History and Social Science Department Chair commented about her opinion on the coflict.

“So far, over 2,000 Palestinians and 68 Israelis have died,” Gilbert said. “The recent kidnapping, airstrikes, and murders have escalated the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and gen
erated disorder in Gaza.”

 

This piece was originally published in the pages of The Winged Post on August 29, 2014.