Israel war 2023,Hamas fighters launched a surprise attack on Israel resulting in the death of hundreds of Israelis on Saturday. In response Israel carried out heavy airstrikes. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has pledged to destroy Hamas strongholds in Gaza reducing them to ruins as the conflict continues to intensify.
What is Hamas?
Hamas was founded in 1987 during the First Intifada and its main goal is to establish an Islamic state in Palestine. Presently the group holds control over the Gaza Strip which is a Palestinian territory along the eastern Mediterranean coast. In 2006 after winning the Palestinian legislative elections Hamas took control of Gaza in 2007 through a violent conflict with its rival Fatah. As a result Hamas has been the governing authority in Gaza while Fatah governs the West Bank.
It’s important to note that Israel the United States, the European Union and several other countries classify Hamas as a terrorist organization
Why did Hamas invade Israel?
During the night Hamas fighters carried out an unexpected invasion by crossing Israel’s southern border with Gaza. They attacked Israeli towns resulting in the deaths of both Israeli soldiers and civilians. Thousands of rockets were launched into Israeli territory leading to the tragic loss of at least 100 Israeli lives marking the highest number of civilian casualties in a single day in Israel’s history as reported by a senior Knesset official. The conflict in southern Israel is still ongoing with reports suggesting that Hamas is taking Israeli hostages back to Gaza. Israel’s retaliatory airstrikes have also caused the death of nearly 200 Palestinians.