What’s Hamas and why is it preventing with Israel in Gaza?

Hamas gunmen launched an unprecedented assault on Israel from the Gaza Strip on 7 October, killing 1,200 folks and taking about 240 hostages.

The Israeli army responded with air strikes on Gaza, and launched a floor offensive. Greater than 15,800 folks have been killed in Gaza, in response to the Hamas-run authorities.

Combating has resumed following the top of a seven-day truce, throughout which Hamas launched greater than 100 hostages in alternate for 240 Palestinians.

Israel Protection Forces (IDF) warplanes have been finishing up strikes throughout Gaza whereas its troops moved via the north of the territory.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu mentioned Israel has a “clear purpose of destroying Hamas’s army and governing capabilities”, in addition to liberating the hostages.

He additionally declared that Israel would have “total safety accountability” for the Gaza Strip “for an indefinite interval” after the battle. Israel later mentioned it has no plans to reoccupy the territory.

Israel has drafted 300,000 reservists for the operation, to spice up its standing drive of 160,000.

The IDF says it has struck 1000’s of targets belonging to Hamas – which Israel, the UK, US and different Western powers class as a terrorist organisation.

It additionally says it has destroyed tons of of tunnel shafts constructed beneath Gaza. Hamas has claimed that its tunnel community stretches for 500km (310 miles).

Plenty of hospitals within the north had been caught up in intense preventing, together with the Jabalia refugee camp.

Because the momentary ceasefire ended, Israeli troops have pushed into southern Gaza, and have taken “aggressive” motion in opposition to Hamas and different armed teams across the metropolis of Khan Younis.

Israel claims to have killed 1000’s of Hamas fighters throughout the conflict, together with many commanders. Greater than 390 Israeli troopers have been killed, most of them within the 7 October assault.

The IDF says 75 Israeli troops have been killed in Gaza because the battle started.

Throughout the 7 October assaults, Hamas took about 240 hostages, which it mentioned had been hidden in “protected locations and tunnels” inside Gaza.

Israel mentioned greater than 30 of the hostages had been kids, and that at the least 10 had been aged over 60. It additionally mentioned about half of the hostages had overseas passports from 25 totally different nations.

Below a deal brokered by Qatar, a pause within the preventing started on Friday 24 November.

Throughout the seven-day truce, 105 hostages had been freed, in return for 240 Palestinians who had been held in Israeli jails and detention.

Hamas launched 4 Israeli hostages earlier than the truce settlement was made, and one other hostage was freed by Israeli forces.

Hamas has mentioned different armed teams in Gaza are holding hostages, together with Palestinian Islamic Jihad, which may complicate any future releases.

The UN has warned that “an much more hellish situation is about to unfold” within the Gaza Strip, and that its humanitarian operations could not be capable of reply.

Greater than 36,000 folks have been wounded in Gaza because the begin of the conflict, in response to the Hamas-run authorities. It says three quarters of them are kids and ladies.

Few of Gaza’s hospitals are nonetheless operational resulting from harm brought on by assaults and the dearth of electrical energy and gasoline.

Mr Netanyahu has admitted that Israel has been “not profitable” in minimising civilian casualties, however insisted it’s because Hamas makes use of Gaza’s inhabitants as human shields.

This contains the tons of of 1000’s of people that fled the preventing within the north after an Israeli ultimatum to maneuver south of a river often called Wadi Gaza for their very own security.

Israel’s army subsequently printed a map with Gaza break up into grids, displaying areas the place folks ought to go to for security.

However the BBC’s worldwide editor Jeremy Bowen mentioned the map is sophisticated, contains conflicting data, and requires a smartphone for entry.

Town has been internet hosting tons of of 1000’s of residents who moved to flee the preventing within the north. Many displaced persons are sheltering in locations akin to town’s hospitals.

After the 7 October assault, Israel shut its border crossings with Gaza, stopping the standard provides of meals, water, gasoline and medication from coming into the territory.

Israel obstructed all gasoline deliveries till late November, arguing it might be stolen by Hamas and used for army functions.

With out electrical energy or gasoline for mills, hospitals, water pumps and desalination vegetation, waste and sanitation providers, and bakeries have been unable to operate.

Israel allowed 1,399 lorry a great deal of humanitarian provides to enter through Egypt’s Rafah border crossing between 21 October and 21 November, in contrast with a month-to-month common of 10,000 earlier than the conflict, in response to the UN.

Throughout the truce, tons of of lorries carrying help and gasoline had been allowed to enter Gaza via the Rafah crossing – the one functioning passage out and in of Gaza. But it surely has been very tough to get items into the north.

A whole bunch of overseas passport holders – together with some British and US residents – and severely wounded and sick Palestinians have additionally been allowed to go away, however many stay. The Rafah crossing stays tightly managed by Egypt.

On 7 October, tons of of Hamas gunmen crossed from the Gaza Strip into southern Israel, breaking via the closely guarded perimeter fence, touchdown by sea, and utilizing paragliders.

The gunmen killed about 1,200 folks, most of them civilians, in a sequence of raids on army posts, kibbutzim and a music competition, and took hostages again into Gaza.

Earlier estimates put the demise toll at greater than 1,400.

The assault got here at a time of hovering Israeli-Palestinian tensions: 2023 has been the deadliest on report for Palestinians who reside within the Israeli-occupied West Financial institution.

Hamas is a Palestinian group which has run Gaza since 2007.

The identify is an acronym for Harakat al-Muqawama al-Islamiya, which suggests Islamic Resistance Motion.

The group desires to destroy Israel and exchange it with an Islamic state.

Its army wing, the Izzedine al-Qassam Brigades, is believed to have about 30,000 members.

Hamas has fought a number of wars with Israel because it took energy, firing 1000’s of rockets into Israel and finishing up different lethal assaults.

In response, Israel has repeatedly attacked Hamas with air strikes, sending in troops in 2008 and 2014.

Hamas – or in some circumstances the al-Qassam Brigades – has been designated a terrorist group by Israel, the US, the EU and the UK, in addition to different powers.

Iran backs the group, offering funding, weapons and coaching.

The Gaza Strip is a 41km (25-mile) lengthy and 10km-wide territory positioned between Israel, Egypt and the Mediterranean Sea.

Israel withdrew its troops and round 7,000 settlers from the territory in 2005.

Residence to2.2 million folks, the slim strip is among the most densely-populated areas on the planet.

Simply over three-quarters of Gaza’s inhabitants – some 1.7 million folks – are registered refugees or descendants of refugees, in response to the UN.

Earlier than the most recent battle, greater than 500,000 folks lived in eight refugee camps positioned throughout the Strip.

Israel controls the air house over Gaza and its shoreline, and strictly limits the motion of individuals and items.

The West Financial institution and Gaza are often called the Palestinian territories. Together with East Jerusalem and Israel, they shaped a part of a land often called Palestine from Roman instances till the mid-Twentieth Century.

In 1948, a part of Palestine grew to become Israel, which was recognised by the United Nations the next yr. The West Financial institution (together with East Jerusalem) and Gaza are recognised as Palestine by many nations and our bodies, though it doesn’t have member standing on the UN.

Those that don’t recognise Israel’s proper to exist additionally nonetheless seek advice from the entire land as Palestine.

He has been the chief of the Palestinian Authority (PA) since 2005, and represents the Fatah political celebration – a bitter rival of Hamas.