The Gaza Strip is a recurring flashpoint in the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians. We summarized the main points in the background of the long-standing conflict.
The situation in Gaza is a particularly sensitive part of the decades-long conflict between Israel and the Palestinians.
At the center of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is the question of who has the right to the land occupied by both Israelis and Palestinians. Religion is also a key justification for the right to control the so-called Holy Land. The holiest places of Judaism, Islam and Christianity are located in the area.
The State of Israel occupies the Palestinian territories of the West Bank. In the past, Israel also occupied Gaza, but today Gaza is controlled by the Islamist extremist organization Hamas.
What is Gaza?
The Gaza Strip is a small and isolated area, roughly the size of the city of Espoo, at the intersection of Israel, Egypt and the Mediterranean Sea.
Israel has blockaded Gaza since its armed forces withdrew from the strip in 2005. More than half of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents live in poverty.
What is Hamas?
Hamas is an Islamist extremist organization founded in 1987, which is classified as a terrorist organization by Israel, the EU and the United States, among others.
Hamas, which controls Gaza, uses the area as a launching pad for regular rocket attacks on Israel, and Israel also conducts regular airstrikes against Hamas.
The last major confrontation between Hamas and Israel was in 2021, an 11-day war.
The Palestinian territories of the West Bank are administered by the Palestinian Authority. It is led by the more moderate Fatah party, which has its own conflicts with Hamas.
What is Hamas aiming for now?
With its recent attack, Hamas has taken a huge risk and gone all-in in poker terms, says a professor of Middle East studies Hannu Juusola from the University of Helsinki. According to Juusola, Israel’s response to the Hamas attack will be very bloody.
Hamas has called on Palestinians living in Israel and the West Bank, as well as Israel’s neighboring countries, to join the attack.
According to Juusola, the military operation that started on Saturday morning is the most successful Palestinian operation of all time, as Hamas managed to seize Israeli settlements and dozens of hostages with a surprise attack.
According to Juusola, the goals of Hamas are likely to be: