On Sunday, October 8, 2023, Israel declared war on the Palestinian group known as Hamas that is in control of the territory of Gaza. This comes after a planned attack on Saturday, October 7 from Hamas on Israel that has caused the deaths of Israelis, with the total toll now approaching the thousands.

The group alleges that they are holding hundreds of Israelis hostage, supported by the disappearances recognized from hundreds of Israeli families who have seen their family members murdered or kidnapped. Israel’s response to the attack was nothing short of violent; firing rockets into the territory and killing hundreds of Palestinians.

The conflict between Israelis and Palestinians is nothing new, and violence is not a new factor in the feud, however the attack from Hamas on Israel was still devastating. Tensions had been high throughout 2023 between Israel and the Palestinians, but the escalation went beyond. Much of the issue between the two sides is argument over religious territory, as well as where Israel is established, over what was formerly Mandatory Palestine under a contract that followed World War I. The group’s weaponry and money comes from Iran, which the United States recently sent $6 billion dollars to, although the territory that Hamas occupies in Gaza is cut off from neighboring Israel and Egypt. Israel has declared this will become stricter as the result of the attack.

Hamas is labeled as a terrorist organization by multiple world powers, including the United States, United Kingdom, and the European Union.

The origin of this group dates back to the late 1980s, formed from the former Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood. Hamas does not recognize that Israel has a right to the country and wants to establish a Palestinian nation in the area.

Efforts from the United States, as well as the United Nations, in the past to help the powers negotiate a resolution have been unsuccessful.