Thousands of rockets were fired at Israel from Gaza on Saturday, and Palestinian militants infiltrated Israel, resulting in at least one casualty, according to the Israeli military and medics. The rocket attacks began at 6:30 am, following a period of escalating violence in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The West Bank, which has been under Israeli occupation since the 1967 Arab-Israeli conflict, has seen the highest number of fatalities in years.
Hamas, a Palestinian group, claimed responsibility for the rocket assault and stated that they had launched over 5,000 rockets. The Israeli army responded by declaring that Hamas would face the consequences and responsibility for these events.
The historical context of the Israel-Palestine conflict dates back to World War I when Britain gained control of Palestine, which had a Jewish minority and an Arab majority. Tensions between the two groups increased when Britain was tasked with creating a Jewish homeland in Palestine. The influx of Jewish immigrants in the 1920s and 1940s further intensified friction and resistance to British rule. In 1947, the United Nations proposed dividing Palestine into separate Jewish and Arab states. While the Jewish leadership agreed to the plan, the Arab side rejected it. Consequently, in 1948, British authorities withdrew, and Jewish leaders proclaimed the establishment of Israel, leading to a war and the displacement of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians.
Since then, Israel and Palestine have been engaged in numerous conflicts, some of which have had catastrophic consequences. Hamas, a political group with military capabilities, was launched in 1987 and played a significant role in the Palestinian uprisings (‘intifadas’) that followed. The peace process in the 1990s was derailed by the second intifada, leading to further deterioration of Israeli-Palestinian relations. Attempts to reach a resolution, such as the Camp David Summit in 2000, were unsuccessful.
The current situation remains tense, with Hamas calling for fighters in the West Bank and the Arab and Islamic worlds to join the battle against Israel. Tensions persist between Israelis and Palestinians in East Jerusalem, Gaza, and the West Bank. Israel and Egypt maintain tight control over Gaza’s borders, resulting in a humanitarian crisis and limited access to basic necessities for Palestinians. Both sides argue that they are acting in self-defense, with Palestinians citing Israeli actions, such as the blockade of Gaza and the destruction of Palestinian homes, as the cause of their suffering. Israel points to the thousands of rockets fired by Hamas into its territory and the attacks on Israeli civilians by Palestinian militants as justification for their actions.