War in Israel and Gaza

On October 7, 2023, the Palestinian militant group Hamas launched an unprecedented attack on Israel. About 1,200 people are reported dead and more than 250 hostages have been taken, according to Israeli estimates. According to the Hamas leadership in Gaza, more than 33,000 Palestinians have been killed as a result of Israeli military airstrikes and artillery strikes. This conflict is a long-standing part of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The roots of the conflict go back to the early 20th century, when Britain took control of Palestine after World War I. The land was inhabited by a Jewish minority and an Arab majority, as well as other smaller ethnic groups. The decision to create a "national home" for the Jewish people, as expressed in the Balfour Declaration, increased tensions between the two nations.