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What is happening in Israel and Gaza, and what is Hamas? What is Hamas and why is it fighting with Israel in Gaza?
(3 days later)
Hamas gunmen launched an unprecedented assault on Israel from the Gaza Strip on 7 October, killing about 1,200 people and taking about 240 hostages. Hamas gunmen launched an unprecedented assault on Israel from the Gaza Strip on 7 October, killing 1,200 people and taking about 240 hostages.
Israel responded with air strikes on Gaza and has launched a ground offensive. At least 13,300 people have been killed in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run health ministry. Israel responded with air strikes on Gaza, and launched a ground offensive. More than 14,800 people have been killed in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run government.
A four-day pause in the fighting is due to begin on Friday, during which Hamas will release 50 of the hostages. In exchange, Israel will free 150 Palestinian prisoners and allow significantly more humanitarian aid to enter Gaza.
What is the goal of Israel's military operation in Gaza?What is the goal of Israel's military operation in Gaza?
Israel Defense Forces (IDF) warplanes are carrying out strikes across Gaza while its troops are moving through the north of the territory.Israel Defense Forces (IDF) warplanes are carrying out strikes across Gaza while its troops are moving through the north of the territory.
Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said it has a "clear goal of destroying Hamas's military and governing capabilities", as well as freeing the hostages. Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said it has a "clear goal of destroying Hamas's military and governing capabilities", as well as freeing the hostages.
Mr Netanyahu has refused calls for a ceasefire unless the hostages are released. He has also declared that Israel will have "overall security responsibility" for the Gaza Strip "for an indefinite period" after the conflict, but he has denied that he plans to reoccupy the territory.
He also said that Israel would have "overall security responsibility" for the Gaza Strip "for an indefinite period" after the war ended. However, the US warned him that Israel could not reoccupy the territory. Israel has drafted 300,000 reservists for the operation, to boost its standing force of 160,000.
Israel has drafted 300,000 reservists to boost its standing force of 160,000. It believes Hamas's military wing has about 30,000 members. The group operates from underground tunnels, which it has said stretch for 500km (310 miles). The IDF says it has struck thousands of targets belonging to Hamas - which Israel, the UK, US and other Western powers class as a terrorist organisation.
Mr Netanyahu has admitted that Israel had been "not successful" at minimising civilian casualties in Gaza, but blamed Hamas for using them as human shields. The IDF also says it has destroyed hundreds of tunnel shafts built underneath Gaza. Hamas has claimed that its tunnel network stretches for 500km (310 miles).
The IDF says two soldiers died in northern Gaza on Monday, meaning at least 383 Israeli soldiers have been killed since 7 October, most of them in the Hamas attack. Israel claims to have killed thousands of Hamas fighters during the war, including many commanders. More than 390 Israeli soldiers have been killed, most of them in the 7 October attack.
Could an Israeli ground invasion of Gaza meet its aims?
What is happening on the ground in Gaza?
The leader of Hamas says the group is close to reaching a "truce agreement" with Israel, raising hopes of a pause in hostilities that could see hostages freed.
Talks are said to be at the "closest point" to reaching an agreement since the conflict began. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday that "we are making progress".
Meanwhile, fighting continues to rage in Gaza, with the Israeli military saying it has surrounded the city of Jabalia in the north.
Israeli forces have also encircled the Indonesian Hospital in northern Gaza, where it's thought 500 patients remain.
The Hamas-run health ministry said Israeli strikes killed at least 12 patients inside the hospital on Sunday night.
Hundreds of people are still being evacuated from Al-Shifa hospital in northern Gaza, which Israel occupied last week.
Twenty-eight of the 31 premature babies who were evacuated from the hospital have been taken into Egypt. Unicef said that 20 were not accompanied by their parents or carers.
Newborn babies have been transferred from Al-Shifa hospital
Both Israeli and US intelligence say Al-Shifa had been a key command centre for Hamas - which it denies.
Israel released a video which it says shows a tunnel underneath the hospital leading to a blast proof door, which it says is the same type Hamas uses for its command centres.
The Israeli military has also shared images of what it claimed were Hamas weapons and ammunition found at Al-Shifa.
BBC Verify: Assessing video Israel released of tunnel and hostages
BBC goes inside Al-Shifa hospital with the Israeli armyBBC goes inside Al-Shifa hospital with the Israeli army
Gaza hospitals caught on front line of war What is happening on the ground in Gaza, and what is the humanitarian situation?
Separately, the Palestinian news agency Wafa says at least 17 people have been killed in another Israeli air strike on the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza. More than 36,000 people - three quarters of them children and women - have been wounded in Gaza since the start of the war, the Hamas-run government says.
Israeli forces have repeatedly warned Palestinians in the north of the territory to head south of the Wadi Gaza river valley to escape the fighting, but have also continued to carry out air strikes in southern Gaza. However, only two of the hospitals in the north and seven in the south are still operational due to damage caused by attacks and the lack of electricity and fuel.
Israel has also told people in in Khan Younis, the largest city in southern Gaza, to leave their homes. The city's population includes hundreds of thousands of Palestinians who have already fled from the north. Mr Netanyahu has admitted that Israel has been "not successful" in minimising civilian casualties, but insisted this is because Hamas uses Gaza's population as human shields.
What is the humanitarian situation in Gaza? Some schools in the south have been turned into makeshift medical facilities
The UN says that one in every 57 people living in the Gaza Strip "has been killed or wounded in the past five weeks", based on Hamas-run health ministry figures. Unrwa, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, says 1.7 million Gaza residents have been displaced during the conflict, and that more almost one million have been sheltering at its facilities.
The heads of all the major UN agencies have repeatedly called for an "immediate humanitarian ceasefire", as well as the unconditional release of hostages. After the 7 October attack, Israel shut its border crossings with Gaza, and blocked supplies of food, most water, fuel and medicine from entering the territory. Without electricity or fuel for generators, hospitals, water pumps and desalination plants, waste and sanitation services, and bakeries cannot function.
They said "cutting off 2.2 million Palestinians from food, water, medicine, electricity and fuel" was an "outrage", and that more than 29,000 injured people "require immediate treatment". The heads of major UN agencies said that cutting off essential supplies to 2.2 million Palestinians was an "outrage", and have repeatedly called for a ceasefire on humanitarian grounds.
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said he was "deeply shocked" that two UN schools in Gaza were attacked at the weekend. Israel allowed 1,399 lorryloads of humanitarian supplies to enter via Egypt's Rafah border crossing between 21 October and 21 November, compared to a monthly average of 10,000 before the war, according to the UN.
Unrwa, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, said 1.5 million Gaza residents have been displaced and 778,000 are sheltering at its facilities. Another 150,000 are believed to be taking refuge in hospitals and other public buildings. It blocked all fuel deliveries until last week, saying it could be stolen by Hamas and used for military purposes.
Phone and internet services have been repeatedly cut, leaving people unable to call for ambulances or to contact the outside world. Hundreds of foreign passport holders - including some British and US citizens - and seriously wounded and sick Palestinians have been allowed to leave through the crossing, but many remain. Passage remains tightly controlled by Egypt.
The Rafah border crossing into Egypt, to the south, is the only functioning route for people and goods to leave or enter Gaza. Gaza Strip in maps: Life in Gaza under siege
The crossing reopened for aid supplies on 21 October, but only a small number of the 500 lorry loads which used to arrive every day are currently getting into Gaza. How the dead are counted in Gaza
Israel is now allowing 60,000 litres of fuel a day to enter Gaza, having previously banned all deliveries. However, the UN says 600,000 litres a day are needed to operate water and desalination plants, and power hospitals and bakeries. BBC verifies attacks in Gaza 'safe' areas
The border opened again for people to leave Gaza on 1 November. Hundreds of injured people and foreign passport holders - including more than 100 UK citizens - have since crossed into Egypt, but many more remain. What happened during the Hamas 7 October attack on Israel?
The crossing has shut, for short periods, several times since reopening. On 7 October, hundreds of Hamas gunmen crossed from the Gaza Strip into southern Israel, breaking through the heavily guarded perimeter fence, landing by sea, and using paragliders.
More on Israel-Gaza war It was the most serious cross-border attack against Israel in more than a generation.
Follow live: Latest updates The gunmen killed about 1,200 people, most of them civilians, in a series of raids on military posts, kibbutzim and a music festival, and took hostages back into Gaza.
Hamas leadership: Who is Yahya Sinwar? Earlier estimates put the death toll at more than 1,400.
Hostages: Stories of the hostages taken by Hamas from Israel A young women kneels at a vigil site for hostages in Tel Aviv
Analysis: How the dead are counted in Gaza The attack came at a time of soaring Israeli-Palestinian tensions: 2023 has been the deadliest on record for Palestinians who live in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
History behind the story: The Israel-Palestinian conflict Who are the hostages and how will the ceasefire work?
Who are the hostages? Hamas is holding about 240 hostages, which it says it has hidden in "safe places and tunnels" within Gaza.
Hamas is holding about 240 hostages in Gaza. Israel's military says that 20 are children, and that between 10 and 20 are over 60. It is thought they were taken to pressure Israel into freeing some of the estimated 5,100 Palestinians held in Israeli prisons at the start of October.
Hamas says it has hidden the hostages in "safe places and tunnels" within Gaza. Israel says more than 30 of the captives are children, and at least 10 are aged over 60.
Benjamin Netanyahu has previously said he would only consider a ceasefire in Gaza once all the hostages were released. Hamas had released four hostages before the truce agreement was agreed on Wednesday.
Last week, the Israel military said it had found the bodies of 19-year-old Noa Marciano, a soldier in the IDF, and 65-year-old Yehudit Weiss, at sites near Al-Shifa hospital. The Israeli military rescued one hostage and recovered the bodies of two others during its operations in northern Gaza.
It says Cpl Marciano had been injured in an air strike and then killed by Hamas in Al-Shifa hospital. It released a video which it says shows Cpl Marciano and another hostage being moved through the hospital. Under a deal brokered by Qatar, the two sides have agreed a four-day pause in the fighting during which Hamas will release 50 hostages in exchange for 150 Palestinians prisoners.
Also last week, Palestinian Islamic Jihad - a militant group separate from Hamas - released a video of two other Israeli hostages in Gaza - a woman in her 70s called Hanna Katsir, and a teenage boy. Israel says that for every 10 hostages released in addition to the initial 50, it will extend the truce by another day.
Hamas has released four hostages so far: American-Israeli mother and daughter Judith and Natalie Raanan, and two elderly Israeli women, Nurit Cooper and Yocheved Lifschitz. Frank Gardner: Hostage crisis is toughest Israel has ever faced
Separately, the IDF said one of its soldiers, Pte Ori Megidish, was rescued during ground operations in Gaza.
It is thought Hamas may have taken hostages to pressure Israel into freeing some of the estimated 5,100 Palestinians who were held in Israeli prisons at the start of October.
The government of Qatar has been brokering negotiations for the release of the hostages.
Who are the hostages taken by Hamas from Israel?
Hostages' fates haunt Israel as Gaza war intensifies
What is Hamas and what does it want?What is Hamas and what does it want?
Hamas is a Palestinian group which has ruled the Gaza Strip since 2007. The group is sworn to Israel's destruction and wants to replace it with an Islamic state. Hamas is a Palestinian group which has run Gaza since 2007.
It has fought several wars with Israel since it took power, firing thousands of rockets into Israel, and carrying out other deadly attacks. The name is an acronym for Harakat al-Muqawama al-Islamiya, which means Islamic Resistance Movement.
In response, Israel has repeatedly attacked Hamas with air strikes. In 2008 and 2014, it also sent troops into Gaza. The group wants to destroy Israel and replace it with an Islamic state.
Together with Egypt, Israel has blockaded the Gaza Strip since 2007 for what it describes as security reasons. Yahya Sinwar, leader of Hamas's political wing in Gaza, pictured in 2021
Hamas - or in some cases its military wing, the Izzedine al-Qassam Brigades - has been designated a terrorist group by Israel, the United States, the European Union and the UK, as well as other powers. Its military wing, the Izzedine al-Qassam Brigades, is thought to have about 30,000 members.
Iran backs the group, providing it with funding, weapons and training. Hamas has fought several wars with Israel since it took power, firing thousands of rockets into Israel and carrying out other deadly attacks.
Why is there a war in Gaza now? In response, Israel has repeatedly attacked Hamas with air strikes, sending in troops in 2008 and 2014.
On 7 October, hundreds of Hamas gunmen crossed from the Gaza Strip into southern Israel by breaking through the heavily-fortified perimeter fence, landing by sea, and using paragliders. Hamas - or in some cases the al-Qassam Brigades - has been designated a terrorist group by Israel, the US, the EU and the UK, as well as other powers.
It was the most serious cross-border attack Israel has faced in more than a generation. Iran backs the group, providing funding, weapons and training.
The gunmen killed about 1,200 people, most of them civilians, in a series of raids on military posts, kibbutzim and a music festival, and took hostages back into Gaza. Previous estimates put the death toll at more than 1,400. Who is the Hamas leader in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar?
Israel says Hamas captured over 240 hostages on 7 October Who are the leaders of Hamas?
Given the significant resources of Israel's security services, it was astounding that the attack by Hamas was not anticipated, according to the BBC's security correspondent Frank Gardner. Where is the Gaza Strip and how big is it?
The attack came at a time of soaring Israeli-Palestinian tensions.
This year has been the deadliest on record for Palestinians who live in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, which could have motivated Hamas to strike Israel.
What is the Gaza Strip and how big is it?
The Gaza Strip is a 41km (25-mile) long and 10km-wide territory located between Israel, Egypt and the Mediterranean Sea.The Gaza Strip is a 41km (25-mile) long and 10km-wide territory located between Israel, Egypt and the Mediterranean Sea.
Originally occupied by Egypt, Gaza was captured by Israel during the 1967 Six-Day War. Previously occupied by Egypt, Gaza was captured by Israel during the 1967 Six-Day War.
Israel withdrew its troops and around 7,000 settlers from the territory in 2005.Israel withdrew its troops and around 7,000 settlers from the territory in 2005.
The territory is home to 2.23 million people and has one of the highest population densities in the world. Home to 2.2 million people, the narrow strip is one of the most densely-populated areas in the world.
Just over 75% of Gaza's population - some 1.7 million people - are registered refugees or descendants of refugees, according to the UN. Just over three-quarters of Gaza's population - some 1.7 million people - are registered refugees or descendants of refugees, according to the UN.
Before the latest conflict, more than 500,000 people lived in eight crowded camps located across the Strip. Before the latest conflict, more than 500,000 people lived in eight refugee camps located across the Strip.
Israel controls the air space over Gaza and its shoreline, and strictly limits the movement of people and goods.Israel controls the air space over Gaza and its shoreline, and strictly limits the movement of people and goods.
Israel Gaza war: History of the conflict explained
What is Palestine?What is Palestine?
The West Bank and Gaza are known as the Palestinian territories. Along with East Jerusalem and Israel, they formed part of a land known as Palestine from Roman times until the mid-20th Century.The West Bank and Gaza are known as the Palestinian territories. Along with East Jerusalem and Israel, they formed part of a land known as Palestine from Roman times until the mid-20th Century.
These were also the lands of Jewish kingdoms in the Bible and are seen by many Jews as their ancient homeland.These were also the lands of Jewish kingdoms in the Bible and are seen by many Jews as their ancient homeland.
Israel was declared a state in 1948, although the land is still referred to as Palestine by those who do not recognise the country's right to exist.Israel was declared a state in 1948, although the land is still referred to as Palestine by those who do not recognise the country's right to exist.
The Palestinian president is Mahmoud Abbas, also known as Abu Mazen. He is based in the West Bank, which is under Israeli occupation.The Palestinian president is Mahmoud Abbas, also known as Abu Mazen. He is based in the West Bank, which is under Israeli occupation.
He has been the leader of the Palestinian Authority (PA) since 2005, and represents the Fatah political party, a bitter rival of Hamas. He has been the leader of the Palestinian Authority (PA) since 2005, and represents the Fatah political party - a bitter rival of Hamas.
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