Israel is a country located in the Middle East, having borders with Lebanon, Jordan, Syria, Egypt and Palestine.
It’s capital is Jerusalem, but this status has not received wide international recognition.
Nowadays, Israel is the only Jewish nation on Earth.
2023 Israel-Hamas war
On October 7, 2023, Hamas-led Palestinian militants launched an invasion of Israel from the Gaza Strip. This invasion was a surprise, and as a result, more than 800 Israeli civilians and more than 200 soldiers were killed. In addition, an estimated 240 Israeli and foreign nationals were taken as hostages to the Gaza Strip.
Soon after, Israel attacked back and it marks the most significant military escalation in the region since the Yom Kippur War in 1973. As of November 14, 2023, more than 13 000 Palestinians were killed, including 5500 children, a severe humanitarian crisis is happening in Gaza.
The war has sparked global protests calling for a ceasefire.
Even though the counter offensive of Israel into Gaza has caused the death of thousands of innocent civilians, it is also important to point out that Hamas members have oftentimes built their command centres behind civilian infrastructure. This observation is not a reason to defend all of Israel’s actions, but is definitely something that needs to be taken into consideration.