Destruction in Gaza

Gaza devastation

On January 18, Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire that ended three weeks of war in Gaza. Israel had begun its attacks on Hamas, the militant Islamic group that controls Gaza, on December 27. Israel attacked after Hamas refused to extend a six-month truce negotiated by Egypt in June of 2008. The fragile ceasefire was broken only 10 days later, and was followed soon after by another agreement to suspend hostilities.

Hamas has been firing rockets from Gaza into Israel since 2001. The militant group believes that all of the land in the area belongs to Islamic people, and does not recognize Israel as a legitimate country. Hamas is fighting to remove the Jewish people of Israel from the area by any means necessary.

Israel has been blockading Gaza for the last year and a half, allowing only the most basic humanitarian supplies to enter the area. They are trying to keep other Islamic countries from supplying arms to Gaza, as well as to pressure Hamas to make peace.

The war that began on December 27 resulted in the death of about 1,300 Palestinians and 13 Israelis in Gaza, the destruction of over 4,000 buildings in Gaza, and severe damage to 20,000 more buildings. Tens of thousands of Palestinians in Gaza have been left homeless by the fighting.

The United States is a strong supporter of Israel. The U.S. government supplies Israel with money, arms, and political support. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice spoke up for Israel’s right to defend itself, but also said she hopes the countries can make a ceasefire agreement last. President Obama’s special envoy to the Middle East, former U.S. senator George Mitchell, is dedicated to finding a solution for peace in the Middle East.

Image credit:  AP Images/Anja Niedringhaus

Related Links

  • Scale of Gaza Destruction Emerges
    Story from the BBC covers the situation in Gaza as it was revealed after the ceasefire began, and includes information on the humanitarian efforts to help the Palestinians. Click on other links listed to the right of the article for a comprehensive look at the conflict.
    (Source: BBC, January 19, 2009)
  • TIMELINE—Israeli-Hamas Violence
    Timeline from Reuters covers the violence in the region from the day the six-month truce expired on December 19 until January 19.
    (Source: Reuters, January 19, 2009)
  • Q&A: Gaza Conflict
    Story in question and answer format covering the conflict from both sides. Includes information about what both Israel and Hamas want, and the obstacles that stand in the way of peace.
    (Source: BBC, January 18, 2009)
  • Gaza Conflict Map
    Map of the Gaza Strip and Israel from the BBC, includes locations of Israeli attacks on Gaza and Palestinian rocket attacks on Israel.
    (Source: BBC, January 17, 2009)

Critical Thinking Questions

  1. Sequence Events What events led to Israel’s invasion of the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip?
  2. Form and Support Opinions Was Israel’s attack on Gaza in response to the rocket attacks by Hamas justified? Why or why not?
  3. Compare and Contrast Research President Obama’s statements about his approach to the conflict in the Middle East since his inauguration. Compare and contrast his policies to those of the Bush administration.


One Comment

  1. Rebecca says:

    Thank you, this helped alottttt!!!!!!!