Gaza Strip —(Map)
In March, Israel broke its ceasefire with Hamas and restarted its war in Gaza. Israel’s attacks and efforts to cut off food and other supplies have left hundreds of thousands of Palestinian people in Gaza struggling to survive.
The fighting between the two sides began after Hamas brutally attacked Israel on October 7, 2022, killing about 1,200 people and taking roughly 250 hostages. Israel sent soldiers into Gaza and has continued to pound the area with bombs since the war began. Close to 70% of Gaza’s buildings have been destroyed, and over 52,000 people in Gaza have been killed, many of them civilians.
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In March, Israel broke its ceasefire with Hamas and restarted its war in Gaza. Israel’s attacks and efforts to cut off food and other supplies have left hundreds of thousands of Palestinian people in Gaza struggling to survive. Above, Palestinians, including children, in long lines to get hot food last Friday.
In January, Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire, bringing a temporary end to the fighting between the two sides. The ceasefire began on January 19, and the first stage lasted six weeks. As part of the ceasefire, Hamas released some Israeli hostages, and Israel released some Palestinian prisoners.
As the ceasefire entered its second stage, Israel tried to change the rules, but Hamas refused. Israel announced that it would block all aid to Gaza until Hamas agreed to its conditions.
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In January, Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire. As the ceasefire entered its second stage, Israel tried to change the rules. On March 18, Israel broke the ceasefire. Over 2,600 Palestinians have died since then. Above, the ruins of a mosque in a refugee camp. The mosque was bombed on Monday, killing a young girl.
On March 18, Israel broke the ceasefire, launching new airstrikes on Gaza and killing over 400 people. At the time, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, “This is just the beginning.” Since then, Israel has increased its attacks. Over 2,600 Palestinians have died since Israel broke the ceasefire.
Since early March, Israel has blocked food, water, and medicine from coming into Gaza. It has also cut off electricity to a plant in Southern Gaza that provided clean water for 600,000 people. After more than two months with no aid, the situation in Gaza is desperate. Many people are going hungry. The United Nations is warning of the risk of famine for everyone living in Gaza.
(Source: Adapted from a graphic by IPC.)
On May 5, Israel’s cabinet agreed to a new plan to increase military action against Gaza. Israel already controls about half of Gaza. Under the new plan, Israel aims to take control of most of Gaza. It hopes to destroy most buildings and force Palestinians into one small area. Israel’s goal is to force Palestinians to live somewhere else.
That plan is similar in ways to a plan US President Donald Trump announced in February. Mr. Trump suggested the US would take over Gaza, clean it up, and turn it into a vacation spot. Under his plan, Gaza’s 2.3 million Palestinians would have to leave.
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Israel has a new plan to increase military action against Gaza and take control of most of Gaza. Israel hopes to destroy most buildings and force Palestinians into one small area, so that they will choose to live somewhere else. Above, Palestinians hoping to get a hot meal last Wednesday.
Since then, there has been a growing split between Mr. Trump’s government and Mr. Netanyahu’s. Mr. Trump says he wants the war to end. Mr. Netanyahu leads a coalition government with partners who want to continue the war. If Mr. Netanyahu ended the war, his government might collapse.
Yesterday, in a deal with the US, Hamas released Edan Alexander, the last American hostage the group held. Hamas still holds several Israeli hostages.
Mr. Trump is currently visiting the Middle East, but has no plans to visit Israel. That’s unusual for a US president. Israel says it won’t begin to increase its attacks until after Mr. Trump leaves the area.
Did You Know…?
Under Mr. Trump, the US had been bombing Iran-supported Houthi rebels in Yemen. But last week, the US agreed to stop its bombing if the Houthis stopped attacking US ships in the Red Sea. The deal that Mr. Trump made only protects US ships – not those of Israel or other countries. The US reached the deal a day after Houthis nearly hit Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion airport with a missile.
Note: The current situation in the Middle East is serious. If this article brings up questions or worries for you, be sure to discuss them with an adult you trust. This article attempts to give a general idea of the situation in simple terms. But these issues are complicated and have long histories; there are important points that haven’t been covered here.
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