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What is Hamas and why is it fighting with Israel in Gaza? What is Hamas and why is it fighting with Israel in Gaza?
(17 days later)
Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas have been at war since early October. Hamas has been the sole ruler in the Gaza Strip since 2007
It began when Hamas gunmen launched an unprecedented attack on Israel from Gaza - the deadliest in Israel's history. Hamas is a Palestinian armed group and political movement in the Gaza Strip. On 7 October 2023 it attacked Israel, killing about 1,200 people and taking more than 250 hostages.
An Israeli military campaign has followed, which has killed thousands in the Palestinian territory. This triggered a massive Israeli military offensive in Gaza, which has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians. Hamas continues to fire rockets into Israel.
What happened during the Hamas attacks on Israel? The US, UK, Israel and many other nations have designated Hamas as a terrorist organisation.
On the morning of 7 October, waves of Hamas gunmen stormed across Gaza's border into Israel, killing about 1,200 people. Hamas also fired thousands of rockets. What is Hamas and what are its goals?
Those killed included children, the elderly and 364 young people at a music festival.  Hamas started as an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood in 1987. Its name means Islamic Resistance Movement.
Hamas took more than 250 others to Gaza as hostages. It is opposed to the existence of Israel on what it says is Palestinian land. It wants a state based on Islam in its place and across the occupied West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza.
The BBC has also seen evidence of rape and sexual violence during the Hamas attacks.  It has, however, signalled its willingness to accept an interim Palestinian state in just the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza, without renouncing its claim to all of historic Palestine.
Before the 7 October attacks, Hamas was estimated to have about 30,000 fighters, but Israel said in August that its forces had killed more than 17,000 of them. This can't be independently verified.
Hamas has been the sole ruler in the Gaza Strip since 2007, after winning Palestinian elections and violently ousting rivals.
How Hamas built a force to attack Israel on 7 OctoberHow Hamas built a force to attack Israel on 7 October
What is Hamas and why is it fighting Israel? Who are Hamas's leaders and allies?
Hamas became the sole ruler of Gaza after violently ejecting political rivals in 2007. When Hamas attacked Israel on 7 October 2023, the group's main leader was Ismail Haniyeh. He was based in Qatar, where the group has a headquarters.
It has an armed wing and was thought to have about 30,000 fighters before the start of the war. Haniyeh was assassinated in an explosion while visiting the Iranian capital, Tehran, in July 2024.
The group, whose name stands for Islamic Resistance Movement, wants to create an Islamic state in place of Israel. Hamas rejects Israel's right to exist and is committed to its destruction. He was replaced by Yahya Sinwar, who had been leader of Hamas in Gaza since 2017.
Hamas justified its attack as a response to what it calls Israeli crimes against the Palestinian people. Sinwar was killed by Israel Defense Forces (IDF) soldiers in Gaza in October 2024.
These include security raids on Islam's third holiest site - the al-Aqsa Mosque, in occupied East Jerusalem - and Jewish settlement activity in the occupied West Bank. He was the architect of the 7 October attacks and was Israel's most wanted man.
Hamas fighters on an Israeli tank captured in the 7 October attack Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh (left) and his replacement Yahya Sinwar (right) were killed within months of each other
Hamas also wants thousands of Palestinian prisoners in Israel to be freed and for an end to the blockade of the Gaza Strip by Israel and Egypt - something both countries say is for security. Sinwar had disappeared at the start of the war and, before the chance encounter in which he was killed, it was assumed he had spent much of the conflict hiding in tunnels beneath Gaza.
It has fought several wars with Israel since it took power, fired thousands of rockets and carried out many other deadly attacks. It is not yet clear who will replace him as the leader of Hamas.
Israel has repeatedly attacked Hamas with air strikes and sent troops into Gaza in 2008 and 2014. Several other top commanders of Hamas have been killed by Israel since the war began.
Hamas, or in some cases its armed wing alone, is considered a terrorist group by Israel, the US, the EU, and the UK, among others. As a result of the conflict, the group's infrastructure and ability to operate openly in the Gaza Strip have been all but destroyed.
Iran backs Hamas with funding, weapons and training. Its most prominent leaders now include Khaled Meshaal, who heads Hamas's relations with Palestinian communities abroad and lives in Qatar, and Mahmoud Zahar, one of the group's founders, who lives in Gaza.
Who are the leaders of Hamas? Hamas's most important allies are Iran - its biggest backer in terms of funds, weapons and political support - and Syria and Qatar.
Who is the Hamas leader in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar? Who will lead Hamas after killing of Yahya Sinwar?
Why is Israel fighting in Gaza? What has happened to Hamas's most prominent figures?
Israel immediately began a massive campaign of air strikes on targets in Gaza, in response to the Hamas attack. Bowen: Why Sinwar's death does not mean the end of the war
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel's aims were the destruction of Hamas and the return of the hostages. Why did Hamas attack Israel?
Israel launched a ground invasion three weeks later. It has also bombarded Gaza from the sea. Hamas led the deadliest attack on Israel in its history, killing about 1,200 people, including more than 360 young people at a music festival.
Attacks were initially focused on northern Gaza, particularly Gaza City and tunnels beneath it, which Israel said were the centre of military operations by Hamas. The unprecedented attack sent shockwaves across the country, as Hamas gunmen targeted border communities for hours and took hostages.
All 1.1 million people living in the north were ordered by Israel to evacuate south for their safety. Hamas has said it is a resistance movement. It has described the attack as a response to what it says are decades of Israeli oppression, the killings of Palestinians and years-long blockade of the Gaza Strip.
Following a temporary truce in late November, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) extended ground operations to southern Gaza. As Israel prepared to mark a year since the attack, Khalil al-Hayya, the most senior leader outside Gaza, justified it by saying it had put the plight of the Palestinians on the world's political agenda.
Troops reached the heart of the second biggest city, Khan Younis, where the IDF said it believed top Hamas commanders were hiding. The IDF also pushed into refugee camps in central Gaza. "It was necessary to raise an alarm in the world to tell them that here there is a people who have a cause and have demands that must be met," he told the BBC's Jeremy Bowen.
More than 33,000 Palestinians have been killed, and tens of thousands injured by Israeli strikes since the start of the war, according to Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry. It says most were women and children. Events remembering those killed and taken hostage were held as Israel marked a year since the attacks
Mr Netanyahu said in March that 13,000 Palestinian fighters had been killed, external, while about a month earlier the IDF said it had killed about 9,000 Hamas fighters, in addition to more than 1,000 of the attackers inside Israel on 7 October. It has not said how it came to this figure. Hamas has also said the attack was a reaction to what it claims are Israeli efforts to take over the al-Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem - Islam's third holiest site. Hamas also wants the release of thousands of Palestinians in Israeli prisons.
Israel says more than 250 of its soldiers have been killed in Gaza. The year leading up to the attack was also the deadliest in the occupation of the West Bank, since the UN began recording in 2005. By the end of the year at least 505 Palestinians had been killed there, mostly by Israeli soldiers and settlers. In the same year, 30 Israelis were also killed in the West Bank.
Homes and other buildings in Gaza have suffered from extensive damage and destruction. All Palestinian factions and parties oppose Israel's presence in the West Bank, as well as occupied East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip. They want the land to be part of a future independent state, something backed by the vast majority of the international community.
What Gaza's death toll says about the war Israeli settlers seize Palestinian land under cover of war
At least half of Gaza buildings damaged or destroyed, new analysis shows Stories of the Hamas hostages - people taken from Israel
Who are the hostages and how many have been freed? Israel's occupation of the land and settlements it has built there are considered illegal by the UN's top court. However, Israel's current government does not recognise the right of the Palestinians to have their own state, arguing that it would be a security threat. It also claims the West Bank as part of a "Greater Israel".
Most of the 253 men, women and children abducted by Hamas were civilians. Analysts have suggested the attack could also have been timed to derail recognition of Israel by Saudi Arabia, which was considered likely at the time.
They included elderly people and those with disabilities and medical conditions. The youngest was nine months old. What was Israel's response to Hamas's attacks?
In Gaza, Hamas hid them in tunnels and fighters' homes. Unconfirmed reports suggest some have been held by other militant groups. Israel launched a massive military offensive against Hamas in Gaza following the 7 October attack. It started with air strikes and was followed by a ground invasion.
During November's truce, 105 hostages (81 Israelis and dual nationals, and 24 foreigners) were released in exchange for 240 Palestinians held in Israeli jails. The two sides have been at war ever since.
Four hostages had previously been freed by Hamas and three rescued by the IDF - one on 29 October and two on 12 February. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel aims to destroy Hamas, to return the remaining hostages and to make sure Israel cannot be threatened in future.
Three hostages were accidentally killed by Israeli troops who mistook them for Hamas fighters. It also wants tens of thousands of displaced Israelis to be able to return to their homes in northern Israel, near the border with Lebanon, which is under attack from Hamas's ally Hezbollah.
Stories of the hostages taken by Hamas from Israel Inside the Israeli kibbutz that is struggling to heal
Who are the released hostages? Gaza Strip in maps: How life has drastically changed in a year
What is the situation for civilians in Gaza? More than 41,600 people in Gaza - mostly civilians, the majority of whom were women and children - have been killed in the fighting, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
The UN and aid agencies say Gaza is suffering severe shortages of food and other essentials including fuel and medicine. This is particularly acute in northern Gaza, where it is especially difficult to deliver aid which enters the territory from the south. The UN says most of the 2.3 million population have been forced from their homes and that there are "catastrophic" levels of food insecurity.
A UN-backed report says the situation across Gaza is turning into a man-made famine. A number of children have starved to death in northern Gaza, the UN says. More than 340 Israeli soldiers have been killed in the fighting, the Israeli military says.
Humanitarian agencies and Israel have blamed each other. Agencies say Israeli security checks on aid going into Gaza are complex and arbitrary, causing major delays. Israel denies impeding aid and says agencies are failing to distribute the aid that is allowed in. Both Israel and Hamas have been accused of committing war crimes and human rights abuses.
However Israel has agreed to open a crossing into northern Gaza and allow its nearby port of Ashdod to receive shipments of aid, after sharp criticism from the US. The UN Human Rights Council says both sides have mounted attacks against civilian populations and are responsible for "murder or wilful killings". Both have rejected the report's findings.
That came after the Israeli military killed seven aid workers in a drone attack, an incident which drew worldwide condemnation. Israel said the strike was a "grave mistake" due to misidentification. Israel has also been accused of genocide in a case brought by South Africa and taken to the UN's top court, the International Court of Justice. Israel says the case is "wholly unfounded".
Shifa hospital in Gaza City was destroyed in the Israeli military's raid There was one week-long ceasefire in November 2023 but attempts to broker another one have failed.
Gaza's health system is in a state of collapse. Medical facilities are overwhelmed by the huge number of injured and are struggling with shortages of staff, medical supplies, food, fuel and water. Why has America failed to broker a Middle East ceasefire?
Hospitals have been repeatedly attacked by the Israeli military, which says it has been targeting Hamas gunmen using the facilities as cover. How will the Middle East conflict end?
A two-week raid on al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City in March left the complex in ruins and beyond use. Have Israel and Hamas fought before?
What we know about Israeli strike on aid convoy Since its founding, Hamas has carried out bombings, rocket attacks and shootings, killing civilians and soldiers in Israel.
Erez and Ashdod: How will new Gaza aid routes work? Israel has carried out operations against Hamas in Gaza and its cells in East Jerusalem and the West Bank, killing its fighters. In such operations, Israel has killed many Palestinian civilians.
What are the chances of a ceasefire? The two sides have also fought several major conflicts - in 2008-09, 2012 and 2014.
Talks aimed at reaching a second truce have stalled. The last major conflict between the two sides was in May 2021, which ended in a ceasefire after 11 days.
Hamas says it wants an end to the war, for Israeli troops to withdraw from Gaza, for displaced people to return to their homes and an influx of aid. Every round of fighting has seen people killed on both sides, the vast majority of them Palestinians in Gaza.
Israel says it cannot allow Hamas to remain in control of Gaza and wants hostages released in return for a temporary pause in fighting.
Israel says it plans to invade the southern town of Rafah, where about 1.5 million Palestinians have crowded to escape fighting elsewhere.
But the US - Israel's most important ally - has warned Israel it would not support such an invasion without clear plans for the safety of civilians there.
Gaza Strip in maps: How life has changed in three months
Where is the Gaza Strip and how big is it?Where is the Gaza Strip and how big is it?
The Gaza Strip is a 41km (25-mile) long and 10km-wide territory between Israel, Egypt and the Mediterranean Sea.The Gaza Strip is a 41km (25-mile) long and 10km-wide territory between Israel, Egypt and the Mediterranean Sea.
Previously occupied by Egypt, Gaza was captured by Israel during the 1967 Six-Day War. It was part of a proposed Arab state under the original UN partition plan in 1947. Gaza was then occupied by Egypt in the war that followed Israel's creation, then captured by Israel during the 1967 Six-Day War.
Israel withdrew its troops and about 7,000 settlers from the territory in 2005. Israel withdrew its troops and about 7,000 settlers from the territory in 2005, though the UN still considers the land to be occupied.
Home to 2.2 million people, it is one of the world's most densely populated places. Gaza is one of the world's most densely populated places.
Just over three-quarters of Gaza's population are registered refugees, or descendants of refugees, the UN says. Just over three-quarters of its population are registered refugees, or descendants of refugees, the UN says.
Israel controls the air space over Gaza, its shoreline and its shared border, and limits the movement of people and goods. Even before the current war between Israel and Hamas, the territory had one of the highest unemployment rates in the world, with most of its population living below the poverty line and depending on food aid to survive.
Israel Gaza war: History of the conflict explained Israel controls Gaza's airspace, its shoreline and the shred border. It also limits the movement of people and goods.
Huge challenges for Israel on its vague ‘day after’ Gaza plan Experts share their analysis on what might happen next with Middle East conflict
What is Palestine?
The West Bank and Gaza are known as the Palestinian territories.
Along with East Jerusalem and Israel, they formed part of land known as Palestine from Roman times until the mid-20th Century.
In 1948, part of Palestine became Israel, which was recognised by the UN the following year.
The West Bank - including East Jerusalem - and Gaza are recognised as Palestine by many countries and bodies, although it does not have UN member status.
Those who do not recognise Israel's right to exist refer to all of the West Bank, Jerusalem, Gaza and Israel as Palestine.
The UN considers the West Bank and Gaza as a single Israeli-occupied territory.
However, the two areas are run by rival Palestinian administrations.
The West Bank is governed with limited self-rule by the Palestinian Authority (PA), under President Mahmoud Abbas, and Israel has overall control. The PA officially recognises Israel. Hamas, in Gaza, does not recognise Israel.
Hamas support soars in West Bank - but full uprising can still be avoided
Divided communities in the West Bank
What is the two-state solution?
The future of the West Bank and East Jerusalem is one of the most difficult issues of the Israel-Palestinian conflict.
An internationally backed plan for peace is known as the "two-state solution".
It would mean an independent Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza, with East Jerusalem as its capital. This Palestinian state would exist alongside Israel.
Israel's most important ally, the US, sees a two-state solution as the way forward once the Gaza war ends.
A two-state solution is also formally supported by the PA.
However, since 1967, Israel has built about 140 settlements housing some 700,000 Jews in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
The settlements are regarded as illegal by most of the rest of the world, though Israel disputes this.
The PA insists all settlements must be removed as part of any future peace deal.
The idea of a two-state solution has never been officially advocated by Israel, and Prime Minister Netanyahu has repeatedly stated his opposition.
He says Israel must retain full security control over the West Bank and Gaza.
Netanyahu publicly rejects US push for Palestinian state