War has broken out in Israel between the Israeli military and the militant Hamas fighters after they launched 2,000 rockets on the country. Who are Hamas? Why are they attacking Israel? What is the role of the United States in all of this? Here is a summary of everything you need to know building up this conflict.

For 400 years, the territory of Palestine was controlled by the Ottoman Empire, which was a large Muslim Arabic state in the Middle East. This territory contains the city of Jerusalem, which is a holy site for both Jewish people and Muslims. After their defeat in World War 1, the British empire took over the territory, and they expressed support for a Jewish state that would not displace non-Jewish members of the Palestine territory. 

In the period after World War 1, Jews were persecuted and murdered across Europe and Asia. In order to escape, numerous Jewish people fled the Muslim controlled territories, a movement that involved the migration of 900,000 Jews to Palestine, and the nation’s rapidly growing numbers caused resentment in the Palestinian population. Then, in 1947, the United Nations voted to split Palestine into separate Muslim and Jewish states. This vote, however, was rejected by Muslims in the region.

In 1948, the British Empire left the region. On May 14, 1948, the Jewish People’s Council met and declared the creation of the state of Israel, a homeland for Jews fleeing persecution. Within the same week of May, the US and USSR recognized Israel’s creation.

Since then there have been numerous conflicts in the region, prompting support efforts from other countries In 2000, President Bill Clinton hosted Israeli and Palestinian leaders at a Camp David summit in an effort to establish peace accords that were never realized.

In the mid-2000s, the militant Palestinian group Hamas came to power in Gaza after Israel withdrew and ended up winning the last Gaza election in 2006. Since then, there has been incessant fighting between the Israelis and Hamas. All of this conflict culminated in the attack that occurred on Oct. 7, which is seen as the “biggest offensive in years.” 

As of Sunday, Oct. 16, the death toll in Israel stands at over 1,200. The Israeli military has retaliated swiftly and taken the fighting back to Gaza, where the death toll stands at over 2,600. There are numerous civilian casualties on both sides, and among them are at least 30 US citizens who have been reported dead as of Sunday, per CNN. 

The US has been a long time ally of Israel, and the federal government is beginning to send aid to the region in order to deter any more Hamas attacks. They are sending aircraft carriers and attack planes to the region, along with coordinating a team to help retrieve the over 150 hostages that the Hamas had taken and a large supply of weapons. 

“The brutality of Hamas, its bloodthirstiness, brings to mind the worst rampages of ISIS,” President Joe Biden said in an announcement at the White House on Oct. 10. “We will make sure Israel has what it needs to take care of its citizens, defend itself and respond to this attack.”

The war is currently ongoing and the death toll on both sides is still rising. The brutality of the Hamas attacks has resulted in what President Biden called, “the deadliest day for Jews since the Holocaust.” The resolution to the deep-rooted conflict remains unclear, but the world hopes for a peaceful agreement.