# Understanding the Israel-Gaza Conflict: Background and Context

> The war that began with the Hamas attack of 7 October 2023 has deep historical roots. Here is the essential, factual background needed to understand how the conflict developed and where it stands.

*Section: World — By Liam Chen (World Affairs Reporter) — Published October 11, 2025, updated July 7, 2026 — 5 min read*

Canonical URL: https://dailyjunction.co.uk/world/israel-gaza-conflict-background-context
Tags: israel, gaza, conflict, middle east, history, geopolitics

## Key takeaways

- The current war began with the Hamas-led attack on Israel on 7 October 2023
- Israel was established in 1948; the same period saw the displacement of many Palestinians, known as the Nakba
- Gaza is a narrow territory of around 2.2 million people, among the most densely populated places on Earth
- Israel withdrew its settlers and military from inside Gaza in 2005; Hamas took control of the territory in 2007
- The UN and aid agencies have repeatedly warned of a severe humanitarian crisis in Gaza during the war

## Context: why the background matters

Few conflicts generate as much coverage, and as much heated disagreement, as the war between Israel and Hamas — yet the intense, fast-moving news cycle often assumes a historical background that many readers do not have. This article aims to provide that essential, factual context as neutrally as possible: not to adjudicate a conflict over which reasonable people hold deeply opposed views, but to lay out the sequence of events and the long history needed to make sense of what is happening. Understanding the background is a prerequisite for following the news critically rather than being swept along by whichever framing reaches you first.

## The data: the current war and its immediate origins

The current war began on 7 October 2023, when Hamas — the group governing Gaza since 2007, designated a terrorist organisation by the UK, EU and others — led a large-scale attack on southern Israel. According to Israeli figures, around 1,200 people were killed and roughly 250 taken hostage. Israel responded with an extensive military campaign in Gaza. The war that followed became the deadliest period in the long history of the conflict, with very high casualties reported in Gaza by health authorities there and widely cited by the United Nations, and with the UN and aid agencies repeatedly warning of a severe humanitarian crisis.

Some basic facts frame the immediate situation:

| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| War's start | 7 October 2023 (Hamas-led attack) |
| Gaza population | ~2.2 million |
| Gaza size | ~41 km long, extremely densely populated |
| Israel withdrew from inside Gaza | 2005 |
| Hamas took control of Gaza | 2007 |

## The deeper history

The conflict's roots stretch back over a century, to competing national movements laying claim to the same land under the British Mandate for Palestine. The State of Israel was established in 1948; the same period saw the displacement of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians, an event Palestinians call the Nakba, or "catastrophe." Subsequent wars — including 1948, 1967 and 1973 — reshaped the map, with Israel occupying territories including the West Bank and Gaza after 1967. Decades of peace efforts, most notably the Oslo Accords of the 1990s, produced interim arrangements but never a final settlement of the core issues: borders, the status of Jerusalem, Palestinian refugees, security, and the unrealised question of Palestinian statehood.

> "You cannot understand the present war without the century of history behind it, and you cannot understand that history without recognising that the two sides hold genuinely opposed narratives about the same events. Acknowledging that is not taking a side — it's the starting point for honest comprehension." — a principle central to responsible reporting of the conflict.

Gaza itself has a specific recent history. Israel withdrew its settlers and military from inside the territory in 2005. Hamas took control in 2007 after winning elections and then a violent split with the rival Fatah faction. Since then, Israel and Egypt have maintained a blockade of Gaza's borders — described by Israel as a security necessity and by critics as collective punishment, a disagreement that is itself central to the wider dispute.

## What it means for you (following the news critically)

For readers trying to follow this conflict responsibly, a few principles help. Recognise that casualty figures, framing and even basic terminology are contested, and that sources on all sides may have agendas — cross-referencing reporting from established international outlets and UN agencies is more reliable than any single source. Understand that strong emotion on this issue is legitimate but can crowd out accuracy, and that social media in particular circulates misinformation rapidly during flare-ups. And hold space for the reality that acknowledging the suffering and the legitimate fears of one side does not require denying those of the other. The conflict also has direct effects beyond the region, including on global shipping — the Houthi attacks that disrupted [Red Sea trade routes from late 2023](/world/global-trade-routes-being-redrawn) were linked to the war — and on domestic politics across the world. Our explainer on [the wider forces shaping the Middle East's international relations](/world/middle-east-business-impact-2026) covers some of those knock-on effects.

One further point helps in navigating coverage: the distinction between the people and the governing authorities on each side. Criticism of the actions of the Israeli government is not the same as hostility toward Israelis or Jewish people, and criticism of Hamas is not the same as hostility toward Palestinians — collapsing these distinctions is a common source of bad-faith argument and genuine hurt. Most Palestinians are civilians who did not choose Hamas's rule, just as most Israelis are civilians caught up in decisions made by their government and by armed groups. Holding that distinction steady is difficult amid intense coverage and strong emotion, but it is essential both for accuracy and for basic fairness to the millions of ordinary people on both sides whose lives the conflict has upended. It also guards against the antisemitism and anti-Muslim prejudice that reliably rise during flare-ups, and which responsible discussion of the conflict has a duty to avoid.

## What to watch next

Watch the diplomatic efforts toward a ceasefire and, eventually, a longer-term settlement, which have involved the US, Qatar, Egypt and others, and which have proven repeatedly fragile. Watch the humanitarian situation in Gaza, which UN agencies continue to monitor and which remains central to the international response. Watch the wider regional dimension, including the risk of escalation involving other actors, since the conflict has repeatedly threatened to spread beyond Gaza itself. And watch the long-dormant question of a two-state solution, which remains the framework most of the international community formally supports but which has seen little practical progress for years. This is a conflict where the news changes constantly, but the underlying issues — competing claims, unresolved statehood, security and the rights of both peoples — have remained strikingly consistent, which is exactly why the historical background is the most durable guide to understanding it.

## Frequently asked questions

### How did the current war begin?

The current war began on 7 October 2023, when Hamas — the group that has governed Gaza since 2007, and which is designated a terrorist organisation by the UK, EU and others — led a large-scale attack on southern Israel, killing around 1,200 people and taking about 250 hostages, according to Israeli figures. Israel responded with a large-scale military campaign in Gaza. The scale of the initial attack and the subsequent war made it the deadliest period in the history of the conflict, with very high casualties reported in Gaza by health authorities there and widely cited by the UN.

### What is the deeper historical background?

The conflict's roots stretch back over a century, to competing national movements and claims to the same land under the British Mandate for Palestine. The State of Israel was established in 1948; the same period saw the displacement of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians, an event Palestinians call the Nakba ('catastrophe'). Successive wars, the occupation of territories including the West Bank and Gaza after 1967, failed peace processes, and the unresolved status of Palestinian statehood and refugees form the long backdrop to the present conflict. It is a genuinely contested history in which the two sides hold deeply opposed narratives.

### What is Gaza and who controls it?

Gaza is a narrow coastal territory roughly 41 km long, home to around 2.2 million Palestinians, making it one of the most densely populated places on Earth. Israel withdrew its settlers and military forces from inside Gaza in 2005. In 2007, Hamas took control of the territory after winning elections the previous year and then a violent split with the rival Fatah faction. Since then, Israel and Egypt have maintained a blockade on Gaza's borders, which they describe as a security measure and which critics describe as collective punishment — itself a major point of contention.

### Why is this conflict so internationally significant?

Beyond the immediate human toll, the conflict draws in major powers and regional actors, affects global oil markets and shipping (Houthi attacks on Red Sea shipping from late 2023 were linked to the war), and is a deeply divisive issue in domestic politics across the world, including the UK. It also raises profound questions of international law, humanitarian principle and the long-stalled question of a two-state solution. Few international issues generate such strong feeling or such polarised debate, which is precisely why understanding the factual background matters.

## Sources

- [BBC News — Israel-Gaza war coverage and explainers](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-67039975)
- [UN OCHA — humanitarian situation in the occupied Palestinian territory](https://www.ochaopt.org/)
- [Council on Foreign Relations — Israeli-Palestinian conflict background](https://www.cfr.org/global-conflict-tracker/conflict/israeli-palestinian-conflict)

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