Easy News: Hamas attacks from Gaza and Israel’s response

1. 

   This month, there has been a serious increase in violence in the Middle East between Israel and Hamas.

2. 

   This is part of a conflict that has been going on for over 100 years. You can read more Easy News stories about the history of fighting between Israel and Palestine here.

3. 

   Hamas is a Palestinian-Islamic group that began in 1987, and currently rules the Gaza Strip (also known as Gaza).

4. 

   Israel is a country in the Middle East. Palestine is made up of two areas inside Israel, Gaza and the West Bank.

5. 

   There has been lots of fighting for many years over who gets what land and how it is controlled.

6. 

   On the morning of the 7th of October, more than 1,000 Hamas fighters left Gaza and went into Israel. They also fired rockets towards towns in Israel.

7. 

   They attacked many Israelis, killing more than 1,400 people, injuring 2,000 and taking around 200 people hostage.

8. 

   Many of the attacks were in Kibbutzim, which are farm-based communities where people believe in sharing what they have with each other.

9. 

   A music festival was also attacked, where over 260 people were killed, including at least 6 British people.

10. 

    Hamas has said that it will kill the hostages unless all members of Hamas in Israeli jails are let go. They have also said they will kill a hostage every time the Israeli military bombs Gaza without warning.

11. 

    The president of the United States, Joe Biden, said it was “the deadliest day for Jews since the Holocaust”. He and the British foreign minister, James Cleverly, have since travelled to Israel to show their support, along with the British Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak.

12. 

    Since the attacks from Hamas, Israel Defence Forces have been bombing Gaza. Within 5 days, 6 neighbourhoods in Gaza had been destroyed. Schools in Gaza have also been hit by the bombs and many people killed.

13. 

    Half of the people living in the Gaza Strip are children.

14. 

    Israel is preparing to send soldiers into Gaza to rescue the hostages and find and kill members of Hamas.

15. 

    On 13th October, Israel ordered people living in north Gaza and Gaza city to leave before their soldiers go in. Of the 1.1 million who live there, 600,000 have left. But many are not leaving, and say they do not have anywhere else to go.

16. 

    Israel is stopping all food, fuel, electricity and most water from going into Gaza. Israel says they will not let any in until the hostages are returned.

17. 

    The United Nations has said that the situation in Gaza is very bad. They say that hospitals are running out of electricity, and many people will soon be starving.

18. 

    The number of people killed or injured in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank in these recent events is going up every day. On 20th October, the Gaza health ministry said more than 4,000 Palestinians had been killed by the bombings, including 1,200 children. More than 12,000 had been injured.

19. 

    No one knows how long the fighting and bombing in Gaza will go on for.

20. 

    People around the world have different opinions about who is right and who is wrong in the long-term Israel-Palestine conflict, and the events of the last few weeks.

21. 

    People are feeling angry and upset on both sides.

22. 

    Sadly, many more innocent Palestinians and Israelis are likely to be killed, injured or made homeless as the conflict continues.

23. 

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