How did the Israeli-Palestinian conflict begin?

Photo: Reuters 

Hamas, the Palestinian independence organization, suddenly attacked Israel. Tel Aviv declared war after Saturday's (October 7) attack. About thirteen hundred people have been killed on both sides in the ongoing conflict. The question in many people's minds is why the Palestinian armed group suddenly attacked. But this attack is not a one-day event, this conflict has been going on for ages. Let's find out what happened on a small scale. How did the Israeli-Palestinian conflict begin?

Israel is a small country among the main Muslim countries of the Middle East. When Britain left Palestine in 1948, the Jews declared their own state of Israel. In 1949, the newly formed state of Israel signed an armistice, suspending the long-running war with Arab countries. Under the 1949 agreement, the Gaza Strip remains under Egyptian control.

Photo: collected 

When the Suez Canal crisis arose in 1956, Israel sided with Egypt. Israel invades the Sinai Peninsula and the Gaza Strip. But in the face of international pressure, Britain, Israel and France had to retreat.

In January 1957, Israel withdrew its troops from the rest of Egyptian territory except for the Gaza Strip and the Gulf of Aqaba. At the same time, they claim, the Gaza Strip never belonged to Egypt.

Arab-Israeli war broke out in June 1967, known as the 'Six Day War'. The battle from June 5 to June 10 had far-reaching effects later. At that time Israel gained control of the Gaza Strip and the Sinai Peninsula. Shortly before the start of the war, Palestinian groups formed the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). The largest of these was the Palestinian group Fatah. After the PLO was formed, its forces began attacking Israel. First they attacked from Jordan. Then from Lebanon.

The Yom Kippur War broke out in October 1973. On October 6 of that year, Egypt and Syria jointly attacked Israel. About 2,700 Israeli soldiers died in the 19-day war, and thousands were wounded out of a population of about 3 million at the time.

The historic 'Camp David' peace accord was signed between Israel and Egypt on 26 March 1979 in Washington (mediated by the US). Through this, a new horizon begins in the Middle East. As a result, Israel withdrew its entire army from the Sinai Peninsula. The two countries agreed on a framework agreement to allow autonomy for Palestinians living in the occupied territories. Three years later, US President Ronald Reagan expressed support for full Palestinian autonomy. But Israel rejected this plan.

In December 1987, Palestinians living in the West Bank and Gaza launched the first Intifada (a Palestinian resistance movement that started from mosques against Israeli occupation) against Israel. Members of the Muslim Brotherhood founded Hamas at this time. The crisis continued to grow.

In 1993, then PLO leader Yasser Arafat signed the Oslo Accords with Israel and committed to ending the conflict based on a two-state solution. Yasser Arafat and then Israeli Prime Minister Isaac Rabin also received the Nobel Peace Prize for the agreement. Hamas, which opposes the deal, launched a series of suicide bombings in Israel.

In 1997, two suicide bombings killed 27 people. Shimon Peres, the Prime Minister of Israel at the time, said that he would wage a continuous war against Hamas. He said that he will not accept this incident easily.

In September 2000, talks between Israel and Palestine at Camp David reached an impasse. A few months later, the Second Intifada broke out. Palestinian youths throw stones at Israeli police. Hamas prepares to fight Israel. Because of that, support for Hamas increased in Palestine.

Israeli troops withdrew from Gaza in September 2005. But Israel imposes restrictions on the movement of Palestinians in and out of certain areas. They are criticized in international circles.

Hamas won Palestinian parliamentary elections in January 2006, nearly a year after the death of Yasser Arafat, the founder of the paramilitary organization Fatah. A year later Hamas took control of Gaza and Fatah forces withdrew.

Israel attacked Hamas in December 2008 in response to rocket attacks from Gaza. 200 Palestinians were killed. Later, they launched a ground war against Hamas. A total of 1200 Palestinians and 13 Israelis were killed in this incident.

In January 2009, both Israel and Palestine declared a ceasefire. Israel then withdrew troops from Gaza and redeployed the border of the Strip.

Israel killed Hamas military chief Ahmed Jabari in November 2012. After that, the exchange of fire started for more than a week. More than 150 Palestinians and at least six Israelis were killed.

In 2014, three Israeli teenagers were kidnapped and killed by Hamas. As a result of which the rocket attack started from the direction of Israel. It killed 1,881 Palestinians and over 60 Israelis.

In 2018, Palestinian youth demonstrated on the border between Gaza and Israel. As many as 170 Palestinians were killed as Israeli forces attacked there.

In May 2021, Israeli police raided Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem. It is considered by many as the 'third holiest place of Islam'. The attack here triggered an 11-day war between Israel and Hamas. More than 200 Palestinians and more than 19 Israelis died.

In 2022, Israeli forces killed at least 166 Palestinians in the occupied West Bank after attacks on Israeli cities. This created protests throughout Palestine.

Several times this year, Israeli forces conducted military operations in Jenin. In January, another Palestinian killed seven people in a synagogue in East Jerusalem. This crisis has been going on since then.

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