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https://www.npr.org/2023/10/11/1204923717/israel-gaza-hamas-palestinian-war
Why Hamas and Israel reached this moment now — and what comes next
Rockets fired by Palestinian militants from Gaza are intercepted by the Israeli Iron Dome defense missile system in the early hours of Sunday.
It's not uncommon for violence to break out between Israel and Hamas militants in Gaza. It typically goes like this: Hamas throws rockets over the Gaza border into Israel, most of which are intercepted by the Iron Dome — Israel's very sophisticated missile defense system. The impact in Israel is usually minimized.
Israel then responds with airstrikes on the densely populated Gaza Strip.
But what happened last weekend was unprecedented in its scale and coordination.
Militants attacked Israeli communication towers with improvised explosives, they breached the Gaza-Israel border fence within minutes and assumed control of several Israeli communities. They paraglided over the border and gunned down civilians at a music festival.
Hamas killed at least 1,200 people in the attack and took dozens hostage, including women, children and the elderly — all while Israel's military was late to respond. It was the deadliest attack Israel has seen in decades.
In retaliation, Israel has laid siege to Gaza with hundreds of airstrikes that have killed at least 1,000 Palestinians and displaced more than 200,000 people. It has cut off electricity, food and fuel supplies.
Speaking to mayors of the southern border towns that were hit by the attack, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel's response "will change the Middle East."
Troops have now amassed for a possible ground invasion of Gaza, which last happened in 2014 and resulted in at least 2,000 Palestinians killed, and more than 70 on the Israeli side. It's the biggest escalation in the decades-long conflict between Israelis and Palestinians in recent years.
But experts who follow the region closely point to key developments over the past year in Israel and the Palestinian territories that set the stage for this explosion of violence.
For all the latest developments on this story, listen live to All Things Considered now.
Israel was distracted by political turmoil
Netanyahu was reelected less than a year ago and formed a government by aligning with ultranationalists and religious conservatives.
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