Israel and Hamas 2023 Conflict In Brief: Overview, U.S. Policy, and Options for Congress
Abstract
On October 7, 2023, the Palestinian Sunniv Islamist group Hamas (a U.S.-designated foreign terrorist organization, or FTO) led surprise attacks against Israel from the Gaza Strip by land, sea, and air. The assault came on a Jewish holiday, 50 years after the Egypt-Syria surprise attack on Israel that sparked the 1973 Yom Kippur War. The October 7 assaults scope and lethality against Israel have no precedent in the 16 years Hamas has controlled Gaza, and the nature of the violence stunned Israelis. The apparent intelligence and operational failures in preventing the assault have become a subject of analysis for Israeli and U.S. officials. Iran reportedly provides material support to Hamas, and according to U.S. officials may be complicit in a broad sense, but President Joe Biden has said there is no evidence that Iran helped plan the attack. In response to the October 7 attacks, Israel's cabinet formally declared war on Hamas. Israel has initiated efforts to recover some 240-250 hostages (including some Americans) taken during the Hamas-led assault, undertaken an aerial bombardment campaign, and launched ground operations against Hamas in Gaza. Israel's government has almost completely halted the supply of electricity, food, water, and fuel to Gaza, which before the conflict had already faced crisis-level economic and humanitarian conditions. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has announced that Israel's military objectives are To destroy the military and governmental capabilities of Hamas and bring the hostages home. As of November 6, Israeli forces have reportedly encircled Gaza City, where they apparently seek to target key nodes of Hamas's command structure and vast network of tunnels.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Nov 07, 2023
- Accession Number
- AD1215299
Entities
People
- Jeremy M. Sharp
- Jim Zanotti
Organizations
- Library of Congress