Israel Defense Forces (IDF) warplanes have been carrying out strikes across Gaza while its troops move through the territory. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared that Israel has a "clear goal of destroying Hamas's military and governing capabilities" and freeing the hostages. Israel has drafted 300,000 reservists for the operation to boost its standing force to 160,000.
The IDF has struck thousands of targets belonging to Hamas, which Israel, the UK, the US, and other Western powers class as a terrorist organisation. It also destroyed hundreds of tunnel shafts built underneath Gaza. Hamas has claimed that its tunnel network stretches for 500km (310 miles).
Since the temporary ceasefire ended, Israeli troops have pushed into southern Gaza and taken aggressive action against Hamas and other armed groups in and around the city of Khan Younis. Tanks have also been closing in on Jabalia and Shuja'iya in the north, where hundreds of thousands of civilians remain. Israel claims to have killed thousands of Hamas fighters during the war, including many commanders.
During the 7 October attacks, Hamas took about 240 hostages, most of whom were hidden in "safe places and tunnels" within Gaza. Israel reported that more than 30 of the hostages were children, and at least ten were aged over 60.
Unrwa, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, has reported that 1.9 million of Gaza's residents, about 85% of the population, have been displaced, and 1.1 million have been sheltering in its facilities. Unrwa warns that 600,000 people in southern Gaza who have been ordered to leave their neighbourhoods have nowhere to go, as shelters are already beyond capacity.
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict has led to a significant increase in humanitarian aid entering Gaza, with nearly 1,400 lorry loads of supplies entering the territory between 21 October and 21 November. This is compared to a monthly average of 10,000 before the war. The UN's World Food Programme (WFP) reported that it managed to help about 250,000 people during the truce, but the resumption of fighting has made the distribution of aid "almost impossible."
The Hamas 7 October attack on Israel was the most severe cross-border attack against Israel in more than a generation. The gunmen killed about 1,200 people, most of them civilians, in a series of raids on military posts, kibbutzim, and a music festival and took hostages back into Gaza. The BBC has also seen evidence of rape, sexual violence, and mutilation of women during the Hamas attacks.
Hamas is a Palestinian group that has run Gaza since 2007, intending to destroy it and replace it with an Islamic state. The group has fought several wars with Israel since taking power, firing thousands of rockets into Israel and carrying out other deadly attacks. In response, Israel has repeatedly attacked Hamas with air strikes, sending in troops in 2008 and 2014. Hamas has been designated a terrorist group by Israel, the US, the EU, and the UK, as well as other powers. Iran backs the group, providing funding, weapons, and training.
The Gaza Strip is a 41km (25-mile) extended and ten km-wide territory between Israel, Egypt, and the Mediterranean Sea. It is home to 2.2 million people and is one of the most densely populated areas in the world. Just over three-quarters of Gaza's population are registered refugees or descendants of refugees, according to the UN. Israel controls the air space over Gaza and its shoreline and strictly limits the movement of people and goods.
The West Bank and Gaza are known as the Palestinian territories, which formed part of a land known as Palestine from Roman times until the mid-20th Century. Part of Palestine became Israel in 1948, recognised by the United Nations the following year. The West Bank and Gaza are recognised as Palestine by many countries and bodies, although it does not have member status at the UN.
