Guides: Current Events: Israel-Gaza War: Background Information on the Conflict

Background Information on the Current Conflict

The war in Gaza is the latest iteration of a complex conflict between the State of Israel and the Palestinian people that stretches back to at least the end of British colonial control of the region in 1948, if not earlier to the Allied partitioning of the Ottoman Empire at the end of the First World War. As such, the following resources will provide the necessary background to the current conflict to see it in its historical context and complexity.

Netanyahu, America and the Road to War in Gaza
As the war in Gaza continues with devastating consequences, a major 90-minute documentary offers a sweeping examination of the critical moments leading up to this crisis over the course of the past three decades, and the pivotal role of a central player: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Starting with the Oslo peace accords and continuing through the Oct. 7 Hamas attack and the ongoing war in Gaza, the documentary draws on years of reporting and is an incisive look at the long history of failed peace efforts and violent conflict in the region — and the increasing tensions between Israel and its ally, the U.S., over the war’s catastrophic toll and what comes next.
Israel-Palestine Conflict
An overview of the conflict with a collection of sources and perspectives, from the Opposing Viewpoints in Context database.
Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
A collection of resources provided by the Council on Foreign Relations
Israel and Hamas October 2023 Conflict: Frequently Asked Questions
A report by the Congressional Research Service
The Question of Palestine
A brief history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict (and the role of the UN in that conflict) provided by the United Nations.
"Israel's War on Hamas: What to Know", Bruce Hoffman, 9 Oct. 2023
A briefing describing the details of the most recent outbreak of fighting between Israel and Hamas, provided by the Council on Foreign Relations.
Israel: Background and U.S. Relations
A Report by the Congressional Research Service
U.S. Foreign Aid to Israel
A report by the Congressional Research Service
The Palestinians: Background and U.S. Relations
A Report by the Congressional Research Service
Lebanese Hezbollah
A brief report by the Congressional Research Service
The Palestinians: Overview, Aid, and U.S. Policy Issues
A brief report by the Congressional Research Service
UCLA Y&S Nazarian Center for Israel Studies
A list of articles and books to provide needed information on the unfolding war between Israel and Hamas