This Week in Explainers: Top reads that will help you understand Israel-Hamas war

Death, destruction, and doom. This is what the past week has been about. Israel and Hamas are at war after the Palestinian militant group launched a stealth attack last Saturday, infiltrating the Jewish nation, killing thousands and taking hundreds captive.

Now the conflict has entered Day 9. Israel is out to avenge the attack. It has relentlessly bombarded the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip, claiming thousands of lives and reducing the enclave to rubble. The Israeli military is preparing to attack Gaza “by air, sea and land” and the ordinary Palestinians trapped in the area have nowhere to go. They face an impossible choice – to flee amid airstrikes or stay at home under them.

The situation on the ground is escalating. There is fear that the conflict will spread to other parts of West Asia. We’ve spent the past week trying to simplify and explain the flare-up and its fallout.

If you are still wondering, how Israel and Palestine got here, this weekly roundup should be handy.

1. How did the Israel-Palestine conflict begin? It’s a century-old issue and hundreds of books have been written about it. There are pages after pages that delve into the history and geopolitics of the region. But here’s a brief explanation in graphics, which makes it easy to understand a rather complicated and bloody history.

2. What exactly happened on 7 October? How did Hamas leash the deadliest attack on Israel in more than 50 years? It started with a barrage of rockets fired from Gaza – over 5,000 in 20 minutes. Israel’s famous Iron Dome was at work again. But did it fail? We answer.

3. Israel’s intelligence is said to be among the best in the world. The country has three major agencies – Mossad, Aman, and Shin Bhet. We take a deep dive into the nation’s intel network and how Hamas, the less powerful enemy, outfoxed it, leaving the world stunned.

4. The 7 October attack was planned and executed to precision. It caught Israel unaware. And it was all masterminded by Mohammed Deif (that’s his nickname). He is a wheelchair-bound shadowy figure, who leads the military wing of Hamas. He is often compared with Osama bin Laden for his taste for theatrics. Deif is a wanted man but where is he? No one knows. But here’s what we know about him and the rest of the Hamas leadership.

5. Hamas started as an underground militant group. So how did it become the beast it is? Firstly, it has the backing of Israel’s arch-enemy Iran. But the Islamic Republic is not alone their only support. Here we take a look at the business of terror: How Hamas operates and from where it gets its funds and weapons.

6. The Palestinian militant group might have struck first but an infuriated Israel launched retaliated soon after. It has launched deadly airstrikes on the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip, firing artillery on the enclave every 30 seconds. Thousands have succumbed with the death toll mounting each day and more than a million people have been displaced. Tel Aviv warned Gazans to leave. But they have nowhere to go. We explain why.

7. There is no stopping Israel. The airstrikes are “just the beginning”, it warned earlier in the week. The Israeli military is preparing for a ground offensive. On Sunday, military spokesman Richard Hecht warned that the army is preparing to attack Gaza by “air, sea and land”. Here’s what that could look like.

8. Is the conflict growing bigger? Yes. But Hamas is not the only enemy Israel is battling. West Asia is now divided. The Palestinian militants have the backing of Lebanon’s Hezbollah, which has said it is fully prepared to join the fight against Israel. There have also been exchanges of fire with Syria. We explain the fallout of a multi-frontal war.

It’s far from over yet. As the conflict enters its second week, tensions are likely to rise. Will Israel be able to dismantle Hamas? Will there be a ceasefire? We will explain further, so keep watching this space for more.

PS: Firstpost executive editor Palki Sharma is in Israel. The Vantage Israel edition brings you all the updates from the battlefront. It’s a must-watch.