PALESTINE has been marred by conflict for years as tensions with Israel continue to rage on in the modern day˳
Israel appears to have stepped up strikes during May 2021 to inflict as much damage as possible on Hamas as efforts to broker a cease-fire accelerate˳
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Why is there conflict between Israel and Palestine?
The Israel Palestinian conflict has rumbled on for decades, having begun over a dispute between land and borders˳
The area of land in question, formerly known as Palestine, was initially inhabited by a Jewish minority and an Arab majority˳
However, between the 1920s and 1940s, Jews began arriving in vast numbers as they fled persecution and later sought out a homeland after the Holocaust˳
As British rulers left in 1948, the Jewish leaders living there declared the creation of the state of Israel˳
Yet, many Arabs already living in the area objected to this and war between the two parties followed˳
Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians fled or were forced out of their homes in the process in what they the call “The Catastrophe”˳
By the time the fighting ended in a ceasefire the following year, Israel controlled most of the territory˳
In 1967, after another war, Israel then fully occupied the Palestinian areas where their troops remained for many years˳
Israel finally left the Palestinian occupied Gaza Strip in 2005, and Hamas took control there after winning elections˳
But, Israel still controls most of Gaza’s borders and coastal territory, deciding who can get in and out of Gaza, including goods˳
Hamas has demanded that Israel stop its restrictions˳
Hamas claims Israel is occupying Palestinian land and claims to resist occupation by launching rocket attacks from Gaza, while Israel retaliates to such attacks with further force˳
Hamas – the largest of several militant Islamist groups in Palestine – refuses to recognise Israel as a country and wants Palestinians to be able to return to their old home˳
What’s happening in 2021?
May 2021 saw some of the worst violence in Jerusalem for years, as simmering tensions between Israel and Palestine boiled over˳
Hundreds of people in the Gaza Strip were wounded as more than 100 citizens, including children, were killed in the airstrikes˳
Much of the unrest stems from the long-running legal effort by Jewish settler groups to evict several Palestinian families from their homes in the Jerusalem neighbourhood of Sheikh Jarrah˳
A lower court ruling earlier this year backing the settlers’ decades-old claim infuriated Palestinians˳
A Supreme Court hearing on a Palestinian appeal had been set May 10 and risked inflaming tensions further˳
Before long, much of the political tension turned into violence on the streets with rockets fired from both sides˳
The fighting has escalated following the bombardment of Gaza as the region was hit with 1,000 missiles˳
Previously Israel used a fake tweet of a ground invasion in Gaza to trick Hamas fanatics into fleeing inside their network of tunnels reports claim˳
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the air strikes will continue as long as they are required˳
The latest round of fighting the worst since the 2014 Gaza war has killed at least 145 Palestinians in Gaza, including 41 children and 23 women˳
Hamas and other militant groups have fired some 2,900 rockets into Israel since Monday, when tensions over a flashpoint holy site in Jerusalem and the threatened eviction of dozens of Palestinian families boiled over˳
Israel has carried out hundreds of airstrikes across the impoverished and blockaded territory, which is home to more than two million Palestinians, and brought down a number of high-rise buildings˳
TIMELINE OF EVENTS:
May 7: Clashes erupted on Friday as Muslims packed the Al-Aqsa mosque to pray during the holy fasting month of Ramadan˳
Violence had been building in the Holy City and occupied West Bank for the previous week˳
Palestinians hurled stones, bottles and fireworks at Israeli police who fired rubber bullets and stun grenades˳
The site is sacred to Jews as the location of two biblical-era temples˳
More than 220 people, mostly Palestinians, were wounded˳
May 8: Prayers at the mosque compound are held peacefully but violence flares elsewhere in east Jerusalem˳
Some 121 Palestinians are wounded overnight, many hit by rubber bullets and stun grenades, the Palestinian Red Crescent says˳
Israeli police say 17 of its officers are wounded˳
Scuffles between Palestinians and Israeli police in east Jerusalem continue overnight˳
May 9: The justice ministry delays the Supreme Court hearing in light of “the circumstances˳”
In the evening, Israeli police again face off against mostly young Palestinians at several locations in east Jerusalem˳
May 10: Some 331 Palestinians are wounded, according to the Palestinian Red Crescent, in renewed clashes between Palestinians and police at the mosque ahead of a planned march to commemorate Israel’s capture of Jerusalem in 1967˳
May 11: The Sun reports that Hamas threatens to turn Israel “into hell” after it said an air strike on Gaza killed nine children˳
Israel’s military claimed it carried out air strikes in retaliation for rocket attacks from the coastal strip, which came in the wake of clashes at the al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem˳
Those Israeli strikes came after Hames militants crossed a “red line” by firing on the Jerusalem area for the first time since 2014˳
Overall, more than 300 rockets have been fired by Palestinian militants towards Israel since May 10, said Israeli military spokesman Lt˳ Col˳ Jonathan Conricus said˳
He added that Israel has responded with 130 strikes carried out by fighter jets and attack helicopters on military targets in the enclave, killing 15 commanders from Hamas˳
May 12: Israel declares a state of emergency in the central city of Lod after rioting by Israeli Arabs˳
According to the BBC, cars were set alight and a father and daughter – both Israeli Arabs – died when a rocket from Gaza hit their car˳
Palestinian militants continued to fire hundreds of rockets deep into Israel, while Israel carried out heavy air strikes on Gaza˳
Hamas says it launched 130 rockets at Tel Aviv after an Israeli air strike destroyed a tower block in Gaza
At least 73 people are confirmed as dead˳
May 13: A total of seven people have been killed in Israel, including four people who died on Wednesday, May 12˳
Among them were a soldier killed by an anti-tank missile and a six-year-old child hit in a rocket attack˳
Gaza’s Health Ministry said the death toll rose to 69 Palestinians, including 16 children and six women˳
Islamic Jihad confirmed the deaths of seven militants, while Hamas acknowledged that a top commander and several other members were killed˳
Gaza militants continued to bombard Israel with nonstop rocket fire throughout the day and into early Thursday˳
Israel has been carrying out an intense barrage of airstrikes˳
Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu has warned Hamas that it “will pay a heavy price for their belligerence”˳
UN Middle East envoy Tor Wennesland says there is a risk of a “full-scale war” if tensions are not deescalated˳
May 14: There are reports that Israel might be preparing to launch a ground offensive in Gaza, after staging heavy armour and massing troops along the border˳
The Israeli military says that no troops are currently inside the enclave, but thousands of reserves have been called up˳
At least 103 people have now been killed in Gaza, including 27 children, over the past four days, Palestinian medical officials said˳
With the cross-border fighting showing no sign of abating, Israeli PM Netanyahu said the campaign “will take more time”˳
Netanyahu said Israel has struck a total of close to 1,000 militant targets in the territory˳
Palestinian militants have fired more rockets into Israel’s commercial heartland, but they’ve been wiped out by the Iron Dome anti-missile system˳
Three rockets were also fired from Lebanon towards Israel but landed in the Mediterranean Sea, the military said˳
Truce efforts by Egypt, Qatar and the United Nations have yet to deliver a sign of progress; the US has now sent in an envoy, Hady Amr˳
Meanwhile, nine cops were injured as riot police clashed with pro-Palestine demonstrators outside the Israeli embassy in London˳
May 15: The bloodshed in Gaza continues, with shocking footage showing how an Israeli airstrike destroyed a high-rise building in Gaza after residents were given an hour to get out˳
The moment a tower block in Gaza collapsed live on air behind a BBC news reporter, was also caught on camera˳
Tensions flared as protesters clambered onto the gates next to Kensington Palace during the demo as the worst violence in years raged between Israel and militants in Gaza˳
May 16: Israel has destroyed the home of a top Hamas leader Khalil al-Hayeh, a senior figure in Hamas political branch˳
Israeli warplanes struck several buildings and roads in central Gaza City˳
Netanyahu said that military operations in Gaza will continue with “full force”˳
May 17: Footage is released of an Israeli pilot calling off an airstrike after spotting children playing in Gaza˳
However, the Gaza Health Ministry said at least 26 people were killed in Israeli air strikes, while a further 50 were injured˳
The Israeli military said it struck the homes of Yehiyeh Sinwar, the most senior Hamas leader inside the territory, and his brother Muhammad, another senior Hamas member˳
May 18: A video of a young Palestinian girl making harrowing plea among rubble caused by airstrikes in Gaza went viral across the world as she is seen crying “why do we deserve this?”
Nadine Abdel-Taif, 10, spoke to reporters as deadly violence in the Middle East continues to escalate˳
Through tears, Nadine pointed to the destruction around her and said: “You see all this?”
“What do you expect me to do? Fix it? I’m only 10˳
“Why do we deserve this? What did we do for this? My family said they just hate us˳
“They just don’t like us because we are Muslims˳ It’s not fair˳”
Israel Defense Forces also announced it had stopped an attack by a remote-controlled “drone” submarine intended to disable its Navy ships
Hamas militants were killed while sitting in their car operating the underwater vessel, and their submarine was destroyed in the two-pronged attack, reported Haaretz˳
May 20: A senior Hamas official has said a ceasefire will come in just days despite Israel pushing for “victory” in Gaza, a senior Hamas official has said˳
Moussa Abu Marzouk claimed a “mutual agreement” will be reached this week – even after Israel said it would halt its offensive only when it had achieved its goals˳
The senior political official with Hamas told Lebanon’s al-Mayadeen TV: “I think that the ongoing efforts regarding the ceasefire will succeed˳
“I expect a ceasefire to be reached within a day or two, and the ceasefire will be on the basis of mutual agreement˳”
Mediators have helped the two sides agree to a ceasefire in principle, although details are still being negotiated in secret, according to an Egyptian security source˳
But PM Netanyahu vowed earlier this week he “won’t surrender to Hamas without victory” after the US and Russia called for a ceasefire˳
