Israel and Hamas October 2023 conflict : frequently asked questions (FAQs) / Jim Zanotti, Jeremy M. Sharp, Christopher M. Blanchard.
On October 7, 2023, the Palestinian Sunni 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 that sparked t...
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| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Ebook |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
[Washington, D.C.] :
Congressional Research Service,
[2023]-
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| Series: | CRS report for Congress ;
R47754 |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | HeinOnline Foreign Relations of the United States (FRUS) |
| Summary: | On October 7, 2023, the Palestinian Sunni 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 that sparked the 1973 Yom Kippur War. The attacks’ 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 will be 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 Biden has said “there is no evidence” that Iran helped plan the attack. In response to the attacks, Israel’s cabinet formally declared war on Hamas. Israel has initiated efforts to recover hostages, begun an aerial bombardment campaign against militants in Gaza, mobilized hundreds of thousands of reserve troops, and repositioned ground forces close to Gaza. Israel’s government 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 officials have said that they aim to change the status quo in Gaza, and are contemplating a major ground invasion that may seek to end Hamas’s rule there. Congress may consider whether or not to provide additional military assistance to Israel. Congress also may weigh whether or not to increase scrutiny of the use of U.S. defense articles, provide humanitarian assistance for Palestinians, enact sanctions on Hamas or other parties, or otherwise legislate or conduct oversight. |
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| Published: | Began with October 20, 2023 report?. |
| Physical Description: | 1 online resource (volumes). |
| Publication Frequency: | Irregular |
| Bibliography: | Includes bibliographical references. |