Visualizing the Israel-Hamas war
As fighting and devastating loss continues across Gaza and Israel
By Lou Robinson, Alex Leeds Matthews, Rosa de Acosta, Renée Rigdon, Amy O’Kruk, Christopher Hickey, Rachel Wilson, Will Mullery, Matt Stiles and Henrik Pettersson, CNN
(CNN) — As fighting has resumed across Gaza and Israel, CNN is continuing to visualize the war through maps, charts and more.
A seven-day pause in fighting allowed for the release of civilian hostages from Gaza and Palestinian detainees from Israeli jails. The fighting picked back up December 1 when the temporary truce between the sides expired.
This latest conflict began when Hamas militants launched their deadly cross-border surprise attack on Israel on October 7, in what has been described as the deadliest massacre of Jews since the Holocaust. In response, Israel responded with air and land attacks on the Gaza Strip.
Gaza has one of the youngest populations in the world, with 47% under 18 years old.
Thousands more Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since October 7 than in conflicts with Israel over the last 15 years.
Meanwhile, crossfire at Israel’s border with Lebanon could be the launching pad of a regional war, as communities in northern Israel have emptied out amid fears that the war could spread.
The Israeli army began its full ground operation in Gaza on Oct. 27, moving tanks, bulldozers, infantrymen and combat engineer units into the strip.
Gaza’s fuel crisis affects its ability to generate power, which was already inadequate before the siege.
Gaza’s main sources of electricity are its single power plant in Deir al-Balah and from Israeli lines, which make up nearly two-thirds of Gaza’s power supply.
The tunnel systems under Gaza are best known as passageways used to smuggle goods from Egypt and launch attacks into Israel. But there’s another passageway underground that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) colloquially refer to as the “Gaza metro.” It’s used to transport people and goods; to store rockets and ammunition caches; and house Hamas command and control centers.
Hospitals in Gaza entered a stage of “actual collapse” due to electricity cuts and fuel shortages, a spokesperson from the Hamas-controlled health ministry in Gaza said on October 17.
On October 13, Israel’s military told 1.1 million people in northern Gaza to evacuate their homes immediately, as it appeared to prepare to ramp up retaliation for Hamas’ October 7 attack.
As airstrikes in Gaza have forced hundreds of thousands of people to flee their homes and overwhelm areas, including hospitals, there is little room to go. Across the Middle East, Gaza is among the smallest and most densely-packed cities.
As thousands of rockets have rained down on Israel, the country has been relying once again on the Iron Dome system to protect its citizens.
The US government has spent over $2.9 billion on the Iron Dome program since 2011, according to the Congressional Research Service. Here’s a snapshot of how planned US military aid to Israel compares with other countries.
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