Gaza – The escalated ongoing conflict in the Middle East

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict dates back to the early 20th century. In 1947, the UN adopted Resolution 181, the Partition Plan, dividing the British Mandate of Palestine into Arab and Jewish states. Israel was created on May 14, 1948, leading to the first Arab-Israeli War. The war ended in 1949 with Israel's victory, displacing 750,000 Palestinians and dividing the territory into Israel, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip.

Tensions continued, particularly between Israel and Egypt, Jordan, and Syria. The 1956 Suez Crisis and Israel's Sinai invasion led to defense pacts among Egypt, Jordan, and Syria. In June 1967, Israel's preemptive strike started the Six-Day War, gaining control of the Sinai Peninsula, Gaza Strip, West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Golan Heights.

In 1973, Egypt and Syria launched the Yom Kippur War to regain territory, but it resulted in no significant gains. The 1979 Camp David Accords ended the Egypt-Israel conflict. However, Palestinian self-determination remained unresolved.

In 1987, Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip launched the first intifada against Israeli rule. The Oslo Accords established a framework for Palestinian self-governance and Israeli withdrawal from parts of the West Bank.

In 2000, grievances over Israeli control and a stagnating peace process sparked the second intifada, lasting until 2005. In response, Israel built a barrier wall around the West Bank in 2002, despite international opposition.

In October 2023, Hamas attacked Israel, killing over 1,300 Israelis, injuring 3,300, and taking hostages. Israel declared war on Hamas and imposed a "complete siege" on Gaza. This escalation has resulted in nearly 40,000 Palestinian civilian deaths and around 1,000 Israeli soldiers killed since October 7.

Most photos are from the second intifada, taken during several visits to occupied Gaza.