The conflict in the region escalated after hundreds of Palestinians were injured in recent clashes in Jerusalem, when Hamas fired rockets into Israeli territory on Monday and responded by launching Israeli attacks on Gaza, including nine children. 22 people were killed. The latest incidents of violence have come in the wake of rising tensions over the past several months.
One hundred years old controversy
After the defeat of the Ottoman Empire in World War I, Britain took control of the Palestinian territories. At the time, there was an Arab majority and a Jewish minority.
Tensions between the two communities escalated as the international community tasked Britain with creating a "national home" for the Jewish community in Palestine.
To the Jews, it was their homeland, but the majority Palestinian Arabs opposed the move.
Also read
Global calls for easing tensions in the wake of Hamas and Israeli attacks
Sheikh Jarrah: A 'battlefield' between Jewish settlers and Palestinians
The war that changed the Middle East
From the 1920s to the 1940s, the number of Jews coming here increased rapidly. Some of them survived the Holocaust in Europe during World War II.
But in the meantime, violence escalated between Jews and Arabs, and against the British government.
In 1947, the United Nations voted to divide Palestine into two parts, a Jewish state and an Arab state, while Jerusalem would become an international city.
The proposal was accepted by Jewish leaders, while the Arabs rejected it outright and did not implement it.
Establishment and destruction of Israel
In 1948, the British rulers left the region without resolving the issue. Meanwhile, Jewish leaders announced the establishment of the state of Israel.
Many Palestinians opposed it and then war broke out. The armies of neighboring Arab countries also took part in the war.
Millions of Palestinians were evicted from their homes and had to flee for their lives. This incident is remembered as the Nakba (meaning destruction).
When a ceasefire was declared the following year, Israel took control of much of the region.
The territory that Jordan gained is called the West Bank, and Egypt took over the Gaza Strip. The western part of Jerusalem was taken over by Israeli forces, while the Jordanian army took control of the east.
Because there was no peace agreement here, each side blamed its opponent and there were more wars and this has been going on for decades.
Today's map
Presentational white space
In another war in 1967, Israel occupied East Jerusalem and West Jordan, as well as the Golan Heights in Syria, the Gaza Strip, and the Sinai Strait in Egypt.
Most Palestinians, who have now become refugees, or their descendants, now live in the Gaza Strip and West Bank. Many of his Palestinian relatives live in Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon.
Israel did not allow the refugees or their descendants to return to their homes. Israel says doing so would be too heavy for its country and would threaten its state as a Jewish state.
Israel still occupies the West Bank, although it has withdrawn troops from the Gaza Strip, but the United Nations still considers the area occupied.
Israel considers the whole of Jerusalem as its capital, while the Palestinians consider East Jerusalem as the capital of a future Palestinian state. The United States is one of the few countries that recognizes the Israeli claim.
In the last 50 years, Israel has built settlements where 600,000 Jews live.
Palestinians say it is illegal under international law and an obstacle to peace, while Israel rejects it.
What is happening now
Tensions remain high between Israelis and Palestinians living in East Jerusalem, the Gaza Strip and West Bank.
The Palestinian militant group Hamas is in power in Gaza and has fought Israel several times. Israel and Egypt are closely monitoring Gaza's borders to prevent weapons from reaching Hamas.
Palestinians living in Gaza and West Bank say Israeli sanctions and actions add to their hardships. Israel says it is only protecting itself from Palestinian violence.
The situation here has been tense since the beginning of Ramadan this year.
Palestinians are outraged after several Palestinian families were evicted from their homes in East Jerusalem
What are the main issues
There are many issues on which the Palestinians and Israelis cannot agree.
These include the question of what will happen to Palestinian refugees, whether there will be ghettos in West Jordan, whether the two sides can live together in Jerusalem, and perhaps the most difficult thing is whether to become a Palestinian state with Israel. Should.
Peace talks have been held from time to time for the past 25 years, but issues have not been resolved