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Chronological Order of Events of Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

Paula Correa

Misinformation about the past month’s events in the Middle East have generated unknowledgeable discussions, pain, and further division among many. It is crucial to bring forth facts, in an unbiased manner, and to enable our community to form educated opinions, so that we may be able to engage in constructive discussions in a time of unease.

Destructive conflict between Israel and Palestine has been drawn out and persistent for decades, and the events of Saturday the 7th of October, initiated by the terrorist group Hamas, have brought the issue back into the limelight. The unceasing tension has been devastating to thousands of people around the globe. In a day and age where so many tools for diplomatic conflict resolution are available, human rights violations anywhere, by anyone, and under any circumstances cannot be tolerated and must be condemned.

Timeline of events:

1917: The Balfour Declaration, issued by the British government

  • Britain promises a “national home for the Jewish people” in Palestine (under the Ottoman Empire’s ruling), giving Jews the right to Jerusalem land.

  • Zionist mandate was criticized for not accounting for the wants and needs of Palestinians in the area who wanted independence.

1920s - 1930s: Migration to Palestine

  • Tens of thousands of Jewish civilians migrated to Palestinian land due to Nazi persecution and the Holocaust (World War II).

  • Palestinian Arabs and Jewish migrants clash, bringing about hundreds of deaths.




The following table shows the number of Jewish immigrants in each year between the beginning of the civil administration and the end of 1929 (UN).




1947: Partitioning Palestine into two states

  • Despite opposition from Palestinian Arabs of the region, the United Nations adopted a resolution to split Palestine into two independent states: a "Jewish State" and an "Arab State".

  • Jerusalem would remain under international control administered by the United Nations given its religious significance to many groups.

(Original partition plan).

1948: Arab-Israeli War begins

  • Israel declared independence on May 15th, 1948, leading to the beginning of the Israeli-Arab War.

  • The first Palestinian massive departure after being forced off their lands marked the beginning of a prolonged struggle for land possession.

  • Israel, backed by foreign powers, won this war, and the territory was divided into three parts -- Israel, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip. Until 1967, Egypt maintained control of the West Bank while Jordan controlled the Gaza Strip.

1967: Six-Day War

  • After a prolonged and debilitating war between Israel and Egypt, the Six-Day War broke out on June 5th, 1967 between Israel and its Arabic neighboring countries.

  • By June 11th, Israel had captured Palestinian Arab territories such as the West Bank, East Jerusalem, Gaza, and the Sinai Peninsula, in addition to the Syrian territory of Golan Heights, forcing a majority of Palestinians to once again become refugees and began a decades long Israeli occupation of what Palestinians considered their territories.

1973: Yom Kippur war

  • On the sacred day of Yom Kippur, Israel was invaded by Egypt and Syria, whose goals were to persuade the country to negotiate better terms for the Arab countries.

  • Out of a population of about three million people at the time, approximately 2,700 Israeli soldiers died and thousands were injured in the 19-day war.

Israelis captured by Syrian troops during the Yom Kippur War presented to the press on October 16, 1973.

(AFP/Getty Images)

1979: Egypt-Israel peace treaty

  • Israel withdrew completely from the Sinai Peninsula, leaving it demilitarized, following the peace treaty they signed with Egypt at the White House.

1987: First Palestinian 'intifada,' or uprising, occurs

  • Hamas emerged from the Muslim Brotherhood during the first uprising from Palestinian forces, in their fight for autonomy.

1993: Oslo accords

  • The Palestinian uprising ended.

  • The Oslo accords were signed by Yitzhak Rabin, Israel’s Prime Minister at the time, and Yasir Arafat, then-leader of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), recognizing Israel’s “right to exist in peace” and declaring the PLO as a representative for the Palestinian people.


The Oslo accords, signed on Sept. 13, 1993, in a ceremony on the White House lawn.

(Paul Hosefros/The New York Times)

2000: Second Intifada

  • Hamas's popularity increased among Palestinians, driven by its willingness to confront Israel, which resulted in the Palestinian population gaining self-governance over the West Bank and Gaza.

2005: Israel and the Gaza Strip

  • Israel uprooted its settlements from the Gaza Strip, and were therefore criticized for restricting Palestinians’ movement coming in and out of the region.

2006: Hamas takeover

  • Hamas kicked out PLO representatives upon winning elections to control the Gaza Strip.

2007: Blockade on Gaza

  • Hamas’ armed takeover prompted Israel and Egypt to impose a blockade on Gaza, substantially restricting the movement of people and goods into and out of the region.

2008: “Operation Cast Lead”

  • Following rocket fire from Gaza, Israel retaliated by launching an attack on Hamas, leading to the deaths of 1,200 Palestinians and 13 Israelis.

2009: Cease-fires

  • Unilateral cease-fires were declared by Israel and Palestinian groups, resulting in Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza.

2012: “Pillar of Defense”

  • The Israeli Air Force killed Ahmed al-Jabari, Hamas’s military chief, triggering over a week’s worth of fire exchange that caused more than 150 Palestinian and at least six Israeli deaths.

2014: “Protective Edge”

  • Hamas kidnapped and killed three Israeli teenagers, leading to Israeli attacks and Gaza launching rockets. The conflict resulted in the death of over 1,881 Palestinians and more than 60 Israelis.

2021: Al Aqsa Mosque raid

  • Israeli police raided Al Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, the third-holiest site in Islam, setting off an 11-day war between Israel and Hamas in which more than 200 Palestinians and more than 10 Israelis were killed.

2022: Attacks in Israel

  • After a large number of terrorist attacks in Israel in which around 31 Israelis were killed and 126 injured, Israeli forces killed at least 166 Palestinians in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.


2023: Incursion against Israel by terrorist group Hamas

October 7th:

  • Hamas launched an incursion, firing thousands of rockets towards Israel, leading to 1,400 deaths and 4,562 injured Israelis. An estimated 1,000 fighters crossed into the country from the Gaza Strip; Israeli officials stated at least 130 civilians and soldiers had been taken hostage.

  • In a recorded message, Muhammad Deif, the leader of the military wing of Hamas, said that the group decided to launch an “operation” so that “the enemy will understand that the time of their rampaging without accountability has ended.”

  • Israeli forces called up more than 350,000 reserve troops and began intensive airstrikes in Gaza, declaring "a state of alert for war."

  • Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told his country, "Israel is at war."


Smoke rising in Gaza City after Israeli strikes on October 7th, 2023.

(Mohammed Saber/EPA, via Shutterstock)

October 8th:

  • In Sderot, Israel, Hamas gunmen took control of the police station, giving rise to at least 30 Israeli police officer killings.

  • An all-night music festival in a southern Israel desert near Gaza’s border was attacked by rockets and armed Hamas fighters. Footage from videos posted online show civilians dragged away in vehicles and driven into Gaza. According to Zaka, an Israeli rescue service, at least 260 bodies were removed from the venue after the attack.

October 9th:

  • The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement that "[it] neutralized a number of terrorist infiltrators who crossed from Lebanon into Israel. We are defending our country and stand ready on all borders.”

  • The IDF announced its jet fighters struck 130 targets in the Gaza Strip, and Israel’s Defense Minister, Yoav Gallant, ordered a "complete siege" of Gaza, which cut electricity to the region and blocked fuel and food from entering the territory from Israel.

  • Hamas declared that the group would start killing Israeli hostages one by one, filming the executions unless Israel stopped shelling homes in Gaza immediately.

October 14th:

  • Foreigners in Gaza were permitted to pass through the Rafah border crossing into Egypt, leading Palestinians and foreigners rushing to the border in an effort to escape. However, no date has been established for when said border will open.

October 18th:

  • To show USA’s support for Israel during this conflict, President Joe Biden visited Israel to meet with Prime Minister Netanyahu.

  • Words such as those emitted by Pope Francis should resonate with all: "Today our thoughts go to Israel and Palestine. Casualties are rising and the situation in Gaza is desperate. Please do everything possible to avoid a humanitarian catastrophe."

October 19th:

  • Israeli defense officials decided to cut off all flow of food and power to Gaza in an effort to completely siege the region.

  • Gaza’s Health Ministry estimates that since October 7th, around 3,400 people have died in bombings, while 12,000 have sustained injuries.

  • According to Israeli official statements, the total number of deaths in Israel amounts to 1,400, with 4,800 injured since Hamas’ initial attack.


This is a conflict in which everyone suffers, and we all mourn for the innocents who have fallen. Let us hope that in the future no more lives are taken, and that non violent paths bring about a long awaited and hoped for peace for Plastinians and Israelis.


If you wish to spread awareness, you do not have to go beyond your own community. Participate in educational conversations and check on the Jewish and Palestinian people around you.


Solidarity with those impacted by the war.




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