» Defending the Facts

Background

True Identities Real Meanings About the Hostages Defending the Facts

Learn about the history of the conflict that preceded October 7, and Israel's peace efforts in the region.

About Israel

  • There are 16 million Jews worldwide today. Source: Jewish Virtual Library
    - 74% of the 9.7 million people in Israel are Jewish. Source: Times of Israel
    - 2.4% of the more than 332 million people in the United States are Jewish. Source: Pew Research
  • The modern state of Israel, which was established in 1948, is the size of New Jersey. Source: History.com
  • Israel is the homeland for the Jewish people – Jews are indigenous to the land dating back to around 2000 BCE. Sources: AJC, JewishVirtualLibrary.org
  • There has been a continuous Jewish presence there, despite being under the control of various empires such as the Babylonians, Persians, Greeks, Romans, and Byzantines. Source: AJC
  • Britain governed the land after the fall of the Ottoman Empire in 1917 and ruled it under British law until 1948. Source: Hey Alma
  • Zionism is the movement supporting a homeland for the Jewish people. The vast majority of American Jews consider themselves Zionist. Source: ADL

About Hamas and Gaza​

  • Israel withdrew all of its citizens and soldiers from Gaza in 2005 in another attempt to create peace in the region. Source: ADL
  • Nearly 5 million Palestinians live in Gaza and the West Bank combined. Source: State.gov
  • Hamas is the governing authority in Gaza. Source: Council on Foreign Relations
  • Hamas is classified as a terrorist organization by the United States and European Union. Source: Council on Foreign Relations
  • Hamas, which is backed by Iran, explicitly seeks Israel’s destruction and the murder of Jews – a as stated in its charter and repeatedly reiterated by its leaders – and seeks to rule the entire territory “from the river to the sea.” Source: AJC
  • Purposely killing and kidnapping innocent civilians are war crimes; members of Hamas are not freedom fighters, they are terrorists. Source: AJC

October 7, 2023

The attack on Israel by the terrorist group Hamas was the deadliest day for the Jewish people since the Holocaust: Source: CNN

In a cruel and murderous rampage, the terrorist group Hamas infiltrated Israel and:

  • Murdered entire families in their homes Source: BBC
  • Killed babies in ovens Source: New York Sun
  • Raped women so violently that they broke the pelvic bones of their victims Source: CNN
  • Tortured victims in front of their families Source: CBC
  • Stalked and massacred at least 360 young adults attending a music and nature festival outside of Re’im, near the Gaza border Source: Times of Israel
  • Burned down homes Source: Times of Israel
  • At least 31 American citizens and six Canadians were killed in the attack, as were citizens of Ukraine, Thailand, Great Britain, Germany, the Philippines, and other countries Source: Times of Israel
  • Two American hostages are still believed to be alive in Gaza, and the bodies of four others are still being held there. Source: CBS
  • Hamas and other terrorist groups have launched more than 26,000 rockets, missiles and drones at Israel since the October 7 massacre. Source: JNS

The Aftermath of October 7, 2023

  • Like every country, Israel has the right to defend its sovereignty and its citizens from terrorism, rocket fire, and incursions. Source: United Nations Article 51
  • Israel has gone to great lengths to help innocent Palestinians out of harm’s way, including working with the United States and others to create a safe humanitarian passage “corridor” (Source: Times of Israel) which hundreds of thousands of innocent Palestinians have used to take refuge (Source: Times of Israel). As part of this ongoing efforts, Israel has sent substantial humanitarian aid to Gaza. As of early 2025, Israel delivered approximately 66,474 trucks and 10,272 pallets, carrying more than 1,326,180 tons of essential supplies. Unfortunately, much of this aid has been intercepted by Hamas before reaching civilians. Sources: Times of Israel, Humanitarian Efforts Israel, Times of Israel
  • Israel has provided irrefutable evidence (Source: Jerusalem Post) that Hamas built an elaborate tunnel network that runs underneath hospitals, mosques, and schools throughout Gaza – including the largest hospital in the territory, al-Shifa. Video footage from the hospital obtained by Israel shows Hamas bringing kidnapped Israelis to al-Shifa on October 7th (Source: Times of Israel), which is widely recognized as a war crime (Source: Human Rights Watch) – as is using civilian human shields and firing rockets indiscriminately at Israeli cities and civilians from civilian centers as Hamas also does (Source: International Humanitarian Law).
  • Hundreds of Members of Congress, Governors, and local officials have joined President Biden and leaders from around the world condemning the attacks and supporting Israel. Source: White House

About Israel’s Peace Efforts​

  • Israel has created peace and normalization with five Arab countries in the region. Source: Stand With Us
  • Israel entered into peace accords with the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) – now known as the Palestinian Authority (PA) – through the Oslo Accords signed in 1993 and 1995. Source: ADL
  • The PLO/PA is the recognized authority of the Palestinian people. Source: ADL
  • Israel has accepted proposals related to a two-state solution on five different occasions while the Palestinians have rejected each one including an offer of 93.5% of territory in the West Bank and Gaza and a share of East Jerusalem. Source: Jewish Virtual Library
  • Iran also supports the terrorist organization Hezbollah (Southern Lebanon) and – as a new development – the Houthis (Yemen), both of which are regularly attacking Israel with drones and missiles. Source: AJC
  • Recently, a ceasefire has been established between Israel and Hezbollah, temporarily reducing hostilities along the Israel-Lebanon border. Despite this temporary truce, the threat from Hezbollah remains significant. Source: Times of Israel