How the Israel-Hamas war escalated in the last 10 years | EXPLAINED

Abduction and killing of three Israeli teenagers | What led to clashes between Israel and Hamas in 2014

Amid the deadliest escalation between Israel and Palestine which led to severe destruction and killings on both sides, the brutal killing of three Israeli teenagers named Eyal Yifrach, 19, Gil’ad Shaer, and Naftali Frenkel, both 16 who were reported missing in 2014, led to one of the biggest conflict between both the nations and left an indelible mark.

This came after the Israeli youths tried asking for a ride to reach home from the southern West Bank, near the Kfar Etzion settlement, on June 11, 2014. Israeli forces later reported that their bodies were found in a shallow grave north of Hebron on June 30. It was alleged that the teenagers were killed right after being kidnapped. Condemning the act, the Human Rights Watch called for the teenagers’ immediate and unconditional release.

The three used to attend Jewish religious schools in Kfar Etzion and in Kiryat Arba, and one of the youths dialed Israeli police at 10:25 PM on June 12, 2014 and informed the Israeli police that they had been held hostage.   

It wasn't clear if the several Palestinian armed groups that separately claimed responsibility for the kidnapping were responsible for the incident or not. As per an online post, Sarayat al-Quds, the military wing of Palestinian Islamic Jihad, had detained the Israeli teenagers. In another statement which was circulated in Hebron, it was claimed that an armed group affiliated with the Islamic State of Iraq and Sham (ISIS) had apprehended the Israeli youth. 

On June 26, 2014, Israeli authorities put out the names of two Palestinian suspects and said that they were associated with Hamas and were at large. However, later Hamas dismissed the allegations. Israel forces also evicted the family members of two suspects, Marwan Qawasme and Amer Abu Aisha, and detonated used explosives that badly damaged Qawasme's home, near Hebron on the night of June 30. 

Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his subordinates asserted that the kidnapping and killing of the three youths was facilitated by Hamas, which Israel considered a terrorist group committed to its destruction. 
He responded by ordering a severe crackdown on Hamas suspects and institutions in the West Bank. Following this, the killing of the three teenagers led to the kidnapping and killing of a Palestinian teenager as revenge by Israeli extremists and violent Palestinian protests, rocket attacks on Israel by Gaza-based militants, and an escalation into a 50-day war. The clashes claimed the lives of 2,100 Gazans and left more than 70 Israelis dead. Also, hours after the funerals of the abducted Israeli teenagers, a Palestinian teenager in Jerusalem, Muhammad Abu Khdeir, 16, was abducted, beaten, and burned to death. 

A brief timeline of the Israel-Hamas war

2018

In 2018, at least 170 Palestinians were killed as Israel responded to protests along the barrier fence that separates Gaza and Israel. Israeli troops opened fire on protesters which prompted the fighting between Hamas and Israeli forces.

2021

In May 2021, the Israeli police raided Al Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, the third-holiest site in Islam, which led to an 11-day war between Israel and Hamas where over 200 Palestinians and more than 10 Israelis were killed. 

After Israel’s refusal to withdraw its security forces from the mosque compound, Hamas launches a sustained rocket barrage from Gaza into Israel. In retaliation, Israel responded with airstrikes on Gaza.

2022

After a series of attacks in 2022 in Israeli cities, the forces killed at least 166 Palestinians in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. And this year too, hundreds of Israeli forces carried out military raids in the Palestinian city of Jenin. In August, at least 44 people, including 15 children, were killed in three days of violence that began when Israeli airstrikes hit a senior Islamic Jihad commander.

2023 recent clashes

In the month of January, a Palestinian man killed seven people in Jerusalem. Following all this, in a recent fatal incident, Hamas group launched a massive rocket barrage and ground, air, and sea offensive, prompting Israel to respond with intense airstrikes claiming the lives of at least 2,200 people.