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Articles on Israel-Hamas conflict 2023

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In this photo released by the Iranian Presidency Office, President Ebrahim Raisi, right, greets the leader of the Palestinian militant group Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh, at the start of their meeting at his office in Tehran in June 2023. (Iranian Presidency Office, via AP)

Iran has so far resisted direct involvement in the Gaza war, but is that changing?

Iran prefers to engage Israel through its proxies, but the risk of escalation makes this a dangerous strategy.
International Court of Justice President Joan Donoghue, center, and other judges arrive prior to the preliminary order announcement on Jan. 26, 2024. Remko De Waal/ANP/AFP via Getty Images

UN court ruling against Israel shows limits of legal power to prevent genocide − but rapid speed

While the International Court of Justice lacks enforcement powers, its new provisional measure could heighten pressure on both Israel and Hamas to save civilian lives and free the hostages in Gaza.
Judges take their seats prior to the hearing of Israel’s defense at the International Court of Justice on Jan. 12, 2024. Dursun Aydemir/Anadolu via Getty Images

What enforcement power does the International Court of Justice have in South Africa’s genocide case against Israel?

While the International Court of Justice lacks enforcement powers, it can issue orders that could heighten international pressure on Israel to curtail some of its offensive in Gaza.
A Palestinian militant rides on the back of a motorcycle near a crossing between Israel and the northern Gaza Strip on Oct. 7, 2023. Ahmed Zakot/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

Is Hamas the same as ISIS, the Islamic State group? No − and yes

A scholar of the Islamic State group says Hamas has undergone a radical ISIS-inspired transformation that has not yet gotten widespread public attention.
Israeli soldiers take positions near the Gaza Strip border in southern Israel on Dec. 11, 2023. The army is battling Palestinian militants across Gaza in the war ignited by Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack on Israel. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)

Why we should consider a transitional administration for Gaza

The best — or least bad — solution to resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict involves setting up a transitional administration in Gaza. Here’s how it could work.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, center, meets with his security cabinet on Oct. 7, 2023, the day of the Hamas attack. Haim Zach (GPO) / Handout/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

How new reports reveal Israeli intelligence underestimated Hamas and other key weaknesses

Recent media coverage mostly confirms the role of faulty threat assessments, Hamas’ improved operational security, and confirmation bias.
Protesters around the world have called for a stop to the fighting between Israel and Hamas. AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson

What would it take for a cease-fire to happen in Gaza?

Calls for a cease-fire in Gaza are driven by humanitarian compassion and principles. But cease-fires are also technically complicated military and political ventures.
Israeli soldiers patrol the Palestinian Bedouin village of Tala (Thala) in the occupied West Bank on Oct. 26, 2023, after residents were attacked by Israeli settlers the same day. HOMAS COEX/AFP via Getty Images

West Bank’s settler violence problem is a second sign that Israel’s policy of ignoring Palestinians’ drive for a homeland isn’t a long-term solution

While the war in Gaza has riveted public attention, the simultaneous escalation of violence by Israeli settlers in the West Bank is not disconnected from the violence in Gaza.
The exterior of Shifa hospital in Gaza City is seen on Nov. 10, 2023, amid ongoing battles between Israel and Hamas near the facility. AFP via Getty Images

Hamas isn’t the first military group to hide behind civilians as a way to wage war

The Taliban and the Islamic State group are among the militant groups that have been known to use civilians as human shields in the past, in order to try to shift their opponents’ war calculations.

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