On October 7 Hamas fighters attacked Israel from Gaza, the densely populated Palestinian territory that is home to more than 2 million people and has been under Israeli blockade since 2006. Militants murdered more than 1,000 civilians (some 260 at the Nova Music Festival), wounded 3,400, took some 200 people hostage, and attacked Israeli military targets. The brutality of the attack on civilians has met with widespread revulsion and condemnation.
The Israeli military responded swiftly, cutting off electricity and food supplies to Gaza, imposing a “complete siege,” and launching an air assault that has killed more than 2,500 Palestinians, wounded nearly 10,000, and displaced hundreds of thousands.
The pieces in this week’s reading list—some new, and some from our archive—provide essential context for understanding the roots of the conflict, the extraordinary difficulties in finding a way out, and the profound importance of constructive efforts at a resolution. As the situation evolves, further Boston Review content on the conflict can be found here.
Amid ongoing reporting and ethical outrage, we need context for the fight between Hamas and Israel—and how it shapes possibilities for peace.
“Never again” means standing up for Palestinian people. “Never again” means this very moment.
A conversation with Palestinian human rights attorney Noura Erakat on the need for a political solution.
Accounts still get the history of Palestinian diplomacy wrong.
Talking about Gaza is like talking about God. We face the ineffable. We cannot talk about what we see.
Condemning U.S. deference to Israel, a cousin remembers the life and legacy of the slain Palestinian American journalist.
They might, given growing disaffection with Israel among young American Jews.
Forum
The government’s new Nation State Law codifies prejudice, but therein lies a silver lining.
Without Oslo, Israelis and Palestinians would not have been as committed to a two-state solution as they are today.
