Tensions have quickly escalated in Gaza following the recent collapse of peace talks and the subsequent kidnappings and murders of Israeli and Palestinian teens, with Israeli citizens now threatened by daily rocket fire from Hamas while Gaza residents endure the Israeli military’s devastating airstrikes. Here is a primer to help you understand the latest conflict in the region:
- Palestinian neighborhood/future Israeli neighborhood
- Beautiful mural of three guys who blew up a bus
- Vast archives of past ceasefire agreements
- Hamas rocket platform and elementary school
- Territorially ambiguous pile of rubble
- Defensive layer of air put in place to protect Palestine
- Location where 65 consecutive years of violence recently broke out
- Angry, unemployed youth getting martyrdom pitch
- Tiny new settlements budding in rich West Bank soil
- Nonrefundable tour group just plowing ahead with this trip
- Best place to shout “Why?” into the smoke-filled sky
- Starcrossed Israeli-Palestinian lovers stealing a fleeting, tender kiss in the night
- 2296 Armistice lines