What is Israel’s Iron Dome?
The Iron Dome is an air defence system that helps protect Israel against rockets and missiles. It uses radar to find these rockets and launches missiles to destroy them before they can hit Israel.
Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, an Israeli company, and the Israel Aerospace Industries developed it. It can work in any weather, day or night.
The Iron Dome system has a 96% success rate. However, Hamas recently breached it, striking several targets within Israeli territory.
How did Hamas manage to breach it?
On 7 October 2023, Hamas (a Palestinian militant group) fired over 5,000 rockets towards Israel from the Gaza Strip while its members entered Israel’s borders. The Iron Dome faced 5,000 rockets in just 20 minutes.
Even though the Iron Dome stopped many rockets, some still hit places in Israel. After the attack, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared that the country was at war.
What is Hamas?
Hamas is a Palestinian group that runs the Gaza Strip. It was founded in 1987 as a response to Israel's occupation of Gaza and the West Bank.
Some countries, like Israel, the United Kingdom, the USA, Canada, and the European Union, say Hamas is a terrorist organisation. However, others, like Iran, consider it the official administration of the Gaza Strip.
Why are Israel and Hamas fighting each other?
Israel and Hamas have a long history of hostility. They have fought four wars in the past. While Hamas accuse Israel of oppressing Palestinians, Israel also accuses Hamas of kidnapping Israeli nationals.
Hamas, like other groups in the Middle East, Hamas remains angry about Israel being created out of Palestine after World War II (WWII). They say the area was stolen from the Palestinian people to make Israel. But people who support Israel say it's where Jewish people come from.
Israel also occupied the Gaza Strip and the West Bank during one of the wars. They left Gaza in 2005, but they still control the West Bank. Later, Hamas took over Gaza, and they've been fighting with Israel.
Hamas also seeks the destruction of Israel. The recent attack was carried out after Israeli settlers stormed the Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem a few days ago. This mosque is important for Palestinians.
