Israel-Hamas war: A glossary of terms
From Intifada and the Iron Dome system to Hamas and Hezbollah, Sky News looks at the terms cropping up in coverage of the Israel-Hamas war and what they mean.
Thursday 12 October 2023 11:28, UK
In the wake of the war between聽Hamas and Israel, news reports have been peppered with vocabulary that may be unfamiliar to some people.
Here, Sky News looks at some of the common terms and what they mean.
Fatah
Fatah is the dominant party of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), which runs the Palestinian Authority.
The Palestinian Authority governs around 40% of the West Bank. The rest is under Israeli military and mixed control.
In 1974, the PLO was officially recognised by the Arab League and the UN General Assembly as the "sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people".
Gaza/Gaza Strip
The Gaza Strip refers to a narrow strip of land wedged between Israel and Egypt on the Mediterranean Sea. Gaza City, also just called Gaza, is the largest city.
Hamas
Hamas is the political organisation that controls the Gaza Strip. It launched the attack on Israel.
The word Hamas is Arabic for 'zeal'. Hamas and its military wing, the Qassam Brigade, are designated terrorists by Israel and most Western nations, including the UK and the US.
Read more: Why did Hamas attack now?
Hezbollah
Hezbollah is an Iranian-backed political party and militant group based in Lebanon, on Israel's northern border.
It was created in 1982 to fight Israel's military invasion of Lebanon.
Hezbollah is a long-time ally of the Assad regime in Syria.
IDF
The Israel Defence Forces, Israel's national military made up of ground forces, navy and air force. It runs a conscription model, with most adults over 18 required to do military service.
Intifada
Intifada means uprising and refers to two specific Palestinian uprisings against Israel, first in the late 1980s and then in the early 2000s.
The first intifada ended in 1993 with the signing of the Oslo Accords (more on that below) while the second grew out of the collapse of peace talks and saw the return of widespread violence.
Iron Dome system
Israel's air defence system that analyses the threat of missiles sent into the country's airspace, then fires a missile of its own to destroy it.
Read more: How does Israel's Iron Dome defence system work?
Kibbutz
A kibbutz is a communal settlement unique to Israel, named after the Hebrew word for "gathering".
Borne out of a socialist vision, kibbutzim (the plural of kibbutz) relies on an understanding members are part of something larger than their own family.
Knesset
Israel's parliament.
Mossad
Mossad is the international intelligence agency for Israel, its full name is the Institute for Intelligence and Special Tasks. It is the equivalent to MI6 or the CIA.
Operation Al Aqsa Storm
The name Hamas gave to its offensive on Israel.
Operation Iron Swords
The name Israel gave to its counteroffensive.
Oslo Accords
Signed in 1993, the Oslo Accords were supposed to be a blueprint to build a two-state solution - but 30 years on, are widely agreed to have failed.
Qassam rocket
The rocket used by Hamas, reportedly designed by the leader of its military wing, Mohammed Deif.
They are unsophisticated weapons, often made in garages and backroom laboratories from common metal pipes filled with explosives and propellants.
Rafah border crossing
The only crossing point between Egypt and the Gaza Strip.
It has previously been closed during times of conflict between Hamas and Israel and was closed on 10 October following Israeli bombardments.
Shabbat
The Jewish day of rest that runs from sunset on Friday to sunset on Saturday. Hamas's attack struck during Shabbat, on Simchat Torah.
Simchat Torah and Sukkot
Simchat Torah marks the end of Sukkot, a week-long Jewish festival that commemorates the 40 years Israelites spent in the desert, named after the huts they stayed in.
Simchat Torah is normally a joyous day when Jews complete the annual cycle of reading the Torah scroll.
Supernova Festival
A trance music festival held three miles from the Israel-Gaza border in the Negev desert.
At least 260 bodies were recovered from the festival site after Hamas attacked in the early hours of Saturday, with more partygoers kidnapped.
Read more: How the attack on the Supernova festival unfolded
West Bank
The West Bank is a landlocked area bordering Israel and Jordan, home to almost 3 million Palestinians. It is larger than Gaza.
Israel took control of it in 1967 after the Six Day War. Since then, Jewish settlers have moved in, but Palestinians and much of the international community consider it illegally occupied Palestinian land.