Need a Primer on What's Happening in Israel and Gaza Right Now? These 5 Videos Can Help

A doll lies on the rubble of a destroyed building on July 11, 2014, following an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City. Photo by Marco Bottelli. Copyright Demotix.

A doll lies on the rubble of a destroyed building on July 11, 2014, following an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City. Photo by Marco Bottelli. Copyright Demotix.

Israel took up its deadly bombing campaign against Gaza again on Tuesday after the ruling Hamas rejected a proposed ceasefire and launched dozens of rockets from the coastal territory into Israel.

So far, 193 Palestinians have been killed during the week-long bombardment, according to Gaza's health ministry, and at least 30 of those killed were 16 years old or under. More than a thousand people have been injured, and medicine and equipment are in short supply.

In Israel, a handful of people have been injured by rockets launched from Gaza that were not picked off by the so-called Iron Dome missile defense system.

Not quite sure why this is all happening? AJ+, the new San Francisco-based online news channel from Al Jazeera which soft-launched in June, offers a series of short explainer videos on the complicated conflict. The fast-paced reports cover the basics of the situation and address bias in Western media coverage, which has often characterized Israel and Gaza as evenly matched (they're not — this is a fight tipped in heavily armed and protected Israel's favor).

While it's always a smart idea to get your news from a variety of sources, this is a good place to start for those who haven't been keeping up with developments from day one. Take a look:

1. Three Dead Teens And Thousands Of Angry Israelis

2. What Happened In Israel & Palestine In June 2014?

3. Mother Of Dead Israeli Teen Speaks Amid Rising Tensions

4. Israel Vs Palestine – By The Numbers

5. Life in Gaza Explained

7 comments

Cancel this reply

Join the conversation -> Annalie

Authors, please log in »

Guidelines

  • All comments are reviewed by a moderator. Do not submit your comment more than once or it may be identified as spam.
  • Please treat others with respect. Comments containing hate speech, obscenity, and personal attacks will not be approved.