Primer on the Israeli-Hamas conflict

The escalated bloodshed in the Middle East is creating political concerns throughout the region and in the United States. Here are answers to some of the key questions associated with the crisis.

How did the latest round of violence begin?

Over the weekend, Israel began airstrikes against the Hamas movement, which controls the Gaza Strip, in response to rocket attacks against nearby Israeli communities. The Gaza Strip is a sliver of land about 140 square miles along the Mediterranean Sea that Israel captured from Egypt during the 1967 Middle East War. Israel, which occupied the area until 2005, still controls most of the border and the airspace and access from the sea.

What has been the toll?

The three-day death toll among the Palestinians stands at more than 350, with about 1,400 others wounded. Most of those killed were members of the security forces, according to Hamas. But more than five dozen of those killed were women and children, according to the United Nations.

At least three Israeli civilians have been killed in rocket attacks since the offensive began.

Why is Israel attacking Hamas?

Israel argues that it was forced to act to curb the Hamas rocket attacks.

What is Hamas?

Hamas is an acronym based on the Islamic Resistance Movement's Arabic name. The Islamist group was founded in 1987 with a goal of destroying Israel. Hamas runs social service programs in Gaza and is a political party that won the Palestinian parliamentary elections in January 2006. Western governments consider Hamas a terrorist organization and have shunned the group because it has refused to formally accept Israel's right to exist.

Does Hamas speak for all Palestinians?

No. Hamas gunmen took full control of Gaza in the summer of 2007, after the short-lived unity government with the secularist Fatah faction collapsed. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas controls the West Bank, the larger Palestinian area. The West would prefer to deal with Abbas, who has shown a willingness to negotiate with Israel, and it has tried to topple Hamas with economic and political sanctions.

If Hamas is so opposed to Israel, why did it agree to a truce?

Hamas had hoped to put an end to the crippling blockade, but the cease-fire collapsed in November and expired Dec. 19. Abbas has blamed Hamas for prompting the Israeli attack by refusing to extend the cease-fire, which had been negotiated with Egypt's help.