This is a cached version of https://britannica.com/procon/Middle-East-conflict-explainer from 2/28/2026, 3:27:17 PM.
Middle East Conflict | Background Resources, History, Geography, & Conflict | Britannica
To help put the current Middle East conflict in context, here are some Britannica resources that teachers, students, and journalists may find useful.
Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture ProCon Money Videos Middle East Conflict Explainer Introduction References & Edit History Images Contents Middle East Conflict A region in chaos. (more) Middle East Conflict Explainer Background Resources Ask Anything Homework Help Written and fact-checked by The Editors of ProCon ProCon's editors write and verify new content and update existing content. ProCon presents the pro and con arguments to debatable issues in a straightforward, nonpartisan, freely accessible way. The Editors of ProCon Last updated Feb. 28, 2026 •History Britannica AI Ask Anything Table of Contents Table of Contents Ask Anything Put the current Middle East conflict in context.Israel-Hamas WarThe destroyed al-Garbi Mosque hit by Israeli airstrikes, in western Gaza City, Gaza Strip, on Oct. 9, 2023, two days after Hamas launched a land, sea, and air assault on Israel.(more)Here are Britannica resources that readers should find useful:U.S. Military Presence in the Middle EastKey Sites of Iran’s Military-Industrial ComplexIsrael-Iran Conflict: Israel’s 2025 campaign to rid Iran of its nuclear facilities.Israel-Hamas War: Summary of the Hamas attack of Oct. 7, 2023, and subsequent war.One-state solution: The idea of resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict with a single state.Two-state solution: History and context for a framework of peace between Israel and Palestine.Abraham Accords: Agreements to normalize relations between Israel and Arab neighbors.Israeli-Saudi peace deal: Anticipated agreement between Saudi Arabia and Israel, maybe now in doubt. Arab-Israeli wars: Brief summary (with links to more comprehensive articles).Gaza Strip: Comprehensive geographical and historical recounting of the region.Hamas: Origins and actions of the group.Hezbollah: Militant Lebanese group to Israel’s north.Palestinian Liberation Army (PLO): Umbrella term for group that claims to represent the world’s Palestinian populations.Israel Defense Forces (IDF): Israel’s national military.West Bank: Historical and geographical context for the disputed territory.Israel: Historical and geographical context for the country.Iran: Historical and geographical context for the country.Palestine: Historical and geographical context for the region.Benjamin Netanyahu: prime minister of Israel.Camp David Accords: President Jimmy Carter’s Britannica essay on the peace deal between Israel and Egypt (1978)Oslo Accords: Agreement between Israel and the PLO to reach a two-state solution.Hayat Tahrir al-Sham: Militant Islamist group in Syria that led the ouster of Pres. Bashar al-Assad in SyriaBashar al-Assad: President of Syria, ousted in 2024 in Syrian Civil War Syrian Civil War: Summary of conflict that lasted from 2011-24Yemeni Civil War: Summary of devastating conflict that began in 2014.Houthi movement: A main factor of the Yemeni Civil War.