Hamas, Hezbollah, Iran - What you need to know

Although the October 7 Hamas massacre produced unprecedented devastation in Israel, it also gave rise to modern-day Maccabees. As we usher in Hanukkah at the darkest hour in recent memory for all of world Jewry, we recognize the courage of the following eight individuals — one for each night of Hanukkah. Some of them made the ultimate sacrifice. Others have survived against the greatest of odds. All of them are showing us the light.

Following Hamas’ October 7 massacre of Israelis, Jews around the world have experienced a surge of antisemitism. We checked in with some of AJC’s global experts to understand what efforts are underway to protect Jews and counter this hate.

An explosion occurred at the Al-Ahli Arab Hospital, also referred to as the Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital, in Gaza City, where apparently many Palestinians had taken refuge amid the ongoing war between Hamas and Israel. Here is what we know about the situation, how the media is reporting on it, and past incidents of rocket misfires by Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad.

How many hostages does Hamas have? What hostages are being released today? And have any Israeli hostages been released? While the large-scale, brutal slaughter of Israeli civilians and military personnel has been devastating, Hamas terrorists also kidnapped nearly 137 civilians in the criminal assault.

The Gaza Strip is a 141-square-mile Palestinian enclave located near Israel’s southwestern tip. After the Israeli withdrawal in 2005, the coastal territory has been under the control of the Iran-backed Hamas terrorist group. Hamas has launched several significant attacks against Israel from its base in Gaza, including in 2008, 2009, 2014, 2021, and most recently the Israel-Hamas War on October 7, 2023, when Hamas terrorists murdered over 1,210 Israelis, wounded over 5,400, took 137 hostages, and thousands of rockets.

Here’s a primer on more than a dozen proxy terror groups that have taken their orders from the Iranian regime, threatening civilian lives around the world.

Learn about the violent history behind the phrase “Globalize the Intifada,” and how it is being used today by people rallying in support of Palestinians for widespread violence against Jews in Israel and across the globe.

An agreement between Israel and the Palestinian terror group Hamas was reached on November 21 for the release of 50 Israeli hostages, who are among the over 200 taken by the terror group during the October 7 attack on Israel. While many have welcomed the deal, including AJC, it is important to make a clear distinction between the groups of people being exchanged.

Here are five reasons why the use of the term genocide to describe Israel’s self-defense campaign is inaccurate, misleading, and dangerous.

On October 7th, Hamas killed, raped, tortured, and kidnapped Israeli civilians, including women and children. They take innocent Palestinians as human shields and prevent them from fleeing the combat zone. Hamas indiscriminately shoots rockets at Israeli civilian centers. All of these are clear war crimes and morally abhorrent acts and call into question how the international community could expect Hamas to adhere to a ceasefire.

After Hamas fired rockets and invaded southern Israel, some commenters have deliberately spread falsehoods about Israel’s actions and intentions, and others have criticized them in ways that reflect a misunderstanding of Israel’s legal obligations. Join American Jewish Committee (AJC) and Matthew Waxman, adjunct senior fellow for law and foreign policy at the Council on Foreign Relations and the Liviu Librescu Professor of Law at Columbia Law School, to unpack these difficult issues.

From diverting economic resources to the endangerment of human lives, these activities not only perpetuate the suffering of the Palestinians in Gaza - representing a crime against humanity - but also give Hamas operational advantages in its war against Israel where they win not only when they kill Israeli soldiers, but also when Israel inadvertently harms Palestinian civilians. Here are seven ways Hamas exploits Gaza’s Palestinian civilians to further its genocidal aim to destroy Israel.

Don't believe Hamas’ lies and propaganda machine. The Iran-backed terrorist group, who is responsible for the October 7th massacre of innocent Israelis, must be condemned by all of society. Share the truth about their heinous acts today.

Take 60 seconds to learn how Hamas—the Iran-backed terrorist organization that controls the Gaza Strip—ruthlessly came to power, decries Israel's existence, and committed the most lethal attack on Jews since the Holocaust on October 7, 2023.

After Hamas fired rockets and invaded southern Israel, killing some 1,400 hundred people and abducting more than 200, Israel’s response has been under intense scrutiny. Israel’s actions have been informed by the rules of International Humanitarian Law, or the law of armed conflict, which places obligations on parties to war whether they are states like Israel or non-state actors like the terror group Hamas.

Over the weekend, Hamas, the Iran-backed terror group controlling the Gaza Strip, launched an unprecedented, horrific, and brutal attack on Israel. Join AJC CEO Ted Deutch, Lt. Col. (res) Avital Leibovich, AJC Jerusalem Director, and Eyal Hulata, Director, National Security Council of Israel (2021-23) for an update on the situation on the ground.

Israel is a small country. At its widest, it is only 60 miles. Missiles can easily blanket the country. Millions of Israelis are sadly accustomed to going into the safe rooms of their homes to weather missile attacks. The weekend assaults, however, introduce a new level of danger. Israel will feel compelled to act and protect its people, but also its future.

Media bias is a persistent issue that often surfaces when discussing the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Whether on the ground or from a distance, reporting on this complex and sensitive topic can be challenging due to the deeply rooted historical, political, and religious factors involved. Here is what to know about deciphering media coverage of Hamas’s attack on Israel. 

Watch AJC's Jason Isaacson set the record straight about the Hamas terror attacks on Israel.