Israel-Gaza War: The Geo-history of the conflict explained

Geography Case Study

Can the situation be summed up? Possibly.

Israel wants to safeguard the security that Jews have fought for since the Holocaust of the 1940s.

The Palestinians of Gaza and the West Bank want to live in their own independent land that they feel was stolen from them in 1948.

But is either situation likely to happen?

This resource includes a variety of lesson activities to pick and choose:

Which geographical area is the odd one out?

(Gaza - Israel - Palestine - Jerusalem)
Class discussion & written response.

Which disaster is the odd one out?

(Afghanistan 2001-2021 - Warsaw 1944- Indian Ocean 2004 - Worldwide 2035)
Class discussion & written response.

Lateral Thinking about the Geography of War.

How are these four photographs linked?
(Resources - military - refugee camp - ‘stop the boats’
Class discussion & written response.

Worksheet: Critical Thinking: Israel-Gaza War.

What do I know? How do I know? What is important? What is missing? What is my plan of action? How did I do?

Links to videos explaining the situation:

“The Hamas attack on the Supernova festival 2023” (BBC)
“Israel, Palestine and Hamas explained” (Channel 4)

Photographic Analysis: Israel-Palestine 7th October 2023.

Class discussion of initial satellite image from the day.
Follow-up slides asking: “What can we say about the geography inside of the Gaza Strip?” (Densely populated)
“What is this land mostly used for?” (Farms, kibbutzim)
“What is happening here?” (Fires, smoke)

Photographic Analysis: 21st century Gaza.

Six photos showing life in the years before the 2023 attacks (developed cityscape; park; refugee child; beach; nightlife; modern hospital)
Worksheet: Analyse the photos -definite, inference, missing info.

Photographic Analysis: Israel-Palestine (since 7/10/23).

Six photos showing the situation since the attacks (hostage taking, IDF, bomb damage, the missing, funerals, foreign aid)
Worksheet: Analyse the photos -definite, inference, missing info.

Living Graph: Israel-Palestine Population.

Worksheet: line graph of total population of Israel-Palestine, incomplete line graph of Jewish population.
Data for Jewish population since 1930.
Living Graph clues: Israel-Palestine Population (21 pieces of info to read, sort, select).
Follow-up slides: completed graph, questions for class discussion - analyse key changes in the graphs (low steady population to WW1; post-Ottoman collapse + Balfour + Holocaust + declaration of the State of Israel; diverging lines, infer reasons for rapid growth of Jewish poulation vs very rapid growth of non-Jewish population).
Worksheet: Living Graph conclusion: Israel-Palestine.
(Debrief

Worksheet - Hexagons: Israel-Palestine.

Explain in detail how each image is linked geographically.
(Magen David, Nazi swastika, star & crescent, weapon, death, running person, family).

Teachers’ Background Information: Includes links to original BBC article, academic articles.