Sirens wail. Gunfights rage. Rockets explode overhead. Over the past month, these are some of the everyday sounds heard by residents of both Israel and Gaza. The following timeline, based on reporting from The New York Times, Fox News, CBC News, The Washington Institute for Near East Policy, and the Counsel on Foreign Relations, outlines the violence occurring in Israel and Gaza. 

1948 

The British Colonial Mandate over Pales- tine expired, which led to the United Nations’ creation of Israel, a home for the Jewish people.

1987 

Hamas, a political and militant organization devoted to replacing Israel with a Palestinian state, formed. The extremist group aligns with the Palestinian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood and does not recognize Israel as a nation.

1993 

Hamas initiated terrorist attacks against Israel, relying mainly on suicide bombings aimed at civilians and government personnel.

2001 

Hamas fired rockets into Israel, and reduced its use of suicide bombers.

June 30, 2014 

The bodies of three Israeli students were found in the West Bank, and appeared to have been executed. This led to the arrests of many known Hamas operatives inside of Israel.

July 2, 2014

A 16-year old Palestinian boy was burned to death by Jewish extremists in response to the murders of the three Israeli students.

July 17, 2014 

The Israeli army invaded Gaza in an attempt to destroy secret tunnels Hamas built into Israel.

Aug. 5, 2014 

The Israeli army withdrew from Gaza. The destruction of the tunnels was successful, but members of the Israeli military, members of Hamas, and citizens of Gaza were killed in the process.

Aug. 13, 2014 

The death toll for the Israel-Palestine conflict stands at 1,845, with many more injured. 1,360 of the fatalities are Palestinian deaths.