What began as a limited conflict has escalated into a major Israeli ground offensive into

一開始小範圍的衝突 現已擴大為以色列對哈瑪斯控制的加薩進行大規模地面攻擊

Hamas-held Gaza. It's resulted in hundreds of deaths. Here's what happened and what it means.

並已造成數以百計的人死亡 接下來要告訴你衝突發生原因以及意涵

It started with the murder of 3 Israeli young men in the West Bank. They were students.

衝突肇因於三名以色列年輕人在西岸被謀殺 他們都只是學生

They were kidnapped and killed.

他們被綁架並殺害

Israel responded to this, because it believed that the killings were done by Hamas operatives.

以色列當局認為這是哈瑪斯所策劃的行動

It arrested a large number of Hamas people in the West Bank and launched airstrikes into

於是在西岸逮捕了大量哈瑪斯成員

Gaza.

並空襲加薩

Palestinians from Gaza fired rockets in response. Israelis were furious and a Palestinian boy

加薩的巴勒斯坦人以火箭回擊 而憤怒的以色列人也謀殺了一名巴勒斯坦男孩

was murdered by 6 Israelis, essentially, from what Israeli police say, as an act of revenge.

以色列警方證實這起謀殺案是6名以色列人策劃的報復行動

Moreover his cousin was beaten in Israeli police custody.

不僅如此，被害人的表弟也在拘留時被以色列警察毆打

This led to a wave of anger on the Palestinian side. On the morning of July 8, Hamas launched

這引起了巴勒斯坦人民的眾怒 7月8日早上哈瑪斯再對以色列的城鎮發射40枚火箭

a wave of 40 rockets in the direction of Israeli towns with very little guidance or aiming.

雖然這波攻擊較為鬆散也不夠精確

They don't often hit targets or produce many casualties but nonetheless create a climate of terror

沒有打中攻擊目標 也未造成大量傷亡 但仍使恐怖氣氛在以色列蔓延開來

inside Israel. These rocket attacks were the first that Hamas had claimed responsibility for since 2012,

這些火箭 是2012年發生大規模衝突以來 哈瑪斯首次承認主導的攻擊行動

the last major conflict. In response, Israel launched more strikes in Gaza, as part of

於是以色列也對加薩發動更多的報復攻擊

what Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said was an effort to make Hamas pay a heavy

因為以色列總理班雅明尼坦雅胡說要讓哈瑪斯付出慘痛的代價

price. By July 11th, 100 Palestinians had been killed by about a thousand airstrikes. By July 14th,

截至7月11日 上千次的空襲中已有1百名巴勒斯坦民眾死亡

the total casualties had exceeded the 2012 conflict.

傷亡已超過2012年衝突的傷亡人數

And then on July 17th, Israeli troops entered Gaza to root out tunnels into Israel that

以色列軍隊 7月14日接著進入加薩 開始掃蕩連通以國的隧道

would allow Hamas to strike Israeli targets or send soldiers in on the ground to attack

防止哈馬斯藉由地道派兵至國內 對都市或軍事基地進行地面攻擊

Israeli cities or military bases. After the ground offensive, casualties have skyrocketed.

地面攻擊行動開始後 傷亡人數便逐日驟升

We've come a long way from 2009 when the Obama administration came into office thinking they

2009年當歐巴馬上任後 我們以為已有不少進展

could get the two sides on the same side, that is, get a peace agreement done. Let alone

以為可以協助雙方取得共識 甚至完成簽署和平協議

the heady optimism in the 90s that we saw about Irael-Palestinian peace.

90年代更有人對以巴和平抱持不切實際的樂觀主義

The sad path that led to an incredibly devastating ground offensive in Gaza has illustrated just

這次事件正代表著以巴關係是如何劍拔弩張 小衝突最後也可能演變成大規模地面攻擊

how hair-trigger the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is. Even slight provocations, even things

任何輕微的挑釁 甚至是意外事件

that may not be planned by one side or the other one, can lead to massive escalations

都可能導致大規模的暴力衝突

in violence. There's just too much mistrust and too much division to be able to solve

正因為雙方之間實在存在太多不信任與分歧

these problems any time in the near term. And that's the sad truth of this conflict.

所以在近期內要解決這些問題更是困難 這就是以巴衝突背後令人唏噓的真相