Amid News of a Ceasefire Deal in the Israel-Hamas War in Gaza, Explore the Conflict’s Roots and Ramifications

The ceasefire deal announced this week between Israel and Hamas calls for a truce in the catastrophic war in Gaza and the return of dozens of Israeli hostages being held since the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack on Israel.

Explore FRONTLINE’s documentaries and reporting on the roots, evolution and impact of the war and the overarching Israeli-Palestinian conflict, its sprawling ramifications, and how the most recent chapter in this long and volatile history has played out.

A Year of War: Israelis and Palestinians

Released in October 2024, this documentary followed people directly impacted by the Hamas attack and the war in Gaza as they shared harrowing experiences with death, despair and continuing trauma. In the film, Israelis described what it was like to experience the deadliest day for Jews since World War II as the Oct. 7 attacks unfolded, with around 1,200 people killed, 5,000 injured and 251 taken hostage. And in Gaza, where more than 40,000 people have reportedly been killed in Israel’s retaliation against Hamas, Palestinians described — and recorded — the horrors of large-scale devastation.

Crisis on Campus

As outrage over the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza deeply divided American campuses and in some places devolved into hate-filled rhetoric and arrests, this June 2024 documentary with Retro Report investigated how universities responded, how powerful interests joined the fray, and how the conflict over the conflict ultimately spiraled out of control.

Netanyahu, America & the Road to War in Gaza

This documentary, updated in May 2024, offered a sweeping examination of the critical moments over the course of the past three decades leading up to the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza and the role of a central player: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Israel’s Second Front

In this January 2024 documentary, correspondent Ramita Navai investigated rising support for militant groups, including Hamas, since the Oct. 7 attack, Israel’s military campaign in the West Bank, and the implications for a region on edge.

Failure at the Fence 

This December 2023 documentary with The Washington Post examined how Hamas was able to breach Israel’s vaunted security barrier and carry out the attack that ignited the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.

Shattered Dreams of Peace

Re-released in October 2023, this seminal 2002 documentary examined how the Israeli-Palestinian peace process begun at Oslo in the 1990s was derailed and ultimately undone by the dynamics of politics and violence. The documentary included interviews with key figures from both sides of the negotiating table, including Benjamin Netanyahu, Yasser Arafat, Shimon Peres, Saeb Erekat and Ehud Barak.

Explore more from FRONTLINE on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.