Welcome to Axios Recap, where we dig into one big story. I'm Naomi Shaven, filling in for Dan.

Today is Tuesday, May 18th. Staffing shortages are up, dark side the hacking group is shutting down,

and we're focused on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Let's start with the history.

Israel was founded as a sovereign Jewish state in 1948, following the near decimation of the global Jewish population during World War II.

Its founding immediately caused a massive displacement of Palestinians.

Prior to that, both Jews and Palestinians coexisted in the

territory for hundreds of years. In the decades since, territory disputes have led to borders

shifting back and forth, political leaders have cycled in and out, and the conflict has only

become more entrenched. Today, there are two populations with profound religious, ethnic, and geographical

ties to one place, a place largely controlled by Israel at the great expense of Palestinian freedoms

and basic necessities. The Gaza Strip, which is home to two million Palestinians, is technically

ruled by Hamas, which has been declared

a terrorist organization by much of the Western world, and which rejects Israel's right to exist.

This is an extraordinarily complex issue, and in the last month it's taken a tragic and violent

turn, resulting in the deaths of 227 people, stemming from an attempt by Israel

earlier this month to evict six Palestinian families from their homes in East Jerusalem.

Images out of the region show an imbalance in military might, depicting Israel's Iron Dome

defense system neutralizing rockets launched by Hamas, while Israel's retaliation against

Hamas has led to more than 200 of those civilian deaths, including 61 Palestinian children.

International condemnation of Israeli missile strikes into Palestinian territory has been swift.

President Biden pushed for a ceasefire in a phone call with Israeli Prime Minister

...