CFR Education’s mission is to empower young people with the essential knowledge, skills, and perspective to be responsible citizens and navigate the news. We’ve assembled a list of resources to help students understand what’s happening in the Middle East sparked by the war between Israel and Hamas—and why it matters.
Background
Lead your students on a deep dive into the history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the role the United States has played with CFR Education’s conflict timeline and resources on U.S. foreign policy from CFR.
- Israeli-Palestinian Conflict Timeline
- What Is U.S. Policy on the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict?
- U.S. Aid to Israel in Four Charts
What’s Going on in Gaza?
Give your students concise analysis and context on the rise and role of Hamas in the region, and on the spread of Israel’s ground war in Gaza.
- Virtual Media Briefing: Update on Hamas and the Gaza Conflict
- One Year After the October 7 Attacks: The Impact on Four Fronts
- Israel’s Ground War Against Hamas: What to Know
- What Is Hamas?
- How Much of a Threat Does Hamas Still Pose to Israel?
- The Israel-Hamas War: The Humanitarian Crisis in Gaza
What's Going On in Iran?
Learn about the implications for Iran’s presence in a wider Middle East conflict.
- Media Briefing: Israel, Iran, and What Comes Next for the Region
- Day One of Israel's Strikes on Iran: What to Know
- The Islamic Republic's Power Centers
- What Are Iran's Nuclear and Missile Capabilities?
- The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)
- The Threat of Regional Military Expansion in the Middle East
- Iran's Support of the Houthis: What to Know
What’s Going on in Lebanon?
Help your students understand how and why the conflict has spread to Lebanon.
- Lebanon: How Israel, Hezbollah, and Regional Powers Are Shaping Its Future
- What Is Hezbollah?
- The Nasrallah Killing Is a Crushing Blow to Hezbollah
What's Going on in Syria?
Learn about the origins of Syria's civil war, its recent escalation, and how it's connected to the wider Middle East crisis.
- Syria's Civil War: The Descent Into Horror
- What Syria’s Revived Civil War Means for the Region
- A Red Line in Syria in 2013| CFR Education Mini Simulation
- What to Know About HTS, Hezbollah, and Iran
- After Fall of Assad Dynasty, Syria’s Risky New Moment
Humanitarian Issues
Explore the humanitarian issues around this conflict through CFR Education resources on civilians in conflict, which include comprehensive teaching resources, and analysis from CFR on the situation in Gaza.
- The Civilian Consequences of Conflict
- How Do Humanitarian Corridors, Cease-Fires, and Pauses Address Violence in Conflict?
- The UN’s Palestinian Aid Controversy: What’s at Stake
Implications for International Law
Use CFR Education resources, which include comprehensive teaching resources, to understand the role of international law in global affairs, and explore analysis from CFR on the specific international legal questions raised by the conflict.
- What Is International Law?
- What International Law Has to Say About the Israel-Hamas War
- The Laws of War, With Matthew Waxman
- Holding Hamas Accountable at the ICJ Through Palestine
What Could the Future Hold?
Help your students understand the potential for regional escalation of the conflict in the Middle East, and help them to think about the long-term future of the Palestinian people and their relationship with Israel.
- Are Israel and Iran Headed for All-Out War?
- Open to Debate: Is the Two-State Solution Still Viable?
- Who Governs the Palestinians?
- Israel's Strikes on Iran Could Change the Middle East
Learn More About the Region
Explore the historical, political, economic, and social trends that have shaped the Middle East and North Africa with CFR Education's Region's of the World resources.
Keep Up-to-Date With the Latest from CFR
Check back for all the latest from CFR on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and war in the Middle East.
- Israeli-Palestinian Conflict on cfr.org
- Israeli-Palestinian Conflict on CFR's Global Conflict Tracker
- Confrontation with Iran on CFR's Global Conflict Tracker
- Conflict with Hezbollah in Lebanon on CFR's Global Conflict Tracker
- Conflict in Syria on CFR's Global Conflict Tracker
- Israel-Hamas War at Foreign Affairs
CFR Education, the educational arm of the Council on Foreign Relations, helps middle, high school, and higher education students understand and engage with today’s most pressing global issues. With over 800 free, nonpartisan, multimedia teaching and learning resources, CFR Education’s supplemental materials help students gain the knowledge, skills, and perspective needed to navigate today’s interconnected world. CFR Education also provides professional development and programming opportunities to support educators as they take on this crucial work.