Palestinians in Gaza say Israel's restrictions and its air strikes on heavily populated areas amount to collective punishment. This year has been the deadliest year on record for Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem. They also complain of the restrictions and military actions being carried out there in response to deadly attacks on Israelis. These tensions could have been one of the reasons for Hamas's latest attack. But the militants may also have been seeking to boost their popularity among ordinary Palestinians, including by using hostages to pressure Israel to free some of the estimated 4,500 Palestinians held in its prisons.
