Initially, in the 1948 war for its own independence, Israel secured the territory that the United Nations had proposed as land for a Jewish state.
In the Six Day War of 1967, Israel gained control of the Gaza Strip and the Sinai Peninsula in defeating Egypt. The Sinai eventually was returned to Egypt. Gaza became an occupied territory, with the Israeli military supervising the Palestinian-populated region, until 2005 when Israeli Defense Forces withdrew from Gaza. (Now Israel enforces blockades against the Gaza region.)
Also in the Six Day War, Israel gained control of the West Bank, which continues to have an Israeli presence in it as well as a Palestinian government.
And in the Six Day War, Israel gained control of two-thirds of the Golan Heights region overlooking Lake Tiberias, which Israel continues to occupy, citing security concerns in protecting itself.
