The people known as the Israelites were ... ?

Semitic people from Ancient Near East and inhabitants of some parts of Canaan during the periods of tribal and monarchy in the 15th to 6th centuries B. C. E., are also known as the Israelites. The Israelites resided in the region after the fall of the monarchy in small numbers. The term "Israelites", in biblical term, associates with the direct descendants of the patriarch Jacob, who was known as Israel. Historians used Israelites as a term to refer to the historical populations of the United Kingdom of Israel and Judah. Jews and Samaritans are considered to be the known remnants of the Israelites, living in the territories of Galilee, Judea, and Samaria.