Hamas Launches Surprise Attacks Against Israel from Gaza on October 7

1,400 Hamas Fighters Cross the Border and Terrorize Israel as Rockets Fly

In a stunning failure of Israeli intelligence, one thousand Hamas and Islamic Jihad militants stormed into southern Israel on foot, by motorcycle, boats, and even paragliders, killing 1,400 and taking more than 200 hostages. Hamas drones bombed guard towers along the Gaza border wall, while thousands of rockets fired from Gaza targeted Tel Aviv and other cities, in what appeared to be a complete surprise to Israel. In settlements and collective farms near Gaza, Hamas fighters went door to door killing and taking hostages, including women, children, seniors, soldiers, and Americans back into Gaza, presumably to serve as human shields. Israel’s Iron Dome missile defense system intercepted some rockets, but others got through. The attack occurred on the 50th anniversary of the Yom Kippur War when Arab forces led by allies Egypt and Syria launched an attack on Israel during the Jewish holiday.

In a statement taking credit for the attack, Hamas referred to the strike as Operation Al-Aqsa Deluge, referencing the historic Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem’s Old City, a holy site for Jews, Muslims, and Christians that was captured by Israel in 1967. In response, Israel bombed and shelled Hamas targets inside Gaza, leveling many multi-story buildings and leaving entire city blocks in rubble. Israel laid siege to Gaza, cutting off electricity, water, and fuel. 300,000 Israeli reserve soldiers were called to duty and started massing around the borders of Gaza.

Interrogation of captured Hamas fighters and other intelligence revealed that Hamas used a hard-wired telephone system in tunnels beneath Gaza to coordinate the attacks for months. While it readied its fighters, no above-ground communications were used, and the exact details of the attack were withheld from its fighters until the last minute.

About Gaza

Gaza, aka the Gaza Strip, is a thin piece of land about 26 miles long and 8 miles wide bordering the Mediterranean Sea on the west, Egypt on the south, and Israel on the north and east. Two million Palestinians live in Gaza, which is one of the poorest and most densely populated areas on Earth. Two-thirds of the population is under the age of 25, 80% live in poverty with 45% unemployment, and more than 40% of the population relies on international aid for daily survival.

Who is Hamas?

Hamas is a Palestinian political and militant organization, founded in 1987 during the First Intifada—a Palestinian uprising against Israeli occupation – that emerged out of the Muslim Brotherhood, a Sunni Islamist group founded in the late 1920s in Egypt. The group’s name is an acronym for “Harakat al-Muqawamah al-Islamiyah,” which translates to the Islamic Resistance Movement. Hamas has a dual role as both a political party and an army, and it is considered a terrorist organization by Israel, the United States, and the European Union. However, it is also seen by some as a legitimate resistance group fighting for Palestinian self-determination.

How did Hamas come to power in the Gaza Strip?

In 2006, the Palestinian elections saw Hamas win over the PLO, specifically Fatah, which was the dominant party within the PLO. Several factors contributed to this outcome. One major reason was dissatisfaction with the ruling Fatah party, which was seen as corrupt and ineffective. Hamas, on the other hand, was perceived as a more viable alternative that could stand up to Israel and bring about change. Additionally, Hamas had a reputation for providing social services, which won them grassroots support. The election was considered by international observers to be relatively free and fair at the time. However, the election led to a complicated political situation, including a split between the West Bank, controlled by Fatah, and the Gaza Strip, controlled by Hamas.

260 Killed at a Music Festival

At dawn on October 7, air raid sirens sounded as rockets flew over the open-air Tribe of Nova music and dance festival, and shortly afterward rockets exploded, and then dozens of Hamas militants opened fire, sending more than one thousand partiers running in confusion and terror. Attendees ran for their cars, only to be blocked by Hamas fighters, while others ran across plowed fields and open desert. The attack will go down in Israeli history as the country’s worst civilian massacre.

Hamas Rocket Attacks Continue as Israel Missiles and Jets Pound Gaza

For days after the attack, Hamas continued to fire thousands of rockets while a few militants remained inside Israel. Israel laid siege to Gaza, using its fighter jets and missiles to demolish buildings said to be used by Hamas, turning tall structures into short stacks of crumbled pancakes. After Israel cut off utilities and supplies to Gaza, the few remaining hospitals were left to run on generators and treat patients with dwindling medical supplies. Gaza had only six major hospitals serving a population of more than two million people.

US Deploys Aircraft Carrier Group to Eastern Mediterranian

Only days after the Hamas attack the US moved an aircraft carrier strike group to the region. The Gerald Ford is the largest aircraft carrier in the world, with dozens of aircraft aboard. There are smaller destroyers accompanying the aircraft carrier. The US also sent 2,000 troops in a move to deter Hezbollah from joining the conflict and sparking a wider regional war.

Israel Vows to Wipe Hamas Off the Face of the Earth

On October 11, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, centrist opposition party leader Benny Gantz, and Defence Minister Yoav Gallant formed an emergency government to direct war against Hamas. The defense minister vowed to wipe the Palestinian militant group “off the face of the earth.”

Hezbollah Launches Attacks Across Israel’s Northern Border

Lebanese Hezbollah fighters launched attacks on Israeli army posts and a northern border village on October 15, and Israel retaliated with strikes in Lebanon as U.N. peacekeepers warned border clashes were escalating. Towns within five miles of the Lebanon border were evacuated due to hostilities with Hezbollah. At least 100,000 Israeli civilians have been evacuated from their homes so far in northern and southern Israel.

Who is Hezbollah?

Hezbollah is a Lebanese political and military organization founded in 1982 in response to the Israeli invasion of Lebanon. The group is largely Shia Muslim and has close ties with Iran and Syria. Hezbollah’s name means “Party of God” in Arabic.

US Accuses Iran of Aiding the Hamas Attack

The United States has cited Iran as the sponsor and facilitator of armed Islamist movements, including Hamas. US officials have suggested that there is a “very direct connection” between these groups and Iran’s Revolutionary Guards. In the weeks leading up to the attack, hundreds of Hamas fighters reportedly received specialized combat training in Iran. However, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian has described claims that Iran was directly connected to the attack as “baseless”. But Saleh al-Arouri, a Hamas leader, is considered a key link between Hamas and Iran, and is believed to have coordinated assistance from Iran and Hezbollah.

500 Dead at Gaza Hospital from Hamas or Islamic Jihad Rocket

On October 17 an explosion at the Al-Ahli Arab hospital in Gaza City killed up to 500 people. At first, it was assumed an Israeli missile was to blame, but in the days after the blast evidence found that the cause was an errant rocket from the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ). Media outlets raced each other to cover the story, repeating the claim of Hamas that Israel was to blame. This prompted outrage and protests in a “day of rage” across the Arab world and even in the US.

US Destroyer in the Red Sea Shoots Down Cruise Missiles Fired by Houthi Rebels in Yemen

On October 19, the USS Carney, a U.S. Navy guided-missile destroyer in the northern Red Sea, shot down multiple missiles and drones launched by Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen that the Pentagon said were potentially headed toward targets in Israel.

President Biden Asks for $105 Billion Aid for Israel, Ukraine, and Border Security

In an address from the Oval Office on October 19, President Biden asked citizens to support a $105 billion aid package.

• $60 billion in funding to Ukraine
• $14 billion to Israel
• $10 billion in humanitarian aid to Ukraine and around the world
• $14 billion for border funding to address drug trafficking and fentanyl
• $7 billion for the Indo-Pacific and Taiwan

However, without a Speaker of the House, Congress could take no action or pass any legislation.

Israel Warns Palestinians to Vacate Northern Gaza

On October 23, Israel Defense Forces dropped flyers into northern Gaza, telling the residents they had 24 hours to move to the southern half of the strip. With some carrying only a backpack, Palestinians started moving south in trucks, cars, donkey carts, and on foot. The IDF said they would allow for safe passage on two roads during certain times of day, while bombing continued – even in the south.

This isn’t the first time Israel dropped flyers on Gaza telling Palestinians to evacuate. In July 2014, Israel dropped flyers on the northern Gaza town of Beit Lahiya, home to 100,000 people, prompting residents to pile their kids and belongings into donkey carts and cars and either head south or crowd into schools for shelter. The 2014 hostilities between Hamas and Israel, commonly referred to as “Operation Protective Edge” by Israel, began in July 2014 and lasted for seven weeks. The trigger for the conflict was a series of escalating events:

1. Kidnapping and Murder of Three Israeli Teenagers: In June 2014, three Israeli teenagers were kidnapped and subsequently murdered in the West Bank. Israel blamed Hamas for the kidnappings, though Hamas initially denied involvement. The incident heightened tensions in the region.
2. Retaliation and Murder of a Palestinian Teenager: Following the discovery of the bodies of Israeli teenagers, a Palestinian teenager was abducted and burned alive in Jerusalem, an act of apparent retaliation. This further exacerbated tensions.
3. Rocket Fire and Air Strikes: Rocket fire from the Gaza Strip into Israel increased, and Israel responded with airstrikes against targets in Gaza.
4. Ground Invasion: Following continued rocket fire, Israel launched a ground invasion of Gaza with the stated aim of destroying tunnels used by militants to infiltrate Israel and targeting Hamas’ military infrastructure.

US Bases in Iraq and Syria Targeted by Rockets and Drones

US targets in Iraq and Syria have been attacked at least 23 times since Oct. 7, a senior U.S. defense official said Monday. The attacks have been conducted primarily with rockets and drones, and 14 have been against U.S. targets in Iraq and nine against U.S. bases in Syria. On Oct. 18, at least two attack drones targeted the al-Tanf military base in southern Syria. On the same day, there were two separate drone attacks against US and coalition forces stationed at the al-Asad base in western Iraq. One American civilian contractor died of a heart attack, and 21 US personnel suffered minor injuries, including 19 with traumatic brain injuries. At least four of the attacks have come since the U.S. launched retaliatory strikes on two Iranian-linked targets in Syria on October 26.

After Intense Bombing, Israel Launches Second Phase of Hamas War With Ground Assaults

After a night of relentless bombing that saw 100 fighter jets drop hundreds of bombs on Gaza, on October 28 Israel’s ground forces advanced into northern Gaza. Prior to the ground advance, Israel cut off all communications within Gaza to thwart Hamas from coordinating a defense. At first, Israeli commandos struck targets inside Gaza and then pulled out. But a day later, Israel’s tanks moved into Gaza and stayed, vowing to “destroy the enemy above ground and below ground.”

Israel Kills Hundreds in Gaza Refugee Camp with Strike Targeting Hamas Leader

On October 31, an Israeli strike targeting a Hamas commander in the densely populated Jabalya refugee camp in northern Gaza left catastrophic damage and killed a large number of people. Israel Defense Forces said the airstrike killed Ibrahim Biari, one of the Hamas commanders responsible for the October 7 attack. Eyewitnesses said seven or eight missiles hit the camp, leaving huge craters and hundreds of casualties. Arab countries called the strike inhuman and a war crime, but Israel said Hamas was guilty of hiding among civilians, and the deaths were a casualty of war.

8,700 People Killed in Three Weeks of Fighting

By the end of the month, as many as 8,700 people had been killed in the war on both sides, including at least 1,400 Israeli civilians and soldiers and 33 Americans. The Hamas-run Gaza health ministry claims more than 7,300 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza and 110 in the West Bank. At least 10 Americans are feared to be among the 229 people held captive by Hamas