Two months ago, on October 7, Gaza-based Hamas and other militant groups launched cross-border attacks in Israel, killing about 1,200 people, Israeli officials said. In response, Israel launched a military operation to eradicate Hamas, which has ravaged Gaza, with Gaza health authorities saying more than 15,000 people have been killed, the majority of them women and children. Israeli forces estimate they have killed several thousand Hamas fighters.
Below is a chronology of some important events in the war.
October 7th: Hamas and other extremist groups fire thousands of rockets into Israel, gunmen invade border communities, military bases, and outdoor music festivals, killing hundreds and leaving around 240 dead. I was abducted. This was the worst attack on Israel since its founding. Israeli authorities said they were investigating reports that the attackers committed widespread sexual violence.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a televised statement that the country was in a “state of war” and called up thousands of reservists.
October 9th: Israel has ordered a “total siege” of the Gaza Strip and said no “electricity, food, water or fuel” would be allowed into the enclave. Gaza’s military is attacking Gaza with airstrikes amid signs that it is preparing for a ground invasion.
October 10th: The Israeli military has been wresting control of towns near the Gaza Strip, mainly from Palestinian armed groups.
October 11th: Mr. Netanyahu formed an emergency government and added two opposition members, both former army chiefs, to his cabinet.
October 13th: The Israeli military orders civilians to evacuate northern Gaza, causing panic and chaos as thousands move south.
October 17th: There was an explosion outside Al-Ahly Arab Hospital in Gaza City, killing and injuring many people. Palestinian officials have condemned the attack by Israel. Israeli and American intelligence agencies said a failed rocket launch by the Palestinians caused the explosion.
October 18th: President Biden visited Israel, hugged Netanyahu, and said in a speech that he understood Israel’s “all-consuming anger.” He also warned Israeli leaders about what he says were mistakes made by the United States after the 9/11 attacks.
October 20th: Hamas released two American hostages held in Gaza, Judith Raanan and her daughter Natalie Raanan, after negotiations involving Qatari officials. A few days later, two more hostages were freed, Jocheved Lifshitz, 85, and Nourit Cooper, 79.
October 27th: Amid heavy airstrikes, secrecy and ambiguity, Israel launched a ground invasion into northern Gaza from three directions. Mobile phone and internet services within the enclave will be cut off.
October 31st: Israeli forces hit the Jabaliyah neighborhood north of Gaza City with two 2,000-pound bombs, killing dozens and injuring hundreds, according to Gaza health officials. Israel claims it is targeting Hamas commanders.
November 6th:The Israeli military announced that it had effectively surrounded Gaza City and divided Gaza into north and south.
November 15th:Israeli forces attack al-Shifa, Gaza’s largest hospital, claiming that the hospital also serves as Hamas’s military headquarters, but Hamas denies this claim. Israel later announced it had discovered weapons and other evidence supporting claims that Hamas was operating in a network of tunnels beneath the facility.
November 24th: Israel and Hamas suspend fighting in an agreement that allows for the release of 102 hostages and more than 200 Palestinians held in Israeli prisons for several days. It will also allow more aid to reach civilians in Gaza.
December 2: The armistice agreement collapses. Israeli forces heavily shelled southern Gaza, claiming to hit more than 400 targets and ordering residents to evacuate several towns and villages, spreading chaos and fear as people searched for shelter.
December 5th: Israeli forces describe a house-to-house firefight with Hamas fighters in the southern city of Khan Yunis. Civilians and aid workers described the heaviest shelling of the conflict and a deteriorating humanitarian situation.