Monday marks the one-year anniversary of the Hamas-led militant attacks on Israel that led to the onset of the Israel-Gaza war. On October 7, 2023, hundreds of Hamas fighters launched a “surprise attack”, breaching the heavily fortified Gaza border to infiltrate Jewish towns and cities, resulting in the deaths of 1,205 individuals on the Israeli side.
Soon after the attack, Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu told his countrymen in a televised address, “We are at war, not in an operation or in rounds, but at war. This morning, Hamas launched a murderous surprise attack against the State of Israel and its citizens. We have been in this since the early morning hours.”
Moreover, Hamas took over 250 people hostage.
In response, Israel initiated a comprehensive military campaign in the Gaza Strip from land, sea, and air, leading to the deaths of at least 41,788 people, the majority of whom were civilians.
Here is a timeline of how the events unfolded on October 7, 2023:
The attack commenced at 6:15 a.m. on October 7, when hundreds of armed Hamas militants entered Israeli towns, with some seen driving in jeeps.
As the militants pursued them, Israelis fled their vehicles to nearby fields, where many sought refuge, some wounded. More hostages were taken into Gaza, and upon hearing the sirens, those who had already left the party area rushed to mobile bomb shelters for safety.
Footage emerged of armed militants driving white pick-up trucks in the southern city of Sderot, quickly spreading across social media and news outlets, which caused widespread panic among Israelis.
Hamas fighters initiated a mass attack at the Nova festival, resulting in the deaths of 364 civilians, including both Israelis and foreign nationals, as videos of fleeing attendees circulated on social media. Concurrently, militants who had infiltrated Kfar Aza began killing and abducting residents.
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) issued its first official response, stating that Hamas had conducted a coordinated operation involving both rocket fire and infiltrations into Israeli territory.
The IDF declared a “state of alert for war” as Hamas’s Mohammed Deif announced the initiation of operation “Al-Aqsa Flood.”
Operation ‘Iron Swords’
In his first address since the Hamas attack, PM Benjamin Netanyahu vowed retaliation and declared a “state of war”. Netanyahu has also noted that Hamas has made a “grave” mistake by attacking Israel. “Citizens of Israel, we are at war. The enemy will pay an unprecedented price. We will win this war,” PM Netanyahu said.
In a massive retaliation, the defence forces of Israel started to strike the Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip. The counteroffensive was named Operation ‘Iron Swords’. “In response to the barrages of rockets launched by Hamas from Gaza at Israel, the IDF is currently striking Hamas targets in Gaza,” the Israel Defense Forces said.
‘Rock solid’ support for Israel, says US
US President Joe Biden assured “rock solid” support for Israel and condemned the attacks by the Palestinian militant group Hamas with an announcement regarding US military aid.
Biden described the situation as “a terrible tragedy on a human level” and said the United States “stands with the people of Israel in the face of these terrorist assaults”. “Israel has the right to defend itself and its people, full stop. There’s never a justification for terrorist attacks, and my administration’s support for Israeli security is rock solid and unwavering.”
Notably, the United States has allocated a record minimum of $17.9 billion in military aid to Israel since the onset of the Gaza war, according to a report from Brown University’s Costs of War project released on the anniversary of the Hamas attacks on Israel.
Additionally, $4.86 billion has been directed toward enhanced US military operations in the region since the October 7, 2023, attacks, which includes costs associated with a Navy-led campaign to address strikes on commercial shipping by Yemen’s Houthis, who are acting in solidarity with Hamas.
What has changed in one year of war?
In the past year, Israel has bombed over 40,000 targets in the Gaza Strip, uncovered 4,700 tunnel shafts, and destroyed 1,000 rocket launcher sites, according to the military, Reuters reported.
To mark the October 7 anniversary, the Israeli military reported that it has mobilized 300,000 reservists since the onset of the war, comprising 82 per cent men and 18 per cent women, with nearly half aged between 20 and 29.
Since the war began, 13,200 rockets have been fired into Israel from Gaza, alongside 12,400 from Lebanon, 60 from Syria, 180 from Yemen, and 400 from Iran, according to Reuters. The military also stated that over 800 “terrorists” have been killed in Lebanon, where airstrikes have targeted 4,900 locations, along with approximately 6,000 ground targets.
The Hamas attack on Israeli communities and the subsequent Israeli invasion of the Palestinian territories has significantly destabilised West Asia. Protests are organised globally against Israel’s offensive in the Gaza Strip, which has devastated the densely populated area, resulting in nearly 42,000 deaths, according to Palestinian health authorities, and displacing most of its 2.3 million residents.
In Gaza, 101 hostages remain with the Hamas militants as Israeli forces continue their efforts to dismantle Hamas‘ control and military capabilities.
Recent Israeli operations have targeted key figures in Hezbollah and Hamas, which have provided some sense of security for Israelis. However, these actions have led to unprecedented missile strikes from Iran, raising concerns about a potential regional conflict. While Israel has not yet retaliated to the Iranian barrage on October 1, it has promised a strong response.