Jeruselum: A year has passed since the beginning of the Gaza war between Israel and Hamas, which led to widespread death, destruction and a major humanitarian crisis in the Middle East.
The relentless conflict has killed over 42,000 people, including women, children, medical staff, humanitarian workers, and journalists in Gaza. It also transformed the dynamics of the Israel-Palestine conflict forever.
On October 7, 2023, Hamas opened a multipronged front against Israel, attacking it with a barrage of missiles in the south, leaving at least 1,205 dead, including those killed in captivity. The attack also destroyed the civil and military infrastructure in the country.
Dubbed "Operation Al-Aqsa Flood," the action was unusual and unprecedented, which caught Israel completely off guard.
Here's the recall of events of that fateful day.
Israel Caught Off Guard
At 6:29 am on October 7, the Israeli army detected rockets coming from Gaza towards the Israel border. Within a few seconds, thousands of missiles hit the southern part of Israel.
Amid the panic and military alert, Palestine's militant group Hamas, which governed Gaza. claimed responsibility for the attack. It had claimed to have launched around 5,000 projectiles in the first assault, which reportedly overpowered Israel's all-weather Dome missile defence system. This was followed by a ground attack by over 1,200 Hamas fighters across the border areas. They allegedly used bombs and heavy machines to breach the fence between Gaza and Israel.
Coordinated Attacks And Slow Army Response
Hamas militants attacked nearly 50 locations, including kibbutzim, army installations, and cultural events. At least 370 people were killed at the Nova music festival following the Hamas attack. According to residents, they had to run for life as they had to seek help in the absence of the military response.
The surprise element and slow response from the Israeli army reportedly gave Hamas fighters an upper hand. They stormed six military bases, including Erez and Nahal Oz, but faced no major resistance as the military reinforcements arrived after five hours. And it was at 4:15 pm when the evacuation operation began.
Hamas Militants Take Hostages
As Hamas militants were heading for more attacks, they held at least 251 people hostage. While some hostages were already dead, their bodies were taken into Gaza. Later. Israel admitted that some hostages may have been hit by friendly fire.
Declaration Of War And Retaliation
Amid the defence alarm across the country, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared that Israel is at war in a televised address. Subsequently, Israel mobilised its 3.6 lakh reserve force personnel to join the war. This marked the beginning of Israel’s counterattack and fierce airstrikes on Gaza, with the first strike reported at 10:39 am.
According to the Gaza health ministry, the non-stop bombardment and raids by Israeli ground forces devastated the region and killed 42,000 people, mostly civilians, so far.
Aftermath And A Year Later
Soon after the October 7 attack, the Israeli forces started hunting for the Hamas fighters. By October 10, the Israeli military claimed to have seized control of all the areas Hamas had targeted. Now, after a year of war, tensions and humanitarian concerns are still present.
Several countries denounced the unprecedented military response by Israel terming it “brutality”. The United Nations (UN) also acknowledged that rapes took place during the attack.
Meanwhile, the impact of the remains fresh on the hearts and minds of the Gaza population, with global humanitarian organisations terming it “mayhem and the darkest period.”
Devastating Toll
- According to estimations, around 1,205 confirmed deaths were reported in Israel, including those killed in captivity (updated as of September 2024).
- Hamas took 251 people as hostages.
- As of September 23, 2024, about 41,431 people have been killed in Gaza since October 7, the majority of them were civilians.
- More than 1.2 million people have been displaced or harmed in Gaza, according to UN estimates.
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