Summary of the war between Israel and Hamas this Sunday, January 7, 2024

Three months have passed since Hamas’s devastating offensive in Gaza sparked Israel’s war, and the deadly fighting has created a severe humanitarian crisis in the region.

The Israeli military launched an offensive against the Palestinian territories after Hamas fighters launched a brutal attack on Israel on October 7, in which the gunmen killed about 1,200 people and took more than 200 hostage, according to Israeli officials.

More than 22,700 Gazans have been killed in the three months since the attack, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.

Here, some key moments of the conflict:

7 October: Hamas attack. The surprise attack by Hamas on October 7 was the largest terrorist attack in Israel’s history. At least 1,500 Hamas fighters crossed the border with Israel by land, sea and air, using paragliders. Shortly afterward, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israel was “at war.”

9 October: Israel ordered a “complete siege” of Gaza. Two days later, Netanyahu said that Israeli forces would attack Hamas “as never before” with the aim of destroying the extremist group.

13 October: An increasing migration. The Israeli military stepped up its response and ordered 1.1 million people in northern Gaza to immediately evacuate their homes. Since the conflict began, the United Nations estimates that 1.9 million people have been displaced.

17 October: Hundreds of people died in Gaza hospitals. A deadly explosion destroyed Gaza’s al-Ahli Baptist hospital, which was housing thousands of displaced people. CNN found that the explosion was likely caused by a malfunction of a rocket fired by Palestinian militants, and not by an Israeli attack.

27 October: Israel increased its ground offensive. Following a large-scale air battle, the Israel Defense Forces announced they were “expanding ground operations” in Gaza.

Nov 15: Attack on Al-Shifa hospital. Israel launched a “targeted” operation against Hamas inside Gaza’s largest hospital, where thousands of Palestinians are believed to be sheltering. Conditions in the hospital deteriorated rapidly during the days of fighting. This raid was criticized internationally.

24 November: A ceasefire begins. After several days of careful negotiations, a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas brought an end to the fighting. As part of the ceasefire, groups of hostages held in Gaza were released daily.

1 December: The ceasefire broke. A week later, Israeli forces resumed fighting against Hamas in Gaza, accusing the group of breaking the terms of the ceasefire. Israel’s attention began to shift from the north to the south of Gaza.

15 December: Hostages killed in failed attack. Israeli soldiers shot and killed three Israeli hostages in northern Gaza after mistakenly identifying them as threats. The IDF said the shooting violated its regulations and that the soldiers involved would face disciplinary procedures.

1 January: Israel announces partial withdrawal. On the first day of the new year, Israel announced it would soon begin withdrawing thousands of troops from Gaza in preparation for a new phase of the conflict, although a senior official warned that he expected fighting to continue throughout the year. Is.