Israel–Gaza War

The Israel–Gaza War began at 6:29 AM on October 7, 2023, when Hamas — the Islamist militant group that has governed the Gaza Strip since 2007 — launched a massive, coordinated assault on southern Israel, breaching the heavily fortified border fence at multiple points. Approximately 3,000 fighters infiltrated Israeli territory, killing around 1,200 people (mostly civilians) in kibbutzim, a music festival (the Nova festival massacre, where ~360 were killed), and military bases. Some 250 hostages were taken back to Gaza. It was the deadliest attack on Jews since the Holocaust.

Israel declared war within hours. The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) launched an air campaign of unprecedented intensity against Gaza — a densely populated territory of approximately 2.3 million people, 365 square kilometers, with no ability to flee to a safe country. Within the first weeks, Israel dropped more bombs on Gaza than the US dropped on Afghanistan in the entire first year after 9/11. Over the following months, major population centers including Gaza City, Jabalia, Khan Younis, and Rafah were systematically bombarded and subjected to ground invasion.

The humanitarian consequences have been catastrophic. The Gaza Ministry of Health documented over 65,000 deaths through 2026, with the UN noting that the ministry's figures have historically been reliable and cross-checked against hospital and civil registration records. The Lancet, in a letter published in July 2024, estimated that when accounting for indirect deaths — from lack of medical care for chronic conditions, malnutrition, dehydration, and disease outbreaks caused by the destruction of water and sanitation infrastructure — excess deaths through June 2024 alone could exceed 186,000. UNRWA reported that virtually the entire population of Gaza (2.3 million) has been displaced at least once; over 70% of housing has been damaged or destroyed.

The war has generated intense international legal scrutiny. South Africa filed a genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice in January 2024; the ICJ issued provisional measures ordering Israel to prevent acts of genocide and allow humanitarian aid. The International Criminal Court's chief prosecutor sought arrest warrants for both Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and Hamas leaders. The conflict has deepened existing divisions in the UN Security Council, where the US has repeatedly used its veto to block resolutions calling for ceasefire. The death toll, the scale of destruction, and the legal proceedings have made the Israel-Gaza War one of the most intensely debated conflicts in modern international law.