7 October Hamas-led attack on Israel: Difference between revisions

Operation Al-Aqsa Flood
Part of Israeli–Palestinian conflict
Location	Southern Israel
Date	October 7, 2023 (2023-10-07) (UTC+3)
Target	Israel
Attack type	Military invasion Massacre
Deaths	900 Israeli civilians
Injured	1300
Perpetrators	Hamas
Motive	Deterioration of relations between Israel and the Palestinian states

Operation Al-Aqsa Flood is the name of the Palestinian Islamist militant group Hamas coordinated attacks from the Gaza Strip onto bordering areas in Israel on October 7, 2023. The attacks initiated the 2023 Israel–Hamas war.

Hamas had studied Kibbutz near the border and made extensive plans with the goal of maximizing Israeli civilian deaths, capturing hostages specifically targetting youth centers and elementary schools, and rapidly transferring the hostages to Gaza. The attack began in the early morning with a rocket barrage of at least 3,000 missiles against Israel and vehicle-transported incursions into its territory. Palestinian militants breached the Gaza–Israel barrier, attacking military bases and slaughtering civilians in neighboring Israeli communities. At least 260 Israelis were massacred at a music festival. Israeli soldiers and civilians, including women and children, were taken as hostages to the Gaza Strip. This day was described by US President Joe Biden and others as the "worst single-day massacre of Jews since the Holocaust".

Rocket barrages

See also: Palestinian rocket attacks on Israel

Aftermath of a rocket attack in Rishon LeZion

At around 6:30 a.m. Israel Summer Time (UTC+3) on 7 October 2023, Hamas announced the start of what it called "Operation Al-Aqsa Flood", stating that it had fired over 5,000 rockets from the Gaza Strip into Israel within a span of 20 minutes. Israeli sources reported that at least 3,000 projectiles had been launched from Gaza. At least five people were killed by the rocket attacks. Explosions were reported in areas surrounding the Strip and in cities in the Sharon Plain including Gedera, Herzliyya, Tel Aviv, and Ashkelon. Air raid sirens were also activated in Beer Sheva, Jerusalem, Rehovot, Rishon Lezion, and Palmachim Airbase. Hamas issued a call to arms, with senior military commander Mohammad Deif calling on "Muslims everywhere to launch an attack".

Palestinian militants also opened fire on Israeli boats off the Gaza Strip, while clashes broke out between Palestinians and the Israel Defense Forces in the eastern section of the Gaza perimeter fence. In the evening Hamas launched another barrage of about 150 rockets towards Israel, with explosions being reported in Yavne, Givatayim, Bat Yam, Beit Dagan, Tel Aviv, and Rishon Lezion.

Incursions into Israel

Further information: Stand-off in Be'eri and Ofakim, Battle of Re'im, Battle of Sderot, Battle of Zikim, Re'im music festival massacre, Netiv HaAsara attack, Be'eri massacre, Kfar Aza massacre, and Nir Oz massacre

Approximate situation on 7–8 October

Simultaneously, around 1,000 Palestinian militants infiltrated Israel from Gaza using trucks, pickup trucks, motorcycles, bulldozers, speedboats and paragliders. Images and videos appeared to show heavily armed and masked militants dressed in black fatigue riding pickup trucks and opening fire in Sderot, killing dozens of Israeli civilians and soldiers. Other videos appeared to show Israelis taken prisoner and a burning Israeli tank, as well as militants driving Israeli military vehicles.

On the same morning, a massacre unfolded at an outdoor music festival near Re'im, resulting in at least 260 dead, with many still missing. Witnesses recounted militants on motorcycles opening fire on fleeing participants, who were already dispersing due to rocket fire that had wounded some attendees; some were also taken hostage. Militants slaughtered civilians at Nir Oz, Be'eri, and Netiv HaAsara, where they took hostages and set fire to homes, as well as in kibbutzim around the Gaza Strip. 200 civilians were killed in the Kfar Aza massacre, 108 in the Be'eri massacre, and 15 people in the Netiv HaAsara massacre, Hostages were also reported to have been taken in Ofakim, while homes in Sderot were set on fire. Hamas said it took prisoners to force Israel to release its Palestinian prisoners, claiming it had taken enough prisoners to secure the release of all the imprisoned Palestinians (including women and children).

No residents of Nir Am were harmed. Inbal Rabin-Lieberman, the 25-year-old security coordinator, alongside her uncle Ami, led a guard detail that killed multiple militants attempting to infiltrate a nearby chicken farm. They successfully deterred the rest of the invading militants from entering the community.

Hamas militants carried out an amphibious landing in Zikim. Palestinian sources claim that the local Israeli army base was stormed. The IDF said it had killed two attackers on the beach and destroyed four vessels, including two rubber boats. A military base outside Nahal Oz was also taken by the militants, leaving at least two Israeli soldiers dead and at least six others captured.

Fighting was reported at Re'im military base, headquarters of the Gaza Division. It was later reported that Hamas took control of the base and had taken several Israeli soldiers captive before the IDF regained control later in the day. The police station of Sderot was reported to have come under Hamas control, with militants killing 30 Israelis, including policemen and civilians.

Several Palestinian groups voiced their support for the operation. The National Resistance Brigades, the armed wing of the secular-socialist Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP) confirmed their participation in the operation through their military spokesman Abu Khaled, saying it had lost three fighters in combat with the IDF. The PFLP, another Palestinian socialist militant group, and the Lions' Den group voiced their support for the operation and declared maximum alertness and general mobilization amongst their troops, and the Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades (armed wing of the PFLP) published videos of it storming Israeli watchtowers.

An Israeli military spokesman stated that the militants from Gaza had entered Israel through at least seven locations and invaded four small rural Israeli communities, the border city of Sderot, and two military bases from both land and sea. Israeli media reported that seven communities came under Hamas control, including Nahal Oz, Kfar Aza, Magen, Be'eri, and Sufa. The Erez Crossing was reported to have come under Hamas control, enabling the militants to enter Israel from Gaza. Israeli Police Commissioner Kobi Shabtai said that there were 21 active high-confrontation locations in southern Israel.

Stand-off in Be'eri and Ofakim

Main articles: Stand-off in Be'eri and Ofakim and Be'eri massacre

In Be'eri, Hamas militants took up to 50 people hostage. During a stand-off between militants and IDF forces, videos emerged from Be'eri showing the hostages being led by Hamas militants barefoot across a street in town. Approximately 18 hours after the stand-off began, the IDF announced that they had freed the hostages in Be'eri. In the town of Urim, a suburb of Ofakim, two Israelis were rescued by the IDF. Four Hamas militants were killed, and three Israeli soldiers were injured during the rescue.

Deaths

Israeli UH-60 evacuating wounded personnel

At least 1,300 Israelis were killed, including 220 soldiers and 45 police officers, over 3,400 wounded, and 130–150 IDF soldiers and civilians taken hostage. Casualties include about 70 Arab Israelis, especially Negev Bedouin. On 7 October, over 100 civilians were killed in the Be'eri massacre, including women and children; and over 260 attendees were killed at a music festival in Re'im. As of 10 October, over 100 people had been reported killed in the Kfar Aza massacre, with the total death toll unknown. Nine people were fatally shot at a bus shelter in Sderot. At least four people were reported killed in Kuseife. At least 400 casualties were reported in Ashkelon, while 280 others were reported in Beer Sheva, 60 of which were in a serious condition. In the north, injuries from rocket attacks were reported in Tel Aviv.

Former Hapoel Tel Aviv F.C. striker Lior Asulin was among those killed in the Re'im music festival massacre. The head of the Sha'ar HaNegev Regional Council, Ofir Libstein, was killed in an exchange of fire with the militants. The police commander of Rahat, Jayar Davidov, was also killed. The IDF confirmed that 247 of its soldiers had been killed. Among their confirmed dead were Colonel Yonatan Steinberg, the commander of the Nahal Brigade, who was killed near Kerem Shalom; Colonel Roi Levy, commander of the Multidimensional "Ghost" unit, who was killed near Kibbutz Re'im; and Lieutenant Colonel Eli Ginsberg, commander of the LOTAR Counter-terrorism Unit School. The Druze deputy commander of the 300th "Baram" Regional Brigade, Lieutanant Colonel Alim Abdallah, was killed in action along with two other soldiers while responding to an infiltration from southern Lebanon on 9 October.

At least 150 Israelis were taken hostage by Hamas and transported to the Gaza Strip. On 8 October, Palestinian Islamic Jihad claimed to be holding at least 30 captives. At least four people were reportedly taken from Kfar Aza. Videos from Gaza appeared to show captured people, with Gazan residents cheering trucks carrying dead bodies. Four captives were later reported to have been killed in Be'eri, while Hamas claimed that an IDF airstrike on Gaza on 9 October killed four captives. Among those believed to have been abducted was Vivian Silver, a peace activist and former board member of the human rights organisation B'Tselem, who went missing following the attack on Be'eri. Yedioth Ahronoth photographer Roy Idan was reported missing and likely captured alongside his child in Kfar Aza. His wife was killed and two of their children were able to hide in a closet until rescued. On 11 October, Hamas's Qassam Brigades released a video appearing to show the release of three hostages, namely an adult woman and two children, in an open area near a fence. Israel dismissed the video as "theatrics".

Israeli forces in Kfar Aza found the bodies of victims mutilated, with women and babies beheaded in their homes. The bodies of 40 babies and young children were taken out on gurneys, out of what one estimate described as at least 100 civilian victims.

Israeli response

Main article: 2023 Israel–Hamas war

The attack, which coincided with the Jewish holiday of Simchat Torah, appeared to have been a complete surprise to the Israelis. The day was regarded as the deadliest for Jewish civilians since the end of the Holocaust.

The Iron Dome air defense system was activated. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant conducted security assessments at Israel Defense Forces (IDF) headquarters in Tel Aviv. Gallant later approved the mobilisation of tens of thousands of army reservists and declared a state of emergency for areas within 80 kilometers (50 mi) of the Gaza border. He also said that Hamas "made a grave mistake" in launching its attack and pledged that "Israel will win". The IDF declared a "state of readiness for war". It also said that the reservists were to be deployed not only in Gaza, but also in the West Bank and along the borders with Lebanon and Syria. Residents in areas around the Gaza Strip were asked to stay inside, while civilians in southern and central Israel were "required to stay next to shelters". Roads around the Gaza Strip were closed by the IDF. The streets of Tel Aviv were also locked down.

Following the assault, Israel declared a heightened state of preparedness for potential conflict. The IDF declared a state of readiness for war, and Netanyahu convened an emergency gathering of security authorities. The IDF additionally reported their initiation of targeted actions in the Gaza Strip under what it called "Operation Iron Swords". Israeli Police Commissioner Kobi Shabtai announced that a "state of war" existed, following what he called "a massive attack from the Gaza Strip". He also announced the closure of the entire southern region of Israel to "civilian movement" as well as the deployment of the Yamam counterterrorism unit to the area. The IDF's chief spokesperson, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said four divisions were deployed to the area, augmenting 31 preexisting battalions.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog said the country was facing "a very difficult moment", and offered strength and encouragement to the IDF, other security forces, rescue services, and residents who were under attack. In a televised broadcast, Netanyahu stated: "We are at war." He also said that the IDF would reinforce its border deployments to deter others from 'making the mistake of joining this war'. In a later address, he threatened to "turn Gaza into a deserted island", and urged its residents to "leave now".

While Ben Gurion Airport and Ramon Airport remained operational, multiple airlines cancelled flights to and from Israel. Israel Railways suspended service throughout portions the country and replaced some routes with temporary bus routes, while cruise ships removed ports such as Ashdod and Haifa from their itineraries.

Overnight, Israel's Security Cabinet voted to undertake a series of actions to bring about the "destruction of the military and governmental capabilities of Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad", according to a statement by the Prime Minister's Office. The Israel Electric Corporation, which supplies up to 80% of the Gaza Strip's electricity, cut off power to the area. As a result, Gaza's power supply was reduced from 120 MW to only 20 MW, forcing it to rely on power plants paid for by the Palestinian Authority.