Published: 9 October 2023
What happened on 7 October?
On Saturday, 7 October — a Jewish sabbath day, the end of the weeklong Jewish festival of
Sukkot, and a day after the 50th anniversary of the Yom Kippur War — Hamas and other
Palestinian armed groups launched Operation al-Aqsa Flood, a coordinated assault
consisting of land and air attacks into multiple border areas of Israel. At 6am, an extensive
air assault involving rockets was launched into the coastal towns of Ashdod and Ashkelon
and as far north as Tel Aviv (approximately 70 kilometers north of Gaza). It is estimated that
between 3-5,000 rockets were launched during that first day.
An estimated 1,000 Hamas militants also breached the security barrier at several
positions. AP, Israel declares war, bombards Gaza and battles to dislodge Hamas fighters
after surprise attack, 8 October 2023 Gaza has seven official border crossings, of which only
three are operational. Al Jazeera, The seven border crossings of Gaza, 15 June
2022 Hamas reportedly breached the borders initially by sending elite troops in via hang
gliders, and those soldiers then began to dismantle the electric fences and walls using
explosives. Bulldozers were reportedly then used to create space for more fighters to enter
Israel in several places.
Following the entry attack, militants attacked the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) southern Gaza
headquarters and overran multiple military and police facilities. Hamas caught the IDF off
guard, and its troops were able to move quickly through the border area, reaching up to 14
miles from the border. Other militants attacked towns, kibbutzim, and roads, killing and
abducting hundreds of Israeli officers and civilians. Israeli authorities recovered at least 260
bodies at the site of a music festival near Re’im, close to where Hamas militants breached
the security fence. An estimated 130 hostages were moved into Gaza.
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