NatSec Brief: October 8, 2023
Ari Cicurel
Assistant Director of Foreign Policy
Jacob Olidort
Director of Research
Jonathan Harounoff
Director of Communications
Zachary Schildcrout
Policy Analyst
On October 7, the day after the fiftieth anniversary of the Yom Kippur War, Hamas launched the
deadliest attack in Israel’s history, firing over 3,000 rockets and sending gunmen to attack Israeli
communities in the south by land, sea and air, killing at least 700 people and injuring at least
2,048. As Hamas’s main benefactor, Iran likely condoned, if not directed, the attack and could
benefit if the war disrupts ongoing efforts to achieve normalization between Israel and Saudi
Arabia. Hezbollah’s decision to also fire rockets and mortars at Israel raises the specter of esca-
lation to a multi-front conflict, potentially also involving Iran. The United States should continue
to support Israel’s right to defend itself and to neutralize terrorist threats, including by replenish-
ing Israel’s stocks of air defense interceptors or other critical capabilities, rapidly confirming a
U.S. ambassador to Israel, and upgrading the depleted and obsolete prepositioned stockpile of
U.S. weaponry in Israel.
What Happened?
⚫ On October 7, Hamas initiated an unprovoked, unprecedented, and surprise multi-pronged
attack against Israel by firing thousands of rockets, mortars, and drones and sending hun-
dreds of gunmen into Israeli communities by land, sea, and air, including for the first time by
breaking through the Gaza border fence at multiple points en masse and paragliding over it.
» These assault teams killed and kidnapped Israeli civilians and soldiers to hold as hos-
tages in Israel and in Gaza.
⚫ At the time of publishing, terrorists have
killed at least 700 Israelis, injured at
least 2,048, and taken at least one hun-
dred Israeli civilians and soldiers as
hostages into Gaza, with media reports
saying as many as 170 may be captive.
Israel claims to have killed at least 400
terrorists in southern Israel and the
Gaza Strip and captured dozens more.
» Palestinian terrorists have already
fired over 3,000 rockets and drones
