Here are some key moments in two months of war
Two months ago, on October 7, Hamas and other militant groups based in Gaza launched a cross-border attack in Israel that killed some 1,200 people, according to Israeli officials. In response, Israel launched a military campaign to eradicate Hamas, which has devastated Gaza, with Gaza health authorities saying more than 15,000 people were killed, most of them women and children. The Israeli army estimates it has killed several thousand Hamas fighters.
Here is a timeline of some key events in the war:
October 7: Hamas and other militant groups fire thousands of rockets into Israel and gunmen infiltrate border communities, army bases and an outdoor music festival, killing hundreds of people and kidnapping about 240. It is the deadliest attack on Israel since its founding. Israeli authorities have said they are investigating reports that the attackers committed widespread sexual violence.
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a televised statement that the country was “at war” and called up thousands of military reservists.
October 9: Israel orders a “full siege” of the Gaza Strip, saying “no electricity, no food, no water, no fuel” will be allowed into the enclave. The army is bombarding Gaza with airstrikes amid signs it is preparing for a ground invasion.
October 10: Israeli forces largely regain control of towns near the Gaza Strip from Palestinian gunmen.
11 October: Mr Netanyahu forms an emergency government and adds two opposition lawmakers, both former army chiefs, to his Cabinet.
October 13: The Israeli army orders civilians to evacuate northern Gaza, causing panic and chaos as thousands move south.
October 17: An explosion outside the Al-Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza City kills and injures many people. Palestinian officials blame an Israeli attack. Israeli and US intelligence agencies say a failed Palestinian rocket launch caused the explosion.
October 18th: President Biden visits Israel, where he hugs Mr. Netanyahu and says in a speech that he understands Israel’s “all-consuming anger.” He also warns Israeli leaders about what he believes are mistakes the United States made after the September 11 attacks.
October 20: Hamas releases two American hostages held in Gaza, Judith Raanan and her daughter Natalie Raanan, after negotiations involving officials in Qatar. Days later, two more hostages are released: Yocheved Lifshitz, 85, and Nurit Cooper, 79.
October 27: Amid heavy airstrikes and shrouded in secrecy and ambiguity, Israel launches a ground invasion of northern Gaza from three directions. Cell phone and internet services in the enclave have been cut off.
October 31st: The Israeli army attacks the Jabaliya neighborhood north of Gaza City with two 2,000-pound bombs, killing dozens of people and wounding hundreds, Gaza health officials said. Israel says it targeted a Hamas commander.
November 6The Israeli army says it has effectively surrounded Gaza City and divided Gaza into north and south.
November 15The Israeli army storms Gaza’s largest hospital, Al-Shifa, which it says also serves as a Hamas military command center, a claim Hamas denies. Israel later says it discovered weapons and other evidence supporting its claim that Hamas was operating in a network of tunnels beneath the complex.
November 24Israel and Hamas paused fighting in a deal that allows the release of 102 hostages and more than 200 Palestinians held in Israeli prisons over the course of several days. It also enables the delivery of more aid to Gaza’s citizens.
December 2: The truce collapses. The Israeli army is heavily bombing southern Gaza, claiming to have hit more than 400 targets, and ordering residents to evacuate several towns and villages, sowing confusion and fear as people sought shelter.
5th of December: The Israeli army describes house-to-house firefights with Hamas fighters in the southern city of Khan Younis. Civilians and aid workers describe some of the conflict’s heaviest bombings and deteriorating humanitarian conditions.