One year after Hamas invaded Israel on Oct. 7, how far could Gaza war expand?
The Gaza war, which began when Hamas invaded Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking 250 others hostage a year ago, has spread across the Middle East and put Israel on the brink of war with Iran.
The brutal invasion swept into Israel and caught military defenses by surprise. Hamas gunmen attacked army bases, civilian communities and an all-night music festival about 3 miles from the Gaza border.
Israel retaliated the next day. The ensuing battles – against Hamas in Gaza, then Hamas allies, including Hezbollah in Lebanon and Iranian forces in Iran – illustrate the aggressive hostility in the region.
Though sources disagree on the number of deaths, Palestinian civilians in Gaza have suffered the most. At least 41,788 Palestinians have died and 96,794 have been wounded since Oct. 7, Reuters reported, citing the Palestinian enclave's health ministry.
Nearly 2,000 Lebanese have been killed and more than 1.2 million displaced by Israeli attacks on Lebanon over the past year, Reuters reported, citing Lebanese officials.
Paste BN has reported on the Gaza war since it started. Here is a summary of what has happened.
Timeline of events
2023
- Oct. 7: Hamas invades Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking 250 others hostage.
- Oct. 8: Israel invades Palestinian territory in Gaza Strip.
- Nov. 24: First cease-fire takes effect.
- Nov. 30: Cease-fire ends.
2024
- Jan. 2: Israeli airstrike on Beirut kills Saleh al-Arouri, deputy leader of Hamas.
- April 1: Israel launches airstrike on Iranian consulate in Damascus, Syria. Two Iranian generals are killed.
- April 13: Iran launches missile attack against Israel and Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.
- May 5: Hamas rocket attack kills three Israeli soldiers near the city of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip.
- July 27: In what is later called the Majdal Shams attack, Hezbollah launches a rocket that kills 12 children on a soccer field in the Golan Heights.
- July 30: Israeli airstrike near Beirut kills Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr, an Iranian military adviser, and five civilians.
- July 31: Explosion in Tehran, Iran, kills Ismail Haniyeh, top political leader of Hamas. Iran and Hamas blame Israel.
- Aug. 17: Israel bombs a warehouse in southern Lebanon, killing 10 people.
- Aug. 25: Israel jets fire missiles at southern Lebanon as Hezbollah launches hundreds of rockets at northern Israel.
- Sept. 18: Booby-trapped Hezbollah pagers and walkie talkies explode.
Profile of the devices used by militant group Hezbollah
- Sept. 20: Israel launches airstrike in Beirut, killing Ibrahim Aqil, a top Hezbollah commander.
- Sept. 25: U.S., EU nations call for 21-day cease-fire on Israel-Lebanon border.
- Sept. 27: Israeli airstrikes kill Hassan Nasrallah, leader of Hezbollah.
- Sept. 30: Israeli forces begin ground invasion of southern Lebanon, targeting Hezbollah military sites.
- Oct. 1: Iran fires at least 180 ballistic missiles at Israel.
Contributing: Kim Hjelmgaard, Tom Vanden Brook, Cybele Mayes-Osterman, Joey Garrison, Francesca Chambers and Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy
Source: Paste BN Network reporting and research; Reuters; Human Rights Watch; Council on Foreign Relations; Institute for the Study of War