The war is referred to by different names. Israel calls it the 'War of Iron Swords' (Hebrew: מלחמת חרבות ברזל).[109][v] Palestinian militant groups refer to it as the 'Battle of al-Aqsa Flood' (Arabic: معركة طوفان الأقصى), in reference to Operation al-Aqsa Flood.[112][113] Western media outlets have variably described it as the 'Israel–Gaza War'[114] or the 'Israel–Hamas War',[115] while others use 'War on Gaza'.[116] The Institute for the Study of War and researcher Seth Frantzman have used the term 'October 7 War'.[117][118] Some have rejected 'war' as an appropriate framework and call it the 'Gaza genocide',[119][95] 'second Nakba'[120] or 'Nakba 2023.'[121][122]
Since 2007, Israel and Hamas, along with other Palestinian militant groups based in Gaza, have engaged in conflict,[131][129][136] including in four wars: in 2008–2009, 2012, 2014, and 2021.[137][138] These conflicts killed approximately 6,400 Palestinians and 300 Israelis.[139][123][124] In 2018–2019, there were large weekly organized protests near the Gaza-Israel border, which were violently suppressed by Israel, whose forces killed hundreds and injured thousands of Palestinians by sniper fire.[140][141] Soon after the 2021 Israel–Palestine crisis began, Hamas' military wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades, started planning the 7 October 2023 operation against Israel.[142][143] According to diplomats, Hamas had repeatedly said in the months leading up to October 2023 that it did not want another military escalation in Gaza as it would worsen the humanitarian crisis that occurred after the 2021 conflict.[134]
The Netanyahu government has been criticized within Israel for having championed a policy of empowering the Hamas government in Gaza by, for instance, granting work permits to Gazan residents, facilitating the transfer of funds to Hamas and maintaining relative calm.[157][158][159] In addition to granting workers permits, millions of dollars from Qatar have been transported into Gaza, escorted by Mossad, Israel's intelligence agency, intended for Gaza's power plant, infrastructure projects and monthly stipends for impoverished Palestinian families, while Israeli officials were aware that Hamas might divert the funds to acquire weapons and rockets.[157][158] These strategies towards Hamas have been criticized as having backfired in light of the attacks on 7 October 2023 and numerous commentators have identified the broader context of Israeli occupation as a cause of the war.[159][147][160] US President Joe Biden has said the aim of the 7 October attacks was to disrupt the Saudi–Israel normalization talks.[161]
In the morning of 7 October 2023,[162] during the Jewish holidays of Simchat Torah and Shemini Atzeret on Shabbat,[163] Hamas announced the start of what it called "Operation Al-Aqsa Flood", firing between 3,000 and 5,000 rockets from the Gaza Strip into Israel within a span of 20 minutes, killing at least five people.[164][165][166] In the evening, Hamas launched another barrage of 150 rockets towards Israel.[165] Simultaneously, around 3,000 Hamas militants[55] infiltrated Israel from Gaza using trucks, motorcycles, bulldozers, speedboats, and paragliders.[150][162][167] They took over checkpoints at Kerem Shalom and Erez, and created openings in the border fence in five other places.[168]
The 7 October attack was described as "an intelligence failure for the ages"[185] and a "failure of imagination" on the part of the Israeli government.[186] A BBC report commented on Hamas's "extraordinary levels of operational security".[187] It later emerged that abnormal Hamas movements had been detected the previous day by Israeli intelligence, but the military's alert level was not raised and political leaders were not informed.[188]
A briefing in The Economist noted that "the assault dwarf[ed] all other mass murders of Israeli civilians", and that "the last time before October 7th that this many Jews were murdered on a single day was during the Holocaust."[171]
Hamas stated that its attack was a response to the blockade of the Gaza Strip, the expansion of illegal Israeli settlements, rising Israeli settler violence and recent escalations at Al-Aqsa.[144][145][146] According to both Hamas officials and external observers, the attack was a calculated effort to create a "permanent" state of war and revive interest in the Palestinian cause.[189][190]
Aftermath of a Hamas rocket hit on the maternity ward of Barzilai Medical Center, a hospital in Ashkelon, Israel, on 8 October 2023
Building in the Gaza Strip being destroyed by Israeli missiles
Remains of the Sderot police station, following recapture by IDF
Destruction of a residential building in Gaza by an Israeli airstrike
The IDF began Israel's counter-attack several hours after the Hamas-led invasion.[191] The first helicopters sent to support the military arrived at the Gaza Strip an hour after fighting began.[176] They encountered difficulties in determining which places were occupied, and distinguishing between civilians, IDF soldiers, and Palestinian militants on the ground.[176] A June 2024 UN report[192][193] and a July 2024 Haaretz investigation revealed that the IDF ordered the Hannibal Directive to be used, killing many Israeli civilians and soldiers.[81][83] An ABC News (Australia) investigation reported that at least 13 civilians were killed in a 'Hannibal' incident in Beeri. At 6:40p.m., anticipating that militants would flee back to Gaza, the Israeli army launched artillery strikes targeting the border fence area. The IDF said it was not aware of any civilians being hurt in these bombardments,[81] but eyewitness accounts and testimony contradicted the IDF's official review, which exonerated itself.[81][82]
The attack was a complete surprise to the Israelis.[194] In a televised broadcast, Benjamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister of Israel, announced that the country was at war.[167] He threatened to "turn all the places where Hamas is organized and hiding into cities of ruins", called Gaza "the city of evil", and urged its residents to leave.[195][144] Overnight, Israel's Security Cabinet voted to act to bring about the "destruction of the military and governmental capabilities of Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad".[196] The Israel Electric Corporation, which supplies 80% of the Gaza Strip's electricity, cut off power to the area.[197] This reduced Gaza's power supply from 120 MW to 20 MW, provided by power plants paid for by the Palestinian Authority.[198]
The IDF declared a "state of readiness for war",[165] mobilized tens of thousands of army reservists,[162][197] and declared a state of emergency for areas within 80 kilometers (50 mi) of Gaza.[199] The Yamam counterterrorism unit was deployed,[200] along with four new divisions, augmenting 31 existing battalions.[150] Reservists were reported deployed in Gaza, in the West Bank, and along borders with Lebanon and Syria.[201] Residents near Gaza were asked to stay inside, while civilians in southern and central Israel were "required to stay next to shelters".[197] The southern region of Israel was closed to civilian movement,[200] and roads were closed around Gaza[150] and Tel Aviv.[197] While Ben Gurion Airport and Ramon Airport remained operational, multiple airlines cancelled flights to and from Israel.[202] On 9 or 10 October, Hamas offered to release all civilian hostages held in Gaza if Israel would call off its planned invasion of the Gaza Strip, but the Israeli government rejected the offer.[203]
Blockade, bombardment, and evacuation of Northern Gaza
A man carries the body of a Palestinian child killed during the shelling of 17 October 2023
The impact crater
Aftermath of Al-Ahli Arab Hospital explosion
Aftermath of an Israeli airstrike on the El-Remal area of Gaza City, 9 October 2023
Following the surprise attack, the Israeli Air Force conducted airstrikes that they said targeted Hamas targets,[165][199][204] employing its artificial intelligenceHabsora ("The Gospel") software.[205][206] Israel also rescued two hostages before declaring a state of war for the first time since the 1973 Yom Kippur War.[207][208] On 9 October, Defense Minister Gallant announced a "complete siege" of the Gaza Strip, cutting off electricity and blocking the entry of food and fuel.[209] This order drew criticism from Human Rights Watch (HRW) who described it as "abhorrent" and as a "call to commit a war crime".[210][211] Gallant backed down under pressure from US President Joe Biden, and a deal was struck ten days later to allow aid into Gaza.[212] The first such aid convoy entered Gaza on 21 October,[213] while fuel did not arrive until November.[214]
On 13 October, the IDF ordered all civilians in Gaza City to evacuate to areas south of the Wadi Gaza[215] within 24 hours. The Hamas Authority for Refugee Affairs responded by telling residents in northern Gaza to defy those orders.[216] The Israeli order was widely condemned as "outrageous" and "impossible", and calls were made for it to be reversed.[217] As a part of the order, the IDF outlined a six-hour window on 13 October for refugees to flee south along specified routes.[218]An explosion along one of the safe routes killed 70 Palestinians. Israel and Hamas blamed each other for the attack.[219] The IDF said Hamas set up roadblocks to keep Gaza residents from evacuating.[220] Israeli officials and international observers condemned Hamas's use of civilians as human shields, which it denied doing.[221][222]
On 17 October, Israel bombed areas of southern Gaza.[223] Late in the evening, an explosion occurred in the parking lot of the Al-Ahli Arabi Baptist Hospital in the center of Gaza City, killing hundreds. The ongoing conflict prevented independent on-site analysis.[224] Palestinian statements that it was an Israeli airstrike were denied by the IDF, which stated that the explosion resulted from a failed rocket launch by Palestinian Islamic Jihad,[225] who denied any involvement.[226][227]
Initial invasion and truces (October–November 2023)
Israeli soldiers preparing for the ground invasion of the Gaza Strip on 29 October
Israeli military during ground operations on 31 October
Israeli military during ground operations on 1 November
Armored IDF D9R bulldozer around 16 November 2023
Israeli tanks during operations on 31 October
On 27 October, after building up an invasion force of over 100,000 soldiers, the IDF launched a large-scale ground incursion into parts of northern Gaza.[228][229] Israeli airstrikes targeted the area around al-Quds hospital,[230] where around 14,000 civilians were believed to be sheltering.[230] The following day, the IDF struck Jabalia refugee camp, killing 50 and wounding 150 Palestinians. Israel said the attack killed a senior Hamas commander, whose presence Hamas denied, and dozens of militants.[231][232][233] The attack resulted in several ambassador recalls.[234][235][236]
On 31 October, Israel bombed a six-story apartment building in central Gaza, killing at least 106 civilians including 54 children in what Human Rights Watch called an "apparent war crime."[237] On 1 November, the first group of evacuees left Gaza for Egypt. Five hundred evacuees, comprising critically wounded and foreign nationals, were evacuated over several days.[238] On 18 November Israel struck a marked Médecins Sans Frontières convoy, killing two aid workers.[239] On 22 November, Israel and Hamas reached a temporary ceasefire agreement, providing for a four-day pause[240] in hostilities to allow for the release of 50 hostages held in Gaza.[240][241] The deal also provided for the release of approximately 150 Palestinian women and children incarcerated by Israel.[241]
Following the introduction of a Qatari-brokered truce on 24 November, active fighting in the Gaza Strip ceased. Hamas exchanged some hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners for the release of some of the Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.[242] This occurred until 28 November, when both Israel and Hamas accused each other of violating the truce.[243][244] On 30 November, in a "last-minute agreement", Hamas released eight hostages in exchange for the release of 30 imprisoned Palestinians and a one-day truce extension.[245]
Resumption of hostilities (December 2023 – May 2024)
The truce expired on 1 December, as Israel and Hamas blamed each other for failing to agree on an extension.[246] Israel adopted a grid system to order precise evacuations within Gaza. It was criticized as inaccessible, due to the lack of electricity and internet connectivity in Gaza, and confusing. Some evacuation instructions were vague or contradictory,[247][248] and Israel sometimes struck areas it had told people to evacuate to.[249][250][251] Law experts called these warnings ineffective.[252] Amnesty International found no evidence of Hamas targets at the sites of some strikes, and requested that they be investigated as possible war crimes.[253] On 6 December Refaat Alareer, a prominent professor and writer in Gaza, was killed by an Israeli airstrike.[254] His poem, "If I Must Die" was widely circulated after his death.[255]
On 1 January 2024, Israel withdrew from neighborhoods in North Gaza.[266] On 15 January, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said the most intense fighting in the north of the Gaza Strip had ended, and a new phase of low-intensity fighting was about to begin.[267] By 18 January, the IDF, who had previously stated that Hamas control over North Gaza was "dismantled", reported that Hamas had significantly rebuilt its fighting strength in North Gaza.[268]
On 22 January, 24 IDF soldiers died in the deadliest day for the IDF since the invasion began. Of these, 21 died when Palestinian militants fired an RPG at a tank, causing adjacent buildings to collapse.[269][270][271] On 29 January, Israeli forces killed Hind Rajab, a five-year-old girl, and six of her family members when the car they were driving was struck by an Israeli tank and machine gun fire; two rescue workers who attempted to retrieve Rajab were also killed.[272] The Red Crescent released the audio from Rajab's phone call with rescue workers, causing international outrage over her death.[273]
Build-up to the Rafah offensive (February–April 2024)
Between February and May 2024, preparations to invade Rafah became a dominant theme in Israeli officials' public rhetoric. On 12 February, Israel started a bombing campaign on Rafah.[274] Food supplies became an increasing issue. On 5 February, Israeli gunboats shelled a clearly marked UNRWA convoy, forcing UNRWA to suspend its operations for almost 3 weeks, affecting 200,000 people.[239] On 29 February, Israeli forces opened fire on Palestinians waiting for food aid southwest of Gaza City, killing 100 and wounding 750. Some of the victims were run over by trucks as panic spread.[275] Survivors described it as an intentional ambush by Israeli forces.[276][277] On 1 March, the United States announced it would begin an operation to airdrop food aid into Gaza.[278] Some experts called the initiative performative, saying it would not alleviate the food situation.[279] During his State of the Union Address, Biden announced that a temporary port on Gaza's coast would be constructed to enable aid delivery.[280]
Al-Shifa Hospital, previously besieged in November 2023, was raided again between 18 March and 1 April.[281] Israeli forces killed Faiq al-Mabhouh, who they said was head of the operations directorate of Hamas' internal security service. Hamas said al-Mabhouh was in charge of civil law enforcement and had been coordinating aid deliveries to north Gaza.[282][283] The IDF said it killed 200 people in the hospital fighting, including senior Hamas leaders; this account was disputed.[284][285] Survivors denied that militants had organised on the hospital grounds.[286] Israeli forces were accused of reducing the hospital to a "blown out, fire-blackened" state, and of massacring 400 Palestinians.[287][288][289]
A 25 March UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza for Ramadan[290] was ignored by the IDF.[291] On 1 April, seven international aid workers from World Central Kitchen (WCK) were killed in an Israeli airstrike south of Deir al-Balah.[292][293][294] WCK, who said their vehicles were clearly marked and their location known to Israel, subsequently withdrew from operating in Gaza alongside ANERA and Project HOPE.[293][295] On 4 April, Israel opened the Erez Crossing for the first time since 7 October after US pressure.[296]
By 6 March, Israel had completed a new east-west road in Gaza. It was intended to mobilize of troops and supplies, to connect and defend IDF positions on al-Rashid and Salah al-Din streets, and prevent people in the south Gaza Strip from returning to the north.[297] On 7 April, Israel withdrew from the south Gaza Strip, with only one brigade remaining in the Netzarim Corridor in the north.[298] Palestinians displaced from that city began to return from the south of the Gaza Strip.[299] Israel planned to initiate its ground offensive in Rafah around mid-April, but postponed to consider its response to the Iranian strikes on Israel.[300] On 25 April, Israel intensified strikes on Rafah ahead of its threatened invasion.[301][302]
On 6 May, the IDF ordered 100,000 civilians in eastern Rafah to evacuate to Al-Mawasi, west of Khan Yunis.[303] Later that day, Hamas announced that it had accepted the terms of a ceasefire brokered by Egypt and Qatar.[304] The deal included a 6-week ceasefire and exchange of prisoners.[305] However, Israel rejected this deal.[306] Israel said that it found the terms unacceptable, but that it would continue to negotiate while the military operation on Rafah was ongoing to "exert military pressure on Hamas".[307][308] On 31 May, the United States announced a ceasefire framework for ending the war.[309]
The same day, the IDF entered the outskirts of Rafah,[310][311][312] seizing control of the Gaza side of the Rafah Crossing to Egypt the following day.[313][314] On 11 May, the IDF ordered more residents to evacuate eastern and central Rafah.[315] By 15 May, an estimated 600,000 had fled Rafah and another 100,000 from the north, according to the United Nations.[316]
On 24 May, the United Nations said only 906 aid truckloads had reached Gaza since Israel's Rafah operation began.[317] Israel bombed the Tel al-Sultan displacement camp in Rafah on 26 May, killing at least 45 people, allegedly including two senior Hamas officials.[318][319][320] This provoked a skirmish between Egyptian and Israeli soldiers at the Gaza border in which one Egyptian soldier was killed.[321] Less than 48 hours afterwards, another evacuation zone, the Al-Mawasi refugee camp, was bombed, killing at least 21 people.[318][322][323] The IDF denied involvement in the attack.[324]
On 22 July, the IDF began a brief second invasion of Khan Yunis.[331][332] Israel ordered the evacuation of the eastern part of Khan Yunis,[333]73 people were killed during the first day of the attack.[332][334][335] Footage from an Israeli drone surfaced showing the destruction of the Grand Mosque in Khan Yunis.[336] A third, month-long battle ended on 30 August when the IDF withdrew its 98th battalion from Khan Yunis and Deir el-Balah, stating it killed over 250 Palestinian militants.[337]
UN analysis covering only killed Palestinians verified by at least three independent sources over six months between November 2023 and April 2024, with the most frequent age among the victims being 5–9 years old.[338][339]
In October, Israeli airstrikes on Shuhada al-Aqsa mosque in Deir el-Balah and a school in central Gaza killed at least 26 Palestinians and injured over 93.[352][353][354] An Israeli strike on Rufaida school which was serving as a shelter for displaced people in Deir el-Balah killed at least 28 people and injured 54 others.[355][356][357]Oxfam condemned the killing of four engineers working with one of its partners by an Israeli airstrike, despite prior coordination of their activities with Israeli authorities.[358]
On 8 October, the IDF began to encircle Jabalia camp, killing several Palestinian militants and civilians in air strikes and street battles.[359][360] On 10 October, the IDF issued evacuation orders for three hospitals in northern Gaza.[359] The IDF's air and ground operations in Jabalia continued for the rest of October.[361] During that month and November, strikes on Jabalia killed hundreds of people.[362][363][364][365] On 10 December, the IDF said that it killed 10 Hamas operatives who were involved in the killing of three Israeli soldiers one day prior.[366] On 30 December, the IDF said that it killed dozens of militants in Jabalia.[367]
The IDF has been accused of blocking aid delivery to the Gaza Strip by allowing looting gangs to target aid convoys.[368] On 16 November, 98 out of 109 food trucks carrying UN aid from Kerem Shalom crossing were looted in Israeli-controlled areas of the Gaza strip.[368][369][370] On 1 December, the UN suspended its aid shipments to Gaza through the Kerem Shalom crossing, blaming Israel for failing to "ensure safe conditions for delivering relief supplies."[371] On 12 December, two Israeli strikes on an aid convoy in southern Gaza killed 13 people and wounded at least 30 people, including several of them seriously.[372][373][374]
On 30 November, a strike on a World Central Kitchen vehicle transporting supplies killed three aid workers.[375][376][377] An Israeli airstrike on a group of Palestinians waiting for receiving food from an aid convoy in Khan Yunis killed at least 12 Palestinians and injured several others.[378] On 9 December, an Israeli strike hit people who lined up for buying flour in Rafah, killing 10 people.[379]
On 16 October, IDF ground forces killed Yahya Sinwar in a shootout in Tal as-Sultan.[380] The conscript soldiers who participated in the shootout were initially unaware of Sinwar's presence, and he was identified the following day by his dental records.[381] There were no hostages in Sinwar's vicinity at the time of his death,[382] and no civilian casualties were reported.[383] Biden urged Israel to end the war after Sinwar's death.[384]
On 13 October, senior IDF officials told Haaretz that the government was not seeking to revive hostage talks and that political leadership was pushing for the annexation of parts of the Gaza Strip.[385] In the later weeks of October, Israel's siege of North Gaza intensified and daily aid shipments dropped significantly. Eyewitnesses reported the shelling of hospitals, razing of shelters, and abductions of men and boys by the Israeli military, leading to speculation that Israel had decided to implement a plan by a group of retired generals to turn the northern Strip into a closed military zone and declare all who refuse to leave as combatants.[386] On 5 November, Israeli Brigadier General Itzik Cohen told reporters that "there is no intention of allowing the residents of the northern Gaza Strip to return" and that no food aid had entered northern Gaza because there were "no more civilians left".[387]
The IDF continued its encirclement of Jabalia by sending tanks to Beit Lahia and Beit Hanoun and issuing evacuation orders to residents.[388] On 24 October, an IDF attack destroyed at least 10 residential buildings in the Jabalia refugee camp. According to an assessment by Gaza Civil Defense, 150 people were killed or injured.[389] On 25 October, the WHO said it had lost contact with Kamal Adwan hospital, and UN human rights chief Volker Türk called recent developments in North Gaza the "darkest moment" in the war so far.[390] Food aid to Gaza reached a new low in October at an average of 30 trucks per day, or less than 6% of the daily pre-war average.[391] Residents of northern Gaza said in November that no aid had reached their cities since 5 October.[387] The UN warned that the situation had become "apocalyptic" and that "The entire Palestinian population in North Gaza is at imminent risk of dying from disease, famine and violence".[392] On 2 November, UNICEF said that over 50 children were killed in Israeli strikes in Jabalia in the past two days.[393] On 12 November, aid in Gaza fell to its lowest level in 11 months despite a US ultimatum that it be restored.[394]
On 16 November, PIJ said it destroyed an Israeli army vehicle in Beit Lahia.[395] On 23 November, Hamas said an Israeli hostage had been killed in northern Gaza in an area where Israel was operating.[396]
On 24 November, Israel issued a new wave of evacuation orders, triggering another round of displacements in Jabalia.[397] UNRWA said that Israel had rejected nine attempts to deliver aid to north Gaza in the month of November and obstructed an additional 82 attempts; they added that the survival conditions were diminishing for the 60,000 to 70,000 civilians remaining in north Gaza.[398] Mahmoud Almadhoun, a chef who founded the Gaza Soup Kitchen, was targeted and killed by an Israeli quadcopter near Kamal Adwan hospital.[399] On 5 December Israeli Army Radio announced that 18,000 Palestinians were evacuated from Beit Lahia and that soldiers killed approximately 20 militants during fighting on the previous day.[400]
On 13 December, Israeli tank fire killed Dr. Sayeed Joudeh, the last orthopedic surgeon in northern Gaza.[401] On 26 December, an Israeli air strike hit a building in the vicinity of Kamal Adwan Hospital, killing about 50 people, including five staff.[402] Over the next days, the World Health Organization announced that the hospital had been put out of service by Israeli attacks and the hospital's director, Hussam Abu Safiya, had been abducted: the IDF forced patients to evacuate to an already-destroyed hospital by cutting off their oxygen.[403] The IDF claimed to have killed 19 militants during its raid;[404][405]Gaza Health Ministry said that 50 people including hospital staff were killed.[404]
On 15 January 2025, an agreement was announced between Israel and Hamas, through the mediation of Qatar, in which Hamas agreed to release a number of Israeli hostages held in the Gaza Strip since the 7 October attack in exchange for Hamas militants and other Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli prisons. The two parties also agreed to a ceasefire for the second time during the war;[406] it went into effect on the morning of 19 January 2025.[407]
Over 100 Palestinians have been killed in confrontations with Israeli soldiers and settlers in the West Bank since 7 October 2023. The IDF has condemned some acts of Israeli settler violence.[421][422] Amnesty International released a report[423] on 5 February 2024 stating that Israel is carrying out unlawful killings in the West Bank and displaying "a chilling disregard for Palestinian lives" and that Israeli forces are carrying out numerous illegal acts of violence that constitute clear violations of international law.[424][425]
Before the war, 2023 was the deadliest year for Palestinians in the Israeli-occupied West Bank in 20 years. Violence in the West Bank has increased since the war began with more than 607 Palestinians and over 25 Israelis killed.[426][427] At the same time, Israeli settler violence further increased to around 1,270 attacks, against 856 for all of 2022.[428] About 1,000 Palestinians have been forcibly displaced by settlers since 7 October and almost half of clashes have included "Israeli forces accompanying or actively supporting Israeli settlers while carrying out the attacks" according to a U.N. report.[429] According to the West Bank Protection Consortium, since the 7 October attacks six Palestinian communities have been abandoned due to the violence.[430]
By 10 October, confrontations between Palestinians and Israeli forces had left 15 Palestinians dead, including two in East Jerusalem.[431] On 11 October, Israeli settlers attacked the village of Qusra, killing four Palestinians.[432] The following day, two Palestinians were killed after Israeli settlers interrupted a funeral procession for Palestinians killed in prior settler attacks and opened fire.[433][434][435] On 18 October, protests broke out over the al-Ahli Arab Hospital explosion, with clashes reported in Ramallah.[436] In Jenin, a 12-year-old girl was shot dead by crossfire from Palestinian Authority security forces, and another youth was injured by PA forces in Tubas. One Palestinian was killed in confrontations with Israeli forces in Nabi Salih, and 30 others were injured across the West Bank.[437] The next day, more than 60 Hamas members were arrested and 12 people were killed in overnight Israeli raids across the West Bank. Those arrested included the movement's spokesperson in the West Bank, Hassan Yousef.[438] On 22 October, Israel struck the al-Ansar Mosque in the Jenin refugee camp, saying without evidence that it had killed several "terror operatives".[439] Within a few days a senior commander of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad was killed during a clash with IDF in the Jenin refugee camp.[440] On 31 October, the IDF engaged Hamas around Shuweika.[441]
On 20 April 2024, 14 Palestinians were killed in clashes during an Israeli raid in the West Bank. Palestinian sources identified one of the victims as a militant,[442] and Israel said that 14 gunmen were killed.[443] In July, Israeli authorities approved the seizure of 12.7 square kilometers of land in the occupied West Bank. According to Peace Now, this was the largest single appropriation approved since the 1993 Oslo accords."[444] Israeli authorities also approved plans for almost 5,300 new houses in occupied West Bank.[445] By July 2024, Israeli land seizures exceeded the combined total of the previous 20 years.[446] The following month, the Israeli government approved new settlements in the occupied West Bank,[447][448] and it was reported that Israeli settlers had taken advantage of the ongoing war to expand settlement activity supported by a far-right Israeli government,[449][428][450] including land seizure and large scale settlement plans.[451]
On 7 August, Wafa reported that Israeli forces destroyed the regional headquarters of Fatah in the Balata Camp.[452][453] On 28 August, Israel launched the largest military operation into the northern West Bank in more than 20 years. Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said that the operation was a "full-fledged war".[454] Israeli forces carried out simultaneous operations in Jenin, Tubas, Nablus, Ramallah and Tulkarem. In Jenin, Israeli forces devastated civilian infrastructure, set fire to the Jenin farmers' market, and carried out mass arrests of men and boys. Civilians were trapped in their homes and denied access to food, water and medicine. Members of the press were denied access to the city while the operation was ongoing and eyewitnesses reported the use of Palestinian detainees as human shields and the use of attack dogs against civilian families, while the army blocked access to hospitals and ambulances.[455] A day later, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres demanded a halt to the operations,[456] and EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said the operations "must not constitute the premises of a war extension from Gaza, including full-scale destruction."[457] On 3 September, Israeli media reported that the IDF had classified the West Bank as a "combat zone" and now viewed it as the second most important front in the war.[458][459] Yoav Gallant said that Israel was "mowing the lawn" with its West Bank operations, but that it would eventually need to "pull out the roots".[460] On 6 September, Turkish-American protestor Ayşenur Eygi was killed by an Israeli sniper at a demonstration near Nablus.[461]
On 21 January 2025, the IDF said they started a major operation in Jenin.[465][466] 14 people including militants were killed and dozens were wounded.[467][468]
Attacks in Israel
During the war, civilians in Israel have been subjected to intermittent killings and other violence. For example, on 30 November, two Palestinian gunmen killed three and wounded eleven Israeli civilians at a bus stop on the Givat Shaul Interchange in Jerusalem. Hamas claimed responsibility.[469] On 16 February 2024, a Palestinian gunman shot and killed two Israeli civilians and injured four others in Kiryat Malakhi, Israel. The shooter was killed by an off-duty IDF reservist at the scene.[470] On 12 April a 14-year-old Israeli shepherd was killed and on 16 April two Palestinians were killed by Israeli settlers in Aqraba.[471] On 13 May, at the Tarqumiya checkpoint, a convoy of trucks carrying food supplies to Gaza was attacked by Israeli settlers, who damaged the trucks and threw supplies on the ground.[472]
Israeli prisons and detention camps
Israel has increased its administrative detention of Palestinians from the West Bank and Gaza, as well as Palestinian citizens of Israel, since the start of the war. Administrative detention was already at a 20-year high before October 2023.[473] More than 11,000 Palestinians are held in Israeli jails, not counting detainees taken from Gaza during the war.[474] At least 60 Palestinians have died in Israeli detention since 7 October.[475]
In December 2023, a military base at Sde Teiman in the Negev Desert was converted to a detention camp by the IDF. Whistleblowers and detainees reported beatings and torture of Palestinian detainees at the camp, as well as amputations of limbs due to injuries sustained from handcuffing, medical neglect, arbitrary punishment and sexual abuse. Prisoners have been coerced to make confessions that they are members of Hamas.[476][477][478] After conditions in the camp came to light in May 2024, the Supreme Court of Israel held a hearing and the IDF began transferring 1,200 of the prisoners to Ofer Prison.[479] Detainees have reported severe instances of violence during transfers between prisons.[475][480]
Several Palestinian healthcare workers have been abducted from Gaza hospitals during sieges by Israeli forces.[480] On 5 December, Israeli forces abducted the adult men present at Al-Awda hospital and took them to Sde Teiman camp. Dr. Adnan Al-Bursh was detained and later died in Israeli custody.[481] In March, Israeli forces abducted Khaled Alser, lead author of the first Lancet paper on trauma among Gazan ER patients and doctors, from Nasser Hospital. As of 31 August, he remains in detention and his whereabouts are unknown.[482]
Al-Araby TV correspondent Mohammed Arab was abducted from the Gaza strip in March 2024 and transferred to Ofer prison in July. After reports of his treatment were leaked to al-Araby, he was beaten, threatened and tortured. According to Arab's testimony, prison guards used dogs and fire extinguishers to enact sexual violence on other prisoners.[474]
In July 2024, military police raided Sde Teiman to arrest ten soldiers "suspected of the serious sexual abuse" of a Palestinian detainee. Israeli national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and other members of the far-rightOtzma Yehudit party condemned the arrests.[476] Supporters of the arrested soldiers including Ben Gvir, Amihai Eliyahu, Zvi Sukkot, and Nissim Vaturi stormed Sde Teiman that night in protest. Hours later, protestors broke into Beit Lid where the soldiers were being held.[483]
On 7 October 2024, American journalist Jeremy Loffredo and three other international and Israeli journalists were detained at a checkpoint in the West Bank on suspicion of "assisting an enemy in war" for their reporting on the October 2024 Iranian strikes against Israel. The journalists' cameras and phones were confiscated. Loffredo was released after four days in detention, and barred from leaving the country until 20 October.[484]
As of 8 January 2025[update], over 47,000 people – 45,936 Palestinian[487] and 1,706 Israeli[505] – have been reported killed in the Israel–Hamas war, as well as 166 journalists and media workers,[508] 120 academics,[509] and over 224 humanitarian aid workers, a number that includes 179 employees of UNRWA.[510] Scholars have estimated 80% of Palestinians killed are civilians,[489][488][490][511] while a study by OCHR, that verified fatalities from three independent sources, found that 70% of Palestinians killed were women and children.[339]
The majority of casualties have been in the Gaza Strip. The Gaza Health Ministry (GHM) total casualty count is the number of deaths directly caused by the war. The demographic breakdown is a subset of those individually identified.[26][512] On 17 September 2024, the GHM published the names, gender and birth date of 34,344 individual Palestinians whose identities were confirmed and continues to attempt to identify all casualties.[26] The GHM count does not include those who have died from "preventable disease, malnutrition and other consequences of the war".[513] An analysis by the Gaza Health Projections Working Group predicted thousands of excess deaths from disease and birth complications.[514] A January 2025 analysis in The Lancet estimated that the number of Gazans directly killed was 70% higher than that reported by the GHM.[515][32] A survey by PCPSR reported showed over 60% of Gazans have lost family members since the war began.[516][517] Indirect deaths[518][34] are likely to be multiple times higher.[35][36] Thousands of more dead bodies are thought to be under the rubble of destroyed buildings.[519][520] The number of injured is greater than 100,000;[92] Gaza has the most amputated children per capita in the world.[521]
According to the Israeli Ministry of Defense's Rehabilitation Division, about 1,000 soldiers are wounded every month.[527] On 14 August 2024, the ministry predicted that it would have to account for 100,000 disabled IDF veterans by 2030 due to the war.[528]
Residents inspect the ruins of an apartment in Gaza destroyed by Israeli airstrikes
The Gaza Strip is experiencing a humanitarian crisis as a result of the Israel–Hamas war,[529][530] including a hunger crisis, in which famine-like conditions occurred in some areas of the strip and a high risk of famine persists as of October 2024,[531][94] as well as a healthcare collapse. At the start of the war, Israel tightened its blockade on the Gaza Strip, resulting in significant shortages of fuel, food, medication, water, and essential medical supplies.[529][532][533] This siege resulted in a 90% drop in electricity availability, impacting hospital power supplies, sewage plants, and shutting down the desalination plants that provide drinking water.[534] In July 2024, available water worked out to 4.74 litres per person per day, just under a third of the recommended minimum in emergencies.[535] Doctors warned of disease outbreaks spreading due to overcrowded hospitals.[530] A polio epidemic was the target of mostly-successful vaccination campaigns.[536]
Heavy bombardment by Israeli airstrikes caused catastrophic damage to Gaza's infrastructure, further deepening the crisis. Direct attacks on telecommunications infrastructure by Israel, electricity blockades, and fuel shortages caused the near-total collapse of Gaza's largest cell network providers.[537][538][539] Lack of internet access has obstructed Gazan citizens from communicating with loved ones, learning of IDF operations, and identifying both the areas most exposed to bombing and possible escape routes.[537] The blackouts impeded emergency services, making it harder to locate and access the time-critical injured,[537] and have impeded humanitarian aid agencies and journalists.[537] By December 2023, 200,000 Gazans (approximately 10% of the population) had received internet access through an eSIM provided by Connecting Humanity.[540]
The Gaza Health Ministry reported over 4,000 children killed in the war's first month.[541] UN Secretary-General António Guterres stated that Gaza had "become a graveyard for children."[w][544][545] Indirect Palestinian deaths are expected to be much higher due to the intensity of the conflict, destruction of healthcare infrastructure, lack of food, water, shelter, and safe places for civilians to flee to, and reduction in UNRWA funding, with one Lancet study stating that the death toll in Gaza, including future deaths indirectly caused by the war, might exceed 186,000.[489][546]
Rimal in Gaza City following an Israeli airstrike, 10 October 2023
The scale and pace of destruction and damage of buildings in the Gaza Strip ranks among the severest in modern history,[547][548][549] surpassing the bombing of Dresden, Hamburg, and London combined during World War II,[550][551][552][x] and included apartment buildings, hospitals, schools, religious sites, factories, shopping centres, and municipal infrastructure.[552] As of January 2024, researchers at Oregon State University and the City University of New York estimated that 50–62% of buildings in the Gaza Strip had been damaged or destroyed.[554][555][y][z] The damage to buildings in northern Gaza reportedly exceeds that in Bakhmut and Mariupol in the Russian invasion of Ukraine,[551] Aleppo in the Battle of Aleppo,[547] and Mosul and Raqqa in the War against the Islamic State.[547] The 29,000 munitions Israel had dropped on Gaza in three months exceeded the amount (3,678) dropped by the US between 2004 and 2010 after its invasion of Iraq.[558] According to satellite analyses, 68% of roads, 70% of greenhouses, and nearly 70% of tree crops have been damaged or destroyed.[559] After a year, the UN estimates that a total of 42m tonnes of rubble clutter the Strip, to clear and rebuild which might take 80 years and cost over $80bn.[560]
The Guardian reported that the scale of destruction has led international legal experts to raise the concept of domicide, which it describes as "the mass destruction of dwellings to make [a] territory uninhabitable".[548] In October 2024, after monitoring and analyzing Israel's war conduct in Gaza for more than a year, Forensic Architecture published a cartographic map platform detailing Israel's campaign in Gaza titled "A Cartography of Genocide", accompanied by an 827-page text report that concludes that "Israel's military campaign in Gaza is organised, systematic, and intended to destroy conditions of life and life-sustaining infrastructure".[561]
On 7 June 2024, both Israel and Hamas were added to the list of shame, an annex attached to an annual report submitted by the UN Secretary-General documenting rights violations against children in armed conflict. While past reports accused Israel of grave rights violations against children, the country was never included in the annex.[574][575][576]
The June report found that the military wing of Hamas and six other Palestinian armed groups were responsible for the war crimes of intentionally directing attacks against civilians, murder or willful killing, torture, inhuman or cruel treatment, destroying or seizing the property, outrages upon personal dignity, and taking hostages, including children.[580][581] In relation to IDF operations and attacks in Gaza, the commission concluded that Israeli authorities are responsible for the war crimes of starvation as a method of warfare, murder or willful killing, intentionally directing attacks against civilians and civilian objects, forcible transfer, sexual violence, torture and inhuman or cruel treatment, arbitrary detention and outrages upon personal dignity. It also found that Israel committed numerous crimes against humanity, including carrying out the extermination of Palestinians and gender persecution targeting Palestinian men and boys.[582][583][584] The commission said that they had submitted 7,000 pieces of evidence to the ICC related to crimes committed by Israel and Hamas, as part of the International Criminal Court investigation in Palestine.[585]
In another report published in October 2024, the commission accused Israel of "committing war crimes and the crime against humanity of extermination with relentless and deliberate attacks on medical personnel and facilities" as well as accusing the IDF of deliberately killing and torturing medical personnel, targeting medical vehicles, and restricting patients from leaving Gaza. The report also addressed the detention of Palestinians in Israeli military camps and facilities, finding that thousands of child and adult detainees, many arbitrarily detained, faced widespread abuse, including physical and psychological violence, rape and other forms of sexual and gender-based violence, and conditions amounting to torture, highlighting that deaths resulting from such abuse or neglect constituted war crimes and violations of the right to life. Israel refused to cooperate with the investigation, contending that it had an "anti-Israel" bias.[579][586]
On 5 December 2024, Amnesty International published a report concluding that Israel was committing genocide against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.[95][587]
On 19 December 2024, Human Rights Watch published a 179-page report concluding that Israel is responsible for the crime of genocide by intentionally depriving Palestinians in Gaza of access to safe water for drinking and sanitation needed for basic human survival.[588]
The war sparked a diplomatic crisis, with countries around the world reacting strongly to the conflict that affected the momentum of regional relations.[589] At least nine countries withdrew their ambassadors or cut diplomatic ties with Israel.[590][591] The war has also resulted in a renewed focus on a two-state solution to the broader conflict.[592][593] Global public opinion of Israel dropped during the war; a Morning Consult poll published in January 2024 indicated that the United States was the only remaining wealthy country in which Israel had net positive approval.[594]
The extent of United States support for Israel has led the war to be labelled as 'The first US-Israeli joint war'.[595] Alongside substantial military, financial, and diplomatic support, the US also intervened in the war directly. 100 US soldiers were deployed in combat to man a THAAD anti-air battery.[20][21] In addition, the US piloted drones over Gaza in order to provide intelligence to Israel aimed at locating militant leaders and hostages.[596][597]
Following talks mediated by China, on 23 July 2024, Palestinian groups including Hamas and Fatah reached an agreement to end their divisions and form a unity government for Gaza, which they announced in the Beijing Declaration.[602]
At the UNGA, Saudi Arabia announced a global alliance to push for a two-state solution. Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide said almost 90 countries were at the launch of The Global Alliance for the Implementation of a Palestinian State and a Two-State Solution.[603][604][605] On 29 September, Saudi Arabia said they would send aid to the Palestinian Authority, $60million in six installments according to a senior PA official. The aid is seen as means of keeping the PA solvent and keeping the push for a two state solution alive notwithstanding Israeli financial restrictions.[606]
Settler expansions and officials' remarks heightened unrest, leading to protests in Israel. The Knesset's law criminalizing "terrorist materials" consumption drew criticism.[607]
In an interview to the Wall Street Journal on 25 December, Netanyahu said that Israel's objectives were to "destroy Hamas, demilitarize Gaza and deradicalize the whole of Palestinian society".[608] There was broad support in Israeli society for military operations in Gaza.[609][610] Public opinion poll conducted in December 2023 by the Israel Democracy Institute found that 87% of Jewish Israelis supported the war in Gaza.[611]
Palestinian territories
Initially, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas asserted the Palestinian people's right to self-defense against the "terror of settlers and occupation troops"[612] and condemned the orders by Israel for residents to evacuate north Gaza, labeling it a "second Nakba".[613] Later, Abbas rejected the killing of civilians on both sides, and said that the Palestinian Liberation Organization was the sole representative of the Palestinian people.[614]
Significant geopolitical divisions emerged during the war. Much of the Western world provided strong diplomatic and military support to Israel,[615] including the United States,[616]United Kingdom,[617] and Germany,[618] however several European nations have been less supportive of Israel's actions, most notably Spain, Norway, and Ireland who formally recognised the State of Palestine in a coordinated move in June 2024.[619] Spain and Ireland have also supported South Africa's genocide case against Israel.[620][621] This has led to retaliatory action by Israel, who recalled its ambassadors to all three countries and later announced that it would be closing its embassy in Dublin.[622][623][624] Hugh Lovatt of the European Council on Foreign Relations says that during the Cold War, Israel sided with the West against the Arab countries supported by the Soviets, and Western leaders generally see Israel "as a fellow member of the liberal democratic club" and that this partially "explains the continued strong Western support for Israel – which has now largely become reflexive".[615] At least 44 nations denounced Hamas and explicitly condemned its conduct on 7 October as terrorism, including a joint statement by the US, UK, France, Italy, and Germany.[625]
In contrast, the Islamic world and much of the Global South denounced the actions of Israel and its allies, criticizing the "moral authority of the West" and alleging that it holds double standards surrounding human rights.[615][626] The double standards, in their view, is condemning an illegal occupation in Ukraine while standing firmly behind Israel that has occupied Palestinian lands.[627]Bolivia has cut all ties with Israel as a result of the conflict, while Colombia and Chile recalled their ambassadors to the country.[235][626]
The United States, United Kingdom, and Germany have supplied Israel with substantial military and medical aid.[617][628][629]
The Israeli government's response prompted international protests, arrests, and harassment.[630]
Brazil announced a rescue operation of nationals using an air force transport aircraft.[631]Poland announced that it would deploy two C-130 transport planes to evacuate 200 Polish nationals.[632] Hungary evacuated 215 of its nationals from Israel using two aircraft on 9 October, while Romania evacuated 245 of its citizens, including two pilgrimage groups, on two TAROM planes and two private aircraft on the same day.[633] Australia also announced repatriation flights.[634] 300 Nigerian pilgrims in Israel fled to Jordan before being airlifted home.[635]
On 12 October, the United Kingdom arranged flights for its citizens in Israel; the first plane departed Ben Gurion Airport that day. The government had said before that it would not be evacuating its nationals due to available commercial flights. However, most commercial flights were suspended.[636] Nepal arranged a flight to evacuate at least 254 of its citizens who were studying in Israel.[637] India launched Operation Ajay to evacuate its citizens from Israel.[638] Ukraine facilitated the evacuation of ~450 of its citizens from Israel as of 18 October, with additional evacuation flights planned for the near future.[639]
According to Daniel Byman and Alexander Palmer, the attack showcased the decline of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and the rise of Hamas as a power center in Palestinian politics. They predicted the PLO's further decline if the status quo held.[640] Laith Alajlouni wrote that the immediate effect of the Hamas offensive was to unite Hamas and PLO.[641]
Amit Segal, chief political commentator for Israel's Channel 12, said that the conflict would test Benjamin Netanyahu's survival as prime minister, noting that past wars had toppled the governments of several of his predecessors such as that of Golda Meir following the 1973 Yom Kippur War, Menachem Begin following the 1982 Lebanon War, and Ehud Olmert following the 2006 Lebanon War.[642] Citing the Israeli intelligence failure, which some observers attributed to the incumbent government focusing more on internal dissent, the judicial reform, and efforts to deepen Israel's occupation of the Palestinian territories,[643] some commentators criticized Netanyahu for putting aside the PLO and propping up Hamas,[157] and described him as a liability.[644][645]
In an analysis by The Times of Israel, the newspaper wrote, "Hamas has violently shifted the world's eyes back to the Palestinians and dealt a severe blow to the momentum for securing a landmark US-brokered deal between Israel and Saudi Arabia."[646] Andreas Kluth wrote in his Bloomberg News column that Hamas "torched Biden's deal to remake the Middle East", arguing that the deal that was being discussed between Saudi Arabia, Israel, and the US would have left Palestinians in the cold, so the group decided to "blow the whole thing up". He added that viewed from Gaza, things were only going to get worse, considering that Netanyahu's coalition partners opposed a two-state solution. He suggested they would prefer to annex the entirety of the West Bank, even at the expense of turning Israel into an apartheid state.[647]
The Bank of Israel estimates that by 2025, the war will have cost the country US$67billion, notwithstanding a $14.5billion US aid package, part of the $22.76billion the U.S. has so far allocated for military assistance.[648][649]
As early as 9 November 2023, the Bank of Israel reported that the drop in labor supply caused by the war was costing the Israeli economy $600million a week, or 6% of weekly GDP. The bank also stated that the estimate did not include damage caused by the absence of Palestinian and foreign workers.[650] In the final quarter of 2023, the Israeli economy shrank by 5.2% quarter-to-quarter due to labour shortages in construction and from the mobilization of 300,000 reservists.[651] While Israel did still see economic growth of 2%, this was down from 6.5% growth in the year before the war. Consumer spending declined by 27%, imports declined by 42% and exports declined by 18%.
Israel's high-tech factories reported in December that recent bureaucratic obstacles with electronic imports from China had led to higher import costs and delayed delivery times.[652] Israeli officials also reported that China had refused to send workers to their country during the war against the backdrop of a worker shortage in Israel's construction and farming sectors.[653] China's actions were described as a de factosanction.[654][652]
The 3,500-member Water Transport Workers Federation of India said it would refuse to operate shipments carrying weapons to Israel.[655] The declaration came a few months after one Indian company halted production of Israeli police uniforms due to the war in Gaza.[656]
About 9,855 Thai workers in the agricultural sector, 4,331 workers in the construction sector and 2,997 in the nursing sector left Israel following the 7 October attack. In addition, the prevention of 85,000 Palestinian workers from entering Israel created a shortage of about 100,000 foreign and Palestinian workers.[657]
It has been calculated that the carbon cost in terms of climate impact of rebuilding Gaza would exceed the annual greenhouse emissions of 135 countries.[658]
In reporting on the conflict, foreign media have limited access to Gaza and only in the presence of Israeli soldiers. Vox reported that the news organizations "have to submit all materials and footage to the IDF for review before publication".[659] The conflict has also seen large numbers of journalists wounded or killed in action. On 14 December, CBS reported on a statement from the International Federation of Journalists that "the number of journalists killed in the past two months in the war in Gaza has surpassed the amount killed in the Vietnam War, which lasted two decades".[660]Reporters Without Borders filed a complaint with the International Criminal Court under section 8.2.b of the Rome Statute, accusing Israel of committing war crimes against 8 journalists.[661][659] It also lodged a complaint against Hamas, under section 8.2.a of the Rome Statute for the killing of a reporter covering the 7 October attack.[661] The Committee to Protect Journalists accused Israel of targeting journalists reporting from Gaza and their families, saying that in at least two cases, "journalists reported receiving threats from Israeli officials and Israel Defense Forces officers before their family members were killed".[662]
^Fired by Netanyahu as defense minister on 5 November 2024.
^The combined forces of Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad add up to 37,000.[14][15] Estimates for Hamas alone are highly variable, from 20,000 to over 40,000.[16][17]
^Including 169,500 active personnel[18] and 360,000 reservists[19]
Israeli estimates of 36,000+ Palestinians killed, including nearly 20,000 militants,[27] are widely criticised as inaccurate, and no evidence has been presented for the claims of militants having been killed.[28]
Per US intelligence:
10,000–15,000 militants (as of January 2025)[29][30][31]
^In addition to direct deaths, armed conflicts result in indirect deaths "attributable to the conflict". Mortality due to indirect deaths could be due to a variety of causes, such as infectious diseases.[33]
Estimated 51,000 natural deaths, natural death rate has gone up from 3.5/1000 to 22/1000 (late June 2024).[37]
At least 45 deaths confirmed due to starvation and malnutrition only and deaths were also confirmed due to dehydration,[38][39][40][41] but the true figure is likely to be far higher.[42][43]
^Total is derived from taking the current number of killed in Gaza, the current number of killed in West Bank, the current number of militants killed inside Israel, the current number of killed in Lebanon and the current number of killed in Syria.
^Israeli UN Ambassador Gilad Erdan responded directly to Guterres, stating, "Shame on [Guterres]... More than 30 minors – among them a 9-month-old baby as well as toddlers and children who witnessed their parents being murdered in cold blood – are being held against their will in the Gaza Strip. Hamas is the problem in Gaza, not Israel's actions to eliminate this terrorist organization."[542][543]
^By December 2023, the percentage of buildings damaged or destroyed in Gaza exceeded Dresden and Cologne during World War II and approached the level of destruction seen in Hamburg.[551][553]
^In northern Gaza, including Gaza City, the number of buildings damaged or destroyed is as high as 80 percent.[556]
^In October 2024, The New York Times estimated 168,000 buildings in Gaza had been damaged or destroyed.[557]
^"How Israel is using 'Lavender' and 'Daddy' to identify 37,000 Hamas operatives". The Economic Times. 9 April 2024. Retrieved 12 June 2024. The "Lavender" system is designed to identify individuals suspected of being part of Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), even targeting those with lower ranks for potential aerial bombardments. In the initial stages of the conflict, the military heavily relied on Lavender, leading to the system labeling up to 37,000 Palestinians as militants, along with their residences, for potential airstrikes.
^ ab"US troops arrive in Israel". Telegraph. 15 October 2024. Retrieved 18 October 2024. Around 100 American military personnel in total will be sent to operate the system – the first time US troops have been deployed in combat in Israel during the current crisis.
Morris, Loveday; Rubin, Shira; Balousha, Hazem (15 May 2024). "As Hamas returns to the north, Israel's Gaza endgame is nowhere in sight". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 25 September 2024. Retrieved 25 January 2025. Netanyahu said last week that Israel has killed 14,000 Hamas militants; the IDF put its estimate at 13,000 last month. The numbers are not possible to independently verify — and no evidence has been offered to support them — but even the high-end figure would amount to less than half of Hamas's estimated fighting force before the war.
^ abcJamaluddine, Zeina; Abukmail, Hanan; Aly, Sarah; Campbell, Oona M. R.; Checchi, Francesco (9 January 2025). "Traumatic injury mortality in the Gaza Strip from Oct 7, 2023, to June 30, 2024: a capture–recapture analysis". The Lancet. Elsevier. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(24)02678-3.
^ abGeneva Declaration Secretariat (2008). Global Burden of Armed Violence(PDF) (Report). Geneva Declaration Secretariat. p. 4. The ratio of people killed in war to those dying indirectly because of a conflict is explored in the chapter on indirect deaths (INDIRECT CONFLICT DEATHS). Studies show that between three and 15 times as many people die indirectly for every person who dies violently.
^ abKhatib, Rasha; McKee, Martin; Yusuf, Salim (2024). "Counting the dead in Gaza: difficult but essential". The Lancet. 404 (10449). Elsevier BV: 237–238. doi:10.1016/s0140-6736(24)01169-3. ISSN0140-6736. PMID38976995. In recent conflicts, such indirect deaths range from three to 15 times the number of direct deaths. Applying a conservative estimate of four indirect deaths per one direct death to the 37,396 deaths reported, it is not implausible to estimate that up to 186,000 or even more deaths could be attributable to the current conflict in Gaza. Using the 2022 Gaza Strip population estimate of 2,375,259, this would translate to 7.9% of the total population in the Gaza Strip.
^Rowlands, Lyndal; Varshalomidze, Tamila; Rasheed, Zaheena; Quillen, Stephen; Gadzo, Mersiha; Najjar, Farah (20 November 2024). "Eighty-five patients at risk as Kamal Adwan Hospital under Israeli attack: Director". Al Jazeera. The hospital's director, Dr Hussam Abu Safiya, has been giving us regular updates on the situation there. Here are his latest comments to Al Jazeera: An elderly man has died of starvation in the northern Gaza Strip.
^ ab"Israeli army raids Balata refugee camp 4 times in 24 hours". Anadolu Agency. 28 July 2024. Retrieved 28 July 2024. Simultaneously with its onslaught on the Gaza Strip, the Israeli army intensified operations in the West Bank, resulting in 592 deaths and approximately 5,400 injuries, according to official Palestinian data.
^"Israeli forces arrest young man in occupied West Bank". Al Jazeera. 11 January 2025. Retrieved 11 January 2025. In parallel with Israel's war on Gaza since October 7, 2023, the Israeli army has expanded its raids in the West Bank, while settlers have escalated their attacks there as well, resulting in 847 Palestinians killed, 6,700 wounded, and 14,300 arrested since, according to official Palestinian data.
^ ab"Death toll rises in Israel's war on Lebanon". Al Jazeera. 4 December 2024. Israeli attacks on Lebanon have killed 4,047 people and wounded 16,638 others, Lebanese Health Minister Firass Abiad said in a televised address.
^Rowlands, Lyndal; Regencia, Ted; Jamal, Urooba; Uras, Umut; Adler, Nils (15 October 2024). "Lebanon says 41 killed in Israeli attacks on Monday". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 15 October 2024. The newest figures bring the overall death toll since Israel on September 23 launched an intense air campaign in Lebanon to 1,356.
^"More than 13,500 Israelis 'wounded from the war' since October 7, 2023: Report". Al Jazeera. 31 December 2024. Retrieved 31 December 2024. The Israeli Broadcasting Corporation has reported that the rehabilitation department of Israel's Defence Ministry receives about 1,000 new people each month who have been "wounded from the war". Since October 7, 2023, more than 13,500 Israelis have been injured and admitted for treatment at the rehabilitation department, the broadcaster reported in a post on social media. Of those wounded, 51 percent are under the age of 30 years and 43 percent of the total are dealing with "psychological reactions", the broadcaster said.
^"Suicides soar among Israeli soldiers since Gaza war began". Al Jazeera. 2 January 2025. Retrieved 2 January 2025. According to figures released by the army, at least 891 Israeli soldiers have been killed and 5,569 others wounded since the outbreak of the war on Gaza.
^ ab"Why did Israel deploy Hannibal Directive, allowing killing of own citizens?". Al Jazeera. 9 July 2024. Retrieved 21 January 2025. It allows the Israeli military to use any force necessary to prevent Israeli soldiers from being captured and taken into enemy territory [...]. Some officers [...] understand the order to mean that soldiers ought to deliberately kill their comrade in order to stop him from being taken prisoner [...]. However, the orders failed to distinguish between soldiers being captured and civilians.
Dumper, Michael; Badran, Amneh (2024). "Introduction". In Dumper, Michael; Badran, Amneh (eds.). Routledge Handbook on Palestine (1st ed.). Routledge. doi:10.4324/9781003031994. ISBN9781003031994. In this context we should not overlook the latest turning point in the history of Palestine – the attack by Hamas on 7th October 2023 on Israeli settlements adjacent to Gaza and the subsequent genocidal war that the state of Israel has carried out in the Gaza strip
Amnesty International (2024). 'You Feel Like You Are Subhuman': Israel's Genocide Against Palestinians In Gaza(PDF) (Report). p. 13. Archived(PDF) from the original on 5 December 2024. This report focuses on the Israeli authorities' policies and actions in Gaza as part of the military offensive they launched in the wake of the Hamas-led attacks on 7 October 2023 while situating them within the broader context of Israel's unlawful occupation, and system of apartheid against Palestinians in Gaza, the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and Israel. It assesses allegations of violations and crimes under international law by Israel in Gaza within the framework of genocide under international law, concluding that there is sufficient evidence to believe that Israel's conduct in Gaza following 7 October 2023 amounts to genocide.
Traverso, Enzo (2024). Gaza Faces History. Other Press. p. 8. ISBN978-1-63542-555-0. The only normative definition we have, codified at the United Nations Genocide Convention of 1948, accurately describes the current situation in Palestine ... describes exactly what is happening in Gaza today
^ abc"Data on casualties". United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs – occupied Palestinian territory (OCHAoPt). Archived from the original on 12 October 2023. Retrieved 12 October 2023.
Nebehay, Stephanie (13 September 2011). Graff, Peter (ed.). "U.N. experts say Israel's blockade of Gaza illegal". Reuters. Archived from the original on 15 June 2017. Retrieved 15 October 2023. A panel of five independent U.N. rights experts [said] the blockade had subjected Gazans to collective punishment in 'flagrant contravention of international human rights and humanitarian law.'
"Hamas hardliner Yahya Sinwar elected as Gaza leader". BBC News. 13 February 2017. Archived from the original on 22 October 2023. Retrieved 15 October 2023. Israel and Egypt maintain a blockade around Gaza aimed at preventing attacks by militants there, though the measure has been condemned by rights groups as a form of collective punishment.
^"Where We Work. Gaza Strip". United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). Archived from the original on 12 October 2023. Retrieved 12 October 2023.
Alghoul, Fares; Khraiche, Dana; Altstein, Galit (7 May 2024). "Israel Says a Cease-Fire Plan Backed by Hamas Falls Short". Bloomberg News. Archived from the original on 8 May 2024. Retrieved 12 May 2024. The Palestinian militant group Hamas said it had agreed to a cease-fire proposal for the Gaza Strip, but Israel's war cabinet unanimously rejected it as 'far from Israel's necessary demands,'...
"Israeli strike on Gaza school kills more than 100: Report". Al Jazeera. 10 August 2024. Retrieved 10 August 2024. Without providing evidence, the Israeli military said in a separate statement that it had intelligence indicating there were 20 Hamas and Islamic Jihad fighters, including senior commanders, operating from the school.
^ abAyoub, H. H., Chemaitelly, H., & Abu-Raddad, L. J. (2024). Comparative analysis and evolution of civilian versus combatant mortality ratios in Israel–Gaza conflicts, 2008–2023. Frontiers in public health, 12, 1359189. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2024.1359189
14 in the West Bank and Israel by 11 August 2024 (per OCHA oPt)[123] not including 1 mistakenly killed by Israeli forces in Jerusalem[498] and 3 killed by militants (2 near Ofra[499] and 1 near Kedumim),[500] bringing the total to 18 conflict-related deaths for the period
^In addition to direct deaths, armed conflicts result in indirect deaths "attributable to the conflict". Mortality due to indirect deaths could be due to a variety of causes, such as infectious diseases.[33]
^Abdulrahim, Raja; Rosales, Helmuth; Shbair, Bilal; Singhvi, Anjali; Solomon, Erika; Abuheweila, Iyad; Abu Bakr, Bashir; Harouda, Ameera; Khurana, Malika; Penney, Veronica; Reinhard, Scott (7 October 2024). "Gaza in Ruins After a Year of War". The New York Times. Retrieved 14 October 2024.
^"The first US-Israeli joint war". Le Monde. 22 January 2024. Retrieved 17 January 2025. The Israeli military forces' war on Gaza, following Hamas's 7 October attack, is the first Israeli war in which Washington is a cobelligerent.
^Lakhani, Nina (6 June 2024). "Revealed: repairing Israel's destruction of Gaza will come at huge climate cost". The Guardian. Retrieved 6 June 2024. The carbon cost of rebuilding Gaza will be greater than the annual greenhouse gas emissions generated individually by 135 countries, exacerbating the global climate emergency on top of the unprecedented death toll, new research reveals. Reconstructing the estimated 200,000 apartment buildings, schools, universities, hospitals, mosques, bakeries, water and sewage plants damaged and destroyed by Israel in the first four months of the war on Gaza will generate as much as 60m tonnes of CO2 equivalent (tCO2e), according to new analysis by researchers in the UK and US. This is on a par with the total 2022 emissions generated by countries such as Portugal and Sweden – and more than twice the annual emissions of Afghanistan.
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