The Israel–Hamas war began on 7 October 2023, when Hamas and allied Palestinian armed groups launched a large-scale cross-border attack from the Gaza Strip into southern Israel. According to Israeli authorities, roughly 1,200 people were killed and about 250 were taken hostage to Gaza. Israel formally declared a state of war the following day and launched an extensive air campaign, followed by a ground operation in the northern Gaza Strip in late October 2023 and later in Khan Younis and Rafah.
The war has produced one of the highest civilian tolls of any 21st-century conflict. The Gaza Ministry of Health has reported tens of thousands of Palestinians killed, the majority women and children, alongside mass displacement of most of Gaza's roughly 2.1 million residents and severe damage to housing, hospitals, and water infrastructure. UN agencies, including OCHA and UNRWA, have repeatedly warned of famine conditions in parts of the territory.
The conflict has drawn in regional actors. Hezbollah opened a northern front against Israel from southern Lebanon on 8 October 2023; the Houthis in Yemen began attacks on Red Sea shipping; and Iran and Israel exchanged direct strikes in April and October 2024. A brief hostage-release truce occurred in late November 2023, and a phased ceasefire and hostage deal was announced in January 2025.
International legal proceedings have been a defining feature. South Africa filed a genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice in December 2023 under the 1948 Genocide Convention; the Court issued provisional measures in January and May 2024. In November 2024, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and Hamas military commander Mohammed Deif (later confirmed killed) over alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity.
The war has reshaped debates over the laws of armed conflict, proportionality, humanitarian access, and the future of Israeli–Palestinian governance.
Example
In January 2024, the International Court of Justice ordered Israel to take provisional measures to prevent acts of genocide in Gaza in the case brought by South Africa.
Frequently asked questions
It began on 7 October 2023 with a coordinated attack by Hamas and allied groups on southern Israel, followed by an Israeli military campaign in Gaza.
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