An armed conflict between Israel and Hamas-led Palestinian militant groups[s] has

been taking place chiefly in and around the Gaza Strip since 7 October 2023, when
Hamas launched a surprise attack on southern Israel from the Gaza Strip. After
clearing Hamas militants from its territory, the Israeli military embarked on an
extensive aerial bombardment of the Gaza Strip followed by a large-scale ground
invasion beginning on 27 October. Clashes have also occurred in the Israeli-
occupied West Bank and with Hezbollah along the Israel–Lebanon border. The fifth
war of the Gaza–Israel conflict since 2008, it is part of the broader Israeli–
Palestinian conflict, and the most significant military escalation in the region
since the Yom Kippur War 50 years earlier.[84]

The Hamas-led attack on 7 October involved launch of rockets, and an estimated

3,000 militants breaching the Gaza–Israel barrier and attacking Israeli military
bases and civilian communities. During this attack, 1,139 Israelis and foreign
nationals including 766 civilians and 373 security personnel were killed,[t][u]
while 253 Israelis and foreigners were taken captive to the Gaza Strip. The attack
has been described as a major Israeli intelligence failure.[89] Hamas said its
attack was in response to the continued Israeli occupation of the Palestinian
territories, the blockade of the Gaza Strip, the expans