October 7 attacks — terrorist attack and massacre in southern Israel on October 7, 2023 carried out by the Islamic Fundamentalist Terrorist Group Hamas
The deadliest attack on Israelis since the Holocaust, killing 1,195 people and triggering the ongoing Gaza war.
Key Facts
- Total killed
- 1,195 people
- Rockets launched
- at least 4,300 rockets
- Hostages taken
- approximately 250 people
- Nova festival civilians killed
- 364 people
- Border breach locations
- 119 locations
- Total Hamas-side participants
- approximately 7,000 people
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Hamas cited the continued Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories, the blockade of the Gaza Strip, expansion of Israeli settlements, rising settler violence, and recent escalations as justifications for the attack. Underlying tensions had built over decades of conflict, territorial disputes, and recurring cycles of violence between Israel and Palestinian militant groups.
On October 7, 2023, Hamas and allied Palestinian militant groups launched coordinated incursions from the Gaza Strip into southern Israel, firing over 4,300 rockets and breaching the Gaza–Israel barrier at 119 points. Approximately 6,000 Gazans entered Israeli territory, attacking military bases and massacring civilians across 21 communities and the Nova music festival, killing 1,195 people and taking around 250 hostages.
Israel declared war and launched a large-scale military operation in Gaza, initiating the ongoing Gaza war. The attacks were denounced as terrorism by 44 governments. The event prompted intense international debate over the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, with Western nations largely condemning Hamas while some Arab and Muslim-majority countries attributed responsibility to Israel's occupation policies.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Side B
1 belligerent