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== Background ==
== Background ==
{{further|2021 Israel–Palestine crisis|2022 Al-Aqsa clashes}}
{{further|2021 Israel–Palestine crisis|2022 Al-Aqsa clashes}}
While there have been smaller conflicts, there were no other major engagements between Hamas and Israelis since the [[2021 Israel–Palestine crisis]]. An anonymous source "close to Hamas" claimed that Hamas reduced military activity in a deliberate effort to deceive Israel into believing Hamas was not a threat.<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Nakhoul |first1=Samia |last2=Saul |first2=Jonathan |date=10 October 2023 |title=How Hamas duped Israel as it planned devastating attack |language=en |work=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/how-israel-was-duped-hamas-planned-devastating-assault-2023-10-08/ |access-date=13 October 2023 |archive-date=9 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231009020650/https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/how-israel-was-duped-hamas-planned-devastating-assault-2023-10-08/ |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Mohammed Deif]], commander of the of the attack, named the operation "Al-Aqsa Flood" in reference to the [[2022 Al-Aqsa clashes]], in which Israeli police raided the mosque following clashes between Palestinians and police.<ref name="2023ReutersDeifProfile">{{Cite news |last=Nakhoul |first=Samia |last2=Bassam |first2=Laila |date=2023-10-11 |title=Who is Mohammed Deif, the Hamas commander behind the attack on Israel? |language=en |work=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/how-secretive-hamas-commander-masterminded-attack-israel-2023-10-10/ |access-date=2023-10-17}}</ref>
While there have been smaller conflicts, there were no other major engagements between Hamas and Israelis since the [[2021 Israel–Palestine crisis]]. An anonymous source "close to Hamas" claimed that Hamas reduced military activity in a deliberate effort to deceive Israel into believing Hamas was not a threat.<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Nakhoul |first1=Samia |last2=Saul |first2=Jonathan |date=10 October 2023 |title=How Hamas duped Israel as it planned devastating attack |language=en |work=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/how-israel-was-duped-hamas-planned-devastating-assault-2023-10-08/ |access-date=13 October 2023 |archive-date=9 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231009020650/https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/how-israel-was-duped-hamas-planned-devastating-assault-2023-10-08/ |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Mohammed Deif]], commander of the attack, named the operation "Al-Aqsa Flood" in reference to the [[2022 Al-Aqsa clashes]], in which Israeli police raided the mosque following clashes between Palestinians and police.<ref name="2023ReutersDeifProfile">{{Cite news |last=Nakhoul |first=Samia |last2=Bassam |first2=Laila |date=2023-10-11 |title=Who is Mohammed Deif, the Hamas commander behind the attack on Israel? |language=en |work=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/how-secretive-hamas-commander-masterminded-attack-israel-2023-10-10/ |access-date=2023-10-17}}</ref>


Hamas militants prepared in at least six training camps across the Gaza Strip for two years before the attack. This involved conducting practice hostage takings, storming of mock Israeli settlements, and training with paragliders. [[Israel Defense Forces]] (IDF) spokesperson Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus stated that such training facilities were "nothing new" and that Israel had "struck many training areas over the years in the different rounds of escalation."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Liebermann |first=Paul P. Murphy,Tara John,Brent Swails,Oren |date=13 October 2023 |title=Hamas militants trained for its deadly attack in plain sight and less than a mile from Israel's heavily fortified border |url=https://www.cnn.com/2023/10/12/middleeast/hamas-training-site-gaza-israel-intl/index.html |access-date=13 October 2023 |website=CNN |language=en |archive-date=13 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231013024259/https://www.cnn.com/2023/10/12/middleeast/hamas-training-site-gaza-israel-intl/index.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Documents later found on killed Hamas militants revealed extensive study of communities and army bases near the Gaza-Israel border, as well as plans to maximize Israeli civilian deaths, attack youth centers and elementary schools, and capture hostages and rapidly transfer them to Gaza.<ref name=":0" />
Hamas militants prepared in at least six training camps across the Gaza Strip for two years before the attack. This involved conducting practice hostage takings, storming of mock Israeli settlements, and training with paragliders. [[Israel Defense Forces]] (IDF) spokesperson Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus stated that such training facilities were "nothing new" and that Israel had "struck many training areas over the years in the different rounds of escalation."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Liebermann |first=Paul P. Murphy,Tara John,Brent Swails,Oren |date=13 October 2023 |title=Hamas militants trained for its deadly attack in plain sight and less than a mile from Israel's heavily fortified border |url=https://www.cnn.com/2023/10/12/middleeast/hamas-training-site-gaza-israel-intl/index.html |access-date=13 October 2023 |website=CNN |language=en |archive-date=13 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231013024259/https://www.cnn.com/2023/10/12/middleeast/hamas-training-site-gaza-israel-intl/index.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Documents later found on killed Hamas militants revealed extensive study of communities and army bases near the Gaza-Israel border, as well as plans to maximize Israeli civilian deaths, attack youth centers and elementary schools, and capture hostages and rapidly transfer them to Gaza.<ref name=":0" />

Revision as of 08:03, 18 October 2023

Operation Al-Aqsa Flood
Part of the 2023 Israel–Hamas war

Satellite view of widespread fires in Israel on 7 October 2023.[4]
Date7 October 2023 – present
Location
Southern Israel
Status Attack repelled following heavy civilian and military casualties, full scale war followed.
Territorial
changes
Hamas, along with other Palestinian militants, breach the Israel-Gaza barrier and occupy several kibbutzim
Belligerents
 Israel
Units involved
Strength
Al-Qassam Brigades: 2,500 infiltrated Israel[a] ~1,500 IDF and security forces in the area during attack, rising to some 10,000 by the end of the first day of attack
Casualties and losses
1,500 militants killed,[citation needed] dozens taken prisoners 294 soldiers and security forces and over 900 civilians killed[7] 200 civilians and soldiers taken captive[7]

Operation Al-Aqsa Flood (or Deluge) (Arabic: عملية طوفان الأقصى, romanizedʿamaliyyat ṭūfān al-ʾAqṣā)[9][10] is a series of coordinated attacks, conducted by the Palestinian Islamist militant group[b] Hamas, from the Gaza Strip, onto bordering areas in Israel commencing on Saturday 7 October 2023 that coincided with the Jewish Shabbat and the Jewish holiday of Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah that many Israeli Jews were celebrating. The attacks initiated the 2023 Israel–Hamas war, nearly fifty years to the day after the Yom Kippur War that began on 6 October 1973.

The attack began in the early morning with a rocket barrage of at least 3,000 missiles against Israel and vehicle-transported incursions into its territory.[11][12] Palestinian militants breached the Gaza–Israel barrier, slaughtering civilians in neighboring Israeli communities and attacking military bases. In a single day, over 1,200 Israelis, primarily civilians, including women and children, were killed in several towns and kibbutzim and at a music festival near the kibbutz of Re'im, where over 270 party-goers were murdered.[13][14][15][16] Around 150 Israeli civilians and soldiers were taken as hostages to the Gaza Strip.[17][18] The day was described by multiple spectators and public figures, including US President Joe Biden, as the bloodiest in Israel's history and the deadliest for Jews since The Holocaust.[19][20][21][22][23][24][20]

Background

While there have been smaller conflicts, there were no other major engagements between Hamas and Israelis since the 2021 Israel–Palestine crisis. An anonymous source "close to Hamas" claimed that Hamas reduced military activity in a deliberate effort to deceive Israel into believing Hamas was not a threat.[25] Mohammed Deif, commander of the attack, named the operation "Al-Aqsa Flood" in reference to the 2022 Al-Aqsa clashes, in which Israeli police raided the mosque following clashes between Palestinians and police.[26]

Hamas militants prepared in at least six training camps across the Gaza Strip for two years before the attack. This involved conducting practice hostage takings, storming of mock Israeli settlements, and training with paragliders. Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesperson Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus stated that such training facilities were "nothing new" and that Israel had "struck many training areas over the years in the different rounds of escalation."[27] Documents later found on killed Hamas militants revealed extensive study of communities and army bases near the Gaza-Israel border, as well as plans to maximize Israeli civilian deaths, attack youth centers and elementary schools, and capture hostages and rapidly transfer them to Gaza.[28]

Timeline

Rocket barrages and drone strikes

Aftermath of a rocket attack in Rishon LeZion

At around 6:30 a.m. Israel Summer Time (UTC+3) on Saturday 7 October 2023,[29] Hamas announced the start of the operation, stating that it had fired over 5,000 rockets from the Gaza Strip into Israel within a span of 20 minutes. Israeli sources reported that at least 3,000 projectiles had been launched from Gaza. At least five people were killed by the rocket attacks.[12][30][17][31] Explosions were reported in areas surrounding the Strip and in cities in the Sharon Plain including Gedera, Herzliyya,[4] Tel Aviv, and Ashkelon.[31] Air raid sirens were also activated in Beer Sheva, Jerusalem, Rehovot, Rishon Lezion, and Palmachim Airbase.[32][33][34] Hamas issued a call to arms, with senior military commander Mohammad Deif calling on "Muslims everywhere to launch an attack".[17]

Palestinian militants also opened fire on Israeli boats off the Gaza Strip, while clashes broke out between Palestinians and the Israel Defense Forces in the eastern section of the Gaza perimeter fence.[32] In the evening Hamas launched another barrage of about 150 rockets towards Israel, with explosions being reported in Yavne, Givatayim, Bat Yam, Beit Dagan, Tel Aviv, and Rishon Lezion.[30]

Incursions into Southern Israel

Further information: Battles at Re'im, Sderot, Zikim; Massacres at Re'im music festival, Be'eri, Holit, Kfar Aza, Netiv HaAsara, Nir Oz
Approximate situation on 7–8 October

Simultaneously, around 2,900[35] Palestinian militants infiltrated Israel from Gaza using trucks, pickup trucks, motorcycles, bulldozers, speedboats and paragliders.[36][29][37] Images and videos appeared to show heavily armed and masked militants dressed in black fatigues riding pickup trucks[31][34] and opening fire in Sderot, killing dozens of Israeli civilians and soldiers and setting homes on fire.[38] Other videos appeared to show Israelis taken prisoner and a burning Israeli tank,[39][17] as well as militants driving Israeli military vehicles.[31] According to reports, militants were instructed to attack civilian populations, including elementary schools and a youth center, to "kill as many people as possible", and to take hostages for use in future negotiations.[40][28][41] Militants were prepared for different contingencies, such as killing all hostages, setting houses and other properties on fire, or using hostages as human shields.[42]

Initial reports

The morning of the attack, an Israeli military spokesman stated that the militants from Gaza had entered Israel through at least seven locations[36] and invaded four small rural Israeli communities, the border city of Sderot, and two military bases from both land and sea.[37] Israeli media reported that seven communities came under Hamas control, including Nahal Oz, Kfar Aza, Magen, Be'eri, and Sufa.[43] The Erez Crossing was reported to have come under Hamas control, enabling the militants to enter Israel from Gaza.[30] Israeli Police Commissioner Kobi Shabtai said that there were 21 active high-confrontation locations in southern Israel.[44]

At 10:00 am, less than five hours after the attacks began, fighting was reported at Re'im military base, headquarters of the Gaza Division.[45][46] It was later reported that Hamas took control of the base and had taken several Israeli soldiers captive[45] before the IDF regained control later in the day.[47][48] The base was reportedly the location of IDF drone and surveillance operations. Hamas reportedly posted video of dead Israeli soldiers it had killed at the base.[49] The police station of Sderot was reported to have come under Hamas control, with militants killing 30 Israelis, including policemen and civilians.[32][50]

Further attacks on October 7

On the same morning, a massacre unfolded at an outdoor music festival near Re'im, resulting in at least 270 dead, with many still missing. Witnesses recounted militants on motorcycles opening fire on fleeing participants, who were already dispersing due to rocket fire that had wounded some attendees; some were also taken hostage.[13][51][52] Militants slaughtered civilians at Nir Oz,[34] Be'eri, and Netiv HaAsara, where they took hostages[53] and set fire to homes,[4] as well as in kibbutzim around the Gaza Strip.[4] 200 civilians were killed in the Kfar Aza massacre, 108 in the Be'eri massacre, and 15 people in the Netiv HaAsara massacre.[54][55]

Nir Am was attacked but no residents were harmed. Inbal Rabin-Lieberman, the 25-year-old security coordinator, alongside her uncle Ami, led a guard detail that killed multiple militants attempting to infiltrate a nearby chicken farm. They successfully deterred the rest of the invading militants from entering the community.[56][57][58]

Other Hamas militants carried out an amphibious landing in Zikim.[31][59] Palestinian sources claim that the local Israeli army base was stormed.[60] The IDF said it had killed two attackers on the beach and destroyed four vessels, including two rubber boats. A military base outside Nahal Oz was also taken by the militants, leaving at least two Israeli soldiers dead and at least six others captured.[61]

Hostages taken

In Be'eri, up to 50 people were taken hostage; after an 18-hour stand-off between militants and IDF forces, they were freed.[62] Hostages were also reported to have been taken in Ofakim, where policemen led by Chief Superintendent Jayar Davidov engaged Palestinian militants in a shootout;[when?] Davidov and three of his men were killed, and two Israeli hostages were later rescued by the IDF in the suburb of Urim.[62] There were reports of militants killing or kidnapping family pets.[63]

A number of hostages were taken back to Gaza. On 16 October, Hamas claimed it held 250 hostages.[64] Hamas said it took prisoners to force Israel to release its Palestinian prisoners.[65]

Supporting organizations

Several Palestinian groups voiced their support for the operation. The National Resistance Brigades, the armed wing of the secular-socialist Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP) confirmed their participation in the operation through their military spokesman Abu Khaled,[66] saying it had lost three fighters in combat with the IDF.[67] The PFLP, another Palestinian socialist militant group, and the Lions' Den group voiced their support for the operation and declared maximum alertness and general mobilization amongst their troops, and the Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades (armed wing of the PFLP) published videos of it storming Israeli watchtowers.[68][69]

Deaths

Israeli UH-60 evacuating wounded personnel

At least 1,300 Israelis were killed,[70][71] including 220 soldiers and 45 police officers,[72][73] over 3,400 wounded,[74] and 130–150 IDF soldiers[75] and civilians taken hostage.[76] Israeli casualties include about 70 Arab Israelis, predominantly from Negev Bedouin communities.[77][78][79][80] On 7 October, over 100 civilians were killed in the Be'eri massacre, including women and children; and over 270 attendees were killed at a music festival in Re'im.[13] As of 10 October, over 100 people had been reported killed in the Kfar Aza massacre, with the total death toll unknown.[81] Nine people were fatally shot at a bus shelter in Sderot.[36] At least four people were reported killed in Kuseife.[30] At least 400 casualties were reported in Ashkelon,[82][34] while 280 others were reported in Beer Sheva, 60 of which were in a serious condition.[36] In the north, injuries from rocket attacks were reported in Tel Aviv.[83]

Former Hapoel Tel Aviv F.C. striker Lior Asulin was among those killed in the Re'im music festival massacre.[84] The head of the Sha'ar HaNegev Regional Council, Ofir Libstein, was killed in an exchange of fire with the militants.[85] The police commander of Rahat, Jayar Davidov, was also killed.[86] The IDF confirmed that 247 of its soldiers had been killed.[87] Among their confirmed dead were Colonel Yonatan Steinberg, the commander of the Nahal Brigade, who was killed near Kerem Shalom; Colonel Roi Levy, commander of the Multidimensional "Ghost" unit, who was killed near kibbutz Re'im;[88][89] and Lieutenant Colonel Eli Ginsberg, commander of the LOTAR Counter-terrorism Unit School.[90] The Druze deputy commander of the 300th "Baram" Regional Brigade, Lieutanant Colonel Alim Abdallah, was killed in action along with two other soldiers while responding to an infiltration from southern Lebanon on 9 October.[91]

At least 150 Israelis were taken hostage by Hamas and transported to the Gaza Strip.[92] On 8 October, Palestinian Islamic Jihad claimed to be holding at least 30 captives.[93] At least four people were reportedly taken from Kfar Aza.[94] Videos from Gaza appeared to show captured people, with Gazan residents cheering trucks carrying dead bodies.[37] Four captives were later reported to have been killed in Be'eri,[95] while Hamas claimed that an IDF airstrike on Gaza on 9 October killed four captives.[96] Among those believed to have been abducted was Vivian Silver, a peace activist and former board member of the human rights organisation B'Tselem, who went missing following the attack on Be'eri.[97] Yedioth Ahronoth photographer Roy Idan was reported missing and likely captured alongside his child in Kfar Aza. His wife was killed and two of their children were able to hide in a closet until rescued.[98] On 11 October, Hamas's Qassam Brigades released a video appearing to show the release of three hostages, namely an adult woman and two children, in an open area near a fence. Israel dismissed the video as "theatrics".[99]

Evidence of torture and mutilation

Israeli forces in Kfar Aza found the bodies of victims mutilated, with women and babies beheaded in their homes. The bodies of 40 babies and young children were taken out on gurneys, out of what one estimate described as at least 100 civilian victims.[100][81][101][102][103][104][105]

According to Yossi Landau, head of the ZAKA volunteer emergency response organization, tactics displayed were severe compared to past Hamas actions, with bodies showing signs of torture and extreme violence. At one kibbutz, first responders stated that of 280 bodies recovered, around 80% showed evidence of torture. Groups of children were allegedly found tied up and burned alive. At the music festival, there was said to be mass killing but less time for torture compared to the kibbutzim. Approximately 70% of bodies were claimed to have been shot in the back.[106]

Emergency response personnel recovering the bodies reported being extremely distressed by the level of atrocities they witnessed. The remains of Hamas fighters were also handled and collected respectfully, despite the psychological difficulty for the responders in doing so given their actions.[106]

Israeli response

The attack, which coincided with Shabbat and the Jewish holiday of Simchat Torah, appeared to have been a complete surprise to the Israelis.[33] The day is considered the bloodiest in Israel's history and the deadliest for Jews since The Holocaust.[19][20]

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant conducted security assessments at Israel Defense Forces (IDF) headquarters in Tel Aviv.[34][31] Gallant later approved the mobilisation of tens of thousands of army reservists[29][31] and declared a state of emergency for areas within 80 kilometers (50 mi) of the Gaza border.[43] He also said that Hamas "made a grave mistake" in launching its attack and pledged that "Israel will win".[36] The IDF declared a "state of readiness for war".[30] It also said that the reservists were to be deployed not only in Gaza, but also in the West Bank and along the borders with Lebanon and Syria.[107] Residents in areas around the Gaza Strip were asked to stay inside, while civilians in southern and central Israel were "required to stay next to shelters".[31] Roads around the Gaza Strip were closed by the IDF.[36] The streets of Tel Aviv were also locked down.[31]

Following the assault, Israel declared a heightened state of preparedness for potential conflict.[108] The IDF declared a state of readiness for war, and Netanyahu convened an emergency gathering of security authorities. The IDF additionally reported their initiation of targeted actions in the Gaza Strip under what it called Operation Swords of Iron (or Iron Swords) (Hebrew: מבצע חרבות ברזל, romanizedMivtsá charvót barzél).[109][110][111][30] Israeli Police Commissioner Kobi Shabtai announced that a "state of war" existed, following what he called "a massive attack from the Gaza Strip".[112] He also announced the closure of the entire southern region of Israel to "civilian movement" as well as the deployment of the Yamam counterterrorism unit to the area.[44] The IDF's chief spokesperson, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said four divisions were deployed to the area, augmenting 31 preexisting battalions.[36]

Israeli President Isaac Herzog said the country was facing "a very difficult moment", and offered strength and encouragement to the IDF, other security forces, rescue services, and residents who were under attack.[34] In a televised broadcast, Netanyahu stated: "We are at war."[37] He also said that the IDF would reinforce its border deployments to deter others from 'making the mistake of joining this war'.[113] In a later address, he threatened to "turn Gaza into a deserted island", and urged its residents to "leave now".[114][disputeddiscuss]

While Ben Gurion Airport and Ramon Airport remained operational, multiple airlines cancelled flights to and from Israel.[115][116][117] Israel Railways suspended service throughout portions the country and replaced some routes with temporary bus routes,[118][119] while cruise ships removed ports such as Ashdod and Haifa from their itineraries.[120]

On 7 October, Israel's Security Cabinet voted to undertake a series of actions to bring about the "destruction of the military and governmental capabilities of Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad", according to a statement by the Prime Minister's Office.[121] The Israel Electric Corporation, which supplies up to 80% of the Gaza Strip's electricity, cut off power to the area.[31] As a result, Gaza's power supply was reduced from 120 MW to only 20 MW, forcing it to rely on power plants paid for by the Palestinian Authority.[122]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Per Israel[8]
  2. ^ Hamas has been designated as a terrorist group by Australia, Canada, European Union, Israel, Japan, Paraguay, United States, and the United Kingdom

References

  1. ^ "الجبهة الشعبية: قرار الإدارة الأمريكية بتوفير الدعم للكيان هدفه تطويق النتائج الاستراتيجية لمعركة طوفان الأقصى" [Popular Front: The US Administration's Decision to Provide Support to the Entity [Israel] Aims to Contain the Strategic Outcomes of the Battle of the Al-Aqsa Flood]. alahednews.com.lb (in Arabic). Archived from the original on 9 October 2023. Retrieved 8 October 2023.
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  7. ^ a b c d Fabian, Emanuel. "Authorities name 265 soldiers, 48 police officers killed in 2023 terror clashes". The Times of Israel. Archived from the original on 8 October 2023. Retrieved 8 October 2023. Cite error: The named reference "shinbet" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  8. ^ "ההערכה: 2,500 מחבלי חמאס חדרו בשבת לישראל" [The estimate: 2,500 Hamas terrorists infiltrated Israel on Saturday] (in Hebrew). News 1. 13 October 2023. Archived from the original on 13 October 2023. Retrieved 13 October 2023.
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