What happened on Oct. 7? Timeline of Hamas attack, one year later

On Oct. 7, 2023, a barrage of rockets ricocheted as Hamas militants stormed Gaza and other nearby Israeli towns, killing dozens and abducting others in a surprise attack.

The Hamas’ cross-border attack in the Gaza Strip killed 1,200 Israelis and took 250 others hostage. 

In response to the attacks, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared war on Hamas, vowing to inflict an "unprecedented price," as Israel launched airstrikes in Gaza. 

Since then, Israel, which had been concentrating on its war against Hamas in Gaza, has recently escalated its attacks on Hezbollah, a powerful militant group in southern Lebanon.

How many died on Oct. 7?

The Hamas-led militants killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, in an attack in southern Israel and took around 250 hostage. Some 100 are still held, around 65 of whom are believed to be alive, according to AP.

Here's a timeline of key events in the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict:

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Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas surprise attacks in the Gaza Strip

• In a coordinated and unprecedented attack, Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip launch a barrage of rockets toward Israel, triggering air raid sirens across the country.
• Simultaneously, Hamas gunmen breach Israeli border defenses, advancing into nearly two dozen locations, including towns and communities up to 15 miles (24 kilometers) from the Gaza border. In some areas, the militants roam for hours, killing civilians and soldiers, and taking hostages.
• At a desert rave near the Gaza border, about 3,000 attendees come under attack. Hamas militants open fire at the Tribe of Nova music festival, killing an estimated 260 people.

Oct. 8, 2023 Israel officially declares war 

• In response, the Israeli military launches airstrikes on Gaza. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declares, "Israel is at war" with Hamas.
• Israeli airstrikes destroy the Al Sousi and Al Gharbi mosques in Gaza City.
• Israel deploys troops along the Gaza border and positions forces on the borders with Syria and Lebanon.

Oct. 9, 2023

• Israeli airstrikes continue, further targeting Hamas infrastructure and destroying key sites in Gaza City, including Al Sousi and Al Gharbi mosques.

Nov. 24, 2023: First ceasefire 

• Qatar announces truce-for-hostages deal between Israel and Hamas that would bring a four-day halt in fighting.
• This would bring a four-day halt in fighting in the war.

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July 21, 2024: Yemeni airstrikes

• The Israeli military intercepts missile fired from Yemen hours after Israeli warplanes struck several Houthi targets in the Arabian Peninsula country.
• The Israeli airstrikes — in response to a deadly Houthi drone strike on Tel Aviv — were the first time Israel is known to have responded to repeated Houthi attacks throughout its nine-month war against Hamas.

May 7, 2024: Rafah offensive 

• Israeli tanks enter the periphery of Rafah stoking global fears that an offensive on Gaza’s southernmost city could endanger the more than a million Palestinian civilians sheltering there.

Sept. 10, 2024: Al-Mawasi on Palestinian tent camp 

• Israeli forces shell tent camps for displaced Palestinians outside Gaza’s southern city of Rafah, killing at least 25 people and wounding another 50, according to the territory’s health officials and emergency workers.
• The strike occurred in Muwasi, a sprawl of camps along the coast that Israel designated as a humanitarian zone for hundreds of thousands of displaced civilians to seek shelter Israel-Hamas war.

Oct. 1, 2024: Attack on Hezbollah 

• Iran launches at least 180 missiles into Israel,  the latest in a series of escalating attacks in a yearslong conflict between Israel and Iran and its Arab allies that threatens to push the Middle East closer toward a regionwide war
• The U.N. warned of a potential collapse of the flow of aid to Palestinians from the closure of the Rafah crossing from Egypt and the other main crossing into Gaza, Kerem Shalom, from Israel, at a time when U.N. officials say northern Gaza is experiencing "full-blown famine.".

How many people died in the Israel-Hamas war? 

Israeli strikes have killed over 1,000 people in Lebanon over the past two weeks, nearly a quarter of them women and children, according to the Health Ministry. Hundreds of thousands have fled their homes.

As of Oct. 2, more than 41,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, and just over half the dead have been women and children, according to local health officials.

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What is the latest on Israel’s operations in Lebanon?

Israel’s military called on residents to evacuate Nabatieh, one of the largest cities in southern Lebanon, and other communities north of a U.N. buffer zone established after the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah. Both sides have repeatedly accused the other of border violations.

Nearly 1.2 million people have been displaced from their homes in Lebanon because of the fighting, Lebanese officials said Thursday.

When will the war end?

Israel has said it will continue striking Hezbollah until it is safe for tens of thousands of its citizens displaced from homes near the Lebanon border to return. Hezbollah has vowed to keep firing rockets into Israel until there is a cease-fire in Gaza.

Iran said it would respond to any violation of its sovereignty with even heavier strikes on Israeli infrastructure.

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U.S. President Joe Biden said his administration is "fully supportive" of Israel and that he’s discussing with aides what the appropriate response should be.

Despite several efforts for peace, no end appears to be in sight following Iran’s recent missile attack on Israel.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.