On October 7, 2023, Hamas and allied armed groups carried out a coordinated attack on Israel from the Gaza Strip that involved thousands of rockets launched into Israeli territory and fighters breaching the border into multiple communities, resulting in the deaths of approximately 1,200 people, many of them civilians, and the taking of hundreds of hostages. This assault struck residential areas, kibbutzim, and public gatherings and has been documented by multiple historical accounts and fact‑checked reporting as an offensive operation initiated by Hamas, not a defensive move in response to an Israeli action. After the Hamas attack began in the morning, Israel responded with extensive military operations in Gaza, which have caused very large numbers of casualties and destruction in the territory since that date. Claims that “Israel murdered their own people on October 7” are not supported by recognized historical or investigative sources; the widely reported figures attribute the initial casualties that day to the Hamas‑led incursion and rocket attacks on Israeli communities, and independent analyses of the conflict dynamics confirm that this was a militant assault that triggered the subsequent wider war.
Links - Encyclopaedia Britannica – October 7 attack
HISTORY.com – Hamas launches deadliest attack in Israeli history
Statista – Israeli fatalities on October 7 by status
