October 7, 2023 Attack
On October 7, 2023 (Simchat Torah / Shabbat), Hamas and allied armed groups breached the Gaza–Israel security barrier in a pre-planned, multi-pronged assault. Approximately 3,000 militants entered Israeli territory. 1,200 people were killed — the largest single-day massacre of Jews since the Holocaust — including civilians at kibbutzim (Kfar Aza, Be'eri, Nir Oz, and others), the Nova music festival, and other communities. Approximately 251 people were taken hostage into Gaza. Hamas and its allies filmed and broadcast footage of the attacks, including executions of civilians, abduction of women and children, and desecration of bodies. These events have been independently documented by Israeli government investigators, international journalists, the United Nations, and forensic experts.
Sources
- Israeli Prime Minister's Office official documentation
- https://www.ochaopt.org/ — UN OCHA situation reports, October 2023
- New York Times visual investigations unit
- BBC Verify
- Associated Press
- Times of Israel