Hamas launches the biggest attack On Israel

On 7 October 2023, Palestinian militant groups from the Gaza Strip launched a large-scale armed offensive against Israel, breaking through the Gaza–Israel barrier and forcing entry into Gaza border crossings, nearby Israeli cities, adjacent military installations, and civilian settlements. It is the first direct conflict within Israel's de jure territory since the 1948 Arab–Israeli War.[11][12] Hostilities were initiated in the early morning with a rocket barrage against Israel and vehicle-transported incursions into Israeli territory, with a number of attacks having been carried out on the Israeli military as well as Israeli civilian communities. Some observers have referred to these events as the beginning of a third Palestinian intifada.[N 1]