An ongoing armed conflict between Israel and Palestinian militant groups led by Hamas began on 7 October 2023, with a coordinated surprise offensive on Israel. The attack began with a rocket barrage of at least 3,000 rockets launched from the Gaza Strip against Israel. In parallel, Palestinian militants breached the Gaza-Israel barrier, attacking military bases and killing civilians in neighboring Israeli communities. The surprise attack was met with Israeli retaliatory strikes, and Israel formally declared war on Hamas a day later.
Israel began clearing Hamas forces from affected areas and conducting airstrikes in the Gaza Strip, which have killed more than 2,300 Palestinians as of 15 October. The United Nations reported that around 1 million Palestinians, nearly half of the population of Gaza, have been internally displaced.