Overview

• Hamas opened the assault at 6:29 a.m. with a massive rocket barrage—about 3,900 fired, according to a British parliamentary report—followed by coordinated infiltrations by land, sea and air.
• Attackers overran more than 100 points, including Kfar Aza, Be’eri, Nir Oz, Sderot and the Supernova/Nova festival, where more than 370 people were killed, with reports of sexualized violence.
• Israeli forces arrived hours after the first incursions, with troops reaching hard‑hit Be’eri around 1:30 p.m., and the IDF later acknowledged a “complete failure” in protecting civilians that day.
• Israel reported 1,200-plus people killed and 251 taken hostage on Oct. 7; the military said both civilians and soldiers were abducted from communities and bases.
• Subsequent fighting in Gaza has produced very high Palestinian casualties, with the Hamas-run health ministry reporting more than 66,000 dead, figures not independently verified; Israel now assesses about 47 hostages remain in captivity, with roughly 22 believed alive.