• How did war break out? On Saturday, October 7, 2023—Shabbat and Simchat Torah—Hamas launched a surprise attack in the south of Israel from the Gaza Strip. Thousands of Hamas fighters breached Israel’s borders and attacked Israeli cities, towns, kibbutzim, and army bases by land, air, and sea killing civilians, burning homes and property, and taking hostages into Gaza. More than 1200 people were brutally murdered, including hundreds at a music festival, and more than 250 people were taken hostage. Many of these events were captured in videos that have circulated on social media, including those showing Hamas terrorists dragging civilians into vehicles to take them back to Gaza.

    On Sunday, October 8th, the Israeli government declared a state of war and on October 27th the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) invaded Gaza. There has been heavy fighting in Gaza between IDF and Hamas forces since then and Hamas and other terrorist groups have launched more than 19,000 rockets at Israel since October 7th. On Saturday, October 7, 2023—Shabbat and Simchat Torah—Hamas launched a surprise attack in the south of Israel from the Gaza Strip. Thousands of Hamas fighters breached Israel’s borders and attacked Israeli cities, towns, kibbutzim, and army bases by land, air, and sea killing civilians, burning homes and property, and taking hostages into Gaza. More than 1200 people were brutally murdered, including hundreds at a music festival, and more than 250 people were taken hostage. Many of these events were captured in videos that have circulated on social media, including those showing Hamas terrorists dragging civilians into vehicles to take them back to Gaza. 
  • What happened to the hostages that were taken on October 7th? On October 7th, 251 hostages (chatufim in Hebrew) were taken from Israel into Gaza. The hostages include men, women, and children; Israelis, Americans, and Foreign Nationals; and Jews, Muslims, and Christians. Since the 7th, Israel has gotten some of the hostages back in rescue missions and some were released during a week-long ceasefire in November 2023. Some of the hostages were rescued alive and other dead bodies were discovered and taken back to Israel for proper burial. As this war and hostage rescue efforts are ongoing, the number of hostages still in Gaza continues to change. See here for current information.
  • What is the significance of this war?  Proportionally, civilian casualties are the highest in any Israeli war since 1948. U.S. Special Antisemitism Envoy Deborah Lipstadt, among the most renowned Holocaust scholars in the world, called the Hamas attacks “the most lethal assault against Jews since the Holocaust.” Lipstadt said there is “no justification” for the “heinous, barbaric terrorism against Israeli civilians.”
  • What is Hamas? Hamas is an Islamic militant group that is dedicated to destroying Israel. Hamas is funded by Iran, which provides it with money, weapons, and training. Since 2007, it has been the governing force in the Gaza Strip. Hamas has fired thousands of rockets at Israel, carried out other deadly attacks, and engaged in several military operations against Israel since 2007. Israel has retaliated with air strikes, and, together with Egypt, has blockaded the Gaza Strip, controlling all of its borders and who and what can enter or exit, for security purposes. Hamas is designated as a terrorist group by Israel and Western powers, including the United States, Canada, the UK, Australia, and the European Union
  • What and where is the Gaza Strip?  The Gaza Strip is an enclave that is home to more than 2 million Palestinians and has one of the highest population densities in the world. It lies between Israel, Egypt, and the Mediterranean Sea. Israel gained control in 1967 and withdrew unilaterally from the territory in 2005. Since then, Israel has controlled the air space and controls the border crossing to Israel. Egypt controls its border with Gaza.