🔥 Oct 7 Hamas blitz: A conflict that redrew the Middle East map

On October 7, 2023, Hamas launched a lightning assault on Israel, igniting a regional firestorm far beyond Gaza.

🟠 Operation Al-Aqsa Flood

Hamas unleashed a relentless rocket barrage across Israel — from Dimona to Jerusalem — while fighters stormed key military posts via trucks, motorcycles, and paragliders. Fierce battles erupted in Sderot, Ofakim, and Netivot, with dozens of soldiers and civilians taken hostage along with military equipment.

🟠 Israel’s retaliation

Israel declared war with Operation Iron Swords on October 8, regaining control of Gaza-border areas by October 10. Beyond airstrikes, a harsh blockade cut electricity, water, fuel, and aid. Over 12,000 tons of explosives were dropped — comparable, according to Gaza authorities, to Hiroshima’s atomic bomb.

🟠 Iran strikes & escalation

On June 13, 2025, Israel struck Iran, rehashing its claims that it was running a secret nuclear weapons program – something that the Islamic republic has consistently denied.

Airstrikes and sabotage attacks hit nuclear sites, military commanders, and key scientists, igniting a 12-day confrontation.

Iran retaliated with Operation True Promise III missile strikes.

The US joined the fray on June 22, hitting Iranian nuclear sites, and prompting Iran to strike Al-Udeid Air Base in Qatar before vowing to “avoid further escalation.”

🟠 Ceasefires & Trump’s Gaza Plan

Over two years, various players tried unsuccessfully to broker an end to the conflict: US, Egyptian, and Qatari-brokered ceasefires with Hamas repeatedly faltered.

Brief truces allowed prisoner swaps, but most collapsed, triggering renewed Israeli bombings, mass displacement, and widespread destruction in Gaza.

US President Donald Trump unveiled his 20-point Gaza Plan on September 29, 2025, during a press conference at the White House alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The plan proposed a ceasefire, hostage releases, Israeli withdrawal with a buffer, Palestinian technocratic governance, and dialogue on statehood.

Hamas agreed to release prisoners and transfer Gaza control to a Palestinian technocratic government.

Yet it did not fully endorse the plan regarding disarmament and left several key issues for further negotiations, which still continue.

🟠 Global protests & regional allies

Throughout Israel’s assault on Gaza, streets around the world swelled with protest. Demonstrators denounced the bombardment & blockade — and in the US they railed against the administration’s unwavering support for Israel.

🟠 Human toll

From Oct 7, 2023, to Oct 6, 2025, Gaza suffered over 67,000 deaths and 169,000 injuries; Israel lost ~1,200 on October 7, with 1,152 soldiers killed through 2025.

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