Politics
Key moments in Israel-Hamas war
US President Donald Trump says Israel and Hamas have agreed the first phase of a Gaza peace plan after more than two years of war that killed tens of thousands and unleashed a major humanitarian crisis.
Here are some of the key moments in the conflict:
Hamas attacks
Hundreds of Hamas fighters infiltrate Israel at dawn on October 7, 2023, storming southern Israeli communities and a desert music festival with gunfire, rockets and grenades.
It results in the deaths of 1,219 people on the Israeli side, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.
They seize 251 hostages and take them back to Gaza. Israel´s military says 47 remain, many of them dead.
Ground offensive
Israel begins bombing and besieging Gaza. On October 13, it calls on civilians in the territory´s north to move south.
Almost all Gazans have been displaced during the war, according to the UN.
Israel begins a ground offensive on October 27.
More than two years later, Israel’s military campaign has killed at least 67,183 people, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory, figures the United Nations considers credible.
The data does not distinguish between civilians and combatants but indicates that more than half of the dead are women and children.
Truce and hostage swap
A week-long truce between Israel and Hamas begins on November 24.
Hamas releases 105 hostages, mostly Israeli but also Thai workers, in return for 240 Palestinians held in Israeli prisons.
When the war resumes, Israel expands its operations into southern Gaza.
Regional spillover
Iran pounds Israel on April 13, 2024, with drones and missiles — its first-ever direct assault on Israel´s soil. The strikes are retaliation for an attack on its Damascus consulate, blamed on Israel.
Israel bombards a Yemeni port on July 20 after a drone attack on Tel Aviv by Iran-backed Huthi rebels who have been targeting shipping since November 2023 in solidarity with Gaza.
On September 17 and 18, hundreds of pagers and walkie-talkies used by Lebanese group Hezbollah exploded in an Israeli operation that Lebanese authorities say killed 39 and wounded thousands.
Israel escalates its air campaign in Lebanon and, on September 27, kills Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in southern Beirut.
Israel launches days later a ground offensive in southern Lebanon.
On October 1, Iran fired a barrage of 200 missiles at Israel in response to the killing of Nasrallah and Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh, assassinated on Iranian territory in July.
ICC warrants
On November 14, a United Nations Special Committee says Israel´s warfare in Gaza is consistent with the characteristics of “genocide”. Israel accuses the UN of bias.
The International Criminal Court issues on November 21 arrest warrants for Netanyahu, former defence minister Yoav Gallant, and Hamas military chief Mohammed Deif (likely already dead, as Hamas will confirm months later). Israel appeals.
Second ceasefire begins
A long-awaited truce between Israel and Hamas begins on January 19, 2025, allowing hundreds of thousands of war-weary displaced Palestinians to return to their homes.
When the first six-week phase ends on March 1, 33 Israeli hostages — including eight bodies — have been freed in exchange for some 1,800 Palestinians.
Israel allows more humanitarian aid into Gaza, which the UN says faces famine, but then cuts it off on March 2.
Israel-Iran war
Israel strikes Iranian nuclear and military installations on June 13, starting a 12-day conflict.
Washington enters the fray on June 22, hitting three nuclear sites. Two days later, a fragile ceasefire announced by Trump comes into effect.
Israel hits Qatar
Israel targets Hamas officials on September 9 in strikes on the capital of Qatar, a key mediator in the conflict in Gaza.
The strikes are condemned by the international community.
Shortly afterwards, Israel´s army launches a major ground operation in Gaza City.
Trump announces deal
Trump announces on October 8 that Israel and Hamas have agreed to the first phase of his peace plan.
The deal will see all hostages released and Israel redeploying troops to an agreed-upon line, with aid also entering the famine-stricken region.