Timeline of the Gaza War

The immediate trigger for Israel’s Gaza campaign was the coordinated terrorist assault launched from Gaza on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, during Shabbat and Simchat Torah.[3] Hamas terrorists and other attackers crossed the border by land, sea and air, striking communities and military bases, killing civilians, burning homes and taking hostages.[3] The Nova music festival near Re’im was among the sites attacked.[5]

Israel subsequently defined its military objectives as returning the hostages, dismantling Hamas and preventing renewed attacks from Gaza.[1] Its stated aims also included destroying the military and governing capabilities of Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad.[2] These objectives linked the military campaign to a continuing hostage crisis and to negotiations over the conditions for halting the fighting.[1]

October 7–18, 2023: Attack and Initial Response

The assault began with thousands of rockets and breaches of Israel’s fortified border at numerous points.[1][2] About 1,200 people were killed; approved accounts give hostage totals ranging from 251 to 253.[1][2] The hostages included men, women and children; Israelis, Americans and other foreign nationals; and Jews, Muslims and Christians.[3] The attack included reported rape and sexual assault.[2]

Israel formally declared war on October 8.[2] Hezbollah began shelling Israel that day, opening another arena of hostilities.[7] On October 9, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant announced a total blockade of Gaza and the mobilization of 300,000 reservists.[7]

On October 12, Benny Gantz’s National Unity party joined the government and a smaller war cabinet was established alongside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Gallant.[5] Before the ground campaign, Netanyahu promised to “destroy the enemy above ground and below ground.”[8]

U.S. President Joe Biden visited Israel on October 18, the first wartime visit to Israel by a sitting American president.[7] U.S. military measures during this period included deploying two aircraft-carrier strike groups to the region and placing a 2,000-person rapid-response team on high alert.[7]

October–November 2023: Ground Offensive and First Releases

Hamas released Judith and Natalie Raanan on October 20 and Yocheved Lifshitz and Nurit Cooper on October 23, following international mediation.[5] These were the first four hostages freed during the war, with Qatar mediating their release.[1]

Israel began its sustained ground operation in northern Gaza on October 27, following an initial campaign of airstrikes, artillery fire and more limited infantry raids.[7] Israeli forces first took the Netzarim Corridor south of Gaza City and then concentrated on Hamas battalions in northern Gaza.[9] Israel laid siege to Gaza City the following week.[7] Approximately 350,000 reservists were called up during the initial mobilization.[1]

On October 30, the IDF and Shin Bet rescued surveillance soldier Ori Megidish alive in a nighttime operation.[5] This was the war’s first successful Israeli hostage rescue.[1] On November 15, Israeli forces entered Shifa Hospital, Gaza’s largest medical facility, and reported finding weapons caches, tunnel shafts and command facilities.[7]

Following mediation by the United States, Egypt and Qatar, Israel and Hamas agreed to a temporary ceasefire and hostage-prisoner exchange.[7] The pause began on November 24 and lasted one week. More than 100 Israeli and foreign hostages were released in exchange for approximately 240 Palestinian prisoners, while humanitarian aid entered Gaza.[1][5] Fighting resumed on December 1.[5]

December 2023–January 2024: Operations Move South

After the pause, Israel redirected its offensive from Gaza City toward the southern half of the Strip.[7] Israeli forces entered Khan Yunis on December 6 and launched a ground offensive in central Gaza on December 26.[7]

On December 15, Israeli forces mistakenly shot three Israeli hostages—Alon Shamriz, Samer Talalka and Yotam Haim—in Shuja’iyya after identifying them as a threat.[10] The men had escaped their captors and emerged shirtless, waving a white flag and calling for help in Hebrew.[10] They had also put up signs reading “Help,” “SOS” and “3 hostages.”[10]

Israeli troops remained in Gaza through the end of 2023.[2] By then, the military campaign had disrupted much of Hamas’s de facto control, apart from pockets in southern Gaza to which Hamas members and other terrorist groups had withdrawn ahead of the advance from the north.[2]

On January 1, 2024, Israel announced that it was beginning to draw down forces and shift northern Gaza operations from major combat toward suppressing an insurgency.[7] By the end of January, most of Khan Yunis had been subdued, and Israeli operations there became less intense.[9]

January–April 2024: Rescues and Humanitarian Measures

Israeli police, Shin Bet and IDF special forces rescued Fernando Marman and Louis Har from an apartment in Rafah on February 12.[5] On February 23, Netanyahu presented broad postwar guidelines calling for an Israeli buffer zone, continuing Israeli security freedom of action, Gaza’s demilitarization and civilian administration by experienced local officials.[7] These were general principles rather than a detailed governing framework.[7]

The United States began an airdrop campaign with Jordan on March 2, using three cargo planes to deliver almost 40,000 ready-to-eat meals.[7] Other countries, including the United Kingdom and France, had already conducted airdrops.[7] Israeli forces withdrew from Khan Yunis in April, before the subsequent campaign in Rafah.[9]

May 2024: Rafah and a New Ceasefire Proposal

On May 6, Israel issued evacuation orders for residents of eastern Rafah and began operating there.[5] Israeli forces took control of the Palestinian side of the Rafah crossing on May 7 and established operational control over the Philadelphi Corridor along the Gaza–Egypt border later that month.[5] Israel subsequently reported finding more than 50 cross-border tunnels in the Rafah area.[7]

On May 31, Biden unveiled a three-phase proposal involving a ceasefire, hostage releases and Gaza’s reconstruction.[1]

June–August 2024: Hostage Rescue and Leadership Strikes

Israeli forces rescued Noa Argamani, Almog Meir Jan, Andrey Kozlov and Shlomi Ziv from two apartments in Nuseirat on June 8.[1] The officer leading the mission, Arnon Zmora, was fatally wounded; the mission became known as Operation Arnon.[1][5] At that point, 120 hostages remained unaccounted for, including some who had died in captivity, and more than 300 Israeli soldiers had been killed since the war began.[7]

The ceasefire proposal announced by Biden was later endorsed by the United Nations.[1] An Israeli strike killed Hamas military commander Mohammed Deif on July 13, and Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh was killed in Tehran on July 31.[10]

The Rafah campaign continued into August, when the Rafah Hamas brigade was declared defeated.[9] Israeli forces rescued Farhan al-Qadi from a tunnel in southern Gaza on August 27.[5] On August 31, they recovered six hostages’ bodies from a Rafah tunnel; their deaths were announced on September 1.[5] The ADL reported that they had been executed by gunfire shortly before their discovery.[1]

October–November 2024: Sinwar’s Death and Legal Proceedings

Israeli forces killed Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar in a firefight in southern Gaza on October 16.[1] Sinwar, identified as the mastermind of the October 7 attack, had been a principal target of Israel’s manhunt.[7]

On November 21, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant on allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity.[11] The warrants represented legal allegations rather than convictions.

January–February 2025: Ceasefire and Exchanges

Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire and hostage-release framework on January 15, 2025, and officially signed it on January 16.[12] The ceasefire took effect on January 19 after mediation by the United States, Qatar and Egypt.[7]

Its initial phase was scheduled to last 42 days and included a temporary halt to fighting, staged exchanges, Israeli withdrawal from populated areas, the return of displaced residents and increased humanitarian aid.[12] The agreement specified 600 aid trucks daily and provided for 33 Israeli hostages, living or deceased, to be released during the first phase.[12]

On January 19, three Israeli women were released, and Israel released 90 Palestinian prisoners.[7] The agreement also provided for displaced Gazans to begin returning north on its seventh day.[12]

March–May 2025: Renewed Fighting and Expanded Ground Operations

The first phase ended in early March without a follow-on agreement. Israel resumed large-scale attacks on March 18 after Hamas declined to release additional hostages or extend the first phase.[7] The campaign, called Operation Strength and Sword by Jewish Virtual Library, began with extensive strikes on Hamas commanders, leadership figures and infrastructure.[13] Israeli forces subsequently moved to retake the Netzarim Corridor.[13] The opening strikes killed senior Hamas civilian and military figures.[5]

The renewed campaign expanded military zones, evacuation orders and clearing operations.[1] Israel blocked humanitarian aid from March until May as pressure on Hamas to release hostages.[1] The aid halt drew widespread criticism, while the Israeli government disputed accusations concerning its conduct.[14]

On May 5, Israel’s Security Cabinet approved an expanded plan to capture areas of Gaza and move civilians south.[7] On May 12, Hamas released U.S.-Israeli soldier Edan Alexander during a U.S.-brokered stand-down.[7] Hamas subsequently rejected a 60-day ceasefire package accepted by Israel.[7]

Operation Gideon’s Chariots expanded the ground offensive on May 18 into central and southern Gaza, including Deir al-Balah, Nuseirat and Rafah.[5] Its stated objectives included seizing strategically important territory, destroying underground infrastructure and dismantling remaining Hamas battalions in central Gaza.[5]

August–September 2025: Gaza City and the Doha Strike

On August 8, Israel’s Security Cabinet approved a plan to take control of Gaza City, with an announced target date of October 7.[13] The plan provided time for residents to evacuate south.[13] Ministers listed Hamas’s disarmament, the return of hostages, Gaza’s demilitarization, continued Israeli security control and civilian administration excluding Hamas and the Palestinian Authority as conditions for ending the war.[13]

On August 20, Israel launched Gideon’s Chariot II, aimed at destroying Hamas infrastructure and ending its presence in Gaza City.[1] Before the October ceasefire, 48 hostages remained in Gaza, of whom 20 were believed alive.[14]

Israel struck Hamas political leaders in Doha on September 9 while they were meeting to discuss a U.S.-sponsored ceasefire proposal.[1] Five Hamas members and a Qatari internal-security officer were killed, but the principal targets survived.[1] The strike was widely condemned and was followed by pressure from President Donald Trump and Qatari mediators for the parties to accept a ceasefire.[1]

On September 29, Trump announced a 20-point plan encompassing the release of the remaining hostages, Hamas’s disarmament, reconstruction under international oversight and a political framework for Gaza’s future.[4]

October 2025: Agreement and Final Living Hostages

Indirect negotiations mediated by the United States, Egypt, Qatar and Turkey produced a ceasefire based on Trump’s plan.[4] Israel, Hamas and mediators signed implementation steps for its first phase on October 9, and the ceasefire entered into effect on October 10.[4] The initial measures included partial Israeli withdrawal, suspension of operations in those areas, increased humanitarian aid and exchanges of hostages, prisoners and detainees.[4]

Israeli forces completed their initial withdrawal to the designated Yellow Line on October 10, beginning a 72-hour period for the hostage release.[15] Addressing a crowd in Tel Aviv’s Hostage Square before the releases, U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff said, “I dreamed of this night.”[1]

On October 13, Hamas released the final 20 living Israeli hostages held in Gaza.[4] Israel released 250 Palestinian prisoners and 1,718 Palestinians from Gaza who had been detained without charges or trial since October 7, 2023.[4] Released hostages and prisoners described serious ill-treatment and abuse.[4]

The agreement also covered the return of deceased hostages. Four bodies were returned on October 13, and by December 2 Hamas had returned 27 of the 28 deceased hostages, while Israel had returned 345 Palestinian bodies to Gaza.[4][11]

Late 2025–January 2026: Implementation and Last Hostage Recovery

The ceasefire reduced hostilities but did not eliminate violence.[4] Two Israeli soldiers were killed in Rafah on October 19 and another on October 28, with Israeli attacks following those incidents.[4] Limited Israeli operations and airstrikes and sporadic attacks by Palestinian terrorist groups continued through the reporting period ending December 2.[4]

Hamas reportedly carried out public executions on October 13 of people it accused of collaboration with Israel or participation in internal fighting.[4] Clashes between Hamas and other armed actors intensified after the partial Israeli disengagement.[4] On November 17, the Security Council endorsed the comprehensive plan through Resolution 2803.[4]

On January 14, 2026, the United States announced the plan’s second phase, described as a transition toward demilitarization, technocratic governance and reconstruction, including establishment of the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza.[16] On January 26, Israeli forces recovered the body of police sergeant Ran Gvili in northern Gaza.[17] He was the last hostage remaining in Gaza, completing the return of the living and deceased hostages.[5]

The October 2025 agreement left Gaza’s future governance and Hamas’s disarmament unresolved.[15] Hamas forces reappeared publicly after the ceasefire, while Israeli forces continued to operate against perceived threats and violations.[15] By November 12, 2026, negotiations over Gaza’s future remained stalled, Hamas had not begun handing over its weapons, and Israeli strikes were continuing.[6]

Israeli-controlled and restricted areas changed during implementation. Maps shared with aid organizations in mid-March 2026 showed a restricted Orange Line beyond the original Yellow Line, with the restricted area estimated at approximately 64% of Gaza.[15] Israel disputed claims that civilians were affected by the changes.[15]

Military actions continued during 2026.[11][18] Hamas Gaza chief and military leader Izz al-Din al-Haddad was killed in May.[11] For October 16–November 5, the IDF reported 52 ceasefire violations by Hamas and other Palestinian terrorist groups, alongside Israeli strikes on operatives and weapons sites.[18]

On November 12, an Israeli strike hit a building at Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis.[6] The IDF said it targeted a senior Hamas figure and other members advancing attacks from the hospital, which it described as being used for military activity.[6] Gaza officials reported at least six deaths and more than 20 injuries, while the hospital director said intensive-care and surgery departments were damaged.[6]

The humanitarian and reconstruction consequences were extensive.[14] By December 2, 2025, Gaza’s Ministry of Health reported at least 70,112 Palestinian deaths and 170,986 injuries since October 7, 2023, including at least 356 deaths since the October ceasefire began.[4] These figures were attributed to the ministry in the United Nations report.[4]

The conflict also developed a wider regional dimension.[14] Hezbollah intensified rocket attacks from Lebanon; Houthi forces targeted Israeli- and Western-linked shipping in the Red Sea; and Iran-backed militias increased their activity in Syria and Iraq.[14] Direct Israel–Iran hostilities in June 2025 included Israeli strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities and infrastructure and Iranian missile and drone attacks on Israel.[14]

The October 7 Bearing Witness Archive preserves testimony, photographs, recordings and documents concerning the attack, the subsequent war and responses in Israel and Jewish communities worldwide.[19] Its interactive map connects materials to Gaza-border communities, military bases, the festival near Re’im and roads between those locations.[19] The page describes approximately 44 terabytes gathered from about 1,500 internet addresses, while a headline display gives the collection size as 40 terabytes.[19]

Survivor testimony gives a personal dimension to the chronology.[19] Recalling her escape from the festival area, Mor Levi said: “It felt like I was inside a movie, running and fleeing with the friends I’d met at the party the night before.”[19]

The war’s chronology encompasses both the return of every hostage and an incomplete transition from combat to a durable political and security arrangement.[5][6] The recovery of Ran Gvili on January 26, 2026, closed the hostage crisis, but later developments continued to involve Israeli strikes, terrorist-group activity and stalled governance negotiations.[3][6]

The Gaza City offensive planned in 2025 faced opposition within Israel and internationally over risks to the remaining hostages and humanitarian consequences.[13] Responsibility for the collapse of ceasefires, allegations concerning military use of medical facilities, civilian protection and restrictions on humanitarian access remained disputed.[7][14] The International Criminal Court’s November 2024 warrants reflected serious legal allegations rather than convictions.[11]

Accounts also differ over whether the October 2025 agreement constituted the war’s end or a ceasefire with unfinished security and political terms.[5][6] Subsequent strikes and stalled disarmament negotiations make a single definitive endpoint inadequate to describe all later developments.[6] Casualty totals and reported ceasefire violations therefore retain their dates and attribution to the authorities making those claims.[4][18]