Timeline of the Gaza War (27 September–16 October 2024)

The period began amid fighting beyond Gaza. On 27 September, an Israeli airstrike in Beirut killed Hezbollah secretary-general Hassan Nasrallah, other senior Hezbollah leaders, and an Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps general. Hezbollah confirmed Nasrallah’s death the following day. The group had begun cross-border rocket attacks after the Hamas-led 7 October 2023 terrorist attack, saying it acted in solidarity with Hamas.[1]

On 27 September, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said, “Hamas as a military formation no longer exists,” while adding that Israel was still fighting Hamas terrorists and pursuing its leadership. A Congressional Research Service (CRS) report also relayed Israel’s assessment that Hamas had been defeated as a conventional military force and was operating as a guerrilla organization. It reported Israel’s claim that approximately 17,000 of an estimated 25,000–30,000 Hamas fighters had been killed; these were attributed Israeli assessments, not independently established totals.[2]

Iran launched a large ballistic-missile attack against Israel on 1 October. The U.S. State Department described the barrage as nearly 200 missiles and said Israel, with direct U.S. and partner assistance, had successfully defeated the attack. At the time of the briefing, it reported no civilian casualties in Israel, one report of a Palestinian killed in the West Bank — known by its original, indigenous Jewish name of Judea and Samaria — and no damage to U.S. facilities.[3] A separate CRS account gave an approximate count of 180 missiles and said the United States, United Kingdom, and France reportedly assisted Israel, while Jordan responded to projectiles entering its airspace.[4]

As of 2 October, CRS reported that more than 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals, including 46 U.S. citizens, had been killed as a result of the 7 October attacks and that Hamas and other terrorist groups had seized about 251 hostages. It attributed a figure of more than 41,000 Palestinian deaths in Gaza to the Hamas-controlled health ministry and noted that the figure presumably included combatants and civilians. The report also recorded at least 346 Israeli soldiers killed in battle since the start of ground operations in Gaza.[2]

As background immediately preceding the timeline, a Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs commentary published on 17 September attributed to Israeli security sources an assessment that Yahya and Muhammad Sinwar were hiding in the Khan Younis area. This was an attributed pre-period assessment rather than a dated event within the timeline.[5]

Overnight between 5 and 6 October, the IDF’s 162nd Division began a renewed ground operation in Jabaliya. The IDF said intelligence and activity on the ground indicated the presence of terrorists and military infrastructure, as well as Hamas efforts to rebuild its capabilities. Combat teams from the 401st and 460th Brigades encircled the area, while aircraft struck weapons depots, underground infrastructure, terrorist cells, and other military sites.[6][7]

Before the ground entry, the IDF said it had struck a Hamas command-and-control center in a compound that had previously served as a UNRWA center, alleging that the site was being used to plan and conduct attacks. The military also announced an expansion of the designated humanitarian area in southern Gaza and identified evacuation routes along Salah al-Din Road and the coastal Rashid Road.[8]

Israeli reporting said several dozen terrorists were killed in the opening phase. A Ynet account described the operation as a surprise entry from opposing directions and relayed Palestinian descriptions of the preceding strikes as a “belt of fire.” It also reported that Hamas’s Ministry of Interior and National Security urged residents of northern Gaza not to evacuate.[7][9]

A Jerusalem Post report estimated that 150,000–250,000 civilians remained in northern Gaza and said the IDF reported that tens of thousands had evacuated. These were reported estimates amid conflicting accounts of the extent and circumstances of civilian movement.[10]

On 6 October, the IDF reported rocket fire from Gaza toward areas near the border, saying one projectile was intercepted and the others fell in open areas. The report gave no casualty or damage figures. IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi described the conflict as a long war requiring perseverance and said that Israel had defeated Hamas’s military wing but continued to fight its remaining capabilities.[8]

A CRS summary placed the renewed operation amid continued urban warfare, Israeli strikes, Hamas’s military use of civilian infrastructure, low levels of humanitarian aid, and increasing disorder in parts of Gaza. The stated rationale, target descriptions, and reported terrorist death tolls were principally Israeli military claims.[11]

At 6:31 a.m. on 7 October 2024, four rockets were fired from Gaza toward Israel. The IDF said three were intercepted and one landed in an open area. Later that morning, five rockets were fired from the Khan Younis area toward central Israel. Hamas claimed responsibility; one rocket fell in an open area in Holon, and two women sustained mild shrapnel injuries in Kfar Chabad.[12][13]

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken marked the anniversary by saying that the 2023 attack had taken more than 1,200 lives and led to 254 people being taken hostage. He said 97 hostages, including seven Americans, were estimated to remain in Gaza and called for a ceasefire agreement that would return the hostages and alleviate suffering for Israelis and Palestinians.[14]

From 7 to 14 October, the IDF reported operations in Jabaliya, central Gaza’s al-Bureij area, Rafah, and along the Philadelphi Axis. An account based on IDF statements said Israeli aircraft attacked more than 70 targets during the week. In Jabaliya, the IDF said its forces found weapons and ammunition and killed approximately 250 terrorists between 8 and 12 October. The same account recorded four Israeli soldiers killed in combat from 8 to 14 October, three by an explosive device in Jabaliya and one in southern Gaza.[15]

The report also recorded six rockets fired from Gaza between 8 and 12 October, most of them intercepted, with Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad claiming responsibility. It reported that a UAV from Gaza was intercepted on 10 October and that Hamas later released a video purporting to show a UAV striking an IDF force near Khan Younis.[15]

On 3 October, the IDF and Shin Bet announced that an overnight strike in Deir al-Balah had killed Aziz Salha, whom they identified as a participant in the 2000 lynching of two Israeli reservists in Ramallah. The agencies also confirmed the earlier deaths of Hamas officials Rawhi Mushtaha, Sameh al-Siraj, and Sami Odeh in a strike on a fortified underground compound. Hamas had not confirmed those deaths at the time of the announcement.[16]

On 10 October, the IDF and Shin Bet announced that a 9 October strike on a command center in Jabaliya had killed 12 Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorists, including several alleged participants in the 7 October attack. They said the site had previously served medical purposes and that precautions were taken to reduce civilian harm.[17]

A separate 9 October strike hit the Rufaida School in Deir al-Balah, which was sheltering displaced people. Medical officials initially reported at least 21 people killed; the Palestinian Red Crescent later reported 28 dead and 54 wounded. The IDF said terrorist operatives were using a command post at the site and that precise munitions, surveillance, and intelligence were employed to reduce civilian risk. The reporting said it was unclear how many of those killed were operatives.[17]

Humanitarian access became a prominent subject of dispute during the renewed northern operation. On 11 October, UNRWA announced the distribution of tarpaulins to displaced people, beginning with families of more than 11 members. COGAT said Gaza had 13 active bakeries producing 3.1 million pitas daily: five in northern Gaza producing 1.3 million and eight in central Gaza producing 1.8 million. These production figures were attributed to COGAT.[15]

On 12 October, the IDF called on residents of Area D5, north of Gaza City, to evacuate south via Salah al-Din Street.[15] The IDF said its forces had killed more than 20 terrorists in Jabaliya during the preceding day. Palestinian medics reported at least 19 deaths in Jabaliya over 24 hours, while the Hamas-run health ministry reported about 150 deaths across northern Gaza during the preceding week. The reporting noted that the ministry’s figures were unverified and did not distinguish combatants from civilians.[18]

Accounts of aid entering northern Gaza differed. On 12 October, the UN said no food aid had entered the north since 1 October, while the World Food Programme said the principal crossing had been closed for about two weeks. COGAT denied that Israel had halted aid entry or coordination and said aid would continue to enter northern Gaza.[18] A CRS account cited a UN official who said no food entered from 2 to 15 October, when only a limited amount was allowed in.[11]

On 13 October, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin sent a letter to Israeli ministers Yoav Gallant and Ron Dermer. It called for immediate and 30-day measures to increase assistance and warned that failure to demonstrate a sustained commitment could affect U.S. policy under existing law.[11] The letter cited halted commercial imports, impediments to humanitarian movements between northern and southern Gaza, and other restrictions as contributing to worsening conditions.[19]

On 14 October, Israeli authorities said 30 trucks carrying World Food Programme flour and food entered northern Gaza through the Erez West Crossing, apparently the first such delivery since the renewed offensive began.[20] The following day, the State Department confirmed that Erez had reopened for direct aid to northern Gaza for the first time in several weeks. Spokesperson Matthew Miller said recent operations, closed northern gates, and restrictions on moving aid north had made conditions “extremely, extremely dire.”[21]

The Jewish Virtual Library reported that, as of 15 October, 1,081,294 tons of humanitarian supplies, equivalent to 54,786 trucks, had been delivered to Gaza since 7 October 2023. Its breakdown included 837,440 tons of food, 51,610 tons of water, 27,327 tons of medical supplies, 78,725 tons of shelter equipment, 23,790 tons of cooking gas, and 29,155,044 liters of fuel. These cumulative figures do not by themselves establish how much aid reached particular areas at particular times.[19]

A CRS account cited a September–October 2024 food-security assessment finding that more than 1.8 million of Gaza’s 2.1 million people were experiencing high levels of acute food insecurity and that the risk of famine persisted.[11]

On 14 October, a strike hit a tent area inside the Al-Aqsa Hospital compound in Deir al-Balah. Palestinian media reported three people killed and 40 injured; the IDF said it struck terrorists operating from a command center inside the compound. The White House said it had raised concerns over images of displaced civilians burning after nearby tents caught fire.[20]

The second round of Gaza’s polio-vaccination campaign began on 14 October, initially focusing on children under 10 in central Gaza. Approximately 560,000 children had received a dose in the first round.[20] After two days, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said 156,943 children had received a second dose and 128,121 had received vitamin A supplements.[22]

The Jabaliya operation continued through the period, with Israeli reporting describing raids, close-range engagements, airstrikes, weapons seizures, and the destruction of tunnel shafts. On 14 October, the IDF said its 401st Brigade had raided dozens of sites, killed dozens of terrorists, seized weapons, and located and destroyed tunnel shafts.[23]

On 16 October, the IDF said an airstrike had killed Mahmoud al-Mabhouh, whom it identified as the commander of Hamas’s drone operations in northern Gaza. It said he had directed drone attacks against Israel and Israeli troops. The same report said Division 162 forces killed terrorists in close-range encounters and airstrikes in Jabaliya, while Nahal Brigade forces in Rafah killed an armed cell using attack drones.[24]

Israeli forces reported attacking approximately 240 targets in Gaza and Lebanon combined during the preceding 24 hours. About 200 were reported in Lebanon, making the 240 figure a combined regional count rather than a Gaza-only total. In Gaza, Division 162 was reported to be operating in Jabaliya and the southern Strip, killing terrorists and locating weapons.[24]

Humanitarian deliveries were also reported on 16 October. Fifty Jordanian trucks carrying food, water, medical equipment, and shelter supplies were transferred to northern Gaza after security inspections, according to Globes. The report said the transfer followed instructions from Israel’s political leadership.[24]

Yahya Sinwar, Hamas’s leader in Gaza since 2017 and its overall political leader since August 2024, was killed during fighting in the Tel al-Sultan area of Rafah on 16 October.[25][26] Israeli accounts said the troops had not specifically set out to target him and did not initially know his identity.

According to the IDF account reported by the Long War Journal, soldiers from the 828th Brigade, supported by the 460th Brigade, encountered three terrorists who fired at them and threw grenades. The encounter began at about 10 a.m. and continued into the afternoon. The three separated, and a drone located one of them on the second floor of a building. Israeli forces fired on the structure.[25]

Soldiers entered the building on the morning of 17 October and found a body later identified as Sinwar. Israeli authorities confirmed his identity through DNA testing, dental records, and fingerprints. The IDF and Shin Bet announcement said Sinwar had been killed on 16 October and that Brigade 828 had killed three terrorists during the operation.[25][27]

The killing is therefore dated to 16 October, while discovery, identification, confirmation, and the Israeli prime minister’s public announcement occurred on 17 October. The Jewish Virtual Library’s war timeline dates the killing to 16 October, while its Sinwar biography gives 17 October, apparently reflecting the distinction between the firefight and confirmation.[28][26]

Israeli forces also killed Mahmoud Hamdan, whom the IDF identified as commander of Hamas’s Tel al-Sultan Battalion, approximately 200 meters from where Sinwar was killed. The IDF later said an earlier assessment that Hamdan had died weeks before was mistaken.[25]

The interval combined a renewed Israeli campaign in northern Gaza with continued fighting in Rafah, rocket and UAV attacks, regional escalation involving Hezbollah and Iran, and mounting diplomatic pressure over aid access. Israel presented the Jabaliya operation as a response to Hamas efforts to rebuild military capabilities, while reported military and civilian effects remained disputed.[6][11]

Sinwar’s killing was a major leadership loss for Hamas and ended the timeline on a militarily significant event, but it did not end fighting in Gaza. Operations continued in Jabaliya and Rafah, rockets were still being launched, hostages remained in captivity, and vaccination and aid efforts were ongoing.[14][22][24]

The distinction between Sinwar’s death on 16 October and its confirmation on 17 October is essential to the timeline’s endpoint. His death fell within the period; the identification and official announcement did not.[25][27]

Sources describing the period differ in their precision, institutional perspective, and treatment of contested claims. The State Department described Iran’s 1 October attack as involving nearly 200 missiles, while CRS used an approximate count of 180.[3][4] Israeli military sources supplied most figures for terrorists killed, targets struck, and weapons found, while Palestinian medical and Hamas-controlled authorities supplied many civilian casualty totals.[2][15]

Humanitarian reporting also measured different questions. Cumulative delivery figures described the volume of supplies entering Gaza over the course of the war, whereas UN, U.S., and World Food Programme statements focused on interruptions and distribution in northern Gaza during particular days.[11][19][21]

Sinwar’s death produced a narrower chronological discrepancy: sources giving 16 October refer to the firefight and killing, while those giving 17 October generally refer to discovery, identification, confirmation, or announcement. A dated timeline should preserve that distinction rather than treat the two dates as irreconcilable accounts.[25][28][26]