The Israeli response to Hamas’s attacks on 7 October 2023 has killed tens of thousands, left most schools and hospitals in ruins, and caused long-term damage to agricultural land in the territory

Israel began bombing Gaza on 7 October 2023, after Hamas crossed the border, killed about 1,200 people and took 251 others hostage to Gaza.

When ground operations began a week later, most observers inside the country and beyond expected the fighting to last weeks. Instead, it extended for 15 months until Wednesday’s announcement of a ceasefire, to become Israel’s longest war since the 1948 conflict that led to the country’s creation.