“How the Israel-Gaza conflict is unfolding in maps, graphics and videos”, The Washington Post
October 13, 2023
It has been nearly a week since Hamas militants crossed into Israel on a murderous rampage, killing more than 1,300 people and taking hostages — the start of a bloody and unpredictable new chapter in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The Israeli military has responded by pummeling the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip with airstrikes, killing more than 1,500 Palestinians, and massing troops along the border in preparation for a ground offensive.
The week has brought fear, destruction and uncertainty for millions in the region. Here’s how the events unfolded.
Day 1 Saturday, Oct. 7
Day of the attack
Early Saturday morning, under the cover of thousands of rockets, Hamas militants breached Israel’s high-tech “smart wall” and went on a killing rampage in small towns across southern Israel.
How Hamas breached Israel’s ‘Iron Wall’
The ambush took Israeli forces by surprise. Officials said the attackers overran more than 20 communities. It took the military 10 hours to arrive in some towns. By that point, hundreds of civilians were already dead. Militants are believed to have taken more than 100 hostages into Gaza.
Maps and videos show how the deadly surprise attack on Israel unfolded
The ambush took Israeli forces by surprise. Officials said the attackers overran more than 20 communities. It took the military 10 hours to arrive in some towns. By that point, hundreds of civilians were already dead. Militants are believed to have taken more than 100 hostages into Gaza.
Day 2 Sunday, Oct. 8
Fighting continues, death toll rises
Fighting continued with militant holdouts inside Israel as the country formally declared war on Hamas. Hezbollah, the Lebanese militant group that is allied with Hamas, fired dozens of rockets into northern Israel.
The Israel Defense Forces launched a punishing campaign of airstrikes on Gaza, displacing thousands of people in the first 24 hours.
Day 3 Monday, Oct. 9
A ‘complete siege’ of Gaza
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant ordered a “complete siege” of Gaza, saying Israel would cut off supplies of power, food and gas.
Gazans have lived for 16 years under an Israeli blockade supported by Egypt and are heavily dependent on Israel for electricity and other basic services. Cutting off gas and power could leave many residents not only without electricity, but also without clean drinking water, proper sanitation and health care.
Israel ordered a ‘complete siege’ of Gaza. Here’s what that looks like.
U.N. human rights chief Volker Türk would a day later condemn the siege, saying that depriving civilians of “goods essential for their survival is prohibited under international humanitarian law.”
The two main sources of electricity in Gaza are Israel’s electricity company, which supplies power through 10 lines, and the Gaza power plant, which frequently runs at partial capacity because of its reliance on inefficient diesel fuel. Gaza has not been able to obtain electricity from Egypt for several years.
As airstrikes on Gaza continued, fleeing Palestinians saw their last hope erased. Strikes near the Rafah crossing with Egypt, the last route out of the territory, closed the checkpoint indefinitely, leaving civilians with nowhere to go.