(MENAFN- Live Mint) Monday marks the one-year anniversary of the Hamas-led militant attacks on Israel that led to the onset of the Israel-Gaza war. On October 7, 2023, hundreds of Hamas fighters launched a“surprise attack”, breaching the heavily fortified Gaza border to infiltrate Jewish towns and cities, resulting in the deaths of 1,205 individuals on the Israeli side.

Soon after the attack, Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu told his countrymen in a televised address,“We are at war, not in an operation or in rounds, but at war. This morning, Hamas launched a murderous surprise attack against the State of Israel and its citizens. We have been in this since the early morning hours.”

Moreover, Hamas took over 250 people hostage.

In response, Israel initiated a comprehensive military campaign in the Gaza Strip from land, sea, and air, leading to the deaths of at least 41,788 people, the majority of whom were civilians.

Here is a timeline of how the events unfolded on October 7, 2023:

The attack commenced at 6:15 a.m. on October 7, when hundreds of armed Hamas militants entered Israeli towns, with some seen driving in jeeps.

As the militants pursued them, Israelis fled their vehicles to nearby fields, where many sought refuge, some wounded. More hostages were taken into Gaza, and upon hearing the sirens, those who had already left the party area rushed to mobile bomb shelters for safety.

Footage emerged of armed militants driving white pick-up trucks in the southern city of Sderot, quickly spreading across social media and news outlets, which caused widespread panic among Israelis.

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