116-530: Israeli defensive failure [REDACTED] Palestinian Joint Operations Room [REDACTED] Israel Defense Forces Per Israel: Israel Defense Forces On 7 October 2023, Hamas and several other Palestinian nationalist militant groups launched coordinated armed incursions from the Gaza Strip into the Gaza Envelope of southern Israel , the first invasion of Israeli territory since
232-515: A Palestinian nationalist Islamist movement. They formed in 1987, and are the largest Islamist movement in the Palestinian territories. It maintains an uncompromising stance on the "complete liberation of Palestine", often using political violence to achieve its goals. Recent statements suggest a shift in focus toward ending the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories and establishing
348-480: A barrage of at least 4,300 rockets launched into Israel and vehicle-transported and powered paraglider incursions into Israel. Hamas fighters breached the Gaza–Israel barrier , attacking military bases and massacring civilians in 21 communities, including Be'eri , Kfar Aza , Nir Oz , Netiv Haasara , and Alumim . According to an IDF report that revised the estimate on the number of attackers, 6,000 Gazans breached
464-624: A British general who commanded the Arab Legion , claimed in his 1957 autobiography A Soldier with the Arabs that he convinced the Legion to arm and train the fedayeen for free. Between 1951 and 1956, 400 Israelis were killed and 900 wounded by fedayeen attacks. The Palestine Liberation Organization was founded in 1964. At its first convention in Cairo , hundreds of Palestinians met to "call for
580-652: A Palestinian state based on the 1967 borders . Hamas has been responsible for numerous suicide bombings and rocket attacks targeting Israeli civilians. Australia, Canada, the EU, Japan, New Zealand, and the UK have designated Hamas a "terrorist organisation". In 2010 it attempted to derail the peace talks between Israel and the PA. In 2017, it adopted a new charter , removing antisemitic language and shifting focus from Jews to Zionists. Scholars differ on Hamas' objectives, with some saying it seeks
696-495: A Palestinian state within 1967 borders while others believe Hamas still seeks the destruction of Israel . Before the attack, Saudi Arabia warned Israel of an "explosion" as a result of the continued occupation, Egypt had warned of a catastrophe unless there was political progress, and Palestinian Authority officials gave similar warnings. Less than two months before the attacks, King Abdullah II of Jordan lamented that Palestinians had "no civil rights; no freedom of mobility". Over
812-630: A Palestinian, other than the attacker was killed, and 21 were wounded. During this period, the Abu Nidal Organization became subsumed by infighting and mass executed hundreds of its members and their families during 1987–1988. The number of executed is estimated at 600 people, mostly Palestinians, across several separate locations in Syria, Lebanon and Libya. The years between the intifadas were marked by intense diplomatic activity between Israel and Palestinians, who were represented by
928-572: A bloody coup. Palestinian militant groups in the Gaza strip increased the firing of Qassam rockets , mortars and Grad missiles on southern Israel. Attacks continued outside the Gaza Strip perimeter, including the attack that resulted in the Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit being captured and held in the Gaza Strip for over five years. Hamas has made use of guerrilla tactics in the Gaza Strip and to
1044-423: A ceremony at his Muqataa compound. Prisoners Affairs Minister Qaraqi called on Palestinians for a day of celebration. The rally in honor of the dead will be attended by PA President Mahmoud Abbas, PLO leaders, and families of the dead militants. The dead are considered martyrs by Palestinians, but viewed as terrorists by Israelis. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has been accused of incitement to violence, on
1160-483: A coordinated, month-long operation to invade and occupy Israeli towns, cities, and kibbutzim, including attacking Ashkelon by sea and reaching Kiryat Gat , 20 miles into Israel. The scale of weapons, supplies, and plans indicated, according to Israel, that Hamas intended to inflict mass casualties on Israeli civilians and military forces over an extended period. Western and Middle Eastern security officials gathered evidence suggesting that Hamas intended to invade as far as
1276-646: A further 280,000–360,000 Palestinians became refugees , and the remaining Palestinian territories were also occupied from Jordan and from Egypt , and later began to be settled by Jewish and Israeli settlers , while the Palestinians were placed under military administration . While historically, Palestinian militancy was fragmented into several groups, the PLO led, and eventually united, most factions, while conducting military campaigns that varied from airplane hijackings, militant operations and civil protest. In 1987,
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#17327831857641392-443: A guard detail that killed multiple militants attempting to infiltrate a nearby chicken farm. They successfully deterred the rest of the invading militants from entering the community. Palestinian Joint Operations Room The Palestinian Joint Operations Room ( Arabic : غرفة العمليات المشتركة ), also known by its full name Joint Room for Palestinian Resistance Factions (Arabic: الغرفة المشتركة لفصائل المقاومة الفلسطينية ),
1508-560: A kindergarten, all located in residential areas. The UN fact finding mission stated that this constituted a deliberate attack against the civilian population and was unjustifiable in international law. In 2012, terror attacks against Israelis in the West Bank increased compared to 2011. The number of terror attacks in the West Bank increased from 320 in 2011 to 578 in 2012. The attacks mainly involved rock throwing, Molotov cocktails , firearms and explosives. In 2013, Hamas stated that
1624-518: A lesser degree the West Bank. Hamas has adapted these techniques over the years since its inception. According to a 2006 report by rival Fatah party, Hamas had smuggled "between several hundred and 1,300 tons" of advanced rockets, along with other weaponry, into Gaza. Some Israelis and some Gazans both noted similarities in Hamas's military buildup to that of Hezbollah in the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah war. Hamas has used IEDs and anti-tank rockets against
1740-777: A mass revolt of predominantly civil resistance, called the First Intifada , exploded, leading to the Madrid Conference of 1991 , and subsequently to the Oslo I Accord , which produced an interim understanding allowing a new Palestinian authority, the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) to exercise limited autonomy in 3% (later 17%) of the West Bank , and parts of the Gaza Strip not used or earmarked for Israeli settlement. In order to derail
1856-470: A months-long internal investigation, were fired for possible involvement. Deif said more than 5,000 rockets had been fired from the Gaza Strip into Israel in a span of 20 minutes at the start of the operation. Israeli sources reported the launch of 4,300 projectiles from Gaza, killing twelve and injuring dozens, most of them from the Bedouin community. Explosions were reported in areas surrounding Gaza and in
1972-589: A music festival and in kibbutz Be'eri and take hostages in Southern Israel back to the Gaza Strip . In total, 1,139 civilians, IDF soldiers and foreign nationals were killed in Israel , making this the deadliest attack by Hamas militants since the foundation of Israel in 1948. The Hamas-led attack marked the beginning of the ongoing Israel–Hamas war . In 2011, Israeli PM Benyamin Netanyahu stated that
2088-673: A regular tactic, particularly by Hamas and Islamic Jihad. Attacks during this period include the Beit Lid massacre , a double-suicide bombing at a crowded junction that killed 21 people and the Dizengoff Center massacre , a suicide bombing outside a Tel Aviv shopping mall that killed 13 people. The Second Intifada (2000–2005) witnessed a significant increase in Palestinian political violence, including many suicide bombings , which predominantly targeted Israeli civilians. According to B'Tselem , as of July 10, 2005, over 400 members of
2204-529: A series of aircraft hijackings, bombings and kidnappings which culminated in the killings of Israeli athletes during the 1972 Munich Olympic Games . The military superiority of Israel led Palestinian fighters to employ guerrilla tactics from bases in Jordan and Lebanon. In the wake of the Six-Day War , confrontations between Palestinian guerrillas in Jordan and government forces became a major problem within
2320-529: A specific geographic area. It was formed for the first time in 2006 in order to unite against Israel during clashes and wars and included Hamas and the Islamic Jihad Movement , but it fell into obscurity. It was then developed, expanded, and was formed under its current name on July 23, 2018, among 12 military wings after clashes around Al-Aqsa Mosque, the most prominent of which was the installation of electronic gates there by Israel, in what
2436-633: A video of its fighters training to blast through the border. After the attack, the IDF said that Hamas had extensively studied the military bases and settlements near the border. The Wall Street Journal has accused Iran of being behind the attack. U.S. officials and Iran have denied this. The IDF has reported seizing over 10,000 weapons following the attack. The arsenal included RPGs, mines, sniper rifles, drones, thermobaric rockets, and other advanced weapons. According to Israeli sources, documents and maps seized from Hamas militants indicated that Hamas intended
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#17327831857642552-775: A warning, although Michael McCaul , Chairman of the US House Foreign Relations Committee , said that warnings were given three days before the attack. For two years, Hamas used hardwired phone lines within Gaza's tunnel network, nicknamed the " Gaza metro ", to covertly communicate, evade Israeli intelligence, and plan Operation Al-Aqsa Flood. In the months preceding the attack, Hamas publicly released videos of its militants preparing to attack Israel. A video released in December 2022 showed Hamas training to take hostages, while another video showed Hamas practicing paragliding. On 12 September, Hamas posted
2668-496: A year before the attack. The document described operational plans and targets, including the size and location of Israeli forces, and raised questions in Israel about how Hamas learned these details. The document provided a plan that included a large-scale rocket assault before an invasion, drones to knock out the surveillance cameras and automated guns that Israel has stationed along the border, and gunmen invading Israel, including with paragliders. The Times reported, "Hamas followed
2784-594: A youth center, to "kill as many people as possible", and to take hostages for use in future negotiations. The UN's Pramila Patten and Commission of Inquiry concluded in their reports that the authenticity of these alleged instruction documents claimed to have been retrieved from Hamas militants could not be substantiated. Some of the militants wore body cameras to record the acts, presumably for propaganda purposes. According to news reports, Hamas militants were taking Captagon —a highly addictive stimulant made in Syria and reportedly used by terrorist organization throughout
2900-438: Is a united front for the military wings of the Palestinian armed factions. It includes armed groups from various backgrounds, and ideologies from both the right and the left , including Islamists , socialists , nationalists , and others. The Joint Operations Room is managed from the Gaza Strip , but forms a single battlefront against Israel from wherever Palestinian militant forces are located, without being confined to
3016-551: Is considered Israeli-occupied East Jerusalem . It currently consists of 12 different armed groups, and has coordinated a large number of attacks on Israel including the October 7 attacks , and has also coordinated defence and retaliations against Israeli attacks. Ayman Nofal in May 2023 explained the goals and organization of the room, which he said was to create an inter-organizational alliance to coordinate operations, and increase
3132-709: Is the uprooting of the Zionist entity from our land and liberating it. Due to Israel's defeat of Arab armies in the Six-Day War , the Palestinian leadership came to the conclusion that the Arab world was unable to challenge Israel militarily in open warfare. Simultaneously, the Palestinians drew lessons from movements and uprisings in Latin America, North Africa and Southeast Asia which led them to move away from guerilla warfare in rural areas towards terrorist attacks in urban environments with an international reach. This led to
3248-619: The 1920 Nebi Musa riots , the Jaffa riots of 1921, the 1929 Palestine riots and the 1936–39 Arab revolt in Palestine (which was suppressed by British security forces and led to the deaths of approximately 5,000 Palestinians). After the passing of the United Nations Partition Plan for Palestine in 1947 which called for the establishment of independent Arab and Jewish States , a Palestinian Civil War broke out. On
3364-549: The 1948 Arab–Israeli War . The attack coincided with the Jewish religious holiday Simchat Torah . Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups named the attacks Operation Al-Aqsa Flood , while in Israel they are referred to as Black Saturday or the Simchat Torah Massacre , and internationally as the 7 October attacks . The attacks initiated the ongoing Israel–Hamas war . The attacks began early on 7 October with
3480-579: The Arab–Israeli conflict , especially during the Second Intifada from 2000 to 2005, Palestinian militant groups used children for suicide bombings . Minors were recruited to attack Israeli targets, both military and civilian. This deliberate involvement of children in armed conflict was condemned by international human rights organizations. According to Amnesty International : "Palestinian armed groups have repeatedly shown total disregard for
3596-527: The Balfour Declaration , which proposed Palestine as a homeland for the Jewish people, and its implementation under a League of Nations Mandate for Great Britain , Palestinians, both Muslim and Christian, from November 1918 onwards, began to organize in opposition to Zionism . By the end of Ottoman rule, the Jewish population of Palestine was 56,000 or one-sixth of the population. Hostility to Jewish immigration led to numerous incidents such as
7 October Hamas-led attack on Israel - Misplaced Pages Continue
3712-986: The Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine , the Abu Nidal Organization, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad , and Hamas . Several of these groups are considered terrorist organizations by the governments of the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Japan, New Zealand and the European Union . Palestinian political violence has targeted Israelis, Palestinians, Lebanese, Jordanians, Egyptians, Americans, and citizens of other countries. Attacks have taken place both within Israel and
3828-527: The Dolphinarium discotheque suicide bombing ), was launched against Israel and elicited a military response. A suicide bombing dubbed the Passover Massacre (30 Israeli civilians were killed at Park hotel, Netanya ) climaxed a bloody month of March 2002, in which more than 130 Israelis, mostly civilians, were killed in attacks. Israel launched Operation Defensive Shield . The operation led to
3944-493: The Gaza–Israel barrier . On 29 September, Qatar , the UN, and Egypt mediated an agreement between Israeli and Hamas officials in the Gaza Strip to reopen closed crossing points and deescalate tensions; the total number of Gazans with work permits in Israel stood at 17,000. Egypt said it warned Israel days before the attack that "an explosion of the situation [was] coming, and very soon, and it would be big." Israel denied receiving such
4060-683: The Haganah which were predominantly defensive in the 1920s. During the Arab Revolt in the 1936–1939 period, violence was coordinated and organized by the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem and was directed against both Jews and the British. Due to the rising level of Arab violence, the Haganah started to pursue an offensive strategy. Throughout the period 1949–56 the Egyptian government opposed
4176-574: The IDF in Gaza. The latter include standard RPG-7 warheads and home-made rockets such as the Al-Bana , Al- Batar and Al- Yasin . The IDF has a difficult, if not impossible time trying to find hidden weapons caches in Palestinian areas – this is due to the high local support base Hamas enjoys. During the Gaza War (2008–09) , Palestinian militant groups fired rockets aimed at civilian targets which struck
4292-875: The Munich Olympics massacre (1972), the hijacking of several civilian airliners (some were thwarted, see for example: Entebbe Operation ), the Savoy Hotel attack , the Zion Square explosive refrigerator and the Coastal Road massacre . During the 1970s and the early 1980s, Israel suffered attacks from PLO bases in Lebanon, such as the Avivim school bus massacre in 1970, the Maalot massacre in 1974 (where Palestinian militants massacred 21 school children) and
4408-637: The Nahariya attack led by Samir Kuntar in 1979, as well as a terrorist bombing by Ziad Abu Ein that killed two Israeli 16-year-olds and left 36 other youths wounded during the Lag BaOmer celebration in Tiberias. Following the 1982 Israeli invasion of Lebanon , called " Operation Peace for Galilee " by the IDF, and the exile of the PLO to Tunis , Israel had a relatively quiet decade. The First Intifada
4524-476: The Palestinian Authority -controlled city of Ramallah in the West Bank . The brutality of the event, captured in a photo of a Palestinian rioter proudly waving his blood-stained hands to the crowd below, sparked international outrage and further intensified the ongoing conflict between Israeli and Palestinian forces. A spate of suicide bombings and attacks, aimed mostly at civilians (such as
4640-614: The Palestinian Legislative Council , prompting the United States and many European countries to cut off all funds to Hamas and the Palestinian Authority , insisting that Hamas must recognize Israel, renounce violence and accept previous peace pacts. After the Israel's unilateral disengagement plan in 2005 and the 2006 Palestinian legislative elections Hamas took control over all the Gaza Strip in June 2007 in
4756-464: The Palestinian territories as well as internationally and have been directed at both military and civilian targets. Tactics have included hostage taking, plane hijacking , boat hijacking, stone and improvised weapon throwing, improvised explosive device (IED), knife attacks , shooting sprees , vehicle-ramming attacks , car bombs and assassinations. In the 1990s, groups seeking to disrupt
7 October Hamas-led attack on Israel - Misplaced Pages Continue
4872-758: The Sharon Plain , including Gedera , Herzliyya , Beersheba Tel Aviv , and Ashkelon. Air raid sirens were activated in Beer Sheva , Jerusalem , Rehovot , Rishon Lezion , and Palmachim Airbase . Hamas issued a call to arms, with Deif calling on "Muslims everywhere to launch an attack". In the evening Hamas launched another barrage of about 150 rockets towards Israel, with explosions reported in Yavne , Givatayim , Bat Yam , Beit Dagan , Tel Aviv, and Rishon Lezion. Simultaneously, around 6,000 Palestinian militants and civilians infiltrated Israel from Gaza breaching
4988-566: The Tel Aviv Jerusalem bus 405 . He walked up to the driver and pulled the wheel to the right, driving the vehicle into a ravine, killing 16 people. The end of the intifada also saw the first use of suicide bombing as a tactic by Palestinian militants. On April 16, 1993, Hamas carried out the Mehola Junction bombing , in which operative Saher Tamam al-Nabulsi detonated his explosives-laden car between two buses. One person,
5104-415: The declaration of the state of Israel , May 15, 1948, a full-scale war , involving also the intervention of neighbouring Arab states, took place, with casualties of 6,000 Israelis and, according to the 1958 survey by Arif al-Arif , 13,000 Palestinians and the exodus , through expulsion, or panicked flight, of approximately 700,000 Arab Palestinians who subsequently became refugees. In the Six-Day War ,
5220-654: The security forces . 364 civilians were killed and many more wounded while attending the Nova music festival . At least 14 Israeli civilians were killed by the IDF's use of the Hannibal Directive . About 250 Israeli civilians and soldiers were taken as hostages to the Gaza Strip , alive or dead, and including 30 children, with the stated goal to force Israel to exchange them for imprisoned Palestinians , including women and children. Dozens of cases of rape and sexual assault reportedly occurred, but Hamas officials denied
5336-415: The "kidnapping of IDF soldiers to trade for Palestinian prisoners is at the heart of Palestinian culture". On October 7, 2023, Hamas and other Palestinian factions launched an attack , breaching the Gaza–Israel barrier . For months prior to the attack, Hamas had been leading Israeli intelligence to believe that they were not seeking conflict. Hamas fighters proceeded to massacre hundreds of civilians at
5452-413: The 7 October attack, alongside those at the communities of Netiv HaAsara , Be'eri, Kfar Aza, Nir Oz, and Holit . At 6:30 a.m., around sunrise, rockets were noticed in the sky. Around 7:00 a.m., a siren warned of an incoming rocket attack, prompting festival-goers to flee. Subsequently, armed militants, dressed in military attire and using motorcycles, trucks and powered paragliders, surrounded
5568-703: The Gaza Strip. Around 50 civilians were killed in the Kfar Aza massacre , 108 in the Be'eri massacre , and 15 people in the Netiv HaAsara massacre . Militants killed 16 or 17 Thai and Nepalese employees during the Kibbutz Alumim massacre . Other militants carried out an amphibious landing in Zikim . Palestinian sources claim that the local Israeli army base was stormed. The IDF said it had killed two attackers on
5684-593: The Hamas-led attack, 364 civilians were killed and many more wounded at the Supernova Sukkot Gathering, an open-air music festival celebrating the Jewish holiday of Sukkot near kibbutz Re'im . At least 40 hostages were also taken. This mass killing had the largest number of casualties out of a number of massacres targeting Israeli civilians in communities adjacent to Gaza that were part of
5800-456: The IDF two days to wrest back full control of it. While the exact number of Israelis killed is unknown, as of 15 October 2023, 52 were listed as dead and another 20 or more were missing. On the morning of the attack, around 70 Hamas militants carried out a massacre at Be'eri, an Israeli kibbutz near the Gaza Strip. At least 130 people were killed in the attack, including women (such as peace activist Vivian Silver ), children, and infants, claiming
5916-416: The IDF, police, and civilians along Israel's borders between 1949 and 1956. Most of the people in question were refugees attempting to return to their homes, take back possessions that had been left behind during the war and to gather crops from their former fields and orchards inside the new Israeli state. Meron Benivasti states that the fact that the "infiltrators" were for the most part former inhabitants of
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#17327831857646032-399: The Israeli Government described as 'a humanitarian gesture' to PA chairman Mahmoud Abbas to help the peace process, the Palestinian Authority planned a national rally to honour them and to provide full military funerals. The bodies included the suicide bombers that perpetrated the bus bombing in Jerusalem's Shmuel Hanavi neighborhood which killed twenty-three people, many of them children, and
6148-579: The Israeli Security forces, and 821 Israeli civilians have been killed by Palestinians since the signing of the Oslo Accords in 1993, 553 of whom were killed within the 1949 Armistice lines , mainly by suicide bombings. Targets of attacks included buses, Israeli checkpoint , restaurants, discothèques, shopping malls, a university, and civilian homes. In October 2000 a Palestinian mob lynched two non-combatant Israel Defense Forces reservists , Vadim Nurzhitz (sometimes spelled as Norzhich) and Yossi Avrahami (or Yosef Avrahami), who had accidentally entered
6264-449: The Israeli occupation. More limited goals include the release of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel and recognition of the Palestinian right of return . Palestinian groups that have been involved in politically motivated violence include the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO), Fatah , the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine – General Command (PFLP-GC),
6380-437: The Israeli-Palestinian peace process began adopting suicide bombings , predominantly targeting civilians, which later peaked during the Second Intifada . In recent decades, violence has also included rocket attacks on Israeli urban centers. The October 7, 2023, attacks resulted in massacres, and hostage-taking . Israeli statistics state that 3,500 Israelis have been killed as a result of Palestinian political violence since
6496-434: The Jewish community, due to their lower numbers, was vulnerable to attrition and less able to take casualties. Therefore, they adopted a " war of attrition " tactic which was advantageous to the more numerous Arab community. Many of the deaths were inflicted during short time spans and in a few locations. For instance, in April 1920 about 216 Jews became casualties (killed or wounded) in a single day in Jerusalem. By May 1921,
6612-450: The Jews in Palestine followed the Balfour Declaration in November 1917 which stimulated Jewish migrants to settle in Palestine. At this time the Arabs were both geographically and demographically dominant compared to the Jewish population, where the majority of Arabs were distributed throughout the highlands of Judea , Samaria and Galilee and the Jewish population was scattered in small towns and rural communities. The Arabs realized that
6728-493: The Jordanian army continued during the closing months of 1970 and the first six months of 1971. In November 1971, members of the Palestinian Black September group , who took their name from the civil war, assassinated Jordanian Prime Minister Wasfi al-Tal in Cairo . In December the group made an unsuccessful attempt to assassinate the Jordanian ambassador in Britain. In the aftermath of Black September in Jordan, many Palestinians arrived in Lebanon , among them Yasser Arafat and
6844-550: The Liberation of Palestine (DFLP), confirmed their participation in the operation through their military spokesman Abu Khaled , saying it had lost three fighters in combat with the IDF. The PFLP (a Palestinian Marxist–Leninist / Secular Nationalist political party) and the Lions' Den group (a nonpartisan militant group based in the West Bank ) voiced support for the operation and declared maximum alertness and general mobilization among their troops. Nine individuals employed by UNRWA were accused by Israel of participation, and after
6960-460: The Middle East—during the attacks. The morning of the attack, an Israeli military spokesman said that the militants from Gaza had entered Israel through at least seven locations and invaded four small rural Israeli communities, the border city of Sderot, and two military bases from both land and sea. Israeli media reported that seven communities came under Hamas control, including Nahal Oz , Kfar Aza , Magen , Be'eri , and Sufa . The Erez Crossing
7076-425: The PLO. The PLO charter called for "an end to the State of Israel, a return of Palestinians to their homeland, and the establishment of a single democratic state throughout Palestine". Our basic aim is to liberate the land from the Mediterranean Seas to the Jordan River. We are not concerned with what took place in June 1967 or in eliminating the consequences of the June War. The Palestinian revolution's basic concern
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#17327831857647192-430: The PLO. This led to the signing of the Oslo Accords and the creation of the Palestinian National Authority . In response, Islamist organizations such as Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) adopted the tactic of suicide bombings, influenced by Lebanese groups, to derail the peace process, weaken the PLO and polarize Israeli politics. In this period, suicide bombings of Israeli buses and crowded spaces as
7308-440: The Palestinian Authority spent more than $ 5 million a month paying salaries to Palestinians and Israeli Arabs imprisoned in Israel for terror crimes. They also stated that groups in a summer camp for children sponsored by PA Prime Minister Salam Fayyad were named after militants: Dalal Mughrabi, who led the Coastal Road Massacre ; Salah Khalaf, head of Black September that carried out the Munich massacre ; and Abu Ali Mustafa,
7424-459: The Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO). In the early 1970s their presence exacerbated an already tense situation in Lebanon, and in 1975 the Lebanese Civil War broke out. Beginning with street fighting in Beirut between Christian Phalangists and Palestinian militiamen, the war quickly deteriorated into a conflict between two loosely defined factions: the side wishing to preserve the status quo, consisting primarily of Maronite militias, and
7540-527: The West Bank, had the initial attack been more successful. The National Resistance Center of Ukraine alleged that the Russian Wagner Group trained Hamas militants ahead of the attack, specifically on attack methods and using drones to drop explosives. The National Resistance Center, citing intelligence from Belarusian partisans , said that Wagner mercenaries provided Hamas with drones during exercises in Africa . According to The New York Times , Israeli officials had obtained detailed attack plans more than
7656-533: The activities of the Hamas military leadership. Simulated exercises of Hamas attacks found the Gaza division's response lacking. Cultural conformity was fostered among officers and dissent discouraged. Officers often silenced subordinates to maintain their positions, contributing to a toxic atmosphere where questioning higher-ups' decisions about Hamas was met with apprehension, resulting in most junior officers giving up. At around 6:30 a.m. Israel Summer Time (UTC+3) on Saturday, 7 October 2023, Hamas announced
7772-581: The administration's steps to end Palestinian incitement to violence against Jews and Israel that they said was occurring within the "Palestinian media, mosques and schools, and even by individuals or institutions affiliated with the Palestinian Authority". The United Nations body UNESCO stopped funding a children's magazine sponsored by the Palestinian Authority that commended Hitler's killing of Jews. It deplored this publication as contrary to its principles of building tolerance and respect for human rights and human dignity. Palestinian Media Watch reported that
7888-405: The apprehension of many members of militant groups, as well as their weaponry and equipment. 497 Palestinians and 30 Israelis were killed during Operation Defensive Shield. In 2004, 31 people were killed and 159 others were wounded in a simultaneous attack against multiple tourist destinations in Egypt. Of the dead, 15 were Egyptians , 12 were from Israel, two from Italy, one from Russia, and one
8004-452: The assault, saying, "I utterly refute that the scenario is imaginary". An Israeli colonel ignored her concerns. According to Haaretz , Israel's domestic intelligence agency, Shin Bet , and IDF military commanders discussed a possible threat to the Nova music festival near kibbutz Re'im just hours before the attack, but the festival's organizers were not warned. According to a BBC investigation, surveillance reports suggested that Hamas
8120-439: The attacker in the Cafe Hillel bombing . Israel will also return the remains of the bombers that committed the bombings on two buses in Beersheba in 2004 killing 16 people, the Stage night club bombing , the attack on the open-air Hadera market as well as the attackers of the Savoy Hotel in Tel Aviv who killed eight hostages. The Palestinian Authority and Hamas both planned official ceremonies and PA president Abbas attended
8236-405: The attackers. Approximately 90 militants infiltrated kibbutz Ein HaShlosha , killing four civilians, looting, shooting, and burning houses. An 80-year-old Argentinian-Israeli woman died after her home was set on fire and she was unable to escape. A standoff between the attackers and the residents' security team lasted six hours. The leader of the security team, who was in his sixties, was killed in
8352-570: The basis of a statement he made concerning youths injured in defending the Haram al Sharif / Temple Mount from what Palestinians have seen as attempts to alter the status quo. He declared in September 2015: "Every drop of blood spilled in Jerusalem is pure, every shahid will reach paradise, and every injured person will be rewarded by God." In the 1930s, the emergence of organized youth cadres
8468-423: The beach and destroyed four vessels, including two rubber boats. Militants also attacked a military base outside Nahal Oz , leaving 66 soldiers dead and taking seven hostage. An IDF fire investigation found that the militants had "ignited substances... that contain toxic gasses which can cause suffocation within minutes, or even less" both at the base and in civilian locations. Table Footnotes: As part of
8584-415: The blueprint with shocking precision." According to The Times , the document was widely circulated among Israeli military and intelligence leadership, who largely dismissed the plan as beyond Hamas's capabilities, though it was unclear whether the political leadership was informed. In July 2023, a member of the Israeli signals intelligence unit alerted her superiors that Hamas was conducting preparations for
8700-411: The border in 119 locations into Israel, including 3,800 from the " elite Nukhba forces " and 2,200 civilians and other militants. Additionally, the IDF report estimated 1,000 Gazans fired rockets from the Gaza Strip, bringing the total number of participants on Hamas's side to 7,000. In total, 1,139 people were killed: 695 Israeli civilians (including 38 children), 71 foreign nationals, and 373 members of
8816-428: The border in 119 places. The infiltration was executed using trucks, pickup trucks , motorcycles, bulldozers, speedboats, and powered paragliders . The Sderot police station was reported to have come under Hamas control, with militants killing 30 Israelis, including policemen and civilians. Early in the attack they deliberately destroyed the computer systems at the police station. This disabled communication and delayed
8932-445: The border. Israel said it found explosives hidden in a shipment and halted all exports from Gaza; Hamas denied Israel's claims. Reuters quoted Palestinians who said that the several-day ban affected thousands of families. In response to the ban, Hamas put its forces on high alert and conducted military exercises with other groups, including openly practicing storming Israeli settlements. Hamas also allowed Palestinians to resume protests at
9048-607: The casualty rate for Jews was approaching 40 per day and in August 1929 it had risen to 80 per day. During the 1929 riots, one percent of the Jewish population of Jerusalem became casualties, in Safed 2 percent and in Hebron 12 percent. During the 1920–1929 attacks on Jews were organized by local groups and encouraged by local religious leaders. As the Jewish community did not count on the British authorities to protect them, they formed
9164-502: The cities of Ashdod, Beersheba and Gedera. The military wing of Hamas said that after a week from the start, it had managed to fire 302 rockets, at an average of 44 rockets daily. 102 rockets and 35 mortars were fired by Fatah at Israel. Over 750 rockets and mortars were fired from Gaza into Israel during the conflict wounded 182 civilians, killing 3 people, and causing minor suffering to another 584 people suffering from shock and anxiety. Several rockets landed in schools and one fell close to
9280-491: The course of 2023, there were clashes between Israel and Palestinian Islamic Jihad in May 2023, increased settler attacks had displaced hundreds of Palestinians, and clashes around the Al-Aqsa Mosque , a contested holy site in Jerusalem. Tensions between Israel and Hamas rose in September 2023, and The Washington Post wrote that the two were "on the brink of war". On 13 September, five Palestinians were killed at
9396-574: The establishment of the state of Israel in 1948. Suicide bombings constituted 0.5% of Palestinian attacks against Israelis in the first two years of the Al Aqsa Intifada ; though this percentage accounted for half of the Israelis killed in that period. As of 2022, a majority of Palestinians, 59%, believe armed attacks against Israelis inside Israel are an effective measure to end the occupation, with 56% supporting them. In protest against
9512-399: The festival grounds and indiscriminately fired on people attempting to escape. Attendees seeking refuge nearby, in bomb shelters, bushes, and orchards, were killed while in hiding. Those who reached the road and parking lot were trapped in a traffic jam as militants fired at vehicles. The militants executed some wounded people at point-blank range as they crouched on the ground. The details of
9628-461: The festival, killing 17 Israelis . Some were fatally shot at the festival site, while others were killed as they attempted to escape to nearby kibbutzim. Most survivors hid under small bushes until Israel Defense Forces rescued them a few hours later. At 10 a.m., less than five hours after the attacks began, fighting was reported at Re'im military base, headquarters of the Gaza Division . It
9744-485: The firefight. A 63-year-old grandmother was also among those killed in the attack. A 39-year-old Israeli-Chilean woman was shot eight times. Thirty survivors were discovered in the kibbutz three days after the massacre, 14 of whom were Thai nationals. Psyduck was a small trance music festival that took place in the open fields near kibbutz Nir Oz , about 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) from the border of Gaza . The event drew around 100 participants. Hamas militants attacked
9860-464: The general secretary of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine who perpetrated many attacks. Saddam Hussein , the leader of Iraq , donated $ 25,000 to the families of suicide bombers, and $ 10,000 to the families of Palestinian civilians killed by the Israeli military. After Israel agreed to hand over the bodies of dead Palestinian suicide bombers and other militants as part of what
9976-475: The hostages' whereabouts and conditions are not publicly known. The massacre at the festival has been described as the largest terror attack in Israel's history and the worst Israeli civilian massacre ever. During the Hamas-led attack, around 70 Hamas militants attacked Kfar Aza, a kibbutz about 3 kilometers (1.9 mi) from the border with the Gaza Strip, massacring residents and abducting several hostages . The kibbutz had more than 700 residents, and it took
10092-565: The house but one. A squad of Hamas militants that arrived in a van attacked the moshav of Yakhini . There were seven casualties in the moshav, including a border police officer. An IDF major in the Maglan unit was also injured. The community's security coordinator was on holiday in Thailand at the time and remotely directed the moshav's 18-person protection team's response. Yamam and Sayeret Matkal IDF units eventually arrived and killed all
10208-854: The incitement promulgated by the Palestinian Authority was destroying Israel's confidence, and he condemned what he regarded as the glorification of the murderers of the Fogel family in Itamar on PA television. The perpetrator of the murders had been described as a "hero" and a "legend" by members of his family, during a weekly program. Isi Leibler wrote in the Jerusalem Post that Mahmoud Abbas and his chief negotiator Saeb Erekat deny Israel's right to exist and promote vicious hatred against Jews, in statements made in Arabic. He claimed that
10324-464: The intent to accomplish political goals, and often carried out in the context of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict . Common objectives of political violence by Palestinian groups include self-determination in and sovereignty over all of Palestine (including seeking to replace Israel), or the recognition of a Palestinian state inside the 1967 borders. This includes the objective of ending
10440-485: The involvement of their fighters. The governments of 44 countries denounced the attack and described it as terrorism , while some Arab and Muslim-majority countries blamed Israel's occupation of the Palestinian territories as the root cause of the attack. Hamas said its attack was in response to the continued Israeli occupation, the blockade of the Gaza Strip , the expansion of illegal Israeli settlements , rising Israeli settler violence , and recent escalations. The day
10556-518: The kingdom. By early 1970, at least seven Palestinian guerrilla organizations were active in Jordan, one of the most important being the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) led by George Habash . Based in the Jordanian refugee camps, the fedayeen developed a virtual state within a state, receiving funds and arms from both the Arab states and Eastern Europe and openly flouting
10672-419: The land returning for personal, economic and sentimental reasons was suppressed in Israel as it was feared that this may lead to an understanding of their motives and to the justification of their actions. After Israel's Operation Black Arrow in 1955 which came as a result of a series of massacres in the city of Rehovot , the Palestinian fedayeen were incorporated into an Egyptian unit. John Bagot Glubb ,
10788-419: The law of the country. The guerrillas initially focused on attacking Israel, but by late 1968, the main fedayeen activities in Jordan appeared to shift to attempts to overthrow the Jordanian monarchy. Various clashes between the fedayeen and the army occurred between the years 1968–1970. The situation climaxed in September 1970, when several attempts to assassinate King Hussein failed. On September 7, 1970, in
10904-475: The lives of 10% of the community's residents. Dozens of homes were also burned down. Several newspapers called the massacre an act of terrorism; some compared the brutality of the atrocities to that of ISIS . Hostages were taken, leading to a standoff with the IDF. According to survivors, there were also deaths from friendly fire; an Israeli tank fired on a house known to contain around 40 Hamas fighters and 14 hostages, among them two children, killing all hostages in
11020-428: The most probable factors for the disturbance of the peace". As a youngster, Yasir Arafat led neighborhood children in marching and drills, beating those who did not obey. In the 1940s, Arafat's father organized a group of militants in Gaza which included Yasir Arafat and his brothers. The leader, Abu Khalid, a mathematics teacher in Gaza, gave Arafat the name Yasir in honor of the militant Yasir al-Bireh. As part of
11136-562: The movement of refugees from the Gaza strip into Israel, but following the IDF's Gaza Raid on February 28, 1955, the Egyptian authorities facilitated militant infiltration but still continued to oppose civilian infiltration. Around 400 Palestinian "infiltrators" were killed by Israeli Security Forces each year in 1951, 1952 and 1953; a similar number and probably far more were killed in 1950. 1,000 or more were killed in 1949. At least 100 were killed during 1954–1956. In total upward of 2,700 and possibly as many as 5,000 'infiltrators' were killed by
11252-507: The operation, that they had drawn the line, and that it was to end "the last occupation on Earth". Shortly thereafter, Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh made a similar announcement in a televised address. In addition to Hamas, several Palestinian militant groups voiced support for the operation and participated in it to some extent. The National Resistance Brigades , the armed wing of the Maoist Democratic Front for
11368-452: The peace process, Islamist organizations such as Hamas and the PIJ adopted the usage of suicide bombings , predominantly against Israeli civilians. Frustration over the perceived failure of the peace talks to yield a Palestinian state led to the outbreak of the Al Aqsa Intifada in September 2000, which ended in 2005, coincident with the Israeli withdrawal from Gaza . The rise of Hamas ,
11484-490: The planes were dramatically blown up in front of TV cameras. A bitterly fought 10-day civil war known as Black September ensued, drawing involvement by Syria and Iraq , and sparking troop movements by Israel and the United States Navy . The number of people killed on all sides were estimated as high as 3,500, other sources claiming it to be as high as 20,000. Battles between Palestinian guerrilla forces and
11600-456: The potential of the "Palestinian Resistance", and for it to "become a comprehensive framework for all the organizations, networks and fighters, without exception". He also gave a list of the 9 factions out of 12 which he said were "fully unified under the room". Ex-Fatah groups not mentioned by Nofal: Palestinian political violence Palestinian political violence refers to acts of violence or terrorism committed by Palestinians with
11716-590: The response to the attacks. Images and videos appeared to show heavily armed and masked militants dressed in black fatigues riding pickup trucks and opening fire in Sderot, killing dozens of Israeli civilians and soldiers and setting homes on fire. Other videos appeared to show Israelis taken prisoner, a burning Israeli tank, and militants driving Israeli military vehicles. Israeli first responders reportedly recovered documents from killed militants' bodies with instructions to attack civilians, including elementary schools and
11832-524: The right of self-determination and the upholding of the rights of the Palestinian nation". To achieve these goals, a Palestinian army of liberation was thought to be essential; thus, the Palestinian Liberation Army (PLA) was established with the support of the Arab states. Fatah , a Palestinian group founded in the late 1950s to organize the armed resistance against Israel, and headed by Yasser Arafat , soon rose to prominence within
11948-477: The same day, a massacre unfolded at an outdoor music festival near Re'im , resulting in at least 360 dead and many others missing. Witnesses recounted militants on motorcycles opening fire on fleeing participants, who were already dispersing due to rocket fire that had wounded some attendees; some were also taken hostage. Militants killed civilians at Nir Oz , Be'eri, and Netiv HaAsara , where they took hostages and set fire to homes, as well as in kibbutzim around
12064-453: The series of Dawson's Field hijackings , three planes were hijacked by PFLP : a SwissAir and a TWA that were landed in Azraq area and a Pan Am that was landed in Cairo . Then on September 9, a BOAC flight from Bahrain was also hijacked to Zarqa . The PFLP announced that the hijackings were intended "to pay special attention to the Palestinian problem". After all hostages were removed,
12180-424: The side seeking change, which included a variety of militias from leftist organizations and guerrillas from rejectionist Palestinian (nonmainstream PLO) organizations. The Lebanese civil war lasted until 1990 and resulted in an estimated 130,000 to 250,000 civilian fatalities and one million wounded. After Black September, the PLO and its offshoots waged an international campaign against Israelis. Notable events were
12296-507: The start of Operation Al-Aqsa Flood. Qassam commander Mohammed Deif gave a speech mentioning Israel's 16-year blockade of Gaza , Israeli incursions in West Bank cities, violence at Al-Aqsa mosque, Israeli settler violence with the army's support, the confiscation of property and demolition of homes, arbitrarily detaining Palestinians for years until "they wither from cancer and disease", Israel's neglect for international law, American-Western support, and international silence. He then described
12412-701: The state-controlled Palestinian media praised the murders committed by Palestinians. Abbas al-Sayed who perpetrated the Passover suicide attack at the Park Hotel in Netanya which killed 30 civilians was described by Abbas as a "hero" and "symbol of the Palestinian Authority". Following the Itamar massacre and a bombing in Jerusalem, 27 US senators sent a letter requesting the US Secretary of State to identify
12528-435: The use of Palestinian rocketry and Israel's control of Gaza's borders , has led to further chronic violence, culminating in a further two conflicts, the Gaza War of 2008–09 and Operation Pillar of Defense in 2012. Since 1967, some reports estimate that some 40% of the male population of the West Bank and Gaza Strip have been arrested or detained in Israeli prisons for political or military reasons. Violence against
12644-409: Was an Israeli-American. According to the Egyptian government, the bombers were Palestinians led by Iyad Saleh, who had tried to enter Israel to carry out attacks there but were unsuccessful. In the mid-2000s Hamas started putting greater emphasis on its political characteristics and strengthened its popularity amongst Palestinians. In 2006 Palestinian legislative elections Hamas won a majority in
12760-524: Was characterized more by grassroots and non-violent political actions from among the population in the Israeli occupied Palestinian territories . A total of 160 Israelis and 2,162 Palestinians were killed, including 1,000 Palestinians killed by other Palestinians under the accusation of being collaborators. The Intifada lasted five years and ended with the signing of the Oslo Accords . The strategy of non-violence, though widespread among Palestinians,
12876-521: Was labeled the bloodiest in Israel's history and the "deadliest for Jews since the Holocaust " by many figures and media outlets in the West, including US president Joe Biden . Some have called the attack a genocidal massacre against Israelis. Israel has occupied the Palestinian territories , including the Gaza Strip, since the Six-Day War in 1967. The Islamic Resistance Movement ( Hamas ), are
12992-453: Was later reported that Hamas took control of the base and took several Israeli soldiers captive before the IDF regained control later in the day. The base was reportedly the location of IDF drone and surveillance operations. Hamas reportedly posted video of dead Israeli soldiers it had killed at the base. Nir Am was attacked but no residents were harmed. Inbal Rabin-Lieberman , the 25-year-old security coordinator, alongside her uncle Ami, led
13108-411: Was not always adhered to, and there were youth who threw molotov cocktails and stones, with such violence generally directed against Israeli soldiers and settlers. There were two attacks that represented new developments in terms of political violence inside Israel in this period. The first Palestinian suicide attack took place on July 6, 1989, when a member of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad boarded
13224-522: Was planning a significant operation against Israel, but senior IDF officers repeatedly ignored the warnings. A Ha'aretz investigation found that incompetence in the IDF's higher ranks, including refusal to acknowledge Hamas's preparations for the attacks, was a major cause of the October attacks. The IDF had reduced funding and manpower dedicated to observing Hamas, focusing primarily on rocket sites and ignoring Hamas training and troop movements as well as
13340-421: Was reported to have come under Hamas control, enabling militants to enter Israel from Gaza. Israeli Police Commissioner Kobi Shabtai said there were 21 active high-confrontation locations in southern Israel. The New York Times reported that an Israeli intelligence document prepared weeks after the attack found that Hamas had breached the border fence in over 30 separate locations. Starting at 6.30 a.m.
13456-540: Was rooted in the desire to form a youth paramilitary. It was believed that armed youth might bring an end to British hegemony in the Middle East . Youth were cajoled into violence by Palestinian political figures and newspapers that glorified violence and death. The Palestinian Arab Party sponsored the development of storm troops consisting solely of children and youth. A British report from the period stated that "the growing youth and scout movements must be regarded as
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