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While much of Israel slept on Saturday, Hamas militants launched an unprecedented, multi-pronged attack on the country from the Gaza Strip. The Middle East’s strongest security force was caught by surprise. There are now hundreds of dead and thousands injured on both sides.
Here’s how events unfolded.
Rocket fire begins
The attack was launched on the Jewish holiday of Simchat Torah and began in the early hours of the morning with thousands of rockets fired at Israeli cities. The barrage triggered warning sirens in the south and center of the country and sent citizens fleeing to bomb shelters.
Militants based in the Gaza Strip fired more than 4,500 rockets over the weekend, according to the Israeli military. Many were intercepted by Israel’s Iron Dome defense system, but satellite images showed fire and black smoke rising from some hit locations.
Hamas fighters storm Israel
Hundreds of Hamas fighters attacked simultaneously by land, air and sea, repeatedly breaching the fortified barrier between Gaza and Israel.
Images and videos showed motorcycles carrying armed militants driving through a hole in a wire fence along the border and a bulldozer destroying part of the barrier. Bombs, missiles and drones were also seen blowing up the fence and defensive positions.
Militants attacked the Supernova music festival near the Gaza border with motorized paragliders, flying in and turning the two-day rave into a massacre site.
Gunmen chased young Israelis through the desert, shooting people and kidnapping them to take them back to Gaza as hostages. The Israeli military did not respond for hours, apparently surprised by the attack. Hundreds of bodies were recovered from the site.
Attacks on Israeli cities
After breaching the Gaza fence, Hamas gunmen began attacking Israeli communities in several locations, going door-to-door and taking hostages.
Images and videos show people lying dead in the streets after execution-style killings and residents, including women, children and the elderly, being taken away.
The militants also attacked military sites.
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According to Israeli media, more than 900 Israeli civilians and soldiers have died since Saturday. It is the deadliest attack on the country since its founding in 1948.
Israel’s answer
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu imposed a “complete siege” on the Gaza Strip, calling up a record 300,000 reservists and ordering an aerial bombardment of the strip.
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The death toll in Gaza following Israeli airstrikes has reached 687, according to Palestinian authorities. Authorities said more than a dozen deaths were also recorded in the occupied West Bank.
The complexity of Hamas’ attack is unlike anything Israel has experienced in decades. It raises serious questions about the security service’s intelligence gathering and the military’s preparedness for an attack.