ConfirmedMilitary & securityBackgroundSouthern Israel, near the Gaza Strip
Hamas-led Oct. 7 attack starts the Gaza war
- Mountain Time
- Local time
- 6:30 AM in Jerusalem, Oct 7
- Where
- Southern Israel, near the Gaza Strip
Hamas-led fighters crossed from Gaza by land, sea and air under a rocket barrage that set off sirens at about 6:30 AM, killing about 1,200 people in southern Israel and taking 251 hostages, by Israel's count. Israel declared war and began striking Gaza the same day.
Why it matters
The Hezbollah front, the Red Sea shipping attacks and the later Iran-Israel exchanges all grew out of the Gaza war that began with this attack.
Sources (4)
- AP initial Oct. 7 reportapnews.comPublished
- Britannica Oct. 7 attack overviewbritannica.com
- CBS News timelinecbsnews.comPublished
- ABC Newsabcnews.comPublished
Confidence: Corroborated by independent sources or direct evidence. About confidence labels
Corrections
- Removed an unverified publication date from Britannica Oct. 7 attack overview (2026-05-01). Why and evidence
- Revised the summary; revised the context note; corrected the location from Southern Israel / Gaza border to Southern Israel, near the Gaza Strip; reclassified it from context to military-strike; updated the sourcing note; added 2 sources: CBS News timeline, ABC News. Why and evidence