The key moments of 15 months of war in Gaza

The war broke out on October 7, 2023 when Hamas launched more than 2,200 rockets from the Gaza Strip into Israeli territory and carried out a ground incursion that mainly affected the city of Sderot, in the south of the country. But without a doubt, the most remembered event is the massacre at the Supernova Festival, near the Reim kibbutz, in which the dead were counted in the hundreds and the images traveled around the world.

Faced with this massive attack, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared a state of war: «Citizens of Israel, we are at war. “This is not an operation or an escalation, but a war,” he said then in a video on his social networks.

Hezbollah, the pro-Iranian Lebanese movement, bombed Israel just one day after the Hamas attacks as a show of “solidarity” with the land, sea and air operation launched that Saturday by the Palestinian Islamist group from the Gaza Strip.

The Minister of Defense of Israel, Yoav Gallant, ordered the beginning of the evacuation protocol for the populations in the north of the country, on the border with Lebanon, in view of the possible outbreak of hostilities after the crossfire of bombings with the militia of Hezbollah at Sheeba Farms.

Hundreds of people were killed in the attack on the Al Ahli hospital, located in the northern Gaza Strip. No one took responsibility for the attack: Hamas claimed that it was an attack by Israel, but the Israeli Defense Forces denied responsibility and accused the terrorist group. The international community condemned the bombing and a wave of protests occurred in many parts of the world.

The Israeli Army began a ground incursion into the north of the Gaza Strip that extended over the months. The IDF called this offensive necessary to rescue hostages captured by Hamas and dismantle the terrorist organization.

The first evacuations of Palestinians with foreign passports take place.

Israel and Hamas agreed to a seven-day truce to exchange hostages held in Gaza for Palestinians imprisoned in Israel and allow in more aid. About half of the hostages – women, children and foreigners – were freed in exchange for 240 Palestinian women and teenagers held captive before the war resumed on December 1. Talks about a new ceasefire took place over the following months, but no agreement was reached.

The Israeli Army mistakenly killed three Israeli hostages in Gaza. The incident then provoked some of the strongest criticism within the Hebrew country about the conduct that Netanyahu’s Government was taking regarding the war.

Throughout the year, families of the hostages lead a campaign to pressure Israel’s leaders to reach a deal for the release of their loved ones. They hold street protests, appear almost daily in parliament, meet with world leaders and are frequently interviewed in the media, Reuters notes.

The International Court of Justice asked Israel for precautionary measures to prevent genocide, but did not order a ceasefire in Gaza.

The Israeli Army freed two hostages during a special forces raid in Rafah, southern Gaza.

Negotiations for a second truce in Gaza resumed, RTVE points out, with the intermediation of the United States – which a week before vetoed a ceasefire at the UN –, Qatar and Egypt.

The UN Security Council approved, for the first time and after four previous failed attempts, a resolution calling for a ceasefire in the Gaza war, with the United States abstaining.

Iran bombed Israel on April 12 and a week later Israel responded with another offensive. Before that, on April 2, the IDF killed seven members of chef José Andrés’s NGO while they were providing humanitarian aid in Gaza.

The IDF confirmed that it took control of the Gazan side of the Rafah crossing with tanks, after a night of intense shelling against the east of this southern town on the border with Egypt.

The Government of Pedro Sánchez announced that Spain recognized Palestine as a State, the same day that Ireland and Norway also did so.

Israel discovered the bodies of six hostages murdered in a Hamas tunnel in southern Gaza. Their deaths sparked massive protests in the Hebrew country that demanded that Netanyahu’s government reach an agreement with Hamas over the hostages.

The president-elect of the United States, Donald Trump, threatened that there would be “hell to pay” in the Middle East if the hostages held in the Gaza Strip were not freed before his inauguration, which will take place on January 20.

The body of Youssef Ziyadne, an Israeli Bedouin taken hostage on October 7, 2023, was found dead in a tunnel in Gaza, according to the Israeli Army. It was later confirmed that the body of Ziyadne’s son Hamza was also at the scene.

American and Arab mediators made some progress in their efforts to reach a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, but it was still not enough.

Israel and Hamas reached an agreement in principle on a ceasefire in Gaza this Wednesday after 15 months of war.