In Graphics l Two years after Hamas attack on Israel, a key timeline of events in Gaza war

It was a day that changed everything. On October 7 2023, Hamas launched a surprise assault on Israel, breaching the border from Gaza and attacking southern Israeli towns and a desert music festival.

The onslaught, marked by gunfire, rockets, and chaos, left about 1,200 people dead, most of them civilians, and more than 250 taken hostage, according to the Israeli government. Of them, 47 remain captive, including 25 who the Israeli military says are dead.

The assault, which Israel described as its darkest day in decades, triggered an all-out war that has since left deep scars across both sides.

Israel’s retaliatory campaign by air, land and sea devastated Gaza. The health ministry in the Hamas-run territory reports that at least 67,160 Palestinians have been killed. Entire neighbourhoods were reduced to rubble, with homes, hospitals, schools and water systems destroyed.

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Today, hundreds of thousands of displaced Gazans live in overcrowded camps and open areas with little access to food, water or sanitation. The UN has declared a famine in parts of the enclave, calling it one of the worst humanitarian crises in recent history.

Meanwhile, families of Israeli hostages still wait for their loved ones’ return. Global calls for a permanent ceasefire have grown louder as the war entered its second year.

In a recent move to push for peace, US President Donald Trump unveiled a 20-point plan calling for an immediate ceasefire, the release of all hostages, disarmament of Hamas, and a gradual Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.

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Here’s a look at the major events that have unfolded since the day the war began.