section_path: Abstract
section_name: Abstract
paragraph_text: The Gaza war is an armed conflict in the Gaza Strip and southern Israel fought since 7 October 2023. A part of the unresolved Israeli–Palestinian and Gaza–Israel conflicts dating back to the 20th century, it follows the wars of 2008–2009, 2012, 2014, and 2021. The war has resulted in the deaths of more than two thousand Israelis and tens of thousands of Palestinians, along with widespread destruction and a humanitarian crisis in Gaza. A growing number of human rights organizations and experts in the fields of genocide studies and international law say that a genocide is occurring in Gaza, though this is debated. Meanwhile, the surrounding region has seen heightened instability and fighting. The first day was the deadliest in Israel's history, and the war is the deadliest for Palestinians in the broader conflict.
  
  On 7 October 2023, Hamas -led militant groups launched a surprise attack on Israel, in which 1,195 Israelis and foreign nationals, including 815 civilians, were killed, and 251 taken hostage with the stated goal of forcing Israel to release Palestinian prisoners. After clearing militants from its territory, Israel launched a bombing campaign and invaded Gaza on 27 October with the stated objectives of destroying Hamas and freeing the hostages. Israeli forces launched numerous campaigns during the invasion, including the Rafah offensive from May 2024, three battles fought around Khan Yunis, and the siege of North Gaza from October 2024, and have assassinated Hamas leaders inside and outside of Gaza. A temporary ceasefire in November 2023 broke down, and a second ceasefire in January 2025 ended with a surprise attack by Israel in March 2025.
  
  Since the start of the Israeli offensive, over 55,000 Palestinians in Gaza have been killed, over half of them women and children, and more than 131,000 Palestinians have been injured. A study in The Lancet estimated 64,260 deaths due to traumatic injuries by June 2024, while noting a larger potential death toll when "indirect" deaths are included. Israel's tightened blockade of Gaza cut off basic necessities, causing a severe hunger crisis with a high risk of famine persisting as of May 2025. By early 2025, Israel had caused unprecedented destruction in Gaza and made large parts of it uninhabitable, leveling entire cities and destroying hospitals (including children's hospitals), agricultural land, religious and cultural landmarks, educational facilities, and cemeteries. Gazan journalists, health workers, aid workers and other members of civil society have been detained, tortured and killed. Nearly all of the strip's 2.3 million Palestinian population have been forcibly displaced. Over 100,000 Israelis were internally displaced at the height of the conflict.
  
  Various experts and human rights organizations have stated that Israel and Hamas have committed war crimes. A case accusing Israel of committing genocide in Gaza is being reviewed by the International Court of Justice, while the International Criminal Court reviewed and issued arrest warrants for Benjamin Netanyahu, Yoav Gallant and Mohammed Deif, though Deif's warrant was withdrawn when he was killed. Torture and sexual violence have been committed by Palestinian militant groups and by Israeli forces.
  
  Flashpoints during the war attracting global attention include the Nova festival massacre, the kidnapping and killing of the Bibas family, the Al-Ahli Arab Hospital explosion, the Flour Massacre, the Tel al-Sultan attack, the World Central Kitchen aid convoy attack, and the killing of five-year-old Hind Rajab. Israel has received extensive military and diplomatic support from the United States, which has vetoed multiple pro-ceasefire resolutions from the UN Security Council. The war has reverberated regionally, with Axis of Resistance groups across several Arab countries and Iran clashing with the United States and Israel. By late 2024, a year of strikes between Israel and Hezbollah led to an Israeli invasion of Lebanon, as well as the fall of the Assad regime and an ongoing Israeli invasion of Syria. The war continues to have significant regional and international repercussions, with large protests worldwide calling for a ceasefire, as well as a surge of antisemitism and anti-Palestinianism.