Displaced Palestinians in Rafah, southern Gaza. The conflict has devastated vast areas of the Palestinian enclave. AFP
Displaced Palestinians in Rafah, southern Gaza. The conflict has devastated vast areas of the Palestinian enclave. AFP
Displaced Palestinians in Rafah, southern Gaza. The conflict has devastated vast areas of the Palestinian enclave. AFP
Displaced Palestinians in Rafah, southern Gaza. The conflict has devastated vast areas of the Palestinian enclave. AFP

Israel’s war on Gaza: A timeline of major events


Aveen Karim
  • English
  • Arabic

Live updates: Follow the latest on Israel-Gaza

Israel launched its war on the Gaza Strip after a Hamas-led attack on October 7, 2023. The US has proposed a deal for a 60-day ceasefire to halt the conflict, which Washington says Israel has agreed to. Hamas is studying the terms of the deal.

Israel's assaults have killed more than 54,000 Palestinians since the start of the war. But the impact of the devastating conflict has not been limited to the enclave and Israel - it has sent shockwaves across the region, with Israeli forces having fought on several fronts against other Iran-backed groups allied to Hamas.

Here are important moments in the conflict:

October 7, 2023: Hamas fighters infiltrate Israel and carry out an attack that shocks Israeli society. More than 1,200 people, including soldiers, are killed and 240 are kidnapped and taken into Gaza as hostages.

Retaliatory Israeli strikes against the Gaza Strip begin, marking the start of a devastating military campaign.

October 8, 2023: Lebanon's Hezbollah launches rockets towards Israel, saying it has entered the war in support of Palestinians in Gaza, sparking concerns of a new front.

Iran-backed militia groups in Iraq begin launching drones towards Israel on October 17 in support of Palestinians in Gaza.

October 19, 2023: US warships intercept missiles and drones launched towards Israel by the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen. The Houthis begin increasing attacks against Israel and on targets claimed to be affiliated to the country in the Red Sea, threatening shipping lanes and global trade.

October 27, 2023: After besieging the Gaza Strip and displacing the vast majority of the population from the north to the south, Israel begins its ground offensive.

November 15, 2023: Israeli forces enter Al Shifa Hospital, Gaza's largest medical centre, laying siege to the building and killing a number of people. Officials and the hospital's director at the time tell The National they prepared a mass grave for 179 people, including babies.

Within weeks, all hospitals in the Gaza Strip will have been attacked.

November 24, 2023: A week-long truce comes into effect and involves the release of 105 hostages, including Thai workers, in exchange for 240 Palestinians detained in Israeli prisons. But the war resumes on December 1, with attacks expanding into southern Gaza.

January 26, 2024: The International Court of Justice (ICJ) orders Israel to prevent genocide in Gaza.

February 29, 2024: At least 120 people are killed and hundreds injured when Israeli forces fire on civilians queuing for aid, in one of the deadliest incidents of the war.

March 7, 2024: Following increasing political pressure over famine in Gaza and the lack of aid, US president at the time, Joe Biden, announces a pier will be set up in the Mediterranean Sea to deliver supplies. Lasting until July, the pier will be dogged by controversy.

April 1, 2024: The Iranian embassy in Damascus is hit by a suspected Israeli strike that kills military officers, including a senior general.

Seven aid workers from the US charity, World Central Kitchen, are killed in a strike Israel calls a "tragic mistake".

April 13, 2024: In its first direct attack on Israel, Iran launches a barrage of drones and missiles in retaliation for the strike on its diplomatic mission in Syria.

May 6, 2024: Hamas says it has accepted a ceasefire proposal but Israel says it has not agreed to the text.

July 20, 2024: Israel begins attacks on Yemen, bombing the port of Hodeidah in response to a Houthi drone attack on Tel Aviv.

July 31, 2024: Hamas's political leader, Ismail Haniyeh, is killed while on a visit to Iran to attend the inauguration of President Masoud Pezeshkian. In December, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz acknowledges for the first time that it was behind the killing.

August 1, 2024: The Israeli military says it killed Hamas's military chief, Mohammed Deif, in an air strike on July 13 in Al Mawasi. Hamas does not confirm or deny his death.

August 23, 2024: The World Health Organisation confirms the first case of poliovirus in Gaza in 25 years after a baby is paralysed.

September 27, 2024: Israel escalates its strikes on Lebanon and kills Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in southern Beirut, days after hundreds of sabotaged pagers and walkie-talkies used by the group explode, killing 39 and injuring thousands.

Days later, Israel begins its invasion of Lebanon.

October 1, 2024: Iran fires a barrage of missiles at Israel in response to the killings of Nasrallah and Haniyeh.

October 5, 2024: Israel begins its siege on northern Gaza, focusing on Jabalia refugee camp, Beit Hanoun and Beit Lahia. The relentless attacks in the area continue until a temporary ceasefire begins, emptying the north of people while infrastructure is razed.

October 16, 2024: Israel kills Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, the mastermind of the attack on October 7, 2023.

October 26, 2024: Israeli air strikes hit military targets in Iran in response to the missile attack on October 1.

November 21, 2024: In a landmark ruling, the International Criminal Court issues arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defence minister Yoav Gallant, as well as Deif of Hamas, for war crimes and crimes against humanity. The ruling comes days after a UN Special Committee says Israel's war on Gaza is consistent with the characteristics of genocide.

November 27, 2024: Israel and Hezbollah agree to a ceasefire in Lebanon, where the war has killed more than 4,000 people since October 2023. The fragile truce is breached several times, with both sides blaming each other.

An offensive by rebels in Syria leads to the toppling of Iran-allied president Bashar Al Assad in December, with Israel then conducting numerous strikes on military sites. Israeli troops also enter the UN-patrolled buffer zone in the occupied Golan Heights.

January 15, 2025: Negotiators reach a deal for a ceasefire in Gaza between Israel and Hamas, brokered by the US, Egypt and Qatar. The truce comes into effect on January 19, on the eve of the inauguration of US President Donald Trump, who warns there will be "hell to pay" in the Middle East if a deal is not reached.

March 2, 2025: Israel imposes a total humanitarian aid blockade to put pressure on Hamas to release its remaining hostages.

March 18, 2025: Israel resumes military operations in Gaza as a six-week temporary ceasefire collapses.

March 21, 2025: Mr Katz says the Israeli military has been instructed to seize more territory as it expands its ground assault in Gaza. It comes as at least five UN staff are injured in an Israeli attack on central Gaza.

April 2, 2025: Israel's aid blockade enters its second month, with hundreds of thousands of Palestinians having little or no access to food and water.

April 16, 2025: Israel says it controls nearly 30 per cent of land in Gaza, which is under operational buffer zones. The government says it does not plan to allow aid to enter besieged enclave.

May 16, 2025: Israel's aid blockade continues and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, says the escalation of attacks in Gaza and blockade of aid "tantamount to ethnic cleansing".

May 18, 2025: No hospital in northern Gaza is operational, health authorities say. Beit Hanoun and Kamal Adwan Hospital have been destroyed and the Indonesian Hospital is under siege by Israeli forces.

The army says a ground offensive, known as Gideon's Chariots, has began in Gaza.

May 19, 2025: Mr Netanyahu says Israel will allow a "basic amount" of aid to enter Gaza. It is reported that only five lorries have entered the enclave.

May 30, 2025: A 60-day ceasefire is proposed by the US. Israel has accepted the terms, but Hamas is reviewing the deal.

What can you do?

Document everything immediately; including dates, times, locations and witnesses

Seek professional advice from a legal expert

You can report an incident to HR or an immediate supervisor

You can use the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation’s dedicated hotline

In criminal cases, you can contact the police for additional support

Evacuations to France hit by controversy
  • Over 500 Gazans have been evacuated to France since November 2023
  • Evacuations were paused after a student already in France posted anti-Semitic content and was subsequently expelled to Qatar
  • The Foreign Ministry launched a review to determine how authorities failed to detect the posts before her entry
  • Artists and researchers fall under a programme called Pause that began in 2017
  • It has benefited more than 700 people from 44 countries, including Syria, Turkey, Iran, and Sudan
  • Since the start of the Gaza war, it has also included 45 Gazan beneficiaries
  • Unlike students, they are allowed to bring their families to France
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The five pillars of Islam

1. Fasting 

2. Prayer 

3. Hajj 

4. Shahada 

5. Zakat 

If you go

Flight connections to Ulaanbaatar are available through a variety of hubs, including Seoul and Beijing, with airlines including Mongolian Airlines and Korean Air. While some nationalities, such as Americans, don’t need a tourist visa for Mongolia, others, including UAE citizens, can obtain a visa on arrival, while others including UK citizens, need to obtain a visa in advance. Contact the Mongolian Embassy in the UAE for more information.

Nomadic Road offers expedition-style trips to Mongolia in January and August, and other destinations during most other months. Its nine-day August 2020 Mongolia trip will cost from $5,250 per person based on two sharing, including airport transfers, two nights’ hotel accommodation in Ulaanbaatar, vehicle rental, fuel, third party vehicle liability insurance, the services of a guide and support team, accommodation, food and entrance fees; nomadicroad.com

A fully guided three-day, two-night itinerary at Three Camel Lodge costs from $2,420 per person based on two sharing, including airport transfers, accommodation, meals and excursions including the Yol Valley and Flaming Cliffs. A return internal flight from Ulaanbaatar to Dalanzadgad costs $300 per person and the flight takes 90 minutes each way; threecamellodge.com

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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.

When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.

How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.

FFP EXPLAINED

What is Financial Fair Play?
Introduced in 2011 by Uefa, European football’s governing body, it demands that clubs live within their means. Chiefly, spend within their income and not make substantial losses.

What the rules dictate? 
The second phase of its implementation limits losses to €30 million (Dh136m) over three seasons. Extra expenditure is permitted for investment in sustainable areas (youth academies, stadium development, etc). Money provided by owners is not viewed as income. Revenue from “related parties” to those owners is assessed by Uefa's “financial control body” to be sure it is a fair value, or in line with market prices.

What are the penalties? 
There are a number of punishments, including fines, a loss of prize money or having to reduce squad size for European competition – as happened to PSG in 2014. There is even the threat of a competition ban, which could in theory lead to PSG’s suspension from the Uefa Champions League.

Updated: May 30, 2025, 10:38 AM`