As Israel marks two years since Hamas’s surprise assault that plunged the region into one of the most brutal wars in modern Middle Eastern history, both sides remain locked in a stalemate.Talks are taking place in Egypt under a new peace proposal put forward by U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, but the humanitarian crisis in Gaza continues to worsen, while Israelis mourn their dead and demand the return of hostages.Here’s a look at how the conflict unfolded through ten key moments, from the October 7, 2023 attacks to the situation today.
October 7, 2023: Where it all started
At dawn on October 7, 2023, as Israel concluded the Jewish festival of Sukkot, Hamas-led militants launched an unprecedented assault from Gaza. They fired thousands of rockets, breached security barriers, and stormed Israeli communities and an outdoor music festival near Re’im. The attacks killed around 1,219 people, mostly civilians, and 251 others were taken hostage. It became the deadliest day in Israel’s history.
October–December 2023: Israel strikes back
In response, Israel unleashed a massive retaliatory campaign by air, land and sea. Gaza’s cities were flattened, hospitals and schools destroyed, and more than a million Palestinians displaced. The Israeli government vowed to “eliminate Hamas completely,” while the United States and several allies backed its right to self-defence. Humanitarian agencies reported severe shortages of food, water, and medical supplies. Thousands of Palestinians lost their homes, family members, friends, and neighbours, contributing to widespread casualties, including women and children. Israel has conducted multiple airstrikes across the Gaza Strip, targeting sites it says are used by Hamas, including tunnels and other infrastructure. These strikes have resulted in deaths among both civilians and militants.
Late 2023–early 2024: Ceasefire talks and hostage deals
Through late 2023 and early 2024, Egypt and Qatar brokered fragile ceasefires that allowed limited exchanges of hostages for Palestinian prisoners. Dozens were released on both sides, but fighting quickly resumed. By mid-2024, only 47 hostages remained in Gaza, with the Israeli military declaring that at least 25 were already dead. The first anniversary of the conflict passed amid heavy air raids, while families of the hostages in Israel held weekly vigils calling for their return.
Mid-2024: World reacts
As the conflict continued, international attention grew over the rising civilian casualties. By August 2024, the Hamas-run health ministry reported more than 40,000 Palestinians killed. The United Nations described these figures as credible, noting that most of the victims were women and children. The International Criminal Court (ICC) and the International Court of Justice (ICJ) began investigating potential war crimes by both sides. Rights groups accused Israel of genocide and Hamas of targeting civilians. Israel rejected the allegations, maintaining that it was conducting a lawful war of self-defence.
Early 2025: Political turmoil in Israel and Trump’s return to the US presidency
By January 2025, public anger in Israel had reached boiling point. Protests erupted in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem demanding Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s resignation and a deal to bring the hostages home. A national survey showed that 72 percent of Israelis were dissatisfied with the government’s handling of the war. The army chief resigned, accepting responsibility for intelligence failures on October 7. Despite domestic pressure, Netanyahu promised that operations would continue “until every hostage is freed and Hamas is destroyed.”US President Donald Trump assumed office in January, stating he would reverse the policies of his predecessor, Joe Biden, which he said had worsened the Israel-Hamas conflict. The MAGA leader subsequently approved billions of dollars in military aid to Israel. Trump’s return to the presidency marked a significant development due to the United States’ global influence, with potential implications for other ongoing conflicts, including the war between Ukraine and Russia.
January–March 2025: Ceasefire and a short-lived calm
Under pressure from the United States and regional mediators, a three-phase ceasefire came into effect between January 19 and March 18, 2025. It allowed humanitarian aid to flow and facilitated further prisoner exchanges. For a brief moment, hope flickered across Gaza as families reunited and rubble-clearing began. However, disagreements over future governance and Hamas’s disarmament derailed the process. Militants fired rockets into southern Israel again, prompting a renewed military response that shattered the short-lived calm.
March 2025: Operation ‘Might and Sword’
On 18 March 2025, Israel launched a major new operation, codenamed “Might and Sword,” in Gaza City. The strikes killed more than 850 people in a single night and reignited full-scale war. The Israeli defence forces (IDF) claimed they targeted Hamas strongholds, while aid groups reported dozens of civilian casualties. The escalation spread across the region as Hezbollah in Lebanon launched rockets and Iran vowed retaliation. The humanitarian situation in Gaza worsened further, with nearly 90 per cent of its 2 million residents displaced.
April–June 2025: Khan Yunis and Rafah devastated
By spring 2025, anti-Hamas protests broke out inside Gaza itself. Exhausted civilians demanded an end to the war and called for Hamas’s removal. Israel expanded its operations into southern Gaza under ‘Operation Gideon’s Chariots,’ capturing parts of Khan Yunis and Rafah. Entire neighbourhoods were flattened, with homes, schools, and hospitals destroyed. Thousands of civilians were killed or injured, and families were forced to flee with little access to food, water, or medical aid.In June, the conflict briefly widened when Israel and the United States jointly targeted Iranian military sites following cross-border missile attacks. The strikes killed senior Iranian officers and heightened fears of a broader regional war.
September 2025: Doha strike derails ongoing negotiations
In September 2025, Israel shocked the region by carrying out an airstrike in Doha, Qatar, where several Hamas officials were reportedly meeting mediators to discuss a ceasefire. The attack killed six people, including civilians, and drew widespread condemnation from Arab states and Western diplomats. Israel claimed it had targeted senior Hamas commanders, accusing them of plotting further attacks. The move complicated negotiations and led to the temporary suspension of talks that had been slowly progressing since the summer.
October 2025: 20-point Gaza peace plan
Two years after the initial assault, both sides are once again at the negotiating table — indirectly. Delegations from Israel and Hamas arrived in Egypt’s Sharm el-Sheikh resort this week to discuss a new peace plan proposed by Trump. The 20-point Gaza peace plan calls for an immediate ceasefire once Hamas releases all hostages, the group’s disarmament, and a gradual Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. “I think we’re very, very close to having a deal... I think there’s a lot of goodwill being shown now,” Trump said. Yet Israeli commanders warned that if the talks fail, “the military will return to fighting.”
What comes ahead?
As of October 2025, the humanitarian situation in Gaza has reached catastrophic levels. According to the Gaza health ministry, at least 67,160 Palestinians have been killed since the war began, with women and children comprising about half of the casualties. Last week, a Greta Thunberg-led Global Sumud Flotilla attempted to break the blockade and deliver humanitarian aid but was intercepted by Israel in international waters. Several other attempts to provide aid to Gaza have also been blocked by Israel, which says it is supplying its own humanitarian assistance to the territory.A total of 157 UN member states have recognised Palestine as a sovereign state, while several Western nations have yet to do so.
