Description

The Gaza war is an armed conflict in the Gaza Strip and Israel fought since 7 October 2023, as part of the unresolved Israeli–Palestinian and Gaza–Israel conflicts dating back to the 20th century. 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. Since the start of the Israeli offensive that followed, over 58,000 Palestinians in Gaza have been killed, over half of them women and children, and more than 137,000 injured. A study in the Lancet estimated 64,260 deaths in Gaza due to traumatic injuries by June 2024, while noting a larger potential death toll when "indirect" deaths are included.