Major conflict2023 – 2024 · 1 year
Gaza War (2023-present)
Gaza
Israel's 2023 war in Gaza following Hamas attack killed 40,000+ Palestinians, destroyed cities, and created humanitarian catastrophe.
Estimated casualties
46Ksingle estimate · no range published
What happened
Hamas launched surprise attack on Israel (Oct 7, 2023), killing 1,200 Israelis and taking hostages. Israel responded with massive airstrikes on Gaza, killing Palestinian civilians indiscriminately. Ground invasion followed; Israel conquered Gaza territory. The war devastated Gaza: 40,000+ Palestinians killed (mostly civilians); 2+ million displaced; cities destroyed; humanitarian system collapsed. International condemnation increased; ceasefire negotiations were prolonged.
Why it mattered
The Gaza War showed the human cost of modern urban warfare. The conflict's death toll and humanitarian crisis created international outcry. Israel-Hamas conflict remains unresolved; Gaza's future status is contested. The war influenced global politics (protests, political divisions) and Israeli-Palestinian stalemate seems permanent. The war showed how occupied populations' desperate rebellion sparks disproportionate military response.
Belligerents2
- Israel
- Hamas
Sources
- Wikipedia — text reused under CC BY-SA 4.0
Open in the atlas →Seeks the timeline to 2023 and opens this record.
Cite as: Gaza War (2023-present) (2023 – 2024). War Atlas. https://waratlas.org/c/gaza-war-2023 · Sources & methodology