This is a list of notable engagements during the 2023 Israel–Hamas war, encompassing land, naval, and air engagements as well as campaigns, operations, defensive lines, and sieges. Campaigns generally refer to broader strategic operations conducted over a large territory and over a long period. Battles generally refer to short periods of intense combat localized to a specific area and over a specific period. Massacres refer to the large-scale and deliberate targeting of civilians.
Engagements
| Name | Location | Start date | End date | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Battle of Re’im | Re’im, Southern District | 7 October 2023 | 7 October 2023 | Israeli victory |
| Standoff in Be’eri | Be’eri, Southern District | 7 October 2023 | 8 October 2023 | Israeli victory |
| Standoff in Ofakim | Ofakim, Southern District | 7 October 2023 | 8 October 2023 | Israeli victory |
| Battle of Sderot | Sderot, Southern District | 7 October 2023 | 9 October 2023 | Israeli victory |
| Battle of Sufa | Sufa, Southern District | 7 October 2023 | 10 October 2023 | Israeli victory |
| Battle of Zikim | Zikim, Southern District | 7 October 2023 | Ongoing | |
| Israel–Lebanon border clashes | Shebaa Farms, Golan Heights, southern Lebanon and northern Israel | 8 October 2023 | Ongoing | |
| Jenin incursions | Jenin, West Bank | 12 October 2023 | Ongoing | |
| Tulkarm raid | Tulkarm, West Bank | 19 October 2023 | 20 October 2023 | Hamas claims victory |
| Qabatiya and Tammun raids | Tammun, Qabatiya, West Bank | 22 October 2023 | Ongoing | |
| Khan Yunis raid | Khan Yunis, Gaza Strip | 22 October 2023 | 22 October 2023 | Hamas claims victory |
| Battle of Beit Hanoun | Beit Hanoun, Gaza Strip | 28 October 2023 | Ongoing | |
| Capture of As-Siafa | As-Siafa, Gaza Strip | 28 October 2023 | 29 October 2023 | Israeli victory |
| Shuweika attack | Shuweika, West Bank | 31 October 2023 | 31 October 2023 | Inconclusive |
| Battle of Zeitoun | Zeitoun, Gaza Strip | 1 November 2023 | 1 November 2023 | Hamas claims victory |
| Siege of Gaza City | Gaza City, Gaza Strip | 2 November 2023 | Ongoing |
Massacres
Roughly 2,500 Hamas militants launched coordinated attacks on Israeli outposts and settlements on 7 October 2023, burning houses, killing hundreds of civilians, and kidnapping hundreds more to Gaza. Hamas launched over 5,000 rockets on the same day. Israel responded by declaring a state of war and initiating airstrikes on Gaza.
While the total casualties remain uncertain, at least 684 civilians were murdered in those initial attacks, and at least 200 civilians were abducted into the Gaza Strip. Other civilians were kidnapped for a time but rescued through counterattacks. By the end of the first days of the attack, roughly 1,400 people had been killed in Israel — mostly Israeli civilians but including over 100 foreign nationals. This was the bloodiest massacre in Israel’s history.
| Date | Name | Location | Deaths | Injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 October | Re’im music festival massacre | Near Re’im | 270+ | ? |
| Be’eri massacre | Be’eri | 117+ | ? | |
| Nahal Oz massacre | Nahal Oz | 100+ | ? | |
| Kfar Aza massacre | Kfar Aza | 100+ | ? | |
| Zikim Beach massacre | Zikim | 35+ | ? | |
| Nir Oz massacre | Nir Oz | 25+ | ? | |
| Netiv HaAsara massacre | Netiv HaAsara | 21+ | ? | |
| Holit massacre | Holit | 13+ | ? | |
| Kissufim massacre | Kissufim | 14+ | 4+ | |
| Yakhini massacre | Yakhini | 7+ | ? | |
| Ein HaShlosha massacre | Ein HaShlosha | 5+ | ? | |
| Nirim massacre | Nirim | 5+ | ? | |
| Nir Yitzhak massacre | Nir Yitzhak | 3+ | 5+ |
Airstrikes and rocket attacks
| Name | Date | Attacker | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| Projectile attacks from Lebanon on Israel and the Golan Heights | 8 October 2023 – Ongoing | Hezbollah, Hamas, PIJ, and the PFLP | Israel and the Golan Heights |
| Palestinian rocket attacks on Israel | 8 October 2023 – Ongoing | Hamas, PIJ, and others | Israel |
| Jabalia camp market airstrike | 9 October 2023 | Israel | Jabalia Camp |
| Al-Shati refugee camp airstrike | 9 October 2023 | Israel | Al-Shati refugee camp |
| Hajji Tower airstrike | 10 October 2023 | Israel | Hajji Tower in Gaza Strip |
| 2023 attacks on Palestinians evacuating Gaza City | 13 October 2023 | Israel (Alleged),Hamas (Alleged) | Gaza City |
| UNRWA school airstrike | 17 October 2023 | Israel | UNRWA school in the Maghazi refugee camp |
| Church of Saint Porphyrius airstrike | 19 October 2023 | Israel | Church of Saint Porphyrius |
| Houthi rocket attack[42] | 20 October 2023 | Houthi | Possibly Israel |
| Al-Ansar Mosque airstrike | 22 October 2023 | Israel | Jenin |
| October 2023 Egyptian border incident | 22 October 2023 | Israel | Egyptian border guard position |
| Erez airstrike | 23 October 2023 | Hamas | IDF units in Erez. |
| Taba and Nuweiba drone attacks | 27 October 2023 | Houthi | Taba and Nuweiba, Egypt |
| UNIFIL headquarters attack | 28 October 2023 | Israel | UNIFIL headquarters in Naqoura, Lebanon |
| 31 October Jabalia attack | 31 October 2023 | Israel | Hamas leader in Jabalia refugee camp |
| Al-Shati refugee camp white phosphorus attack | 2 November 2023 | Israel | UNRWA school in the Al-Shati refugee camp |
References
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- ^ Fabian, Emanuel (7 October 2023). “IDF regains control of Re’im military base from Hamas terrorists in southern Israel”. Times of Israel. Archived from the original on 7 October 2023. Retrieved 7 October 2023.
- ^ Kottasová, Ivana; Izso, Lauren (12 October 2023). “The close-knit kibbutz that became home to a massacre”. CNN. Archived from the original on 17 October 2023. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
- ^ Hasson, Nir (8 October 2023). “The Israeli Town of Ofakim Has Been Cleared of Terrorists but the Blood and Shock Remain”. Haaretz. Archived from the original on 8 October 2023. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
- ^ Robertson, Nic (8 October 2023). “IDF wrests control of Sderot from Hamas militants. See the aftermath” (Video & news article). CNN. Archived from the original on 22 October 2023. Retrieved 22 October 2023.
… Israel Defense Forces battled Hamas militants to regain control of the city and its police station.
- ^ “The Battle for Sufa Outpost: How one of Israel’s elite units rescued fellow soldiers from Hamas terrorists”. All Israel News. 12 October 2023. Archived from the original on 19 October 2023. Retrieved 16 October 2023.
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Israeli ground incursion in Beit Hanoun (in the northern Gaza Strip) and in east Bureij (in the centre) and violent engagements are taking place on the ground
- ^ Moore, Johanna; Parry, Andie; Tyson, Kathryn; Ganzeveld, Annika; Mills, Peter; Soltani, Amin; Carl, Nicholas (1 November 2023). “Iran Update, November 1, 2023”. Critical Threats. Washington, D.C.: Institute for the Study of War. Archived from the original on 2 November 2023. Retrieved 2 November 2023.
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The al Quds Brigades and the Tulkarm Battalion of the al Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades conducted a combined small-arms attack on Israeli forces in Shuweika near Tulkarm, indicating growing coordination between the two groups. This was the first combined attack between the al Quds Brigades and al Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades in the West Bank since October 19.
- ^ Michaelis, Tamar (2 November 2023). “The Israeli military has encircled Gaza City, IDF spokesman says”. CNN. Archived from the original on 2 November 2023. Retrieved 2 November 2023.
The Israeli military has completed its encirclement of Gaza City
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