Bloodshed, a rising number of casualties, the sight of destruction… Ruin and death dot the map where violent conflict occurs. Around 7 a.m. on October 7, the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) waged a surprise attack on Israel, firing at least 5,000 rockets into the country and launching ground attacks on the Israeli towns bordering the Palestinian enclave, the Gaza Strip.
In his televised address following the assault, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared the country was now “at war.” Israel subsequently launched retaliatory airstrikes on the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip and imposed a complete siege on the densely inhabited area.
As of October 11, the day Israel announced it would form a national unity government, including members of the opposition and former military leaders, to direct the war, this latest military conflict between Israel and the Palestinian
