A surprise attack by Hamas on Israel has led to Israel’s largest assault on Gaza in years. #AJStartHere with Sandra Gathmann explains what’s going on. 

00:43 - What is Gaza? 
01:01 - Who are Hamas?
01:53 - Why is the war different? 
02:05 - Hamas attack on October 7th
03:07 - How Israel was taken by surprise
04:40 - Israel's attack on Gaza
05:41 - Why is this happening now? 
06:32 - The impact of Israel's occupation on Palestinians
07:28 - What could happen next? 

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Let's talk about what's happening in Israel and Gaza.

A massive surprise attack on Israel by Hamas, the group that controls Gaza, has quickly escalated into the most intense conflict in decades.

An unprecedented military operation by Hamas and a colossal failure of Israeli intelligence.

You had all these gunmen entering up to 22 different locations outside the Gaza Strip.

Israel says hundreds of its citizens have been killed and many more injured.

The violent Israeli raids have not stopped bombarding across the Gaza Strip.

There's so much going on, so we're going to answer 3 questions to help you understand what's happening.

It's a small strip of Palestinian land that's been under a land, sea and air blockade by Israel since 2007.

More than 2000000 Palestinians live there, crammed in, and they can only leave with Israeli permission, which few people get.

It's often referred to as the world's largest open-air prison.

And Hamas is the political and armed group that runs Gaza.

It took control there after it won an election in 2006, but there hasn't been a vote since then.

Hamas is part of a regional alliance that also includes Iran and the armed group Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Israel, the US, EU and others have designated Hamas a terrorist organization.

Many Palestinians see Hamas as the most active group when it comes to resistance against Israeli occupation, especially since the other main Palestinian political group, Fatah, which controls parts of the West Bank, is often criticized for being ineffective.

Now, Israel and Hamas have fought on and off wars.

In the past, it's usually been an exchange of fire across the Gaza border.

Israel drops bombs on Gaza, usually with a huge civilian death toll.

But what happened this time around was very different.

A lot of people are calling it unprecedented.

Well, really because of the scale of the attack that Hamas launched and because nobody really saw it coming.

Hamas fired thousands of rockets into Israel and then sent hundreds of fighters over the border.

They overran a border crossing and broke down the security barrier that surrounds Gaza with bulldozers.

Some even flew over on motorized paragliders.

At least 900 Israelis were killed, including around 260 at a music festival.

Videos online showed panicked people trying to escape.

Hamas also says it's captured more than 100 Israelis, including some senior military officers.

Israel says children and elderly women were also taken.

Nothing like that has happened since Hamas captured 1 Israeli soldier, Gilad Shalit, in 2006 and held him in Gaza for 5 years.

3 days after Hamas launched its attack, there were still gun battles going on between Hamas fighters and Israeli forces in 3 main areas in southern Israel.

Which brings us to another reason why this is all so unprecedented and that's Israel's failure to stop it.

Remember the Israeli army is 1 of the world's most sophisticated military and intelligence organizations and the border with Gaza is heavily monitored.

Unfortunately, we were taken by surprise, absolute surprise.

Any kind of communication going in and out of Gaza, at least in theory, would be listened to by Israel's intelligence units.

And of course the border, so-called around Gaza, a wall and fence, is also highly militarised.

I think it raises questions as to Israel's military capability, which isn't a good look for Israel since it likes to be seen as the strongman and incredibly capable in that region.

Israel has also vowed an unprecedented response and says it plans to wipe out Hamas's military capability and end its control of Gaza.

The enemy will pay a price for not knowing his death.

Israel's been hitting Gaza hard with airstrikes and artillery.

This is a missile attack on Palestine Tower.

have been pictures coming out showing devastation and bodies being pulled out from the rubble.

More than 700 people have been killed, including children.

Yes, this is just an airstrike now that you've heard.

It seems that it's very close here from the

This is the fourth mosque to be bombarded in the Gaza Strip.

Remember, Gaza is really densely populated.

Civilians there are trapped with nowhere to escape to.

But now Israel has imposed a total siege on Gaza, which amounts to collective punishment, making it illegal under international law.

Israel has called up 300,000 army reservists.

And it looks like a ground invasion of Gaza is also imminent.

In front of me I can see soldiers coming in on Humvees, Jeeps, Range Rovers.

We are seeing an increasing troop build up.

Well, there's a clue in the name Hamas gave for its attack.

Just days before, hundreds of Israeli settlers, with the protection of Israeli forces, stormed Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem.

This is a hugely important and contested religious site.

It's often a flashpoint in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

We've done another Star Here episode all about that.

Now, Hamas said it launched its attack in response to the desecration of Al-Aqsa.

But even if recent events at Al-Aqsa played a role, Hamas's huge attack would have taken a lot of planning.

They also say the attack was a response to decades of Israeli violence and occupation.

The daily impact of that occupation on the lives of Palestinians inside Gaza and in other occupied territories like the West Bank is also a big part of the story.

Analysts and experts have been warning for months that the reality on the ground, the record number of Palestinians killed, dispossessed and injured and traumatized by Israeli forces and settlers across the occupied West Bank, the continued siege on Gaza, the relentless attacks on al-Aqsa Mosque.

They were all pushing the situation towards this moment.

I don't think anybody imagined the particulars of the moment, But I think everybody with a sense of what was going on knew that this calm was deceiving and that something was going to happen, something big.

The whole world is watching this all unfold right now.

There's a huge focus on the human cost, but there's also a growing sense that this is all going to shift things in the region in a big way.

There's a risk it could lead to an even bigger regional conflict.

It could draw a country like Iran, which Israel says helped orchestrate the attack, although Iran denies they were involved in any way.

But underlying it are even bigger questions that have never been answered and can no longer be ignored.

What does real peace actually look like for everyone and how can we get there?

It's possible and necessary to stand with both the Palestinians and Israelis without resorting to ethical relativism, to selective outrage or worse, calls for violence.

Politicians, policymakers should prioritize restoring legality and accountability using diplomacy and peace as conflict resolution methods rather than advocating for more violence or standing with 1 side or another.

Start Here did a recent episode explaining why the Alaxa moss compound is so significant.


Speaker 0: Let's talk about what's happening in Israel and Gaza. A massive surprise attack on Israel by Hamas, the group that controls Gaza, has quickly escalated into the most intense conflict in decades.

Speaker 1: An unprecedented military operation by Hamas and a colossal failure of Israeli intelligence. You had all these gunmen entering up to 22 different locations outside the Gaza Strip. Israel says hundreds of its citizens have been killed and many more injured. The violent Israeli raids have not stopped bombarding across the Gaza Strip.

Speaker 0: There's so much going on, so we're going to answer 3 questions to help you understand what's happening. This is Gaza. It's a small strip of Palestinian land that's been under a land, sea and air blockade by Israel since 2007. More than 2000000 Palestinians live there, crammed in, and they can only leave with Israeli permission, which few people get. It's often referred to as the world's largest open-air prison.

And Hamas is the political and armed group that runs Gaza. It took control there after it won an election in 2006, but there hasn't been a vote since then. Hamas is part of a regional alliance that also includes Iran and the armed group Hezbollah in Lebanon. Israel, the US, EU and others have designated Hamas a terrorist organization. Many Palestinians see Hamas as the most active group when it comes to resistance against Israeli occupation, especially since the other main Palestinian political group, Fatah, which controls parts of the West Bank, is often criticized for being ineffective.

Now, Israel and Hamas have fought on and off wars. The last big 1 was in 2021. In the past, it's usually been an exchange of fire across the Gaza border. Hamas fires rockets into Israel. Israel drops bombs on Gaza, usually with a huge civilian death toll.

But what happened this time around was very different. A lot of people are calling it unprecedented. Why? Well, really because of the scale of the attack that Hamas launched and because nobody really saw it coming. It started early on October 7th.

Hamas fired thousands of rockets into Israel and then sent hundreds of fighters over the border. They overran a border crossing and broke down the security barrier that surrounds Gaza with bulldozers. Some fighters were in vehicles. Some even flew over on motorized paragliders. They attacked towns and villages.

At least 900 Israelis were killed, including around 260 at a music festival. Videos online showed panicked people trying to escape. Hamas also says it's captured more than 100 Israelis, including some senior military officers. Israel says children and elderly women were also taken. Nothing like that has happened since Hamas captured 1 Israeli soldier, Gilad Shalit, in 2006 and held him in Gaza for 5 years.

3 days after Hamas launched its attack, there were still gun battles going on between Hamas fighters and Israeli forces in 3 main areas in southern Israel. Which brings us to another reason why this is all so unprecedented and that's Israel's failure to stop it. Remember the Israeli army is 1 of the world's most sophisticated military and intelligence organizations and the border with Gaza is heavily monitored. So this attack came as a huge shock.

Speaker 1: Unfortunately, we were taken by surprise, absolute surprise.

Speaker 2: Any kind of communication going in and out of Gaza, at least in theory, would be listened to by Israel's intelligence units. And of course the border, so-called around Gaza, a wall and fence, is also highly militarised. But clearly, clearly, that collapsed.

Speaker 3: I think it raises questions as to Israel's military capability, which isn't a good look for Israel since it likes to be seen as the strongman and incredibly capable in that region.

Speaker 0: Israel has also vowed an unprecedented response and says it plans to wipe out Hamas's military capability and end its control of Gaza.

Speaker 3: The enemy will pay a price for not knowing his death.

Speaker 0: Israel's been hitting Gaza hard with airstrikes and artillery.

Speaker 2: All right.

Speaker 1: Yumna, please take cover. No, it's OK. This is a missile attack on Palestine Tower. There

Speaker 0: have been pictures coming out showing devastation and bodies being pulled out from the rubble. More than 700 people have been killed, including children.

Speaker 1: Yes, this is just an airstrike now that you've heard. It seems that it's very close here from the

Speaker 4: area of where we are.

Speaker 1: We're at a neighborhood. This is the fourth mosque to be bombarded in the Gaza Strip.

Speaker 0: Remember, Gaza is really densely populated. Civilians there are trapped with nowhere to escape to. There was already a blockade there. But now Israel has imposed a total siege on Gaza, which amounts to collective punishment, making it illegal under international law. Israel has called up 300,000 army reservists.

And it looks like a ground invasion of Gaza is also imminent.

Speaker 1: In front of me I can see soldiers coming in on Humvees, Jeeps, Range Rovers. We are seeing an increasing troop build up.

Speaker 0: OK, so why has all this happened now? Well, there's a clue in the name Hamas gave for its attack. Operation Al-Aqsa Flood. Just days before, hundreds of Israeli settlers, with the protection of Israeli forces, stormed Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem. This is a hugely important and contested religious site.

It's often a flashpoint in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. We've done another Star Here episode all about that. We'll put a link to it in the comments. Now, Hamas said it launched its attack in response to the desecration of Al-Aqsa. But even if recent events at Al-Aqsa played a role, Hamas's huge attack would have taken a lot of planning.

They also say the attack was a response to decades of Israeli violence and occupation. The daily impact of that occupation on the lives of Palestinians inside Gaza and in other occupied territories like the West Bank is also a big part of the story.

Speaker 5: Analysts and experts have been warning for months that the reality on the ground, the record number of Palestinians killed, dispossessed and injured and traumatized by Israeli forces and settlers across the occupied West Bank, the continued siege on Gaza, the relentless attacks on al-Aqsa Mosque. They were all pushing the situation towards this moment. I don't think anybody imagined the particulars of the moment, But I think everybody with a sense of what was going on knew that this calm was deceiving and that something was going to happen, something big.

Speaker 0: The whole world is watching this all unfold right now. There's a huge focus on the human cost, but there's also a growing sense that this is all going to shift things in the region in a big way. There's a risk it could lead to an even bigger regional conflict. It could draw a country like Iran, which Israel says helped orchestrate the attack, although Iran denies they were involved in any way. But underlying it are even bigger questions that have never been answered and can no longer be ignored.

What does real peace actually look like for everyone and how can we get there?

Speaker 6: It's possible and necessary to stand with both the Palestinians and Israelis without resorting to ethical relativism, to selective outrage or worse, calls for violence. Politicians, policymakers should prioritize restoring legality and accountability using diplomacy and peace as conflict resolution methods rather than advocating for more violence or standing with 1 side or another.

Speaker 0: Start Here did a recent episode explaining why the Alaxa moss compound is so significant. We've linked it here.

See all Al Jazeera English transcripts on Youtube

Israel-Gaza war: what’s happening and why? | Start Here