Israel began bombing Gaza on 7 October 2023, after Hamas crossed the border, killed approximately 1,200 people and took 251 others hostage to Gaza.
When ground operations began a week later, most observers in Israel and beyond expected the fighting to last weeks. Instead, it extended for 15 months until Wednesday’s announcement of a ceasefire, to become Israel’s longest war since the 1948 conflict that led to the country’s creation.
