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Hamas led a series of surprise attacks on Israel in the early hours of 7 October 2023, initially firing rockets into Israel before launching a ground operation which saw almost 1,200 people killed and 251 others taken as hostages back to Gaza.
The militant group called the operation "Al-Aqsa Flood" and targeted military sites, kibbutzim and the Nova music festival.
Israel vowed to annihilate Hamas and launched its own military offensive in Gaza just hours after that incursion.
Evacuation of northern Gaza
Six days after the Hamas-led attack, on 13 October the Israeli army ordered the first evacuation of the north of the Palestinian enclave within 24 hours, in preparation for a ground offensive.
According to the UN, more than 1 million residents had to leave their homes and head south.
By 13 October, Israeli strikes had already killed more than 1,500 Palestinians in Gaza, according to local authorities.
Palestinians flee from northern Gaza towards the south after the Israeli army issued an evacuation order, 13
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