Maps and videos show how the deadly surprise attack on Israel unfolded

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A rocket launched from Gaza toward Israel is seen from Gaza City on Oct. 7. (Loay Ayyoub for The Washington Post)
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Videos have emerged showing how the Hamas operation unfolded in the early hours of Saturday morning.

Hamas fires rockets into Israel

Hamas claimed responsibility for the barrage of rocket attacks launched toward Israel from Gaza early on Oct. 7. (Video: Reuters)

At about 6.30 a.m. local time, according to Reuters, a barrage of rocket fire began from Gaza into Israel, hitting several cities including Tel Aviv, Rehovot, Gedera and Ashkelon.

Satellite images captured by Sentinel-2 on Saturday show plumes of smoke near the border with Gaza.

Palestinian militants cross into Israel

Hamas released video on Oct. 7 showing militants forcing entry into southern Israel from Gaza. The video was not edited by The Post. (Video: Al-Qassam Brigades (Hamas military) via Storyful)

This video, filmed and edited by Hamas, shows militants entering Israel from the Gaza strip. Israeli’s military said this began at around 7:40 a.m. local time.

Palestinian fighters take over Israeli towns

Vehicles were burning in Sderot, Israel, following an attack by Hamas. (Video: Reuters)
In a video independently verified by the Post, Palestinian fighters shoot at a civilian vehicle in Sderot, Israel, on Oct. 7. (Video: t.me/danielamram3/Telegram)
In a video verified by The Washington Post, Palestinian fighters occupy a rooftop and fire out of a pickup truck in Sderot, Israel, on Oct. 7. (Video: Younis Tirawi/X)

Graphic videos show bodies strewn in the streets of the southern city of Sderot after the attack by Palestinian militants. Cars were riddled with bullets and lit on fire.

Israel strikes Gaza

A residential building in Gaza City falls during an Israeli airstrike after Hamas attacks on Oct. 7. (Video: AP)

The Israeli air force retaliated with airstrikes across the Gaza Strip on Saturday morning, hitting 17 military compounds and four operational command centers belonging to Hamas.

Palestinians carried the dead bodies of those who died in Israel air strikes in Gaza, following a surprise attack by Hamas against Israel on Oct. 7. (Video: Reuters)

Israel fired barrages of artillery into southern Lebanon on Sunday after Hezbollah targeted three Israeli military positions in the disputed Shebaa Farms.

Israel-Gaza war

The Israel-Gaza war has gone on for months, and tensions have spilled into the surrounding Middle East region.

The war: On Oct. 7, Hamas militants launched an unprecedented cross-border attack on Israel, killing about 1,200 people and taking civilian hostages, including from a music festival. See photos and videos of how the deadly assault unfolded. Israel declared war on Hamas in response, launching a ground invasion that fueled the biggest displacement in the region since Israel’s creation in 1948. In July 2024, Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was killed in an attack Hamas has blamed on Israel.

Gaza crisis: In the Gaza Strip, Israel has waged one of this century’s most destructive wars, killing tens of thousands and plunging at least half of the population into “famine-like conditions.” For months, Israel has resisted pressure from Western allies to allow more humanitarian aid into the enclave.

U.S. involvement: Despite tensions between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and some U.S. politicians, including President Biden, the United States supports Israel with weapons, funds aid packages, and has vetoed or abstained from the United Nations’ cease-fire resolutions.

History: The roots of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and mistrust are deep and complex, predating the establishment of the state of Israel in 1948. Read more on the history of the Gaza Strip.