Hamas said it had launched 150 rockets at Israel, as a response to the “displacement and targeting of civilians." Earlier, the Israeli military had announced that around 1.1 million civilians would be evacuated from Gaza city, “for their own safety”, within 24 hours. Israel has said that it will continue to “operate significantly” in the area in the coming days, and residents will be allowed to return only when an announcement permitting them to do so will be made. The United Nations Palestinian Refugee Agency (UNRWA) said it relocated its central operations centre and international staff to Gaza’s south, and also urged Israel to protect all civilians in its shelters. The ongoing war has claimed at least 2,800 lives on both sides, according to AP.

The military conflict between Israel and the Gaza Strip-based militant group Hamas began exactly 14 months after the truce that ended the brief confrontation between Israel and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad on August 7, 2022. The answer to why Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, lies in a mix of internal, political, religious, and geopolitical reasons.

After initial chaos, Israel's military scrambled into action by firing back missiles at Gaza and sending in a massive number of military troops to halt Hamas' attack on them. Israeli President Netanyahu declared war, while the military has claimed that over 6,000 Israeli bombs have struck Gaza since October 7. While Israel says it is striking Hamas targets, many civilians have been killed in the process - Gaza’s Ministry of Health said Thursday that 22 entire families have perished. In addition to attacking roads and buildings in Gaza, local news outlets reported attacks by Israeli forces on airports in Damascus and Aleppo.

Hours after Hamas' first attacks on Gaza on October 7, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on a post on X, expressed shock at the Palestinian offensive, and conveyed “solidarity with Israel”. He wrote, "“Deeply shocked by the news of terrorist attacks in Israel. Our thoughts and prayers are with the innocent victims and their families. We stand in solidarity with Israel at this difficult hour." However, five days later, in its first official statement on the Israel-Hamas war, New Delhi has sought to nuance this. Ministry of External Affairs’ official spokesperson Arindam Bagchi, in response to questions at the weekly briefing, said that there is a “universal obligation to observe international humanitarian law,” and there is also a global responsibility to fight the menace of terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. In addition, Bagchi further cleared that India advocates for "the resumption of direct negotations towards establishing the sovereign, independent and viable state of Palestine living within secure and recognised border side by side with Israel."

The new developments in the longstanding tensions between Israel and Palestine have seen several countries throw in their weight behind each side. While Britain, the US, France, Japan, Canada, Germany, Ukraine, and Spain, among others, condemned Hamas; Russia, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, and Turkiye were among some countries which backed the Palestinian cause. However, since the violence, death, and disaster escalated, most leaders worldwide have called for a ceasefire. US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin arrived Friday in the Israeli city of Tel Aviv to meet with senior government leaders and see firsthand some of the US weapons and security assistance that Washington rapidly delivered to Israel in the first week of its war with the militant Hamas group. Austin is the second high-level US official to visit Israel in two days which comes a day after Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in the region on Thursday. Blinken is continuing the frantic Mideast diplomacy, seeking to avert an expanded regional conflict.