Fifty years and one day after the start of the Yom Kippur War, Hamas attacked Israel on Saturday, October 7. At dawn, thousands of rockets were launched from the Gaza Strip. Members of the Al-Qassam Brigades – the armed wing of the militant Palestinian group – penetrated Israeli territory, crossing a border considered one of the most secure in the world and thwarting the Iron Dome, Israel's anti-aircraft defense system.
This was Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, to which Israel responded a few hours later with Operation Swords of Iron. Hamas's shock attack was unprecedented since the creation of Israel in 1948.
Saturday, October 7, 6:29 am. The first sirens are heard.
The first sirens sound in central and southern Israel, warning of the arrival of rockets on this Sabbath, which marks the start of Simchat Torah, a Jewish holiday. The metropolis of Tel Aviv and the farming community of Lachish, further south, are affected, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announce in their first communiqués. This large-scale attack is the start of what Hamas has termed Operation Al-Aqsa Flood.
Sunrise, 6:39 am. To the east, Hamas penetrates the border between the Gaza Strip and Israel.
On pickup trucks, motorcycles and on foot, troops from the Al-Qassam Brigades break through the wire fences and walls separating the Gaza Strip and Israel, using explosives and rocket launchers, as seen in an Al-Qassam Brigades video authenticated by Le Monde. In another sequence, it is possible to see a breach created in a wire fence. From this opening, they are less than 5 kilometers from Kibbutz Be'eri.
@yuuuot3 שבת שלום #tribeofnova #עוטףעזה #פיצוצים #ירוטים
♬ original sound - Rttttdf
At the same time, 5 kilometers from the border with the Gaza Strip, some 3,500 people are attending the Tribe of Nova techno festival. As the sun is rising, small dark spots appear in the sky, accompanied by muffled noises. Hamas rockets are intercepted by the Iron Dome. In the hours that follow, more than 200 people will be killed in an assault by Hamas fighters on the site of the rave.
6:55 am. The presence of Hamas fighters on Israeli soil is confirmed.
At the Be'eri kibbutz, CCTV footage authenticated by Le Monde shows two armed men approaching a gate that protects access to the community village. As a civilian car appears and triggers the opening of the gate, two Hamas fighters open fire on its occupants before entering the kibbutz on foot. The scene lasts 45 seconds.
7 am. Hamas fighters storm the building housing Israel's coordination and liaison administration for Gaza.
In a video released by the Al-Qassam Brigades and authenticated by Le Monde, armed fighters attack a fortified building located at the Erez border crossing on the Israeli side. This walled complex houses the Israeli Coordination and Liaison Administration for Gaza, which accommodates civilians and military personnel. Hamas fighters managed to enter the premises, and men dressed in civilian clothes but presented as Israeli soldiers are handcuffed and taken hostage. Three of them were beaten and taken away in a vehicle bound for the Gaza Strip.
You have 76.71% of this article left to read. The rest is for subscribers only.