Fighters On Parachutes, A Massacre, A Turning Point: Revisiting October 7 Hamas Attacks Against Israel | Video

October 7, 2023 has gone down in the history of Israel as its deadliest day when hundreds of Palestine-based Hamas fighters launched a surprise attack, breaching heavily fortified Gaza border to enter the Jewish towns and cities and killing hundreds of people.

The attack resulted in the deaths of 1,205 people on the Israeli side, most of them civilians, and over 250 people were taken hostage by Hamas. In retaliation, Israel launched an all-out military campaign in the Gaza Strip, from land, sea, and air, killing at least 41,788 people, the majority of whom were civilians.

The surprise attack came months after Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was assassinated in Iran in July 2023, marking one of the biggest blows to the militant movement since its founding in 1987 during the Palestinian Intifada uprising.

The conflict, which began on October 7, has now engulfed Lebanon and Iran as well. Earlier this week, Iran launched hundreds of missiles at Israel in response to the killing of Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah and Iranian Brigadier General Abbas Nilforushan. The world now awaits Israel’s retaliation.

As it has been a year since October 7 attack, here’s a look at how events unfolded on that horrific day.

Explosives & Parachutes: How Hamas Fighters Breached Israel’s ‘Iron Wall’

The attack began at 6:15 a.m. on October 7 when Hamas fighters, organised in groups, started preparing to breach the revamped border, built at the cost of USD 1.1 billion and known as the “Iron Wall.” However, it only took some explosives to create holes in the fences and walls, allowing Hamas fighters to enter Israeli territory. The Nahal Oz base was also overrun by Hamas gunmen.

According to The Washington Post, Hamas was able to breach the fence at around 30 locations, from the Erez Crossing in the north to Kerem Shalom in the south.

Fighters used explosives to blow holes in the fences and concrete barriers. A video showed how dozens of Hamas fighters took control of the Erez Crossing to gain entry into Israel. The fighters first used explosives to create a hole in the concrete wall, and later shot dead several Israeli officers.

Another video showed some fighters blowing up the wall and securing entry into Israel on their vehicles.

Bulldozers were also used to bring down the fences erected on the border.

The attack was well-coordinated as fighters were seen paragliding into Israel while rockets were being fired.

Hamas Fighters On Killing Spree on Israeli Streets

As Israelis were wrapping up the seven-day-long Jewish festival of Sukkot on October 7, the horrifying sound of sirens echoed across their country. Little did they know that it was an attack. Within half an hour of breaching the Israeli border, Hamas fighters entered major Israeli towns and cities near the Gaza border.

Videos shared on X shows Hamas fighters ruthlessly killing every Israeli they spotted on roads.

A video showed Hamas fighters killing a man who was with his daughter.

Another video showed fighters killing a woman.

Another video showed a Hamas fighter shooting indiscriminately at a house.

Nova Music Festival Carnage

At 6:29 am on October 7, 2023, the party was on at Nova music festival in southern Israel where nearly 3,000 people had gathered with people grooving to the tunes of DJ when some of them noticed rockets in the skies, which they first thought were fireworks.

When rockets exploded near the festival, people started to run away from the scene in their cars. While they were leaving, hundreds of Hamas fighters reached the venue on motorbikes, in pickup trucks and even in motorised paragliders. The rampage went on for hours resulted in the killing of at least 370 people at the festival.

When the partygoers at the festival ran into fields, Hamas fighters started shooting with heavy machine guns mounted on their vehicles.

It took more than six hours for Israeli forces to regain control of the situation but by that time Hamas troops had already taken several hostages with them to Palestine.