GAZA, Oct. 7 — Two years into the Israeli Palestinian conflict in the Gaza Strip, the ongoing warfare and profound humanitarian crisis have exacted a staggering toll.
According to health authorities in Gaza and Israel, the conflict has claimed over 67,000 Palestinian lives and more than 1,200 Israeli lives.
The following is a timeline of major events since the conflict began in October 2023. — On Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas launched a large-scale attack on Israel, killing around 1,200 people, taking around 250 hostages and launching thousands of rockets.
Israeli Security Cabinet declared later in the day a “state of war.” — On Nov. 6, 2023, the total number of Palestinian deaths in Gaza reached 10,022, Gaza’s health ministry said. — On Nov. 24, 2023, a temporary four-day ceasefire brokered by Qatar and other mediators took effect, briefly pausing hostilities.
The ceasefire was extended by two days, with another extension to Dec. 1. During this period, more than 100 hostages were freed from Gaza, while Israel released around 240 Palestinian detainees.
On Feb. 29, 2024, the Palestinian death toll in the Gaza Strip from Israeli attacks has exceeded 30,000, Palestinian medical sources said.
On July 31, 2024, Hamas politburo chief Ismail Haniyeh was killed in an attack in Iran’s Tehran, Hamas and Iran’s Revolutionary Guards both confirmed.
On Oct. 17, 2024, the Israel Defense Forces said in a statement that its soldiers had “eliminated” Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar in an operation in southern Gaza.
On Jan. 15, 2025, Israel and Hamas have agreed to a ceasefire-for-hostages deal that will start on Jan. 19.
According to the agreement, Hamas will release 33 hostages in the first phase, spanning six weeks, in exchange for the release of Palestinian detainees.
On March 18, 2025, Israel said it was resuming strikes because of Hamas’ repeated refusals to release its hostages and its rejection of all offers it received from the U.S. presidential envoy Steve Witkoff and mediators.
On Aug. 8, 2025, Israel’s Security Cabinet approved a plan to take over Gaza City, Netanyahu’s office said in a statement. — On Aug. 22, 2025, more than half a million people in Gaza are facing famine conditions marked by starvation and preventable deaths, according to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification.
On Sept. 9, 2025, Israel’s military said that it launched airstrikes targeting Hamas headquarters in the Qatari capital of Doha, in what it described as an attempt to assassinate senior Hamas leaders.
Hamas said that the group’s leaders survived the attack, though several family members and aides of Hamas leaders were killed.
On Sept. 22, 2025, French President Emmanuel Macron said at a UN meeting on the two-state solution that his country recognizes the State of Palestine, joining most of the other UN member states that have already done so.
Previously, Britain, Canada, Australia and Portugal formally recognized the State of Palestine to push for a “two-state solution.”
On Oct. 3, 2025, Hamas announced that it had submitted its response to U.S. President Donald Trump’s Gaza peace proposal to regional and international mediators, saying it has agreed in principle to release all Israeli hostages, both living and deceased. (Xinhua)
