Hamas and several other Palestinian militant groups launch an attack into Israel, which results in the deaths of around 1,200, mostly civilians, and the taking of 251 hostages, including civilians and soldiers. The attack initiated the Gaza war and the larger Middle Eastern crisis.

The Islamic Resistance Movement, abbreviated Hamas, is a Sunni Islamist Palestinian nationalist political organisation with a military wing known as the al-Qassam Brigades. It has governed the Israeli-occupied Gaza Strip since 2007. In July 2026 it announced the resignation of its civilian administration under the Gaza peace plan and US President Donald Trump announced that his Board of Peace had reached an agreement to disarm Hamas.