Israel and Hamas: Major Conflict After Surprise Attacks (CRS Report for Congress)
| Release Date |
Oct. 10, 2023 |
| Report Number |
IN12262 |
| Report Type |
Insight |
| Authors |
Jim Zanotti; Jeremy M. Sharp |
| Source Agency |
Congressional Research Service |
Summary:
On October 7, 2023, Gaza Strip-based militants led by the Palestinian Sunni Islamist group Hamas (a
U.S.-designated foreign terrorist organization, or FTO) engaged in a series of surprise attacks by land,
sea, and air against Israel (see Figure 1). The assault targeted Israeli military bases and civilian areas
during the final Jewish high holiday, almost exactly 50 years after the Egypt-Syria surprise attack that
sparked the 1973 Yom Kippur War. The Biden Administration and Israel have stated publicly that they do
not have evidence that the Iranian government had a planning role, but are looking at the question. Some
figures from Hamas and the Iran-backed Shia Islamist group Lebanese Hezbollah (also an FTO) have
claimed that Hamas received support for the attacks from Iran, though a senior Hamas official has denied
an Iranian planning role. Iranian officials have praised the assault publicly. The attacks' scope and
lethality against Israel have no precedent in the 16 years Hamas has controlled Gaza. The nature of the
violence stunned Israelis; apparent intelligence and operational failures in preventing the assault surprised
Israeli, U.S., and other Western officials.
