The Israel-Hamas war — in maps and charts

Latest situation: US redeploying forces in Middle East to protect Israel

President Joe Biden has said the US is redeploying forces in the Middle East in order to protect Israel from an expected future attack by Iran and its proxy forces, while also urging for a de-escalation of regional tensions and a ceasefire in Gaza.

The comments came after a phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu amid growing concerns that Iran and other allied militant groups were set to retaliate for the killings this week of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran and senior Hizbollah military commander Fuad Shukr in Beirut.

Biden reaffirmed his commitment to Israel’s security, but added that the killing of Haniyeh had “not helped” the prospects of reaching a deal between Israel and Hamas, which mediators hope will halt the conflict in Gaza, release Israeli hostages still in captivity and avert a full-blown regional war.

Regional tensions: EU and US race to prevent Middle East war after Israeli assassinations and strike on Golan Heights

US and EU diplomats are holding urgent discussions around the Middle East to try to head off the threat of a full-blown regional war.

A rocket strike on the town of Majdal Shams in Israel-occupied Golan Heights killed at least 12 civilians, mostly children, on July 27. The IDF blamed Iran-backed Hizbollah but the group has denied responsibility.

In retaliation, Israel killed a senior Hizbollah commander in an air strike on Beirut on Tuesday, while Iran has also accused Israel of assassinating Hamas’s political leader Ismail Haniyeh in a strike on Tehran on Wednesday. Israel has neither confirmed nor denied its involvement in Haniyeh’s death.

Impact on population: Death toll in Gaza nears 40,000; over 100 hostages in captivity

The Israel Defense Forces launched air and land offensives in Gaza in response to Hamas’s October 7 cross-border assault in southern Israel.

Hamas killed more than 1,200 people during the attack and seized about 250 hostages, according to Israeli officials, who say around 100 hostages are still in captivity.

Nearly 40,000 people have been killed during the Israeli assault on Gaza, according to Palestinian officials.

Humanitarian workers inside Gaza have also faced significant danger during the conflict, with an unprecedented number being killed.

Seven international aid workers were killed in an April strike, with Israel later admitting that its soldiers had made errors in targeting the humanitarian convoy. More than 200 employees of UNRWA, a UN agency that provides aid and support to Palestinians, have also been killed.

You are seeing a snapshot of an interactive graphic. This is most likely due to being offline or JavaScript being disabled in your browser.

After October 7, the IDF initially moved into northern Gaza before sweeping south towards Khan Younis and then Rafah. On May 24 the International Court of Justice said conditions in Rafah were “disastrous” and ordered Israel to “immediately halt” its military offensive in the city.

More than 2mn people in Gaza have been displaced by the conflict, with many leaving Rafah and some moving to al-Mawasi or other IDF-declared “humanitarian areas”, while others head north towards the cities of Khan Younis and Deir al Balah.

You are seeing a snapshot of an interactive graphic. This is most likely due to being offline or JavaScript being disabled in your browser.

Food and water insecurity: Aid deliveries slump after IDF seizure of Rafah crossing

Aid deliveries containing urgently needed food, water and medical supplies have not been able to enter Gaza at their usual levels since the war began.

The shortages have worsened since IDF troops took “operational control” of the Palestinian side of the Rafah crossing on May 6.

You are seeing a snapshot of an interactive graphic. This is most likely due to being offline or JavaScript being disabled in your browser.

The struggle to access food aid, which is urgently needed to prevent Gazans slipping into famine, is forecast to have reached “catastrophic” levels.

The US built a $230mn floating pier to help get more aid into Gaza, but shipments have been affected by storms and poor sea conditions, and the project is now being mothballed.

You are seeing a snapshot of an interactive graphic. This is most likely due to being offline or JavaScript being disabled in your browser.

Since Israel launched its Gaza offensive, damage to infrastructure and lack of fuel and electricity have also led to a severe water shortage.

Before the war, Gaza sourced most of its water from an underground aquifer or Israeli state-owned water company Mekorot. According to an April UN OCHA report, two of the Mekorot pipelines have been closed and the third is operating at only partial capacity. Israel has recently moved towards reopening them after pressure from the US.

Meanwhile, only one of the six wastewater treatment plants and two of three desalination plants are partially working.

Infrastructure damage: More than half of Gaza’s buildings damaged by fighting

According to damage assessments from researchers at the CUNY Graduate Center and Oregon State University, more than half of all buildings across the Gaza Strip have suffered damage, rising to nearly 80 per cent in Gaza City.

The damage in Khan Younis and Rafah has also increased as Israel expanded its offensive from northern Gaza to the rest of the territory.

October 7 2023: Hamas attacks Israel

As much of Israel slept, Hamas militants launched an multipronged dawn assault on the country from the Gaza Strip.

The assault began in the early hours of the morning on the Jewish holiday of Simchat Torah, with thousands of rockets fired at Israeli towns and cities. Many were intercepted by Israel’s Iron Dome defence system, but satellite imagery showed fires and smoke rising from locations that were hit.

Hundreds of Hamas fighters simultaneously attacked by land, air and sea, breaching the fortified barrier between Gaza and Israel.

Militants used motorised paragliders to attack the Supernova music festival, which was taking place not far from the Gaza border. After flying in, they shot many Israelis and took others as hostages.

After breaching the Gaza fence, armed Hamas fighters targeted Israeli communities and military sites at several locations, going door-to-door and performing execution-style killings as well as taking hostages.

More than 1,200 Israeli civilians and troops were killed on October 7, according to Israeli officials — making it the deadliest attack on the country since its foundation.

You are seeing a snapshot of an interactive graphic. This is most likely due to being offline or JavaScript being disabled in your browser.

Visual and data team: Aditi Bhandari, Jana Tauschinski, Janina Conboye, Peter Andringa, Steven Bernard, Chris Campbell, Sam Joiner, Lucy Rodgers, Ian Bott, Dan Clark and Alan Smith