On October 7, 2023, Hamas-led terrorists launched a surprise attack on Israel, massacring civilians, attacking military bases, and abducting civilians and soldiers into Gaza.
This timeline follows the attack and Israel’s initial response, from the opening rocket barrage at 6:29 a.m. through the following morning, documenting appeals for rescue, ongoing battles, emergency operations, and key government statements. All timestamps reflect Israel time.
Date | Time (Israel) | Event |
October 7 | 6:29 a.m. | Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel, firing heavy rocket barrages while thousands of terrorists breached the Gaza border and attacked communities and military bases. |
October 7 | 6:54 a.m. | Rocket strikes caused casualties and damage across southern and central Israel. Initial reports indicated terrorists had infiltrated by vehicle and paraglider. |
October 7 | 7:32 a.m. | Video showed armed Hamas terrorists driving through Sderot and firing at police and homes. Residents were instructed to remain indoors. |
October 7 | 7:59 a.m. | Residents of Kibbutz Be’eri reported terrorists entering homes and pleaded for military assistance. The IDF declared a state of war readiness. |
October 7 | 8:46 a.m. | Videos of captured soldiers and stolen military vehicles entering Gaza raised fears that soldiers and civilians were being abducted. |
October 7 | 8:57 a.m. | Residents of Sderot and communities near Gaza appealed through news broadcasts for urgent police and military assistance. |
October 7 | 9:24 a.m. | Families reported terrorists shooting at participants in the Nova music festival near Re’im, attended by approximately 3,000 people. |
October 7 | 9:42 a.m. | Police Commissioner Kobi Shabtai declared Israel was at war, reporting 21 active combat locations in the south. Special police units were deployed. |
October 7 | 9:45 a.m. | Footage showed Hamas terrorists and other Gazans crossing the breached border freely, joining attacks and looting Israeli communities. |
October 7 | 9:54 a.m. | Nova festival participants described hiding in fields, orchards, pits, and shelters while terrorists searched for and attacked survivors. |
October 7 | 10:06 a.m. | Defense Minister Yoav Gallant authorized extensive reserve mobilization and said Hamas had launched a war against Israel. |
October 7 | 10:43 a.m. | A Palestinian reporter accompanying Hamas gunmen broadcast from Nir Oz. The death of Sha’ar HaNegev Regional Council head Ofir Libstein in Kfar Aza was announced. |
October 7 | 11:03 a.m. | The IDF confirmed Hamas terrorists held positions in communities near Gaza. Residents described gunmen entering homes and setting buildings ablaze. |
October 7 | 11:43 a.m. | Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared Israel was at war and would win. Israeli forces fought in at least ten communities and at the Erez crossing. |
October 7 | 11:47 a.m. | Be’eri resident Ella Ben Ami said she had seen images of her father, Ohad, abducted into Gaza while she remained trapped in her safe room. |
October 7 | 11:53 a.m. | IDF spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari announced major troop deployments to the border communities, where terrorists were holding residents captive. |
October 7 | 12:04 p.m. | Nova survivors who reached Patish described hours of terror and flight. More than 300 wounded people were receiving hospital treatment. |
October 7 | 12:30 p.m. | Magen David Adom reported at least 22 deaths, warning that emergency crews had not reached many affected areas and the toll would rise. |
October 7 | 12:48 p.m. | Hagari said difficult fighting lay ahead, forces were establishing command posts in border communities, and the military’s failures would be investigated later. |
October 7 | 1:20 p.m. | Footage showed a bulldozer breaching the border fence and a drone attacking an Israeli armored vehicle. Palestinian Islamic Jihad claimed it held Israeli captives. |
October 7 | 1:54 p.m. | A Nova survivor described surviving by pretending to be dead. National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir declared a nationwide civilian emergency and mobilized police volunteers. |
October 7 | 2:32 p.m. | The Health Ministry reported 545 wounded. Hospitals faced a growing influx of casualties, while a hostage standoff continued in Ofakim. |
October 7 | 2:46 p.m. | Netanyahu convened the security cabinet, prioritizing the removal of terrorists from Israeli territory. Seven IDF battalions operated in border communities; at least 40 deaths were reported. |
October 7 | 3:16 p.m. | Reports revealed that some residents who had pleaded for help were now dead. Retired officers joined rescue efforts, and the Pentagon pledged support for Israel’s defense. |
October 7 | 3:48 p.m. | Fierce fighting continued at Sderot’s police station, where officers had fought from the roof, and terrorists obstructed rescue attempts. |
October 7 | 3:57 p.m. | An unverified report claimed 50 captives were held in Be’eri’s dining hall. Later findings identified the actual standoff at Pessi Cohen’s home, involving 15 captives. |
October 7 | 3:58 p.m. | Yoni Asher said his wife’s phone had been located in Khan Yunis, raising fears that his wife, daughters, and mother-in-law had been abducted. |
October 7 | 4:13 p.m. | Hamas claimed it had abducted dozens of civilians and soldiers. Taxi driver Eitan Levy’s sister described hearing his capture during a telephone call. |
October 7 | 4:46 p.m. | More than 800 injuries were reported. Journalists warned the death toll substantially understated the disaster; Israeli forces continued fighting in Nirim. |
October 7 | 4:48 p.m. | Footage revealed burned vehicles at the Nova festival site. The navy reported destroying four Hamas boats, and President Joe Biden pledged support in a call with Netanyahu. |
October 7 | 5:02 p.m. | Civilian rescuer Rami Davidian was shown evacuating Nova survivors. Fighting continued in 22 communities as the IDF reinforced the border and mobilized additional units. |
October 7 | 5:53 p.m. | The IDF confirmed that civilians and soldiers had been abducted into Gaza. Broadcasts showed kidnapping footage, including women, children, and elderly people. |
October 7 | 6:23 p.m. | Opposition leader Yair Lapid proposed forming a small, professional emergency government with Netanyahu to manage the war. |
October 7 | 6:39 p.m. | Israeli airstrikes hit Gaza high-rises identified as housing Hamas headquarters. Special forces reportedly killed 20 terrorists near Kerem Shalom. |
October 7 | 7:01 p.m. | Five terrorists continued holding Rachel and David Edri captive in their Ofakim home. Their son helped police prepare a rescue operation. |
October 7 | 7:32 p.m. | Netanyahu met with Benny Gantz and Lapid to discuss a unity government. The IDF reported regaining control of Kibbutz Re’im. |
October 7 | 7:41 p.m. | Hamas claimed Israeli captives were hidden in tunnels. Footage of Noa Argamani and Avinatan Or’s abduction was released with their families’ approval. |
October 7 | 7:53 p.m. | Channel 12’s main news broadcast reported at least 100 dead, approximately 1,000 wounded, and dozens abducted. Schools were to remain closed nationwide the following day. |
October 7 | 8:26 p.m. | Rockets struck cities in central Israel, injuring several people. Preliminary figures rose to at least 200 dead and 1,100 wounded. |
October 7 | 9:13 p.m. | Searches continued for missing Nova participants and residents of border communities. Gallant pledged a sweeping military response as ministers discussed the intelligence failure. |
October 7 | 9:48 p.m. | Biden publicly reaffirmed U.S. support for Israel and warned against exploiting the attack. Gallant extended special emergency measures nationwide. |
October 7 | 10:11 p.m. | Captive standoffs remained unresolved in Be’eri and Ofakim. Bulldozers began dismantling Sderot’s police station to eliminate entrenched terrorists. |
October 7 | 10:16 p.m. | Netanyahu pledged to destroy Hamas’s capabilities, warned Gaza residents to leave areas of Hamas activity, and said the war would be prolonged and difficult. |
October 7 | 10:47 p.m. | Reported cabinet remarks included Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich urging a harsh response with limited consideration for captives. Reservists assembled, and Israeli airlines added flights to bring them home. |
October 7 | 10:58 p.m. | Sderot’s police station burned during continued fighting. Residents were told to remain indoors amid fears that a terrorist had escaped. |
October 7 | 11:18 p.m. | The IDF announced that Nahal Brigade commander Col. Yonatan Steinberg had been killed near Kerem Shalom. Netiv HaAsara reported at least 15 residents murdered. |
October 7 | 11:44 p.m. | Thousands answered calls to donate blood. Retired Maj. Gen. Noam Tibon described helping rescue his son and granddaughters from Nahal Oz. |
October 8, 2023 | 12:03 a.m. | Israeli forces thwarted another seaborne infiltration near Zikim. Israeli forces had cleared approximately half the affected communities, but fighting continued in Be’eri and Kfar Aza. |
October 8 | 12:42 a.m. | Families arrived at a missing-persons assistance center in Airport City and provided identifying information and DNA samples. Reported injuries reached 1,600. |
October 8 | 1:16 a.m. | Initial reports incorrectly said all captives in the Be’eri standoff had survived. Later findings established that only two of the 15 survived. |
October 8 | 2:18 a.m. | Yamam counterterrorism officers rescued Rachel and David Edri from their Ofakim home. Three officers were wounded, one seriously. |
October 8 | 2:58 a.m. | Reinforced Israeli units fought terrorists who had remained hidden in Be’eri and resumed attacks after dark. |
October 8 | 3:26 a.m. | Rockets struck homes in Sderot and Ashkelon, seriously injuring a woman. Barzilai Medical Center also sustained a direct hit. |
October 8 | 4:29 a.m. | Residents, including children, elderly people, and pregnant women, continued appealing for rescue after spending approximately 22 hours trapped in safe rooms. |
October 8 | 4:33 a.m. | Security forces reported eliminating the remaining terrorists at Sderot’s police station after prolonged fighting. |
October 8 | 4:55 a.m. | More than 1,700 wounded people had reached hospitals, including over 300 in serious condition. Emergency services renewed appeals for blood donations. |
October 8 | 5:26 a.m. | Sderot and some border communities had still not been fully cleared of terrorists. The preliminary reported death toll stood at at least 250 and continued rising. |
October 8 | 6:00 a.m. | Israeli forces continued fighting terrorists in the south as the scale of the massacre emerged. The number of people abducted into Gaza remained uncertain. |
Source: “7.10: 24 Hours,” Channel 12 News.