October 7th, 2023 - The Day Israel Changed
Timeline of the "Black Sabbath"
Introduction:
Besides this brief introduction and the background below, I have attempted not to comment on much of what is written in this post. I have only corrected numbers and mistakes with notations. My notations are marked in brackets [ ]. This is not an op-ed nor an opinion piece. There is so much misinformation one person can take from Substack, X, and all the other social networks. I have been cautious with the sources used here so that no one can say the source is biased. (There are many other sources I could have used if I wanted to.)
I would hope the story speaks for itself.
Some Background:
In preparing the “Bearing Witness - Profiles In Courage & Horror” series, I needed to remind myself of the times and dates of the events. To my surprise, there is still a sore lack of detailed sources on this subject. I assume it is being complied with by government and private institutions and will be released in the coming years. However, as I researched the subject more deeply, I found myself saying, “I lived through that? That? No way!”
So, in this post, I will try to combine sources of events, accompanied by the documents and source notations. It is not meant to be a complete list. I am compiling a detailed timeline for my website, The View From Israel, and when at least part of it is done in a timeline format, I will post it there.
First, we must set the stage for our timeline to understand the mindset.
October 7th was a Sabbath and a holiday combined. Now, I grant you a majority of Israelis do not adhere to Sabbath laws, nor are they in any way religious. However, many are what we call “traditional.” So when it is a Sabbath, coupled with a holiday, many take trips, visit friends, and the like. I mention this because, as you will see, in Zikim and Sderot, these were some of the civilians massacred.
The holiday in question is “Simchat Torah.” In synagogues, a different portion of the Torah (the Old Testament Bible) is read weekly. The best way to describe these portions is to consider them “long chapters.” The last chapter is always read on Simchat Torah, followed immediately by the beginning of the Torah. In this way, the holiday commemorates the continuous flow of the Torah. By the way, it is one of those holidays centered around children (like the Passover “Seder.”)
Jewish Holidays revolve around the Hebrew calendar, which is different than the Georgian calendar, so based on English dates, our holidays fall out on different dates every year, but they are always within a similar range. For instance, Hanukkah and Christmas usually align somewhat (which is a boon to all the stores and online sellers!). Easter and Passover as well.
So there you have it. Sabbath and Simchat Torah together fell on the same day in 2023. By October 8, this day was called the “Black Sabbath.”
But let us add one other point here to set the stage, as it were. In the English calendar, October 6 was the 50th anniversary of the outbreak of the Yom Kippur War. The most traumatic war that Israel had ever fought because it was fighting for its very existence from a surprise attack. That is until October 7th, 2023, precisely 50 years after the beginning of the Yom Kippur War.
What Happened on Black Sabbath & When Did It Happen?
Below is a rendition from Wikipedia to start with the outline. However, I added other sources as well. They are all in notations. Please note that a lot of Wikipedia numbers are not correct. I have attempted to note it. I have also resisted the urge to replace the term “militants” used in Wikipedia with “terrorists.” However, the time structure is basically actual, though it also needs more exact information.
At 6:29 a.m., air raid sirens were activated in southern and central Israel in response to Hamas missiles. Concurrently, Muhammad Deif, the leader of the Hamas' military wing, announced in a ten-minute recorded message published online the start of "Operation Al-Aqsa Flood" and that "the enemy will understand that the time of their rampaging without accountability has ended" urging Palestinians to attack Israeli settlements with whatever weapons they had. Deif said the attack was in response to the 16-year blockade of Gaza, Israeli incursions in West Bank cities, violence at Al-Aqsa mosque, and Israeli settler violence. Shortly thereafter, Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh made a similar announcement in a televised address.
07:00: The Supernova Music Festival near the Re'im kibbutz was attacked by Hamas militants, some of whom arrived via motorized paragliders. Of the approximately 3,000 to 5,000 people at the festival, at least 260 were killed, and many others abducted.
07:40: The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed that Hamas militants had entered southern Israel and asked residents of Sderot and other cities to remain indoors. 1,400 were killed in Hamas' attack, while over 200 others were kidnapped.
[**The number of kidnapped is 250+. The exact number is not known for sure, as no lists have ever been provided.] 1
[**As of January 9, 2024 the totals are as follows: 1393 Total Killed; 879 Civilians; 59 Police; 514 Soldiers; 13 Emergency Services]2
[**As of January 9, 2024 Hostages: 121 returned to Israel; 37 Killed; 136 Remain Hostage]3
08:15: Sirens were activated in Jerusalem following a rocket barrage that landed in the forested hills on the city's western edge.
08:23: Israel declared a state of alert for war, activating its reservists in response to continued rocket attacks.
08:34: Israel announced that it had begun counteroffensive operations against Hamas.
10:47: The Israeli Air Force (IAF) began attacking Gaza.
11:35: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made his first statement about the conflict via Twitter, declaring that Israel is at war.
12:21, the IDF began operations to relieve cities in southern Israel as the number of rockets launched from Gaza increased to over 1,200.
12:29: The United States made its first statement through the National Security Council, which condemned the terrorist attack and reaffirmed U.S. support for Israel.
16:08: President Joe Biden spoke with Netanyahu and expressed his condolences and support, later declaring during a speech that U.S. support for Israel was "...solid and unwavering".
18:00: The Israeli security cabinet said on 8 October that a state of war had officially begun at this time.
It was later discovered that the 7 October rocket attacks included a strike on a putative nuclear missile site. [This is true. One of the first barrage of rockets was aimed at the nuclear facility.]
Now, we must list the ongoing attacks on the Black Sabbath. Here, we start with the Rocket Attacks.
From Britannica: 6
Starting at 6:29 AM, simultaneous attacks took place on many towns, kibbutzim, and cities in the south. These included massive rocket attacks.
The assault began about 6:30 AM with a barrage of at least 2,200 rockets launched into Israel in just 20 minutes. During that opening salvo, Hamas used more than half the total number of rockets launched from Gaza during all of 2021’s 11-day conflict. The barrage reportedly overwhelmed the Iron Dome system, the highly successful antimissile defense system deployed throughout Israel, although the IDF did not specify how many missiles penetrated the system. As the rockets rained down on Israel, at least 1,500 militants from Hamas and the PIJ infiltrated Israel at dozens of points by using explosives and bulldozers to breach the border, which was heavily fortified with smart technology, fencing, and concrete. They disabled communication networks for several of the Israeli military posts nearby, allowing them to attack those installations and enter civilian neighborhoods undetected. Militants simultaneously breached the maritime border by motorboat near the coastal town of Zikim. Others crossed into Israel on motorized paragliders.
But what exactly happened? Who was attacked? Again, back to the rocket attacks that were a precursor to what would come.
[In order not to repeat footnotes here, the source of the text in block quotes below, with my notations, is within the footnotes on the post.]
The aftermath of the Hamas rocket hit on the maternity ward of Barzilai Medical Center, a hospital in southern Israel, during the Hamas-led attack on Israel. [Didn’t know that did you? That rocket hit the hospital not the parking lot. And just like with their hospital, “Al-Ahli Arab Hospital” it was a Hamas rocket!]
Deif said more than 5,000 rockets had been fired from the Gaza Strip into Israel in a span of 20 minutes at the start of the operation. Israeli sources reported the launch of 3,000 projectiles from Gaza, killing five. Explosions were reported in areas surrounding Gaza and the Sharon Plain, including Gedera, Herzliyya, Tel Aviv, and Ashkelon. Air raid sirens were activated in Beer Sheva, Jerusalem, Rehovot, Rishon Lezion, and Palmachim Airbase. Hamas issued a call to arms, with Deif calling on "Muslims everywhere to launch an attack."
Palestinian militants also opened fire on Israeli boats off the Gaza Strip, while clashes broke out between Palestinians and the Israel Defense Forces in the eastern section of the Gaza perimeter fence. In the evening, Hamas launched another barrage of about 150 rockets toward Israel, with explosions reported in Yavne, Givatayim, Bat Yam, Beit Dagan, Tel Aviv, and Rishon Lezion.
Simultaneously, around 3000-4000 Palestinian militants infiltrated Israel from Gaza using trucks, pickup trucks, motorcycles, bulldozers, speedboats, and powered paragliders. Images and videos showed heavily armed and masked militants dressed in black fatigues riding pickup trucks and opening fire in Sderot, killing dozens of Israeli civilians and soldiers and setting homes on fire. Other videos appeared showing Israelis taken prisoner, a burning Israeli tank, and militants driving Israeli military vehicles. Israeli first responders reportedly recovered documents from killed militants' bodies with instructions to attack civilians, including elementary schools and a youth center, to "kill as many people as possible" and to take hostages for use in future negotiations. Some of the militants wore body cameras to record the acts, presumably for propaganda purposes.
The Attacks:
Re'im Music Festival Massacre7
As part of the Hamas-led attack, 364 civilians were killed and many more wounded at the Supernova Sukkot Gathering, an open-air music festival celebrating the Jewish holiday of Sukkot near kibbutz Re'im. At least 40 hostages were also taken. This mass killing had the most significant number of casualties out of several massacres targeting Israeli civilians in settlements adjacent to Gaza that were part of the 7 October invasion, alongside those at the settlements of Netiv HaAsara, Be'eri, Kfar Aza, Nir Oz, and Holit.
At 6:30 am, around sunrise, rockets were noticed in the sky. Around 7:00 am, a siren warned of an incoming rocket attack, prompting festival-goers to flee. Subsequently, approximately 50 Hamas gunmen, dressed in military attire and using motorcycles, trucks, and powered paragliders, surrounded the festival grounds and indiscriminately fired on people attempting to escape. Attendees seeking refuge nearby, in bomb shelters, bushes, and orchards, were killed while in hiding. Those who reached the road and parking lot were trapped in a traffic jam as militants fired at vehicles. The militants executed wounded people at point-blank range as they crouched on the ground.
As festival attendees fled in panic, jeeps filled with gunmen began firing at the escaping cars. Gunmen also blockaded roads. The open terrain left few places to hide. Many attendees who hid in the trees were murdered as militants methodically shot them. Others who hid in bushes and orchards managed to survive. Independently verified drone footage of the site showed dozens of scorched, burnt cars and skid marks. Footage of the attack, posted on a Telegram channel, included graphic depictions of murder and hostage-taking.
During the massacre, according to survivor and emergency responder testimony, Hamas militants raped women attendees. According to survivor testimony released by Lahav 433, a young woman was gang raped by Hamas militants before being murdered. The testimony was published in Hebrew- and English-language Israel news outlets. According to Haaretz, police reporter Josh Breiner, ZAKA emergency response personnel found naked women with injuries and their genitals mutilated, with others found bound and naked below their waists.
The details of the hostages' whereabouts and conditions are not publicly known. The massacre at the festival was the largest terror attack in Israel's history and the worst Israeli civilian massacre ever.
Kfar Aza Massacre8
During the Hamas-led attack, around 70 Hamas militants attacked Kfar Aza, a kibbutz about 3 kilometers (1.9 mi) from the border with the Gaza Strip, massacring residents and abducting several hostages.
The kibbutz had more than 700 residents, and it took the IDF two days to regain full control of it. While the exact number of Israelis killed is unknown, as of 15 October, 52 were listed as dead, and another 20 or more were missing.
The attack is notable for brutality in the form of beheadings, dismemberment, and victims having been burned alive. Evidence provided by Bituah Leumi, Israel's national social security agency, showed that of the 46 civilians that were killed in Kfar Aza, the youngest was 14 years old.
Be'eri Massacre9
On the morning of 7 October 2023, at 6:30 am, Hamas militants began firing rockets at the kibbutz. Around 70 militants entered the kibbutz on motorcycles and in vehicles. The kibbutz's 10-member security team fought the attackers but was overwhelmed, and at least five were killed. After capturing the village, the attackers started going from house to house, shooting or capturing the residents. They also shot at buildings and set some on fire. The militants were accompanied by a camera team and journalist who documented the attack and extolled it as a Palestinian victory. Many residents tried to hide in safe rooms, but the militants blew up the safe room doors and killed those inside.
The militants took up to 50 people hostage in a dining room in Be'eri and kidnapped others, taking them to the Gaza Strip. Videos emerged showing the hostages being led barefoot across a street in town. The hostages in the dining hall were freed when security forces stormed the dining hall, killing the militants there.
At least 130 people were killed in the attack, including women (such as peace activist Vivian Silver), children, and infants, claiming the lives of 10% of the community's residents. Dozens of homes were also burned down. Several newspapers compared the brutality of the atrocities to that of ISIS. Hostages were taken, leading to a standoff with the IDF.
One 10-month-old baby is confirmed to have been shot during the attack, while held in the arms of her mother.
Moshav Yakhini
A squad of Hamas militants that arrived in a van attacked the moshav of Yakhini. There were seven casualties in the moshav, including a border police officer. An IDF major in the Maglan unit was also injured.[160] The community leaders were on holiday in Thailand then and remotely directed the moshav's 18-person protection team's response. YAMAM and Sayeret Matkal IDF units [these are elite IDF units] eventually arrived and killed all the attackers.
Kibbutz Ein HaShlosha
In the kibbutz Ein HaShlosha, at least four civilians were killed while defending the kibbutz from militants, and multiple hostages were taken. An 80-year-old Argentinian woman died after her home was set on fire, and she was unable to escape. A standoff between the attackers and the residents' security team lasted six hours. The leader of the security team, who was in his sixties, was killed in the firefight. A 63-year-old grandmother was also among those killed in the attack. A 39-year-old Israeli-Chilean woman was shot eight times.
Thirty survivors were discovered in the kibbutz three days after the massacre, 14 of whom were Thai nationals.
Psyduck Music Festival Massacre10
Psyduck was a small trance music festival that took place in the open fields near kibbutz Nir Oz, about 2 kilometers (1.2 mi) from the border of Gaza. The event drew around 100 participants. Hamas militants attacked the festival, killing 17 Israelis. Some were fatally shot at the festival site, while others were killed as they attempted to escape to nearby kibbutzim. Most survivors hid under small bushes until Israel Defense Forces rescued them a few hours later.
Re'im Military Base
At 10 a.m., less than five hours after the attacks began, fighting was reported at Re'im military base, headquarters of the Gaza Division. It was later reported that Hamas took control of the base and took several Israeli soldiers captive before the IDF regained control later in the day. The base was reportedly the location of IDF drone and surveillance operations. Hamas posted a video of dead Israeli soldiers it had killed at the base.
Kibbutz Nir Am
Nir Am was attacked, but no residents were harmed. Inbal Rabin-Lieberman, the 25-year-old security coordinator, alongside her uncle Ami, led a guard detail that killed multiple militants attempting to infiltrate a nearby chicken farm. They successfully deterred the rest of the invading militants from entering the community.
Zikim11
The attacks at Zikim are still shrouded in mystery. It is difficult to determine how many people were slaughtered by Hamas, how many soldiers were killed, and exactly what happened. I was tempted to place Israeli reports here that have been confirmed that place higher numbers on the killed.
Zikim Army Bases
The Israeli navy prevented most Hamas militants from landing on the beach, although an estimated 11 militants landed. Fighting occurred outside Zikim, at three military bases, and on the adjacent coastline. The garrison of the training base held out, but the other two bases were overrun. At the very least 15 soldiers were killed in these battles.
Zikim Beach
Zikim Beach, the southernmost beach in the country, is considered very popular among residents of southern Israel. The IDF estimated that 11 Hamas militants managed to land on the beach. Two or three were killed by naval gunfire shortly after landing, but the rest began killing civilians on the beach. 19 civilian beachgoers were killed; the deceased included fishermen, teenagers on a camping trip, and employees of a bar in Beersheba who had held a party on the beach the previous night.
Zikim Kibbutz
The bulk of the remaining Hamas fighters were eventually killed while attempting to enter the kibbutz of Zikim. An emergency security team of civilians there had been alerted to the infiltration by the navy and preemptively positioned themselves along a fence surrounding the kibbutz. A squad of six Hamas militants arrived at the kibbutz, driving the Israeli military vehicle that had been abandoned on the beach. A firefight quickly ensued, and the militants dispersed, eventually being tracked down and killed after about an hour of combat.
Moshav Netiv HaAsara12
Thirty-five Hamas militants, some via paragliders and most via car, attacked Netiv HaAsara, close to the border fence. The militants killed at least 20 people, including, in some cases, members of the same family. Before the massacre, the moshav was home to approximately 900 residents.
Kibbutz Alumim13
Kibbutz Alumim is close to the border fence with the Gaza Strip. There were 41 Thai and Nepalese foreigners working at the kibbutz. The militants killed between 16 and 17 of these workers and kidnapped between five and eight of them. The militants did severe structural damage to the Kibbutz’s dairy farming operation.
After heavy fighting, the security team was able to push the militants back with the help of the Israeli Defense Forces. No deaths among the remaining civilian population of the kibbutz were reported. Militants killed at least two Israeli soldiers, while a significant number of Hamas militants were killed.
Kibbutz Kissufim14
At least 70 Hamas fighters entered the kibbutz and massacred at least eight of its members, as well as six Thai workers. Four kibbutz members were kidnapped, and the kibbutz buildings suffered heavy damage. The kibbutz security team fought back during the attack, and four of its members were killed, including its leader. IDF troops eventually arrived and cleared the kibbutz.
Kibbutz Holit15
Residents of the kibbutz say the attack on Holit started at around 8 AM. Hamas militants moved from house to house, killing at least 11 civilians and injuring many more.
On October 11th, four days after the attack, Hamas released a video alleging to show kibbutz member Avital Aladjem was freed that very day by Hamas at Gaza's border along with her neighbor's two small children. Aladjem contradicted this claim and described how, on the day of the attack itself, the abductors left them unsupervised inside Gaza and how she managed to walk back to Holit, taking the two children with her.
Sderot16
The Israeli town of Sderot, located close to the border between Israel and the Gaza Strip, has frequently been the target of rocket attacks and incursions during the Gaza–Israel conflict. Hamas militants massacred at least 50 civilians and 20 police officers.
On 7 October 2023, Hamas gunmen entered the town and engaged in firefights with local police units and civilians. Many civilians were murdered on the street and in homes in the surprise attack.
Eventually, the attackers overpowered the garrison at the local police station and occupied it, killing approximately 30 people (including police officers and civilians). Following the arrival of IDF reinforcements, IDF troops surrounded the police station and regained control over it, killing at least 10 Hamas militants. Gunfire and bulldozers were used to demolish the Sderot police station and kill any gunmen remaining inside.
On the morning of October 7, a tour minibus left from the west of the Negev towards the Dead Sea to conduct a trip for a group of retirees, some of them Holocaust survivors. The minibus picked up pensioners from Ofakim, Netivot, and then Sderot. Due to a flat tire, the minibus stopped at the entrance to Sderot to fix it. At this point, a siren sounded, and the minibus occupants got out of it and went towards the shelter, but the shelter door, which was a shelter with an automatic opening door, did not open. Two vans loaded with Hamas terrorists that entered Sderot recognized the group, shot them all from point-blank range, murdered them, and made a dead check, again from point-blank range.
The driver managed to escape with another woman, who lay behind the guardrail. The terrorists recognized them and shot them. The woman was killed as a result of the shooting, and the driver, who was lying under her, pretended to be dead and was saved. All 15 passengers of the bus were murdered.
By October 8, Israeli forces had regained control over Sderot. Late on October 8, the Sderot Municipality released the names of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), Israel Police, and fire personnel killed in the attack. Among those slain by Hamas gunmen was the commander of the Kiryat Gat Fire Station.
Hostages Taken
Soon after the start of the Hamas operation, there were reports that many civilians and soldiers had been taken as captives back to the Gaza Strip. Later in the day, Hamas announced it had captured enough Israeli soldiers to force a prisoner swap, and Israel confirmed hostages had been taken.
In Be'eri, up to 50 people were taken hostage; after an 18-hour standoff between militants and IDF forces, they were freed. Hostages were also reported taken in Ofakim, where policemen led by Chief Superintendent Jayar Davidov engaged Palestinian militants in a shootout; Davidov and three of his men were killed, and the IDF later rescued two Israeli hostages in the suburb of Urim. There were reports of militants killing and stealing family pets.
Hamas took many hostages back to Gaza. On 16 October, they said they were holding 250 hostages and that they had done so to force Israel to release its Palestinian prisoners.
The Aftermath:
On 7 October, over 100 civilians were killed in the Be'eri massacre, including women and children, and over 270 people were killed at a music festival in Re'im. As of 10 October, over 100 people had been reported killed in the Kfar Aza massacre, with the total death toll unknown. Nine people were fatally shot at a bus shelter in Sderot. At least four people were reported killed in Kuseife. At least 400 wounded were treated in Ashkelon, while 280 others were reported in Beer Sheva, 60 of whom were in serious condition. In the north, injuries from rocket attacks were reported in Tel Aviv. At least 49 Israeli children and adolescents under the age of 19 were killed in the attack.
From Haaretz, “The Day That Changed Israel”19
For the first few hours of October 7, most Israelis were either running to find shelter or glued to their phones and television screens, trying to piece together a reality they never could have imagined.
Between nonstop sirens and thousands of rockets being launched from Gaza, those living far from the Strip tried to make sense of the horrifying information slowly emerging on social and traditional media as thousands of armed Palestinian terrorists stormed southern Israeli communities. Youngsters were trying to escape from a trance music festival; families were locked in safe rooms while their homes were being set afire; roads looked like something from an apocalyptic movie; frantic messages were sent to family members and friends; videos of children, women, and men were seen being dragged into the unknown.
More than two months after the unprecedented attack on Gaza border communities, Israel is still coming to terms with its inability to foresee and stop the worst assault on Jews since the Holocaust. It was a Black Saturday that has never really ended for many, but especially for the hostages and their families, the Israelis who have lost loved ones, and those fighting a brutal war with no end in sight - one that erased thousands of Palestinian lives too, including many women and children.
The following comes from the “Center for Strategic and International Studies,” a highly respected Washington-based think-tank and research group.
Visualizing the data:20
Hamas’s attack on Israel on October 7 is the third-deadliest terrorist attack since data collection began in 1970, based on the number of fatalities, with the 9/11 attacks representing the worst mass fatality terrorist attack. Islamic State attacks are three of the top nine deadliest attacks, with two attacks in the top five.
I think that is enough for one day. Don’t you?
https://www.i24news.tv/en/news/israel-at-war/1704401032-idf-3-missing-israelis-from-october-7-being-held-hostage-by-hamas
https://www.haaretz.com/haaretz-explains/2023-10-19/ty-article-magazine/israels-dead-the-names-of-those-killed-in-hamas-massacres-and-the-israel-hamas-war/0000018b-325c-d450-a3af-7b5cf021000
Kan 11, Israeli News Channel Mobile Website.
Timeline of the 2023 Israel–Hamas war. (2024, January 8). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_the_2023_Israel%E2%80%93Hamas_war
2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel. (2024, January 7). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2023_Hamas-led_attack_on_Israel
https://www.britannica.com/event/Israel-Hamas-War-of-2023
Re'im music festival massacre. (2024, January 6). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Re%27im_music_festival_massacre
Kfar Aza massacre. (2024, January 6). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kfar_Aza_massacre
Be'eri massacre. (2024, January 8). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Be%27eri_massacre
Psyduck music festival massacre. (2024, January 3). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psyduck_music_festival_massacre
Battle of Zikim. (2024, January 6). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Zikim
Netiv HaAsara massacre. (2023, December 29). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Netiv_HaAsara_massacre
Alumim massacre. (2024, January 1). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alumim_massacre
Kissufim attack. (2023, December 31). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kissufim_attack
Holit massacre. (2024, January 8). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holit_massacre
Battle of Sderot. (2024, January 8). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Sderot#Massacre_of_pensioners
Timeline of the 2023 Israel–Hamas war. (2024, January 8). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_the_2023_Israel%E2%80%93Hamas_war
2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel. (2024, January 7). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2023_Hamas-led_attack_on_Israel
https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2023-12-21/ty-article-timeline/.premium/a-day-that-changed-israel-key-haaretz-stories-on-the-unimaginable-reality-of-october-7/0000018c-8cb2-da81-a1bc-ceb678f50000
https://www.csis.org/analysis/hamass-october-7-attack-visualizing-data