From a Washington Post story by Leo Sands headlined “Why are Israel and Hamas at war? A basic explainer.”:

Israel and Hamas are at war. And the conflict threatens to escalate.

Here is a basic explainer of the reasons behind the war between Israel and Hamas, the Palestinian militant group that controls the Gaza Strip.

What started the latest war between Israel and Hamas?

On Saturday, Oct. 7, Hamas militants launched an unprecedented cross-border attack into Israel. In a highly organized stealth assault, they bulldozed the border fence in multiple places, caught Israeli’s security apparatus off-guard and overtook overwhelmed military defenses. Surprised by the lack of resistance, the attackers turned the operation into a bloody and chaotic rampage through civilian areas.