Gaza–Israel barrier in the context of "Egypt–Gaza border"

The October 7 attacks were a series of coordinated armed incursions from the Gaza Strip into the Gaza envelope of southern Israel, carried out by Hamas and several other Palestinian militant groups in 2023, during the Jewish holiday of Simchat Torah. The attacks were the first large-scale invasion of Israeli territory since the 1948 Arab–Israeli War. In response, Israel launched a large-scale military operation in Gaza, beginning the ongoing Gaza war.

The attacks began with a barrage of at least 4,300 rockets launched into Israel and vehicle-transported and powered paraglider incursions into Israel. Hamas militants breached the Gaza–Israel barrier, attacking military bases and massacring civilians in 21 communities, including Be'eri, Kfar Aza, Nir Oz, Netiv Haasara, and Alumim. According to an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) report that revised the estimate on the number of attackers, 6,000 Gazans breached the border in 119 locations into Israel, including 3,800 from the elite Nukhba forces and 2,200 civilians and other militants. Additionally, the IDF report estimated 1,000 Gazans fired rockets from the Gaza Strip, bringing the total number of participants on Hamas's side to 7,000.

The Netiv HaAsara massacre occurred during the October 7 attacks. Three Hamas fighters on paragliders attacked Netiv HaAsara, an Israeli moshav close to the border fence. The militants killed at least 17 people. Before the massacre, the moshav was home to approximately 900 residents. The lengthy response time of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has been criticized by survivors. Additionally, an IDF investigation criticized the conduct of the 37 Israeli soldiers and security officers present, finding that they were unable to stop the massacre.

On 7 October 2023, dozens of Hamas militants attacked Alumim, a kibbutz close to the border fence with the Gaza Strip, as part of the surprise attack on Israel. 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 kibbutz's security team were too far away and unable to save the employees. The militants did severe structural damage to the Kibbutz's dairy farming operation.

After heavy fighting, the security team were able to push the militants back with the help of the Israel Defense Forces and police. No deaths among the remaining civilian population of the kibbutz were reported, although one Israeli civilian who had fled to the kibbutz after escaping the Nova music festival massacre was killed by the defenders in a case of mistaken identity. Three Israeli soldiers, two of them off-duty soldiers who had come to volunteer, and a police officer were killed in the fighting.

The Erez Crossing (Hebrew: מעבר ארז), also known as the Beit Hanoun Crossing (Arabic: معبر بيت حانون), is a border crossing between the Gaza Strip and Israel. It is located at the northern end of the Gaza Strip, between the Israeli kibbutz of Erez and the Palestinian city of Beit Hanoun.

Presently, it is the sole crossing point for individuals (as opposed to cargo) between the Gaza Strip and Israel by land, and is the second option for Gazans when the Rafah Crossing with Egypt is closed. Usage of the Erez Crossing is restricted to Palestinians living under the jurisdiction of the Palestinian National Authority, Egyptian citizens and nationals, and international aid officials. Israel permits Palestinian residents to travel via Erez in "exceptional humanitarian cases" with other exceptions in place for students and sportsmen travelling abroad, as well as merchants. The Erez Crossing is managed by the Israel Defense Forces, unlike the Karni Crossing and the Kerem Shalom Crossing that are both managed by the Israel Airports Authority. The blockade of the Gaza Strip has had a significant impact on the crossing point, which is an opening in the Israeli Gaza Strip barrier.

The Netzarim Corridor is an area in the Gaza Strip that has served as an Israeli zone of military occupation during the Gaza war. The corridor, which splits the Gaza Strip down the middle, is located just south of Gaza City and stretches from the Gaza–Israel border to the Mediterranean Sea.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) considers this corridor to be essential for carrying out raids in northern and central Gaza, as well as securely channeling aid into the region. The corridor was run by IDF divisions that rotated in and out of it, particularly the 99th Division and 252nd Division.