On Saturday the militant Palestinian group Hamas launched an unprecedented terrorist attack on Israel, killing more than 900 people in Israel and taking up to 130 hostages.

In response, Israel's prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, declared war and launched airstrikes killing almost 690 people in Gaza. His defence minister ordered a “complete siege” of the Gaza Strip, which aid organisations have warned could end up amounting to “war crimes”. Meanwhile, Hamas has threatened to execute a hostage for every Israeli attack on Palestinian homes without “prior warning”.

Our correspondent in Israel explains why all this has happened now – and what the consequences could be.

Mentioned in this episode: You can find a map of the region here.

This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: thetimes.co.uk/storiesofourtimes.

Guest: Anshel Pfeffer, Times correspondent in Israel.

Host: Manveen Rana. 

Get in touch: [email protected]

Clips: BBC, Sky News, Al Jazeera English, NewsNation.

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