Warning: This episode contains descriptions of violence.

Over the weekend, Palestinian militants with Hamas, the Islamic group that controls the Gaza Strip, mounted a stunning and highly coordinated invasion of Israel, rampaging through Israeli towns, killing people in their homes and on the streets, and taking hostages.

Isabel Kershner, who covers Israeli and Palestinian politics and society for The Times, talks about the attack and the all-out war that it has now prompted.

Guest: Isabel Kershner (https://www.nytimes.com/by/isabel-kershner), a correspondent in Jerusalem for The New York Times.

Background reading: 

• Israel and Hamas battled around Gaza (https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/08/world/middleeast/hamas-israel-netanyahu-gaza.html) on Sunday as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned of a “long and difficult war.”
• Here is what to know about the surprise attack on Israel. (https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/07/world/middleeast/israel-gaza-attack.html)
• Follow live updates on the war. (https://www.nytimes.com/live/2023/10/09/world/israel-gaza-attack-hamas-news)

For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily (http://nytimes.com/thedaily?smid=pc-thedaily). Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.