October 7th: ‘A mega-event in the history of the Middle East’

October 7th is a date seared into the memory of Israelis. It was the day last year that they awoke to an attack by militant group Hamas, on a scale never before seen in the decades-long conflict.
When In the News first reported on the febrile situation, interviewing Mark Weiss in Jerusalem who assessed the likely Israeli response, the scale of the Hamas massacre was unknown. Today, we know that about 1,200 Israelis were killed by Hamas in the attacks and 251 were taken hostage.
Israel’s onslaught on Gaza in retaliation has been merciless and sustained. As the year has gone on, In the News has reported on many aspects of this relentless war, including on the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza with Unicef’s James Elder, the case brought by South Africa at the International Criminal Courts of Justice, accusing Israel of genocide, and an eyewitness report from Irish Times journalist Sally Hayden on life in the Occupied West Bank.
All episodes of In the News covering the Israel-Hamas war – including those mentioned here – are available wherever you get your podcasts.
Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Suzanne Brennan.