The Story

Israel goes to war

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 <a href="https://nuk-tnl-deck-prod-static.s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/uploads/37c87ba3a2d3fed80fe01e02b5a61a22.jpg" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">map of the region here</a>.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: storiesofourtimes@thetimes.co.ukClips: BBC, Sky News, Al Jazeera English, NewsNation. Hosted on Acast. See <a href="https://acast.com/privacy" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="color:grey;" target="_blank">acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.

The Story: the flagship podcast from The Times and Sunday Times. One remarkable story, told in depth, each day. Hosts Manveen Rana and Luke Jones take you to the heart of the story you need to know with exclusive reports and investigations. Plus, each month, William Hague hosts an agenda-setting interview with a key newsmaker or thinker. Discover the story behind the story with world-class journalism from The Times and Sunday Times. The Story is available at the start of your day from Monday to Friday, with bonus ‘Inside the Newsroom’ episodes every Saturday for Times subscribers, available by connecting your subscription via Apple Podcasts. Hosted on Acast. See <a href="https://acast.com/privacy" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="color:grey;" target="_blank">acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.