麻豆社

Over the weekend, partygoers at a festival in Israel鈥檚 Negev desert were attacked by gunmen, with hundreds killed and taken hostage. At the same time, rockets hit cities across Israel and people barricaded themselves into their homes for safety.

The attacks were carried out by the Palestinian militant group Hamas. They bulldozed the separation barrier between Israel and Gaza and targeted Israel from all angles. In response, Israel has launched a wave of air strikes on Gaza and says the country is at war.

Israelis are comparing the scale of these events to the 9/11 attacks in the United States. Survivors in Israel and Gaza talk about what they saw and how they鈥檝e been affected.

We also break down the region鈥檚 complicated politics and geography, with the 麻豆社鈥檚 International Editor Jeremy Bowen explaining what this means for Israel and Gaza, and Security Correspondent Frank Gardner asking: how did Israel not see this coming? And what happens next, with so many people taken hostage?

Email: whatintheworld@bbc.co.uk
WhatsApp: +44 0330 12 33 22 6
Presenter: Hannah Gelbart
Producers: William Lee Adams and Maria Clara Montoya
Editors: Verity Wilde and Simon Peeks