Israeli law students are reporting for JURIST on law-related developments in and affecting Israel. This dispatch is from Mayan Lawent, a law student in the Buchmann Faculty of Law at Tel Aviv University and a JURIST Staff Correspondent in Israel. 

Today, Saturday the 7th of October, was the Jewish holiday of Simchat Torah, a day where many people dance, pray, and have festive meals with their families celebrating the Torah. But today, none of that happened as Hamas launched an unexpected attack on Israel this morning.

The attack is not just unexpected, but unprecedented in terms of scope. Attacks by air, land, and sea, thousands of rockets, hostages, raping, murdering. These actions have been condemned by the EU as well as many other world leaders. The breadth and brutality of this attack will shape Israel for many years to come, just as the Yom Kippur War did 50 years ago. 200 dead and over 1000 injured so far, according to reports seen here. Israel has declared an all-out state of war and has promised both defense and retaliation in an operation called Swords of Iron.

People are scared. Missing persons flyers are being sent out on social media. People are looking for their loved ones and fearing they have been killed or taken hostage.

How did this happen? To answer that we will need nuanced and deep discussion. But right now, as casualties rise, both in Israel and Gaza, I can only look on in horror and fear.