How Israel has redrawn the map since the October 7 terrorist attack

Israel's military operations have redrawn the map of the Middle East since the October 7, 2023, terrorist attack.

The full report

According to ABC News — Just In, the map of the Middle East has fundamentally changed since the October 7, 2023, terrorist attack. Tens of thousands of people have been killed, and many multiples more injured and displaced. The devastating chain of events has resulted in the map of the region being redrawn, mostly shaped by the decisions of one country and enforcement by its military.

The Hamas-led attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023, killed around 1,200 people and resulted in 251 people being taken hostage. It triggered a ferocious and grinding war in Gaza as Hamas and its partners were pursued for their crimes, and the explosion of fighting in Lebanon as Hezbollah opened fire on Israel in solidarity with Palestinians.

Large military operations were launched in the West Bank and an opportunity was seized in Syria after the collapse of a decades-long dictatorship in late 2024. The official justification was security, and the need to insulate Israel and Israelis by carving out so-called buffer or security zones — including inside the borders of neighbouring sovereign nations.

The new lines across the map have taken different forms: rubble, gates, cement blocks, check points and, in Syria, a trench. The ABC has reviewed satellite imagery, government documents and maps, and has spoken to people in the communities enveloped by this situation to understand the impact of Israel's conduct.

Analysis of Israeli military positions, buffer zones and settlement plans since October 2023 has found Israel now controls at least 2,490 square kilometres of territory across Syria, Gaza, Lebanon and the West Bank. It is an area approximately the size of the Australian Capital Territory.