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Can damage dealt to the cars on 7th oct be from Hamas, or likely from israel
Executive summary
Available sources describe heavy fighting after the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack and extensive Israeli strikes and operations in Gaza and the West Bank, but they do not include any direct reporting about "damage dealt to the cars on 7th Oct" or forensic attribution of specific vehicle damage on that date (not found in current reporting). Major outlets report the October 7 attacks were carried out by Hamas-led militants who killed ~1,200 people and took ~250 hostages, and that Israel has since responded with widespread military strikes that have damaged vehicles and infrastructure in many incidents [1] [2] [3].
1. What the mainstream reporting says about October 7 and who attacked
News outlets and summaries consistently attribute the October 7, 2023 terror attacks to Hamas-led militants; reporting counts roughly 1,200 killed and about 250 taken hostage in the initial incursion that sparked the Gaza war [1] [2] [3]. That establishes the basic context: on October 7, militants from Hamas carried out a coordinated attack inside southern Israel that involved gunmen, rockets and vehicle-borne movements, and produced widespread destruction in communities near Gaza [1] [3].
2. Why assigning blame for vehicle damage can be complicated
Multiple dynamics described in the sources make single-source attribution difficult: the initial Hamas assault used armed vehicles in incursions and raids, while Israel’s subsequent military response has involved air, artillery and ground strikes across Gaza and the West Bank — actions that have repeatedly damaged vehicles and property [1] [2] [3]. The Congressional Research Service notes that assessing the effectiveness and precise effects of strikes — and separating damage caused by one side from collateral damage or secondary explosions — is often unclear in the fog of war [4].
3. Specific incidents show both sides have struck vehicles in different contexts
Reporting cites examples in which Israeli forces opened fire on vehicles they described as threatening (for example, troops firing at a “suspicious vehicle” near a demarcation line in Gaza) and Israeli strikes have hit sites that included civilian infrastructure and transport; at the same time, the October 7 militants used vehicles as part of their assault in multiple locations [5] [1]. That means vehicles in and near combat zones have been damaged by both militant actions and Israeli military fire in different incidents [1] [5].
4. What the available sources do NOT say about “cars on 7th Oct” in your question
Available sources do not mention damage to any specific cars on October 7 that you referenced; they do not provide forensic, photographic, or local-police-based attribution tying damage on that exact date to either Hamas or Israeli forces (not found in current reporting). There is no source in the provided set that traces physical evidence from individual vehicles on that date to a confirmed cause (not found in current reporting).
5. How investigators normally attribute who caused vehicle damage (context useful for assessing claims)
Where reporting does attribute responsibility, it relies on on-the-ground witness statements, official military claims, forensic inspection, open-source imagery and independent verification by journalists or international agencies. The CRS report highlights that disaggregating causes of damage in densely contested urban settings — where militants and state forces operate in close proximity — is intrinsically difficult without detailed, transparent investigations [4]. The AP and major outlets have repeatedly called for or reported on inquiries into the October 7 failures and subsequent operations, underscoring political and investigative tension around accountability [6] [1].
6. Competing narratives and political stakes you should be aware of
Israeli officials frame many subsequent strikes and uses of force as responses to Hamas attacks or imminent threats; Palestinian and some international sources contest some of those strikes as disproportionate or misdirected, and independent investigators have raised questions about civilian harm and investigative transparency [2] [4]. Domestically in Israel, calls for independent probes into the October 7 failures reflect political disputes over whether official accounts are complete or self-serving [1]. Those political tensions mean claims about who damaged particular property can be weaponized by competing actors.
7. Practical next steps if you need to decide attribution for those cars
If you need a reliable attribution, seek (a) contemporaneous official statements from local police or military units about that specific incident, (b) forensic photos or independent journalist reports tied to time-stamped imagery, and (c) third-party verification from international agencies or reputable local outlets. The sources provided do not contain that level of incident-specific evidence for the cars you mention, so any definitive public claim cannot be supported from this set (not found in current reporting).
Summary judgement: both Hamas militants (during their October 7 assault) and Israeli forces (in many follow-up strikes and engagements) have damaged vehicles in the broader conflict, but the provided reporting does not identify the cause of damage to the specific cars you asked about on October 7; further, incident-level forensic or journalistic evidence would be required to attribute responsibility confidently [1] [4] [5].