No one thought they would see heavily armed Hamas gunmen going door-to-door on quiet Israeli streets or storming a crowded music festival, mowing people down for hours with no soldiers in sight.
No one thought they would see entire neighborhoods in the Gaza Strip turned into rubble-strewn wastelands, with high-rises leveled, paved roads turned to dirt and people fleeing on foot with only what they could carry. Few thought it would last this long, or claim so many lives.
Hamas’ surprise attack and the war it triggered in Gaza have brought unprecedented death, destruction and anguish to both Israelis and Palestinians. Its ripples across the Middle East have raised the specter of an even larger conflict.
Associated Press photographers have tried to capture its impact on ordinary people.
They have photographed Israelis returning to the…
