How Hamas staged Israel lightning assault no-one thought possible

Many Israelis would have been asleep when it began. Saturday was the Jewish Sabbath and also a holy festival day, meaning families were planning to spend time at home together or in synagogue, and friends were meeting up. But out of the dawn sky, a hail of rockets signalled the start of an attack that was unprecedented in its scale and co-ordination.

For years, Israel has fortified the barrier between itself and the small Palestinian enclave of Gaza. Within hours, its impenetrability was exposed as flawed.