Today in History: October 7: A day of violence. In 2001, the U.S. war in Afghanistan began when U.S. and British forces launched air attacks against Arab terrorists who had perpetrated the September 11 attacks on the U.S. In 1985 Palestinian gunmen hijacked the cruise ship Achille Lauro, attempting to take Jewish hostages to exchange for Palestinian prisoners. Last year, on October 7, Palestinian terrorist forces started a war against Israel when they invaded Israeli villages to brutally torture, maim, behead, shoot, and burn unarmed Israeli infants, children, and their parents, and abduct 252 residents of Israel to hold as hostages.