A timeline of the controversy that engulfed Harvard and its president since the Israel-Hamas war began

But it was the uncertainty surrounding Gay that had dominated the headlines in recent days, with several prominent Harvard graduates, including hedge fund billionaire Bill Ackman, calling for her removal.

Below is a timeline of the tumultuous events leading up to Gay’s congressional testimony, the ensuing uproar, and the Harvard board’s statement of support.

Oct. 7 — Hamas attacks and Harvard student groups issue controversial statement

In a devastating surprise attack against Israel, Hamas militants killed about 1,200 people and took some 240 hostages. Within hours of the massacre, more than 30 student groups at Harvard signed a letter that laid all blame for the attack on Israel and included no criticism of the killings, infuriating a number of Jewish alumni and students.

The letter, dubbed a “Joint Statement by Harvard Palestine Solidarity Groups on the Situation in Palestine,” said the groups held the Israeli regime “entirely responsible for all the unfolding violence” and that the Hamas attack didn’t “occur in a vacuum.”

Oct. 9 — Gay and other Harvard administrators release statement on Hamas attack

Facing pressure to weigh in after the students’ letter, Gay issued a joint statement with other Harvard leaders that angered supporters of Israel for failing to acknowledge the barbarity of the attack, in which militants gunned down civilians in their homes and reportedly committed widespread sexual violence against women.

“We write to you today heartbroken by the death and destruction unleashed by the attack by Hamas that targeted citizens in Israel this weekend, and by the war in Israel and Gaza now under way,” the statement said in part.

It was met with harsh criticism by former Harvard president Larry Summers.

“The delayed @Harvard leadership statement fails to meet the needs of the moment,” Summers wrote on social media. “Why can’t we find anything approaching the moral clarity of Harvard statements after George Floyd’s death or Russia’s invasion of Ukraine when terrorists kill, rape and take hostage hundreds of Israelis attending a music festival?”

Oct. 10 — Gay issues second statement

The following day, Gay issued a second statement under her name alone that said in part, “I condemn the terrorist atrocities perpetrated by Hamas.”

Her words angered some pro-Palestinian students as a show of support for Israel in the decades-long conflict. Since the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas, a relentless campaign of Israeli bombardment and a ground invasion, interrupted for a brief cease fire, has killed more than 18,000 people in Gaza.

Oct. 12 — Gay issues a video statement and a philanthropist couple leaves the Harvard Kennedy School board in protest

In her third statement, this time on video, Gay said “our university rejects terrorism — that includes the barbaric atrocities perpetrated by Hamas.”

“Our university rejects hate—hate of Jews, hate of Muslims, hate of any group of people based on their faith, their national origin, or any aspect of their identity. Our university rejects the harassment or intimidation of individuals based on their beliefs. And our university embraces a commitment to free expression.”

The same day, philanthropists Idan and Batia Ofer said they were stepping down from the Kennedy School board over the university’s response to the Hamas attacks.

“Our decision to do so has been precipitated by the lack of clear evidence of support from the university’s leadership for the people of Israel following the tragic events of the past week, coupled with their apparent unwillingness to recognize Hamas for what it is, a terrorist organization,” the Ofers wrote in their announcement.

Oct. 16 — The Wexner Foundation cuts ties with the Kennedy School

The Wexner Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to fostering Jewish and Israeli leadership, said in a letter to Harvard’s governing board that it was “formally ending its financial and programmatic relationships with Harvard and the Harvard Kennedy School,” over the university’s response to the Hamas attack.

The Wexner Foundation had for years financially supported a fellowship program at the Kennedy School designed for government and public service professionals from Israel. The foundation donated about $1.8 million to Harvard in fiscal 2021 for the fellowship program and an additional $667,000 to the university, according to the group’s tax filings.

Oct. 23 — Former Maryland Governor Larry Hogan severs ties with Harvard

In a letter to Gay that he also shared on X, Hogan said he was withdrawing from Harvard “fellowships.”

“I cannot condone the dangerous antisemitism that has taken root on your campus, especially by more than 30 Harvard student organizations attempting to justify and celebrate Hamas’ terrorism against innocent Israeli and American civilians,” Hogan wrote.

The Kennedy School had listed Hogan as a leadership adviser this fall for the Hauser Leaders Program at the Center for Public Leadership, which hosts high-profile people from the public, nonprofit, and private sectors who advise students and engage with faculty.

A Harvard spokesperson said Hogan had been expected to visit the campus for two days in November for a livestreamed question-and-answer session and round-table conversations with students and faculty.

Oct. 27 — Gay assembles an advisory group to combat antisemitism on campus

In a speech at a Shabbat dinner hosted by Harvard Hillel, a Jewish campus group, Gay announced that she had assembled a group of advisors to “begin the vital work of eradicating antisemitism from our community.”

Nov. 28 — US Department of Education launches investigation of Harvard

The US Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights opened a probe after receiving a complaint that alleged Harvard “discriminated against students on the basis of their national origin (shared Jewish ancestry and/or Israeli) when it failed to respond appropriately to reports of incidents of harassment” in October, the Globe reported.

Federal officials did not publicly disclose the specifics of the investigation, but Fox News Digital, which first reported the probe, said it came in response to a disputed incident that involved an Israeli student at a pro-Palestinian protest in October.

Opening an investigation “in no way implies that OCR has made a determination on the merits of the complaint,” according to a letter seen by the Globe. The investigation is pending.

Dec. 5 — Testimony from Gay and the other university presidents causes a firestorm

Members of the Republican-controlled House Committee on Education and the Workforce sharply questioned Gay, Magill, and Kornbluth about controversial slogans used by protesters on their campuses and how they were addressing reports of discrimination and harassment from some Jewish and Israeli students.

At one point during the contentious hearing, Congresswoman Elise Stefanik, a New York Republican, asked Gay if “calling for the genocide of Jews violate Harvard’s rules of bullying and harassment, yes or no?”

Gay answered: “It can be, depending on the context.”

Gay said such speech would violate Harvard’s policies if “targeted at an individual.” Gay added that “antisemitic rhetoric, when it crosses into conduct that amounts to bullying, harassment, intimidation — that is actionable conduct. We do take action.”

Dec. 7 — Rabbi David Wolpe resigns from Harvard antisemitism advisory group

Wolpe, a visiting scholar at Harvard Divinity School, announced his resignation on social media. Wolpe told the Globe days later that as he watched the congressional hearing, he “wanted one of the presidents to just pound the table and say ‘this antisemitism is not acceptable at our university, and I’m furious about it, and it grieves me and I’m going to change it.’”

Dec. 8 — Lawmakers call for Gay’s resignation

Stefanik released a letter signed by more than 70 members of Congress, most of them Republicans, calling for the removal of Gay, Kornbluth, and Magill from their positions.

Dec. 10 — Ackman pressures Harvard boards to remove Gay as president, faculty members come to her defense

“I am personally aware of more than a billion dollars of terminated donations from a small group of Harvard’s most generous Jewish and non-Jewish alumni,” Ackman wrote in a letter to Harvard’s governing bodies, which he shared on X. “I have been copied and blind copied on numerous letters and emails to the University from alums who have written scathing letters to Gay and/or the Board withdrawing donations.”

The same day, hundreds of Harvard faculty members signed a letter urging the school’s administration to resist calls to remove Gay. The letter argued that external political calls to remove Gay were “at odds with Harvard’s commitment to academic freedom” and called on administrators to “defend the independence of the university.”

“The critical work of defending a culture of free inquiry in our diverse community cannot proceed if we let its shape be dictated by outside forces,” the letter stated.

Dec. 12 — Harvard oversight board backs Gay

“Our extensive deliberations affirm our confidence that President Gay is the right leader to help our community heal and to address the very serious societal issues we are facing,” the Fellows of Harvard College said in an email to the university community.

Harvard officials also noted that Gay had apologized for her congressional testimony.

In addition, she “has committed to redoubling the University’s fight against antisemitism,” the oversight board wrote in the email message, which was signed by every member of the board except Gay.

Material from the Associated Press and prior Globe stories was used in this report.

Travis Andersen can be reached at travis.andersen@globe.com.