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Operation Protective Edge
Part of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict
Iron Dome system intercepts Gaza rockets aimed at central Israel
Date 8 July 2014 – ongoing (10 years, 5 months, 2 weeks and 4 days) Location Gaza Strip Israel30°40′N 34°50′E / 30.667°N 34.833°E / 30.667; 34.833 Status Ongoing
Belligerents
Israel	Gaza Strip Hamas Palestinian Islamic Jihad Popular Resistance Committees Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine Abdullah Azzam Brigades
Commanders and leaders
Benjamin Netanyahu Prime Minister Moshe Ya'alon Defense Minister Benny Gantz Chief of General Staff Amir Eshel Air Force Commander Sami Turgeman Southern Commander Yoram Cohen Chief of Shin Bet	Ismail Haniyeh Deputy chief of Hamas Mohammed Deif Head of Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades Ramadan Shalah Leader of PIJ
Units involved
Israel Defense Forces Shin Bet	Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades
Strength
Up to 74,000 reservists
Casualties and losses
1 soldier and 1 civilian killed 17 soldiers and 28 civilians wounded	260 killed (UN: 76% civilians; Israel: 41%–63% civilians) 2,000 wounded

Operation Protective Edge (Template:Lang-he-n, Mivtza' Tzuk Eitan, literally "Operation Mighty Cliff") is an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) offensive in the Palestinian Gaza Strip, launched on 8 July 2014. The operation follows a recent escalation between Israel and Hamas.

By 7 July, 100 rockets were fired from Gaza at Israeli territory, towards Beersheba, Ashdod, Ofakim, Ashkelon, and Netivot, and Israel struck several sites in Gaza. Overnight, Israel hit 50 targets in the Gaza Strip, and by 8 July, Palestinian militants in Gaza had fired over 140 rockets within 24 hours into Israel, as far north as Hadera, beyond Tel Aviv. Israel's counter-rocket defense system, the Iron Dome, intercepted about 30 of the rockets. Israel also thwarted an infiltration from the sea. Israel commenced the major military response on 8 July. That same day, Hamas declared that "all Israelis" had become "legitimate targets".

On 14 July, Egypt proposed a cease-fire. The Israeli government accepted the proposal and temporarily stopped hostilities in the morning of 15 July, but Hamas, which said it was never consulted on the ceasefire, rejected it in "its current form".

Operation Protective Edge is the deadliest military operation to have taken place in Gaza since the Gaza War in 2008–2009. At least 222 Palestinians have been killed. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs estimated using preliminary information that as of 16 July nearly 76% of those killed were civilians, of whom 45% were women or children. According to the Gaza Health Ministry, over 1,670 Palestinians have been injured. The Israel Defense Forces estimated that about 90 of the dead were Hamas militants, and says Hamas was using the Gazan population as 'human shields'; an allegation denied by Hamas. The Israeli Defense Forces have reported that as of 13 July, more than 1,300 Israeli attacks have occurred, while more than 800 missiles were fired from Gaza into Israel.

Human rights groups have argued that Palestinian rocket attacks and Israeli targeted destruction of the homes of Hamas and other militia members violate international humanitarian law and might constitute war crimes.

Background

The operation follows a chain of events that began with the abduction and murder of three Israeli teenagers in the West Bank in June 2014, for which Israel blamed Hamas. The IDF stated that the two men Israel suspects of having kidnapped the teenagers were known members of Hamas. No evidence of Hamas involvement has been offered by the Israeli authorities and high-ranking members of Hamas have denied that the group had any involvement or foreknowledge of the incident; however, Hamas political chief Khaled Meshal said that he can neither confirm nor deny the kidnapping of the three Israelis, and congratulated the abductors. Israeli forces killed ten Palestinians in clashes, including two under 18 and arrested several hundred more in the West Bank in the subsequent widespread search for the missing teenagers and suppression of Hamas cells and infrastructure dubbed Operation Brother's Keeper. During the search for the three missing Israeli teenagers, the IDF arrested many of the people who had been released during the Gilad Shalit prisoner exchange. Hamas, which had been credited by Israel as reining in militant rocket fire from the Gaza Strip since a ceasefire agreement in November 2012, at the conclusion of Operation Pillar of Defense, took direct responsibility for a barrage of rockets fired into Israel on 8 July 2014 and insisted on the release of those rearrested as a condition of a ceasefire.

Hours after the funeral of the three murdered Israelis, a 16-year-old Palestinian teenager named Mohammed Abu Khdeir of Beit Hanina was kidnapped and burned alive in a retaliatory attack by Jewish extremists. Six Jewish suspects in the murder have been arrested by the Israeli police. The discovery of Khdeir's body led to protests and rioting in East Jerusalem which spread to Arab villages across the country, and an official apology and condolence from Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu. At the same time, exchanges of Gaza-based rocket fire into Israel and Israeli airstrikes in the Gaza Strip flared.

Operation timeline

Week 1

8 July

In preparations for a potential escalation in fighting, the IDF called up 1,500 reserves on 7 July. These reserves were positioned around southern Israel and were working on training in case of escalation. The IDF continued calling up additional reserves on 8 July, stating plans to call up 40,000 or more. Due to the consistent rocket fire from Gaza into Israel, the Israeli government closed all summer camps within 40 km (24 miles) of Gaza and universities canceled their final exams. Additionally, all gatherings of 300 or more were banned, and requested all people stay at home or near shelter.

In the early morning on 8 July, Israel struck at least 50 targets in Gaza, injuring 17 people. This was followed by Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu instructing the IDF to "take their gloves off" against Hamas and instructed them to take any means necessary to restore peace to Israeli citizens. As the afternoon progressed, the IDF continued their targeted retaliation, including the home of senior Hamas member Abdul Rahman Juda, who was using his home as a control and command center. Additionally, the IDF targeted and killed Muhammad Sa'aban a commander of Hamas's naval commando unit. IDF also targeted the homes of Hamas members Eiad Sakik, Abdullah Hshash, Samer Abu Daka, and Hassan Abdullah. The Palestinians have confirmed that all homes were called by the IDF prior to bombing, asking residents to please leave.

Late afternoon, Hamas announced that all Israelis are now legitimate targets. Early evening, the Iron Dome Defense system shot down a rocket over Tel Aviv. Shortly afterward, five armed Palestinians attempted to cross into Israel via the beach at Kibbutz Zikim. Gunfire ensued with the IDF, resulting in the death of all five Palestinians. A short while later, a parachute was found abandoned near Yad Mordechai and a Gaza tunnel exploded near Kerem Shalom.

Hamas, in the evening, held a press conference to express their demands to stop their offense on Israel. Hamas demanded that Israel halt what it termed aggression in Jerusalem; the West Bank; and the Gaza Strip, re-release of the prisoners of the Shalit deal, and the commitment to all the terms of the Operation Pillar of Defense cease-fire. For the first time in recent weeks, Hamas openly claimed responsibility for rocket fire. In addition, the Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility for 60 rockets, the Popular Resistance Committees asserted they had fired 17, and the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine claimed responsibility for three.

Late in the evening, a second rocket was shot down over Tel Aviv. Following this air sirens went off in Binyamina and Hamas stated that a rocket was fired at Haifa. This was all followed by several rockets being fired at Jerusalem and two landing just outside of Jerusalem. Just before midnight, a rocket hit Hadera, 28 miles (45 km) north of Tel Aviv, making it the longest range rocket ever shot into Israel. Upon investigation of the shrapnel, Israel believes this was a Syrian made M302 Rocket.

By the end of 8 July, IAF and the Israeli navy had struck 435 targets in Gaza, resulting in the death of at least 23 Palestinians, including two children under five, and over 122 injuries. Also, during the first day 225 rockets were fired from Gaza into Israel and 40 of out of 225 were intercepted. Property damage in Israel totaled approximately 10 million NIS, from 35 vehicles, 52 buildings, 12 agriculture-related damages reported.

9 July

Just after midnight on 9 July, Abbas announced he would convene an emergency meeting of the Palestinian leadership to discuss the escalation, in addition to contacting Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi to attempt to broker a ceasefire.

Early 9 July, the US Embassy in Tel Aviv announced that due to rocket fire over Tel Aviv they would be operating at minimal staff until further notice.

The IDF confirmed that over night it hit 160 targets in Gaza, bringing the total to 435 sites that Israel has struck, while from Gaza 235 rockets have been fired. On the morning of 9 July, the IDF confirmed that two additional rockets were shot down over Tel Aviv.

In an interview given to The Guardian published in the morning, a spokesperson for Medical Aid for Palestinians stated that at least seven children have died as a result of Israeli air strikes so far.

In the afternoon, the Iron Dome shot down a rocket over Zichron Yaakov, 120 km (75 miles) from the Gaza border. This was immediately followed by 2 rockets falling just shy of Haifa, landing in the Mount Carmel region. Hamas has taken credit for these rockets. Hamas also announced that Gaza had been hit 500 times in the past two days. The IDF announced that they had struck 129 targets in Gaza since the morning, made up of 31 tunnels, 60 rocket launching sites, 27 terror sites, and 11 activity sites.

In the early evening, two rockets landed in an open field in Caesarea that Israel believes were fired at Haifa. Additionally, Israel struck a house in Gaza which resulted in the mother and her two children being killed. Palestinians also reported that the Islamic Jihad Communications Commander was killed in IAF strike on his house. Following the recent Israeli attacks on Gaza, the death toll rose to 43, causing Abbas to call the current operation an Israeli genocide. Within the first 36 hours of Operation Protective Edge, Israel surpassed the number of targets they had hit in Gaza than they did in the full eight days of Operation Pillar of Defense

As night fell, Hamas sent multiple rockets toward Dimona, to which they admitted they were attempting to hit the nuclear reactors. Israel additionally continued to strike Gaza with the Palestinian death toll rising to 51 along with 450 injuries Over the same period of time Magen David Adom has reported that there have been no Israeli deaths and 68 injuries; 59 from shock and nine while running for shelter.

As the second day came to an end, the IDF announced that it had hit over 550 targets in Gaza over the first two days. Hamas fired approximately 180 rockets into Israel during the second day. The Palestinian death count by the end of the day was 68 along with 550 injured (part of them were civilians)

10 July

Shortly after midnight, the UN's Security Council announced that it would hold a special meeting to discuss the current Israel/Palestinian conflict. Several hours later, Ban-Ki Moon announced that he would be addressing the Security Council and that he had already spoken with several world leaders.

Throughout the night, Israel continued their targeted attacks on Gaza, hitting several sites, resulting in 14 additional deaths, including some women and children. Israel vowed to intensify the attacks as the operation enters its third day. Eight of those killed were members of the Kaware family. Israel announced that although the family was warned, and they did leave the house, they returned after the warning shot hit the house. They returned home moments after the second rocket was fired and it was too late to reprogram. In total 320 sites in Gaza were hit overnight.

On the morning of 10 July, Gazan rockets were fired at Tel Aviv, Dimona, Mitzpe Ramon, Eshkol, Ashkelon, Netivot, Yeruham, and other locations. Finance Minister Yair Lapid warned that there would be an IDF ground operation if the rocket fire did not stop. During the morning of 10 July, an IDF Spokesman said that since the beginning of the operation in Israel 234 missiles had exploded and 61 rockets had been hit by the missile defense system Iron Dome. Israel additionally issued a warning to the 100,000 residents of Gaza near the border with Israel to evacuate their homes, leading many to believe that preparations for an Israeli ground offensive are underway.

In the early afternoon, at an IDF checkpoint on Highway 5, a car with Palestinian plates carrying Palestinians Arabs was stopped. The car contained two cooking gas tanks connected to what is believed to be a detonation device. Shin Bet is investigating the incident that is believed to be a car bomb. One of the two suspects later confessed they intended to perpetrate a terror attack.

In the late afternoon, Israel struck three Islamic Jihad members, Mahmoud Walud, Hazm Balusha, and Alla'a Abd al-Nabi, whom Israel holds responsible for rockets fired at Tel Aviv. With this strike, the total number of Palestinians killed in day three of the operation reached 33. The IDF also announced that 96 rockets had been fired from Gaza on 10 July and that 442 rockets had been launched over the past three days.

In the early evening, siren went off around Jerusalem, for the second time in the three-day-old operation. Two rockets were shot down over Jerusalem by the Iron Dome and one landed in the Abu Ghosh area.

In the evening, the US Consulate General in Jerusalem announced aid for any US citizens in Gaza who wish to leave. The US Consulate announcement came as Israel announced it would intensify the strikes in Gaza. Additionally, Israel announced that their goal is not a ceasefire, but that they want to fully dismantle Hamas's infrastructure.

As in the past few nights, militants from Gaza chose to shoot a large number of rockets into Israel during the 8:00pm news broadcast, with tonight's resulting in a number of injuries after a direct hit on a house. Initial reports indicated that an Israeli was killed when a rocket hit their car, however this was later proven untrue as the car was empty, and the Israeli death count remained at zero since the operation started.

Four US Senators Lindsey Graham, Robert Menendez, Kelly Ayotte, and Chuck Schumer, put forth a resolution expressing support for Israel as it defends itself against Hamas and ensure the survival of the State of Israel. Additionally, it condemns the unprovoked rocket fire at Israel, calls on Hamas to immediately cease all rocket attacks against Israel, and calls on Mahmoud Abbas to dissolve the unity governing arrangement with Hamas and condemn the attacks on Israel.

As the third day came to an end, Israel announced that 144 rockets had been shot at Israel on 10 July, and 442 since the operation started. This rocket fire has resulted in injuries to 123 people; one seriously, 21 moderately to lightly and 101 from shock. Israel had struck 201 targets In Gaza, resulting in 23 deaths and carried out almost 900 airstrikes on the Gaza strip somce the start of the operation, killing at least 90 Palestinians (part of them were civilians). Additionally, they announced that they are ready for a long battle and that they plan a ground operation to free Palestinian prisoners.

11 July

At approximately 3:30am, the Iron Dome missile defense system shot down a rocket over Haifa, the first time a rocket from Gaza reached that far. An elderly woman running for cover when hearing the sirens collapsed and was pronounced dead at the scene.

In the early morning, Hussein Izzat Atwe, a member of Al-Jamaa Al-Islamiya fired rockets at Israel, from the Hasbaya region of Lebanon. Only one projectile was reported to have hit Israel, causing no damage. Upon Lebanon's investigation, they found six additional rockets ready to be fired, including one which had exploded in place when attempting to be fired. One man was later arrested in connection with the rocket fire after police found blood in his car which matched blood found at the scene of the rocket launchers.

Israeli troops fired 25 artillery shells into Lebanon at the outskirts of the village of Kfar Shuba.

In the early evening, Egypt seized rockets that were being smuggled from Gaza into Egypt; it is believed these were going to be used to fire on Israel from there.

After three and a half days of the operation, Israel had struck 1,090 sites in Gaza, while 525 rockets had been fired from Gaza at Israel.

In the evening, two Israeli soldiers were injured by anti-aircraft missiles near Nahal Oz.

By day's end, Israel had struck 235 targets in Gaza, resulting in 23 deaths. From Gaza 137 rockets were fired toward Israel, resulting in 0 deaths.

12 July

An IDF strike targeting Gaza police chief Tayseer Al-Batsah's home killed 21 people and wounded 45. The police chief's Gaza City house was nearly destroyed by two rockets. Many of those killed were leaving a mosque, next door to the home, at the time of the strike.

Just before dawn, an IDF missile hit a center for disabled people in northern Gaza killing two of its residents and injuring five more. Additionally, a mosque, which the IDF said was being used as an armory, was also targeted.

A series of 10 rockets fire launched at Tel Aviv, Hamas later claimed responsibility for the attack, no casualties were reported.

At around 20:00 in the evening, Hamas convened a news conference to deliver a message that at 21:00 they were about to fire J80 missiles into Central Israel that will challenge the Iron Dome system. The Iron Dome system intercepted the three of the rockets that were fired and the rest fell in open areas. There were no injuries and only minor damage was caused by shrapnel. In response, the IDF launched a combined attack involving artillery, helicopters, and fighter jets for many targets throughout the Gaza Strip, in order to suppress the shooting ability of the Hamas

Later in the evening, three rockets were fired from Gaza toward the Jewish settlement of Efrat, however all three landed in Palestinian neighborhoods; two in Bethlehem and one in Hebron.

Around 11:00pm, two rockets were fired from Lebanon into western Galilee, causing no casualties; the IDF responded with artillery fire.

By day's end, Israel had struck 180 targets in Gaza 180 targets, resulting in 51 deaths. From Gaza 125 rockets were fired toward Israel, resulting in 0 deaths.

13 July

By the start of the sixth day, Israel had struck 1,320 sites within Gaza, resulting in 167 deaths and more than 1,000 injured. During the same time frame, more than 600 rockets have been launched at Israel from Gaza.

In the early hours of the morning, Israeli naval commandos approached Gaza via the al-Sudaniya beach. Gunfire ensued, resulting in three Palestinian deaths and four IDF soldiers injured. Israel stated that their mission was successful, and it took out several long-range rocket launchers.

At 6:00am, 670 those living in Gazaa with dual citizenship were given a chance to be escorted by the IDF out of Gaza and to their respective embassies. Only a 30 minute window was given to people wishing to leave, causing many people to miss this opportunity and being forced to remain in Gaza.

Later in the morning, Israel began dropping leaflets, making telephone calls, and sending texts warning Palestinians in northern Gaza to evacuate by noon. Schools in Gaza have been opened to shelter those who are evacuating their homes; which can shelter up to 35,000 people. Although Hamas discouraged people from following Israel's advice, it is believed that approximately 10,000 did leave. After Israel began striking their targets in the north the number of people who left their home was reported at 17,000, totaling about 25% of the town's 70,000 residence.

In the morning, Palestinians fired four rockets at Gush Dan, the Shfela, and Ashdod. A boy was seriously injured in an Ashkelon rocket attack. In the afternoon, Hamas fired a heavy barrage of Fajr-5, M-75 and M-160 rockets to all parts of the country, including Ashkelon and Gush Dan. Iron Dome intercepted a rocket over Rishon Le-Zion, the Sharon plain and Haifa.

In the evening, a rocket fired from Gaza hit the infrastructure in Israel that provides electricity 70,000 Palestinians in Gaza, cutting off their power. This was followed by a break from the rocket fire, which correlated with the World Cup.

By day's end, Israel had struck 173 targets in Gaza, resulting in 13 deaths. From Gaza 130 rockets were fired toward Israel, resulting in 0 deaths.

14 July

By the start of day seven of the operation, there had been 1,320 strikes by Israel in Gaza, and 940 rockets fired from Gaza at Israel.

In the early afternoon, the IDF stated that they used a MIM-104 Patriot missile to down a drone, near Ashdod, which came from Gaza. Hamas later took responsibility for this drone, stating they had sent six into Israel, which successfully completed three missions over IDF military bases.

In the early evening, Hamas said it destroyed an IDF Merkava tank stationed near Gaza by firing a Kornet anti-tank missile at it. Israel however said the Trophy Active Protection System successfully destroyed the missile and there were no damages or injuries from the incident.

As day seven of the operation came to an end, news broke that an Egypt negotiated ceasefire was close to being announced, effective 9:00am the following day. This would be followed by negotiations in Cairo on 10 July. Hamas acknowledged that negotiations were ongoing, however no agreements had been finalized.

On 14 July 115 rockets were fired from Gaza toward Israel, resulting in 0 deaths. Israel had struck 163 targets in Gaza, resulting in 6 deaths and 192 overall. The IDF stated that after the first 7 days of they believe 3,000 of the 9,000 rockets in Gaza had been destroyed. Additionally, 1,050 rockets have been fired at Israel, leaving Gaza with approximately 5,000 more.

Week 2

15 July

During the night, for the first time during the operation, two rockets were fired at Eilat, from Egypt.

At 7am, Israel announced that they had officially voted to accept the ceasefire proposed by Egypt for 9am. Hamas stated that they were not consulted on the ceasefire, and if they had accepted it, it would have been a surrender rather than a truce, and fired 40 rockets into Israel within the first five hours of the proposed ceasefire timeframe. Ismail Haniyeh, the deputy head of the Hamas political bureau, stated that although Hamas was contacted about the ceasefire, they would not accept it unless Israel gave fulfilled the "demands of the Palestinian people" such as ending the blockade. At approximately 3pm, six hours after Israel announced it would accept the ceasefire, Netanyahu announced that, due to the continued rocket fire from Gaza, they would be renewing their strikes.

Netanyahu, on the evening of 15 July, fired Deputy Defense Minister Danny Danon. According to Netanyahu's associates, Danon lost his job for claiming that Hamas "humiliated" Israel.

In the evening, eight days into the operation, an Israeli man, Dror Hanin, was injured by a mortar shell, and later became the first Israeli death since the beginning of the operation.

On 15 July Israel had struck 96 targets in Gaza, resulting in 16 deaths and 156 rocker had been fired toward Israel. In eight days Israel had struck 1,603 targets in Gaza, resulting in 194 deaths. From Gaza 1,147 rockets were launched toward Israel, resulting in 1 Israeli death.

16 July

Around midnight, the start of day nine of fighting, Netanyahu vowed to intensify and expand Israeli strikes. This comes just one day after Israel accepted an Egyptian-brokered ceasefire but reported that Hamas fired 76 rockets from Gaza during the six hour Israeli cessation of hostilities.

During the night, Israeli warplanes bombed the house of senior Hamas leader Mahmoud al-Zahar. Israel also hit the homes of several Hamas leaders including Bassem Naim, Fathi Hammad and Ismail al-Ashqar, all four homes were reportedly empty at the time. Shortly after these attacks, it was announced the death toll within Gaza had surpassed 200 people. During the night, Israel also sent pre-recorded messages to approximately 100,000 people in Gaza City to leave their homes by 8am.

Magen David Adom in the evening reported that they offered to transfer donated blood to help those injured in Gaza; however the Palestinian Authority rejected the blood and rejected their offer to help run blood drives.

In the early afternoon, Hamas and the PIJ proposed a ten year truce with Israel. The Palestinian terms for a truce included:

• IDF moving their tanks further into Israel from Gaza,
• Re-release all prisoners freed in exchange for Gilad Shalit and arrested during Operation Brother's Keeper,
• Remove blockage from all borders with the Rafah crossings on UN control,
• Establish an airport in Gaza under UN control,
• Expand fishing zone to 13 km,
• Israel borders with Gaza controlled by the UN,
• Israel cannot intervene in the Palestinian unity government, and
• Israel must give Gaza residents permission to visit Jerusalem and pray in the Al-Aqsa Mosque.

Later in the afternoon, four Palestinian children were killed and one was critically wounded on a Gaza beach by a shell fired by an Israeli naval gunboat.

During the day, UNRWA discovered approximately 20 rockets hidden in a vacant school in the Gaza Strip.

On 16 July Israel had struck 50 targets in Gaza, resulting in 17 deaths. From Gaza 94 rockets were fired toward Israel, resulting in 0 deaths.

17 July

During the night, Israel agreed to a five-hour humanitarian ceasefire, proposed by the UN, followed shortly by Hamas' acceptance. The ceasefire took place from 10am to 3pm, local time.

Approximately five and a half hours prior to the ceasefire's effect, the IDF sighted 13 armed Hamas militants emerging from a Gazan tunnel on the Israeli side of the Gaza border. The IDF engaged the militants, who sustained casualties; and destroyed the tunnel's exit, ending the incursion. No Israeli casualties were sustained in the incident. Israeli Army Radio reported that the men were carrying with them weapons and abduction related equipment.

Approximately two hours into the five hour humanitarian ceasefire, three rockets from Gaza were fired at Israel, Israel credited the rockets to Hamas although no one took credit for it. At exactly 3pm, at the end of the agreed upon five hour ceasefire, sirens began ringing again in Israel, in the Ashkelon region.

The UNRWA called a meeting in Jerusalem with Israeli government officials to formally apologize for the rockets found within their school in Gaza.

European football’s governing body (UEFA) announced on Thursday that no Champions League or Europa League matches could be played in Israel until further notice "for security reasons". "Consequently, the three Israeli clubs involved in forthcoming fixtures have been requested to propose alternative venues outside of Israel’s territory for their home legs in the 2014–15 UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League", UEFA said in a statement.

In the early evening, for the second time since the operation began, the IDF shot down a drone launched from Gaza into Israel, using an MIM-104 Patriot missile. Hamas later took credit for launching the drone into Israel.

At the beginning of the night the IDF artillery batteries fired hundreds of shells to the northern Gaza strip after ordering the civilians out of the area. Despite the warnings some civilians were still present at that time after Hamas ordered them not to leave. At approximately 10:30pm the PIJ reported on their TV station that IDF ground troops have entered Gaza. Shortly afterward, Netanyahu and Defence Minister Moshe Ya'alon officially announced that they had ordered a ground incursion into Gaza. Egypt stated that they hold Hamas responsible for Israel's ground operation, due to them not accepting the ceasefire. Israeli Prime minister Netanyahu stated that the ground invasion's task is to disable the tunnels near the border used by hammas to invade israel.

Shortly after Israel's ground forces entered Gaza, Israeli tanks began shelling Wafa Hospital in Gaza. Israel claims they gave the hospital multiple advance warnings to evacuate their 17 patients before attacking a weapons storage facility at the hospital.

18 July

Shortly after midnight, the IDF announced approval to call up 18,000 additional reserves, bringing the total reserves IDF allowed to call to 72,000.

At approximately 1am, UNRWA announced that they were worried because they have been unable to connect with the UN leaders located there.

During the night, the IDF destroyed the house of PIJ leader Abdullah al-Shami. Additionally the first Israeli soldier was killed during the 11 day operation.

In the morning Israel announced that 14 Palestinians were killed in Gaza overnight, the first night with ground soldiers in Gaza. Bringing the total to 248 killed and 1,920 injured. Additionally 13 Palestinians gave themselves up to the IDF and were arrested.

In the early afternoon, Israel announced Paratroopers found 8 tunnels, and later annoucned that IDF troops found an additional 13 tunnels.

Impact

Impact on residents

Hospitals in Gaza are currently ill-equipped and facing severe shortage of various categories of medicine, medical supplies, and fuel. Egypt temporarily reopened the Rafah crossing with Gaza to allow medical supplies to enter, and injured Palestinians to receive treatment in Egypt. Additionally, due to the current operation, prices of food, including fish and produce have dramatically risen.

At the onset of the operation, the Israeli government canceled all programs within 40 km (24 miles) of Gaza, and requested all people stay at home or near shelter. All summer camps were closed and universities canceled their final exams. Additionally, all gatherings of 300 or more were banned. Due to the trajectory of rocket fire from Gaza, many flights in and out of Ben-Gurion Airport have been delayed or had their course changed.

Casualties and losses

Thus far 265 Palestinians have been killed. According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, 76% of those killed were civilians (as of its report on 17 July, at which time it said 164 civilians were killed, in addition to 38 members of armed groups and 12 persons of unknown status). 44 of those killed were children and 29 women. 1,920 have been wounded As of 18 July 2014 according to Gazan medical officials. According to OCHA, 45% of those injured are women and children. At least 1,660 housing units were destroyed or severely damaged. 9,900 Palestinians were displaced due to damage to their homes and 22,600 have taken refugee in UN shelters. Over 25,000 children have been traumatized and are in need of care. 81 schools and 23 medical facilities were damaged. In addition, over 3,000 homes have been partially destroyed by the air strikes.

According to the Israeli Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Center, as of 15 July 2014, 72 terrorist operatives, 80 civilians, and 41 unidentified Palestinians have been killed in Gaza.

Many of those killed have been civilians, prompting concern from many humanitarian organisations. In response, Israel claimed that many civilian casualties were the result of Hamas using the Gazan population as 'human shields' at alleged missile launch targets, an allegation denied by Hamas. Human rights groups have argued that targeting the homes of militia members violates international humanitarian law and might constitute war crimes. Some others include 9 people killed while watching the World Cup in a cafe, and 8 members of a family which Israel says were inadvertently killed. Seven members of a family were killed when they climbed on the roof of their house to act as a human shield, however, their home was still struck despite their action. Retired IDF Major-General Oren Shachor is on record as stating:“If we kill their families, that will frighten them.”

Rocket and missile attacks from Gaza have caused damage to Israeli civilian infrastructure, including factories, gas stations, and homes. There has been one Israeli death at the Erez border crossing with Gaza: a Chabad rabbi who was delivering food and drinks on the frontline and was hit by mortar fire. According to Magen David Adom there have been injuries to 123 people: 1 seriously, 21 moderately to lightly and 101 from shock. An elderly woman in Wadi Nisnas collapsed and died of heart failure during an air-raid siren.

Cost

Israel's Minister of Finance estimated that the operation cost forecasted to NIS 8.5 billion (approximately 2.5 billion USD), which is similar to Operation Cast Lead in 2009 and higher than Operation Pillar of Defense in 2012. The forecast assumed military and non-military costs, including military expenditure and property damage. The calculation indicates that if the operation lasts 20 days, the loss in GDP will be 0.4%.

Reactions

Media coverage

Portrayals of the conflict have varied in different media outlets. In the English-speaking world, U.S. news sources were often more sympathetic to Israel, though commentators on both sides have stated that U.S. coverage of the conflict has failed to adequately provide context and background for the public to understand the issues involved. Commentators on both sides have also claimed that the media is biased either for or against Israel. British sources were more often critical of Israel. As the conflict progressed and Palestinian deaths increased, media became somewhat more critical of Israel.

ABC News received criticism when Diane Sawyer misidentified photos of rubble in Gaza as being in Israel. The progressive media criticism organization FAIR said that the mistake reflected a worldview in American media and a "false balance" between the two sides of the conflict, when in fact many more Palestinians have suffered than Israelis. Sawyer later apologized on-air for the error.

Investigative reporter Judith Miller criticized US media, and her former employer The New York Times in particular, for being unsympathetic to Israel and downplaying the context of the kidnapping and murder of Israeli teenagers.

Criticism of the BBC's coverage

In The Guardian, Owen Jones called the BBC's headline "Israel under renewed Hamas attack", "perverse as Mike Tyson punching a toddler, followed by a headline claiming that the child spat at him", and that "the macabre truth is that Israeli life is deemed by the Western media to be worth more than a Palestinian life".

In London, Newcastle, Manchester, Liverpool and Glasgow, hundreds protested outside the BBC's offices accusing the corporation of "pro-Israeli bias" in its coverage of the ongoing conflict. It claimed that news coverage was "entirely devoid of context or background". An open letter to BBC director signed by 45,000 people including Noam Chomsky, John Pilger, Ken Loach, Brian Eno and Jeremy Hardy said it would "like to remind the BBC that Gaza is under Israeli occupation and siege that Israel is bombing a refugee population". The BBC has defended its coverage.

Building on research by the Glasgow University Media Group that examined the media coverage of recent Israeli attacks on Lebanon and Gaza, Greg Philo, research director of the university’s media unit, described how senior BBC journalists have spoken to him about being unable to get the Palestinian viewpoint across.

Social media

In the eight days leading up to Operation Protective Edge, the hashtag #GazaUnderAttack was used over 375,000 times. Often the hashtag was used on tweets using photos that claimed to show how the people are suffering due to Israeli attacks. A BBC study showed that in some cases these photos were from previous Israeli attacks, or from wars in Syria and Iraq.

A false report circulated on social media and via SMS that a rocket from Gaza had hit a petrochemical plant in Haifa. These reports cited Haaretz as their source, but turned out to be false. Haaretz denies having issued such warnings.

A photograph published by Danish journalist Allan Sørensen on Twitter caused uproar online, gathering more than 8,500 retweets. It allegedly shows Israelis in Sderot gathered on top of a hill to celebrate and cheer as they watched Israeli airstrikes on Gaza. People reportedly brought chairs, sofas, popcorn, and hookahs with them. The scene was described as "something resembling a party". Similarly, Palestinians in Hebron cheered as Gazan rockets were fired at Tel Aviv.

See also

• 2014 in Israel
• 2014 in the Palestinian territories
• History of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict
• IDF military operations

References

1. Ben Solomon, Ariel. "Videos show Lebanese jihadi group active in Gaza". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 11 July 2014.
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External links

• "Timeline of the aerial operation (since 7 July)". Israel Defense Forces.
• "Timeline of the ground operation (since 17 July)". Israel Defense Forces.
• "The Toll in Gaza and Israel, Day by Day". The New York Times. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
• "Operation Protective Edge". The Jerusalem Post. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
• "Gaza Blog Live". Al Jazeera English.
• "Gaza-Israel conflict: Why are civilians on the front lines?". BBC News Online.
• "Gaza Crisis". United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

• Current events from July 2014
• 2014 in Israel
• 2014 in the Gaza Strip
• Aerial operations and battles involving Israel
• Conflicts in 2014
• Israel–Gaza conflict
• Military operations involving Israel