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2008–2009 Israel–Gaza conflict
Part of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict
Map of Gaza; Map of Region
Date December 27, 2008–present Location Gaza Strip & Southern Israel Status Conflict ongoing
Belligerents
Israel (IDF)	Hamas (Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades) Islamic Jihad in Palestine File:Logoprc.jpg Popular Resistance Committees File:Fateh-logo.jpg Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades File:PFLP flag smoothed.svg Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine
Commanders and leaders
Ehud Barak (DefMin) Gabi Ashkenazi (CoS) Yoav Galant (SoCom)	Ismail Haniyeh Mahmoud az-Zahar Ahmed al-Ja'abari
Strength
176,500 (total) Backed by tanks, artillery, gunboats, and aircraft.	Hamas: 20,000 (total)
Casualties and losses
Total killed: 13 Soldiers: 10 Civilians: 3 Total wounded: 317 Soldiers: 233 Civilians: 84	Total killed: 1,200* Fighters: 400-650** (IDF) Policemen: 167 (138 during initial airstrikes)(PCHR) Civilians: 765+***(PCHR), Total wounded: 5,300****(MoH)
One Egyptian border guard officer killed and three guards and two children wounded.
*Casualty figures and the civilian/combatant breakdown in Gaza cannot yet be independently verified. **The IDF claimed that 400 dead were known "Hamas operatives," and that 250 were also Hamas operatives. ***There is no estimate of non-elderly male civilian fatalities. Around 550 of the deaths are: 4 UN and 13 medical workers, 4 journalists, 3 top soccer players, 410 children, 85 women,, 97 elderly people, and 40-80 others. Also, two foreigners, a Ukrainian woman and her child. ****Among the wounded there were 1,745 children and 740 women.

Template:Campaignbox Arab-Israeli conflict

The 2008–2009 Israel–Gaza conflict, part of the ongoing Israeli–Palestinian conflict, intensified on December 27, 2008 (11:30 a.m. local time; 9:30 a.m. UTC) when Israel launched a military campaign codenamed Operation Cast Lead (Template:Lang-he), targeting the members and infrastructure of Hamas. The conflict has been described as the Gaza Massacre (Template:Lang-ar) in much of the Arab World.

A six-month truce between Hamas and Israel expired on December 19, 2008. Contending that Israel had not lifted the Gaza Strip blockade and following an Israeli raid into the Gaza Strip on November 4, Hamas resumed its rocket and mortar attacks on Israel. After initially announcing, on December 19, that the truce was "over" and there would not be a renewal, Hamas said it would consider extending the truce on December 23 if its demands were met. On December 27, 2008, Israel launched its military operation with the stated objective of eliminating Hamas' ability and/or will to fire rockets at Israel's southern cities and communities. Hamas demands the cessation of Israeli attacks and an end to the Israeli blockade.

As of January 17, 2009, 13 Israelis (including 3 civilians) and 1,199 Palestinians are estimated to have been killed in this conflict. The Palestinian fatalities include 346 children and 79 are women.

On the first day of the Israeli operation, the Israeli Air Force bombed roughly 100 targets in four minutes, including Hamas bases, training camps, headquarters and offices in all of Gaza's main towns, including Gaza City, Beit Hanoun, Khan Younis, and Rafah. Civilian infrastructure, including mosques, houses and schools, have also been attacked; Israel claims that many of these buildings hid weapons and personnel and that it is not targeting civilians. The Israeli Navy has shelled targets and instituted a naval blockade of Gaza, resulting in one naval incident with a civilian boat.

Hamas has intensified its rocket and mortar attacks against Israel throughout the conflict, hitting such cities as Beersheba and Ashdod. The strike range of these rockets has increased from 16 kilometres (9.9 mi) to 40 kilometres (25 mi) since early 2008. These attacks have resulted in civilian casualties and damage to infrastructure.

On January 3, 2009, the Israeli Defence Forces ground invasion began, with mechanised infantry, armor, and artillery units, supported by armed helicopters, entering Gaza. Israeli defense minister Ehud Barak stated that this will be a "war to the bitter end," while Hamas spokesman Ismail Radwant declared Hamas would "fight until the last breath."

International reactions to the conflict have included calls for an immediate ceasefire, and concern about the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip and the hindrances in delivering aid. In response, Israel announced daily three-hour "humanitarian ceasefires", which neither party has respected. The UN and the Red Cross welcomed the move, but have criticized it as inadequate.

On January 8, the UN Security Council approved Resolution 1860 calling for an immediate ceasefire and withdrawal of Israeli troops, with 14 of 15 member states supporting the resolution and one abstaining (the United States). Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert called the resolution "unworkable" due to continued rocket fire, and Hamas spokesperson Ayman Taha accused the UN of having "not taken into account the interests of our people". On Saturday, January 19, Israeli officials announced a planned unilateral cease fire, without an agreement with Hamas. Hamas "vowed to fight on."

Background

See also: List of Palestinian fatalities resulting from Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip in 2008, List of rocket and mortar attacks in Israel in 2008, 2009

The Gaza strip is one of the most densely populated places on earth. According to the CIA Factbook as of June 2007, it holds a population of 1,482,405 on an area of only 360 square kilometers (139 sq mi). Almost half of the population are children aged 14 or younger (44.7% as of June 2007).

Following its victory in the 2006 municipal legislative elections and the unsuccessful coup of Fatah and succeeding military conflict with Hamas in which Hamas assumed administrative control, Israel and Egypt sealed their border crossings with Gaza and imposed a blockade on the territory, prohibiting all exports and allowing only enough goods to avert a humanitarian or health crisis. Hamas and other Palestinian paramilitias increased the number of Qassam rockets and mortars fired from the Gaza strip into Southern Israel. Israel conducted airstrikes on Gaza during 2007 and 2008, against Hamas and other targets.

Hamas considers Israel an illegitimate state and Israel views Hamas as a terrorist group that must be dismantled.

On June 19, 2008, an Egyptian-brokered pause in hostilities between Israel and Hamas, consisting of a six-month 'lull', translating the Arabic termTahdia, went into effect 'for the Gaza area'. According to The New York Times, neither side fully respected the terms of the cease-fire..

The June 19 agreement required Hamas to end rocket attacks upon Israel in exchange for an end of the blockade and for commerce in Gaza to be restored to the level preceding Israel's withdrawal in 2005 and Hamas's electoral victory. Israeli policy tied the easing of the blockade to success in reducing rocket fire. Israel re-opened supply lines gradually, permitting a 20% increase in goods trucked into Gaza in the pre-lull period.

Israel accused Hamas of continuing the smuggling of weapons into the Gaza strip via tunnels to Egypt, pointing out that the rocket attacks had not completely ceased, and complained that Hamas would not continue negotiating the release of Israeli hostage Gilad Shalit, held by Hamas in Gaza since 2006. Hamas criticized Israel for maintaining the Blockade of the Gaza Strip. On the 18th of December, Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Palestinian Hamas, reported 185 Israeli violations in the lull period.

Rocket fire decreased 98% in the four and a half months between June 18 and November 4 in comparison with the four and half months preceding the ceasefire. Hamas denied responsibility for the rockets that were fired and, 'even imprisoned some of those who were firing rockets'. Nevertheless, Human Rights Watch complained to Hamas that some rocket firing militants were summarily released without an explanation.

On November 4, 2008, Israeli military raided a Hamas-dug tunnel between Gaza and Israel on the Gazan side of the border. The IDF claimed it was intended for the capture of Israeli soldiers, while Hamas, and according to Robert Pastor one IDF source, maintained it was for defensive purposes. As six members of Hamas were killed, it considered this attack a "massive breach of the truce," and rocket attacks towards Israeli cities around Gaza increased sharply in November 2008, approaching the pre-truce levels. According to a November 17 article in The Telegraph, "since violence flared on Nov 5, Israeli forces and militants, some of them from Hamas, have engaged in almost daily tit-for-tat exchanges."

On December 13, 2008, Israel announced that it was in favor of extending the cease-fire, provided Hamas adhered to its conditions. The conditions posed by a Hamas delegation in Cairo on December 14, were that the parties return to the original Hamas-Israel ceasefire arrangement. Hamas would undertake to stop all rocket attacks against Israel if the Israelis would agree to open up the border crossings, not to reduce commercial traffic thereafter, and not to launch attacks in Gaza. At an Israeli Cabinet meeting on December 21, Yuval Diskin, the head of Israel's internal security agency, confirmed the seriousness of Hamas’s interest in maintaining the truce.

On December 20 Hamas officially announced that they would not be extending the cease-fire, which had expired on December 19, citing Israeli border closures as the primary reason, and resumed its shelling of the western Negev. Hamas blamed Israel for the end of the ceasefire, saying it had not respected its terms, including the lifting of the blockade, under which little more than humanitarian aid has been allowed into Gaza. Israel said it initially began easing the blockade, but resumed it when Hamas failed to fulfill the agreed conditions, including ending all rocket fire and halting weapons smuggling.

On December 23, in an Egyptian newspaper interview Mahmoud al-Zahar, a senior Hamasleader, said that his group was willing to renew the hudna if Israel refrained from operating in Gaza, and lifted its blockade of the Gaza strip. He added that Hamas was undeterred by the possibility of an Israeli operation in Gaza: "We've been hearing talk of a possible Israeli invasion for the past three years. Israel is like a teenager that starts to smoke, and then stops when he chokes. If they want to enter – they're welcome to do so." The same day the IDF killed three Palestinian militants, stating that the militants were planting explosives on the Gaza border. Israel was also reluctant to open the border crossings, which had been closed since November. On December 24 the Negev was hit by more than 60 mortar shells and Katyusha and Qassam rockets, and the IDF was given a green light to operate. Hamas claimed to have fired a total of 87 rockets and mortar rounds that day at Israel, code-naming the firing "Operation Oil Stain".

On December 25, 2008, Israeli Prime Minister, after Israel had "wrapped up preparations for a broad offensive", Ehud Olmert delivered a 'Last Minute' Warning in an interview with the Arabic language satellite channel al-Arabiya. "I am telling them now, it may be the last minute, I'm telling them stop it. We are stronger," he said.

On December 26, 2008, Israel reopened five crossings between Israel and Gaza for humanitarian supplies. Despite the movement of relief supplies, militants fired about a dozen rockets and mortar shells from Gaza at Israel on Friday. Fuel was allowed in for Gaza's main power plant and about 100 trucks loaded with grain, humanitarian aid and other goods were expected during the day. Rocket attacks continued — about a dozen rockets and mortar bombs were fired from Gaza into Israel, one accidentally striking a northern Gaza house and killing two Palestinian sisters, aged five and thirteen, while wounding a third. According to Israeli defense officials, the subsequent Israeli offensive took Hamas by surprise, thereby increasing their casualties.

Campaign

Israeli offensive

Air strikes

Israel launched its military operation at 11:30 a.m., December 27, when more than 50 fighter jets and attack helicopters entered Gazan airspace, killing 225-292 Palestinians and wounding more than 1,000. The IAF dropped more than 100 bombs on 50 targets, which included Hamas paramilitary bases, training camps, and underground Kassam launchers. It also hit Hamas headquarters, government offices and police stations.

About 140 members of Hamas security forces were killed, including police chief Tawfiq Jabber, the head of Hamas’ security and protection unit and the police commander for central Gaza, along with at least 15 civilians. Children were reported among the casualties. Attacks on police in Gaza were justified by Israel on the grounds that they are "combatants"; however, human rights groups say that police, even if affiliated with Hamas, are not combatants and do not represent legitimate targets unless they are actively engaged in hostilities.

Some Palestinians call this day Massacre of the Black Saturday because of the magnitude of casualties inflicted. The Israeli attack is considered to be the bloodiest one-day death toll in 60 years of conflict with the Palestinians.

Following the first day of air raids, the Israeli Air Force continued to inflict massive damage in the coming week to the Palestinian infrastructure. Among their targets were ministerial buildings, Hamas training camps, offices of the Popular Resistance Committees, homes of Hamas commanders, etc. A number of high-ranking Hamas commanders were killed in the attacks, including: Nizar Rayan, Abu Zakaria al-Jamal, Jamal Mamduch and others. Many of the killed Hamas leaders had died along with their families in their own homes. By January 3, 2009, the death toll among Palestinians was at 400, 25% of them civilians.

Airstrikes continued throughout the ground invasion that followed. The Independent reported that as of January 15, Israeli forces had carried out 2,360 airstrikes in the Gaza Strip.

Ground invasion

IDF infantry and armor units amassed near the Gaza border on December 28, engaging in an active blockade of the strip. On the evening of January 3, Israel launched its ground operation with troops entering Gaza for the first time since the operation began. The intention of the ground invasion, termed the 'second stage' of Operation Cast Lead, according to the Israeli Defense Forces website, is to secure areas within the Gaza strip from which rockets have been launched even after the previous Israeli operations.

Israeli ground troops entered Beit Lahiya and Beit Hanoun in northern Gaza in the early hours. Israeli forces reportedly bisected Gaza and surrounded Gaza City, but restricted their movements to areas that were not heavily urbanised. The Israeli military said forty sites had been targeted, including targets for weapons depots and rocket launch sites.

On January 3, the IDF attacked the Ibrahim al-Maqadna mosque in Beit Lahiya during evening prayers. Witnesses said over 200 Palestinians were praying inside at the time. Thirteen people, including six children, were killed. Many more people were wounded. Israel has accused Hamas of using mosques to hide weapons and ammunition.

Another three Hamas commanders were killed on January 4: Hussam Hamdan, Muhammad Hilou and Mohammed Shalpokh.

As Israeli tanks and troops seized control of large parts of the Gaza Strip, tens of thousands of Gazans fled their homes amidst artillery and gunfire, and flooded into the heart of Gaza city. Gun battles reportedly broke out between Israel and Hamas on the streets of Gaza, as Israel surrounded the city. On January 6, at least 125 Palestinians and 5 Israeli soldiers were killed. 42 of the Palestinians were civilians killed when an Israeli mortar struck a UN school which housed refuges.

On January 12, the IDF reported that it started deploying reserve forces in Gaza.

Despite the ground operation by the IDF rocket attacks by Hamas continued against southern Israel.

Pamphlets dropped on Gaza from Israeli planes contain a phone number (+972-2-5839749) where anyone can report Hamas "activity" for "targeting". As this number can be dialed from everywhere, its quite dangerous and has abuse potential.

Attack on Gaza City

On the morning of January 11, the IDF started the third stage of the operation with an attack on the suburbs of Gaza City. Israeli forces pushed into the south of the city and reached a key junction to its north. During their advance Hamas and Islamic Jihad ambushed Israeli troops at several locations and heavy fighting ensued. Additionally, the IAF reported that Hamas operatives had tried to shoot down an IAF fixed wing aircraft with anti-aircraft missiles for the first time since operations in Gaza began. Heavy machine gun fire against helicopters had also been unsuccessful.

On January 13, Israeli tanks continued their advance toward the headquarters of Hamas' preventative security building from the al-Karramah neighborhood in the northwest and the Tel al-Hawa neighborhood in the northeast. Before dawn, during the night, troops advanced 300 yards into Tel al-Hawa, a neighborhood which has several high-rise buildings. As troops entered the narrow streets heavy street fighting with militants ensued leaving three soldiers wounded and 30 militants dead or wounded, according to the IDF. By morning IDF soldiers were still advancing slowly towards the city center and several buildings were in flames in Tel al-Hawa, where most of the fighting took place.

On January 15, Israeli artillery started a bombardment of the city while fighting was still going on in the streets. Three high-rise buildings were shelled. The Israeli military reported to have killed dozens of militants, since breaching the city limits four days earlier, while they suffered 20-25 soldiers wounded. Among buildings shelled were the al-Quds hospital, Gaza's second-largest, in the Tal El Hawa district; the Al-Shuruq Tower's 13th floor, housing journalists: and the headquarters of the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA). Because of this, the United Nations will stop humanitarian aid in and outside the Gaza Strip.

Humanitarian ceasefires

After Israel faced mounting international pressure for a ceasefire in the wake of the UNRWA school attack, it announced the three-hour "humanitarian truce" on January 7, and opened a humanitarian corridor to allow aid supplies to reach Gazans. The Israeli army promised to refrain from attacks between 1 and 4 pm (UTC+2). Hamas responded that they would respect (this initial) ceasefire, 80 aid trucks entered the strip, and Israel delivered industrial fuel for Gaza's power plant. Israel has repeated this ceasefire either daily or every other day. Fighting at large resumed immediately following the end of the truce. Aid officials and the UN welcomed the truce, praising it, but said it was not enough.

Despite the cessation of hostilities, a UN aid convoy was fired upon, and two aid workers were killed. The UN initially placed blame on Israeli tank fire, though on January 10, an Israeli investigation stated that the IDF was blameless, and the UN's sources admitted "that they were not sure in which direction the truck was headed when it was hit, and could also not say with certainty that tank shells were responsible." The UN said the delivery had been coordinated with Israel, and Chris Gunness, a UN spokesman, said that aid shipments were being suspended until the safety of UN staff could be guaranteed. As of January 8, four UNRWA aid workers had been killed over the course of the offensive. On January 9, the UN said its aid workers will resume movement in the Gaza strip, having received assurances from Israel that they are not being targeted. A report in the Israeli media alleged that Hamas fired mortar shells on January 10, as supplies were crossing the Kerem Shalom border crossing.

Palestinian military activity

Rocket attacks into Israel

Hamas increased its rocket attacks on southern Israeli cities and communities during the conflict. Hamas also began to deploy improved Qassam and Grad rockets with a range of 40 kilometers.. Rockets reached major Israeli cities Ashkelon, Beersheba and Gedera for the first time, putting one-eighth of Israel's population in rocket range and raising concerns about the safety of the Tel Aviv metropolitan area, Israel's largest population center. As of January 13, Hamas had launched approximately 565 rockets and 200 mortars at Israel since the beginning of the conflict, according to Israeli security sources. Qassam strikes included a direct hit on an apartment building in the center of Ashkelon, while Grad rockets struck the Makif Alef high school in Beersheba, and a home in Ashkelon on January 12.

Ground engagements

With Israeli forces

Hamas representatives claimed they were fighting with the aid of armored vehicles and weapons confiscated from the Palestinian National Authority, given by Israel, the United States and other countries. A Hamas fighter reported that the group has prepared a tunnel network in Gaza city that would allow Hamas to engage the IDF in urban warfare. Other tactics include suicide bombers, wearing civilian clothes and attempts to capture IDF soldiers. Ron Ben-Yishai, an Israeli military correspondent embedded with invading ground forces, stated that entire blocks of houses were booby-trapped and wired in preparation for urban confrontation with the IDF. Hamas has sent messages to Israeli citizens' mobile phones, warning "rockets on all cities, shelters will not protect you." BBC News quoted Hamas run media sources saying that Hamas captured two IDF soldiers during the ground offensive, though the Israeli army has declared this to be an attempt at spreading demoralising disinformation.

With rival Palestinian groups

Israeli internal security chief, Yuval Diskin has alleged that Hamas had executed 70 Fatah supporters accused of collaborating with Israel, but the Haaretz said that it was "impossible to verify the numbers or identities of dead". The New York Times cites reports of Hamas executing suspected "collaborateurs". An unnamed Fatah official in Ramallah alleged that Hamas had placed members of Fatah under house arrest. According to the Los Angeles Times, Hamas is arresting those it suspects of membership in Fatah, and subjecting them to beatings and leg-shootings. According to the Jerusalem Post, Fatah officials said that in the first week of the conflict, at least 75 Fatah activists had been shot in the legs by Hamas, while others had their hands broken.

Attacks on Israel from outside Gaza

On January 8, 2009, three Katyusha type rockets were fired at the northern Israeli city of Nahariyya from Lebanon, injuring two Israeli civilians in a Retirement home. IDF returned fire at the launch sites. No party has claimed responsibility for this attack. Hezbollah promised to undertake an investigation. The attack was condemned by the Lebanese government, which arrested 7 individuals suspected of involvement. On January 11, Israeli soldiers performing engineering work in the Golan Heights came under fire from unidentified gunmen from the Syrian-controlled parts of the Golan. On January 13, an Israeli army patrol on the Jordanian border was fired upon by unknown gunmen from the Jordanian side of the border. There were no casualties in either incident. On January 14, 2009, at least 3 Katyusha rockets were fired at Israeli towns from within Lebanon, sending civilians in the Golan and Galilee regions into shelters, and prompting IDF artillery response aimed at the rocket launchers. No casualties were reported and no responsibilty for the attack was claimed.

Incidents

Incidents in the 2008–2009 Israel–Gaza conflict include the following:

• Dignity: On December 29, 2008, the Israeli navy confronted Diginity, a Free Gaza Movement sailboat carrying medical aid, and prevented it from reaching the Gaza Strip. The boat's passengers alleged that their boat was "rammed" and shot at by Israeli vessels, while Israel, though confirming that there was "physical contact" with boat, denied the allegation.
• 2009 Ibrahim al-Maqadna Mosque strike: On January 3, 2009, the IDF attacked the Ibrahim al-Maqadna mosque holding 200 worshipers, killing 12 people, including 6 children. Israel has previously accused Hamas militants of hiding in mosques.
• al-Fakhura school incident: On January 6, 2009, Israel attacked a UNRWA run school holding 400 Palestinians, killing 40 civilians. Israel asserted that militants had fired from the school, while UN officials denied the claim.
• Zeitoun incident: According to witnesses, the UN and other news sources, on January 5, Israeli troops ordered 100 Palestinians into a building, and shelled the very building 24 hours later, killing 30 people and wounding many more. The IDF said no Israeli troops were present at the time of the event.
• UN Headquarters: On January 15, the IDF shelling of the UN headquarters in Gaza, allegedly with white phosphorus, destroyed hundreds of tons food and fuel, drawing condemnation from European countries. UNRWA dismissed the Israeli claim that Hamas fired from the site and Israel called its attack a "grave error".

Casualties

This section needs to be updated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. (January 2009)

According to Palestinian Ministry of Health and UN figures as of January 12, 1,024 Palestinians have been killed and 3,860 have been injured. Of those killed, at least 670 have been reported as civilians and among them are: 4 UN and 13 medical workers, 4 journalists, 311 children, 78 women, and 97 elderly people. Of the 4,250 injured: 1,497 are children, 626 are women, and 30 are medical workers. Among the civilians killed in the Gaza Strip were also two foreigners, a Ukrainian woman and her child.The number of children fatalities is said to have increased by 250% since the beginning of the ground operation on January 3. Hamas said on January 4, that 10 of its fighters had been killed., but this number is being disputed by Israel. Four Israelis (one soldier and three civilians) had been killed in the same period by Palestinian rockets, and 9 soldiers were killed and 98 were injured during Israel's ground offensive by January 9. Islamic Jihad also confirmed on January 14, that two of it's fighters had been killed during fighting near the former settlement of Nitzarim.

On December 31, the Palestinian Ministry of Health in the Gaza Strip published a list of 187 of the people killed. The UN stated that during the first three days of the operation there were over 300 dead, of which at least 60 were women or children. However, Israel claimed most of the deaths during this period were members of Hamas security forces, including Tawfik Jaber, the chief of Hamas police in Gaza. Israel said it takes careful steps to avoid harm to bystanders. In a press conference in Gaza City on December 29, a de facto Hamas Interior Ministry spokesperson, Ihab al-Ghusein, stated that most of the victims of the attacks were "Gazans at work, not activists launching rockets." A police spokesperson, Islam Shahwan, stated that "at least 95% of the security services buildings" were destroyed, and that 138 police officers had been killed: nine in Rafah, 29 in Khan Younis, 70 in Gaza City and 30 "in the north." According to the New York Times, not all Hamas members necessarily fully accept the organisation's ideology; young men might be simply tempted by the steady work of the police force as jobs are scarce in Gaza due to an international embargo on Hamas.

Israeli military sources claim to have killed 400 to 650 Hamas and other Palestinian militants during the operation. Israeli military officials and Palestinian residents have both observed that due to the fact that many Hamas militants fight without uniforms, and are more likely to be tended by Hamas personnel than civilian hospitals in Gaza if wounded or killed, it is difficult at this time to verify the number of militant dead. Israel also claims it has captured 120 Hamas gunmen. At least one militant, that has been killed by the IDF, has been confirmed to be a foreigner and has been identified as Abu Mohammed al-Marri from Saudi Arabia.

On the Israeli side, three civilians and one soldier have been killed by rocket attacks since the Gaza offensive began. Nine soldiers have been killed in fighting in Gaza itself, of which four were killed by friendly tank fire.

Several prominent members of Hamas and its military wing have been killed during the offensive, including Chief of Gaza Police Tawfiq Jabber, Interior Minister Said Seyam, top religious cleric Nizar Rayyan, and head of the General Security Service Salah Abu Shrakh. Hamas gunmen publicly executed several suspected collaborators with Israel and Fatah members. Israeli and Fatah sources reported that in all between 40 and 80 Palestinians were executed and 75 wounded by Hamas.

One Egyptian border guard was killed and one was wounded by Hamas gunmen on December 28. In addition, two border guards and two Egyptian children were wounded by shrapnel from an Israeli air strike targeting Hamas tunnels on the border on January 11.

Two Palestinian footballers were among the casualties of the Israeli offensive. Ayman al-Kurd, a former member of the Palestine national football team was killed by Israeli shelling. The death of Wajih Mushtahi, a member of Palestine's Olympic team, was announced by Islamic Jihad, who said he was one of their fighters and had died in combat.

Due to the number of Palestinian casualties, the conflict has been referred to as Gaza massacre in parts of the Arab World..

The BBC reports claims from Gaza civilians and the Israeli human-rights group B'tselem that IDF forces were firing on Gaza residents trying to escape the area. Israel denied the charges. The BBC reported speaking to members of a family who say they were shot at as they tried to leave to replenish dwindling water and food supplies during the three-hour humanitarian lull. Other reports included the targeted killing of women, the elderly, and children trying to flee the conflict.

Warnings

According to the Israeli government and the UN, there were widespread warnings of attacks in the form of telephone calls or leaflets dropped by the IDF to the people of Gaza. In an attempt to reduce civilian casualties, Israel has employed what the IDF has named "roof knocking". Before a target is bombed, the building in question receives a telephone call in Arabic warning to evacuate the building. The procedure, which was used in the assassination of Nizar Rayan, has been described as a form of "psychological warfare" by the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights.

The IDF has also fired dummy missiles designed specifically not to explode on top of buildings in order to force residents to leave them, after which they can destroy the buildings.

In addition, Israel warns civilian residents in areas where military operation is being escalated by dropping leaflets that read, "The IDF is not working against the people of Gaza but against Hamas and the terrorists only. Stay safe by following our orders." The UN reported that in some cases the strikes occurred only five minutes after the flee call. Given the high population density in Gaza and the proximity between their homes, this has caused "considerable" panic and uncertainty among residents. Following warnings, residents were in some cases reported to have gathered on rooftops in order to keep buildings from being bombed. Both Amnesty International and the United Nations report that in the densely populated areas of Gaza there are no "safe" places for civilians.

Allegations of using banned weapons

Human Rights Watch and some news agencies have accused Israel of using white phosphorus munitions against Palestinian civilians, allegedly firing them into refugee camps. Israel denied the use of white phosphorus in Gaza, according to a UN rapport of January 13th.The use of white phosphorus bombs against civilians is banned under international law, but it is legal to use the substance in other conditions such as to illuminate areas during night. The International Red Cross asked Israel in January 13 to exercise "extreme caution" but stated at the same time that it had no evidence of its illegal use against civilians. On January 12, the Israeli-based human rights association B'Tselem demanded that the IDF stop all white phosphorus use. Munir Albarsh, the Head of Emergency Medicine at Gaza’s Ministry of Health, has stated that the Ministry plans to demand an independent international investigation into the phosphorus use.

The Third Protocol to the Convention on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of Certain Conventional Weapons which may be Deemed to be Excessively Injurious or to Have Indiscriminate Effects prohibits white phosphorus in civilian areas under any circumstances, inculding during the presence of military forces hiding in civilian areas. However, Israel did not sign the protocol. The government of Israel maintains that it uses its weapons in complete accordance with international law. It had initially “categorically denied” using phosphorus shells at all.

The Israeli media claimed that on January 14, Palestinian militants fired mortar shells containing phosphorus explosive into the Eshkol Regional Council area in Negev. The council's security chief referred to the phosphorus use was "an escalation" in the type of explosives fired upon Israel.

The Times Online carried out an investigation that "revealed that dozens of Palestinians in Gaza have sustained serious injuries from the substance, which burns at extremely high temperatures," and that the evidence that white phosphorus shells have been used is so compelling that the Israeli denial have increasingly lacked credibility. On January 15 a UN aid agency accused Israel of firing white phosphorus shells at its compound, causing a destructive fire.

Norwegian doctor and controversial political activist Mads Gilbert claimed that Dense Inert Metal Explosive weapons are being used by Israel in the conflict. These explosives have a small but very effective blast radius and can be used to reduce collateral damage. The IDF and Israeli weapons experts deny this claim. The Iranian government channel Press TV claimed on 4 January, that evidence of depleted uranium exposure has been found in wounds of casualties of the conflict.

Effects

Gaza humanitarian crisis

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs states that the Gaza strip humanitarian crisis is significant and should not be understated. The UN states that the situation is a "human dignity crisis" in the Gaza strip, entailing "a massive destruction of livelihoods and a significant deterioration of infrastructure and basic services". Fear and panic are widespread; 80 percent of the population cannot support themselves and are dependent on humanitarian assistance. The International Red Cross said the situation was "intolerable" and a "full blown humanitarian crisis."

On January 3, prior to the IDF ground operation, Israel's foreign minister Tzipi Livni stated that Israel had taken care to protect the civilian population of Gaza, and that it had kept the humanitarian situation "completely as it should be", maintaining Israel's earlier stance. The head of the Arab League, Amr Moussa, criticised Livni for the statement and further criticised the Security Council for not responding faster to the crisis. On subsequent reports, the UN stated that "only an immediate cease-fire will be able to address the large-scale humanitarian and protection crisis that faces the people of Gaza".

The Israeli shekel is a widely used currency in the Gaza Strip, and the territory needs at least 400 million shekels, or about $100 million each month in new currency to replace aging notes and to pay salaries. Since December 24, the ban on the entry of banknotes into Gaza has hampered several humanitarian programs run by the UNRWA, the largest humanitarian assistance provider in the Gaza Strip. As of the 13th of January, the eighteenth day of the attacks, cash has still not entered the Gaza Strip and is urgently needed, including for the UNRWA cash distribution program to some 94,000 dependent beneficiaries, as well as for its "cash for work" program; salaries for its staff and payments to suppliers.

Shelter

The UN described the situation as a "critical protection crisis". The entire civilian population in the Gaza strip remains vulnerable, the UN reports, with no safe haven, no bomb shelters and with closed borders, making it one of the rare conflicts where civilians have no place to flee. There is a sense of "panic, fear and distress" throughout the whole strip. Civilians have implemented a self-imposed curfew since no public warning systems or effective shelters exist. People have been evacuating their homes and staying in streets for long hours exposed to further danger, or staying with relatives. Civilians face insecurities while re-stocking basic food items, water and cooking gas. Children, 56% of the population, have no outlets and they remain "dangerously exposed" to the fighting around them.

The Palestinian Red Cross estimates that thousands of homes have been damaged and it became "increasingly difficult" for their residents to stay in them due to the cold weather. The UNRWA has prepared its schools to act as temporary shelters for displaced persons. As reported by both the Save the Children Alliance and the Al Mezan Center, prior to the IDF ground operation on January 3, more than 13,000 people (2000 families) have been displaced in the strip. The majority of those families seek shelter with relatives while others are staying at the temporary emergency shelters provided by the UNRWA. As of the thirteenth of day the Israeli military operation, 21,200 displaced Palestinian people were staying at these shelters. By the third week of the attacks, this number has increased by 14,300 refugees, reaching 35,520 Palestinians staying under the UNRWA shelters. In the same period, Al Mezan Center also estimated that a total of 80,000-90,000 Palestinians have been displaced, including up to 50,000 children.

Energy

The only power plant in Gaza is not operational due to the lack of industrial fuel and spare parts. As of January 1, power outages last 16 hours per day. Due to localised damage following the airstrikes, some electrical lines have been cut, causing some areas to suffer from power cuts lasting 24 hours. In addition, due to the damage caused by the air strikes to 15 electrical transformers, as many as 250,000 people in central and northern Gaza have no electricity supply during the entire day and night. On the first of January, a 5MW line from Egypt to Rafah was damaged, extending the power cuts to Rafah, which usually has a continuous supply. Fuel for heating and cooking are no longer available and most of the 240 gas stations in Gaza City have been closed.

As of January 4, there's almost total blackout in Gaza City, North Gaza, Middle Area and Khan Yunis. 90% of the telephone network, including both cellular service and land lines, is down, since it depends on backup generators with dwindling fuel stocks. Since the Israeli ground operation, 75% of Gaza's electricity has been cut off and the Palestinian technicians face difficulties reaching damaged lines because of the military attacks. As of January 7, much of the population of the Gaza Strip continues to live without electricity.

Water

Since November 5, there has been a shortage of chlorine for water treatment due to Israeli blockades, increasing the risk of outbreak of water diseases. On December 27, Israeli airstrikes extensively damaged two water wells, rendering a population of 30,000 Palestinians without water. Since Wednesday December 31, sewage and water systems in Beit Hanoun were hit at five locations causing considerable damage to the main sewage pipeline leading to sewage water pouring into the streets. On January 2, airstrikes in the al-Mughraqa area damaged a main drinking water pipe, cutting off water supplies to 30,000 people in Nuseirat Camp. The UN sums the situation that as of January 2, 250,000 people in Gaza City and northern Gaza are without water supply; seven water wells were seriously damaged and cannot be repaired due to bombardments. According to the World Health Organization guidelines, 80% of drinking water in Gaza is not currently safe for human consumption.

As of the fourth of January, and as reported by the Palestinian Coastal Municipality Water Utility (CMWU) throughout the UN reports, 70% of the Gaza strip 1.5 million population have no access to water. The CMWU also fears that continued shelling near the Beit Lahiya sewage lagoon will cause a massive sewage overflow. In addition to agricultural areas, up to 15,000 people are directly at risk. As of the fifth of January, over 530,000 Palestinians are entirely cut off from running water and the rest are receiving water only every few days. This situation lasted till the third week of the attacks where 500,000 Palestinians still have no access to running water, another 500,000 receive water for 4-6 hours only every 5-7 days and the rest receives water for 4-6 hours every 2-3 days.

Health

Weakened by the eighteen-month Blockade of the Gaza Strip, as of December 31 the central drug store reported that 105 drugs and 255 medical supplies of the essential drug and supplies list are still unavailable, and approximately 20 percent of the ambulances were grounded due to lack of spare parts. Ambulances are experiencing difficulties in reaching the injured because of continuous fire. Hospitals reporting severe gas shortages expect total depletion in the coming days. As a result of shortages, the WFP distributed canned meat and high energy biscuits. and Gazan Arabs have crossed into Israel (to Ashkelon's Barzilai Hospital of whom some have returned) and Egypt for treatment. Although the World Health Organisation reported at least 1,000 medical machines out of order and shortage of equipment and spare parts, it also found that the situation has stabilised after the arrival of medical supplies.

From January 4, all of Gaza City hospitals were without main electricity, depending on back-up generators that were close to collapse. From January 4 to 5, UNRWA was forced to shut down 19 health centers due to hostilities in the area, and Ministry of Health closed down generators at ambulance stations, vaccine stores, labs and warehouses due to the lack of fuel until more was delivered. There exists an urgent need for strong pain killers, body gas, bed sheets for wrapping the dead, and for neuro-, vascular-, orthopedic- and open heart surgeons. Collateral damage to hospitals was not being repaired. The Palestinian Red Cross was unable to respond to many calls due to the military operations. Only urgent cases and surgery is being carried out in hospitals and all out-patient clinics are closed. A psychiatrist, who is the head of Gaza's mental health program, has estimated that nearly half of the population will suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder.

On January 4, 2009, Israeli planes hit the A-Raeiya Medical Center and its mobile clinics, without warning, causing damages of $800,000. The center, which served 100 patients a day, was clearly marked as a medical facility and was located in the middle of a residential area, with no government or military facilities are nearby. On January 11, Israeli forces "completely destroyed" a clinic run by Catholic relief group Caritas in al-Meghazi, also damaging 20 nearby homes in the attack. The following day, a mother and infant clinic run by Christian Aid and the Near East Council of Churches was destroyed by Israeli jets, after Israel claimed terrorists were inside. Patients and workers were given only fifteen minutes to evacuate, before the bombing. Archbishop Barry Morgan demanded an explanation from the Israeli Ambassador to London regarding the Israeli attack on the Shij'ia Family Health Care Centre which served 10,836 families, solely dependent on the center for medical support.

The Al-Quds hospital, in the densely populated Tal Hawa residential district, was hit by Israeli shell-fire on January 16. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies called the attack on the hospital "completely and utterly unacceptable based on every known standard of international humanitarian law".

Israeli forces also attacked and damaged Danish mobile health clinics, prompting the Danish Foreign Ministry to consider demanding compensation from Israel. Muhammad Ramadan of the ICRC testified to Physicians for Human Rights-Israel (PHP-I) that his ambulance, clearly marked with ICRC symbols was shot at by a tank despite coordination with the IDF. Medics with the Palestine Red Crescent also claimed to have been deliberately fired upon by Israeli forces. On January 11, a senior IDF officer accused Hamas gunmen of using Red Crescent ambulances to break the IDF battle line into northern Gaza from the south. On January 12, a Palestinian doctor was killed by an Israeli helicopter while attempting to evacuate the wounded from a building hit by missiles in the Jabaliya refugee camp. On January 15, the IDF fired at a Red Crescent hospital holding 400-500 people at the Tel Hawwa neighborhood of Gaza City.

The Israel-based Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center claims that, around the start of the conflict, the Hamas police force operations room in the northern Gaza moved into the Kamal Adwan hospital. On December 31, 2008, Israel Security Agency head Yuval Diskin told the government cabinet that he believed that Hamas militants have taken shelter in various Gaza hospitals. On January 11, a senior IDF officer accused Hamas gunmen of hiding inside Red Crescent ambulances in order to break the IDF battle line separating northern and southern Gaza.

On January 12, Israeli Public Security Minister accused Hamas militants of hiding in Gaza's Shifa Hospital, using the rooms to "hold meetings," and donning medics' uniforms. UNRWA disputes the assertions, and Shifa Hospital's Director accused the Israeli minister of lying in order to advance his political career, though the hospital doesn't monitor who enters or exits the building. On January 13, the PBS program "Wide Angle" reported that an anonymous doctor at Shifa stated that Hamas officials were hiding underneath the hospital building, "putting civilians in harm’s way". On January 14, Israel Ambassador to the United Nations Gabriela Shalev filed a formal complaint to the UN Secretary General, claiming the discovery of a war room under Shifa Hospital, that Hamas used patients as human shields.

Aid

Further information: Humanitarian aid during the 2008–2009 Israel–Gaza conflict

On January 7, Israel agreed to a three-hour humanitarian truce, allowing supplies and fuel into Gaza. The UN welcomed the move, but claimed that round the clock assistance was required to meet the population humanitarian needs. The Human Rights Council expressed a similar position. The International Red Cross, United Nations and aid workers have reported intolerable conditions and a deepening humanitarian crisis in Gaza. The Red Cross has accused the Israeli military of failing "to meet its obligation under international humanitarian law."

On January 9, the UN resumed aid work, after receiving assurances from Israel that its workers will no longer be targeted. As of January 14, 2009, close to 900 trucks (including 20,000 tons of basic foods and medical supplies) have been delivered to Gaza.Addressing the aid situation on January 7, Save the Children stated that, "The small amount of aid allowed in, while better than nothing, is a pitiful gesture in the face of such an overwhelming humanitarian crisis," noting that insufficient amounts of food, fuel and medical supplies were delivered. The UN has also stated that the aid delivered is insufficient to address the chronic humanitarian crisis given the "scale of the attacks".

Israel alleges that Hamas has stolen humanitarian aid, and used or sold it. and a UNRWA spokesman confirmed certain instances, but said his own organization had "never been touched". Israeli artillery has destroyed thousands of pounds of food in attacks on UN facilities.

Several countries have pledged aid after the offensive on Gaza began, promising financial support and humanitarian assistance (see map). Aid delivering international organizations include the European Union, UNRWA, the Red Cross, the Red Crescent, the Red Star of David, and the World Food Programme.

Israel

According to The Economist, Israelis ascribed their low civilian casualties to their reinforced concrete shelters and to an orderly public response to the Home Command’s instructions. Hamas Grad rockets' range of 40 km puts more than 700,000 Israelis within range, and 40% of the residents of Ashkelon (a city within such range) have fled the city to central and northern Israel, despite official calls to stay. The BBC reports that the current conflict has increased tensions between Israel's Arab minority and Jewish majority, with some Israeli lawyers claiming that civil liberties are being infringed.

Beginning December 27, schools and universities in southern Israel closed due to rocket threats. Hamas rockets have landed on Israeli educational facilities several times (such as empty schools in Beersheba) from 2008 to 2009, with no casualties as of January 15, except for cases of shock. Studies resumed starting January 11 only in schools with bomb shelters, with attendance at 25%. Only schools with fortified classrooms and bomb shelters are allowed to bring in children. Israeli Education Minister Yuli Tamir said she hoped a return to school would provide a little structure and routine in a time of great stress and uncertainty for the children. The largest hospital on Israel's southern coast, Ashkelon's Barzilai Hospital, forced its critical treatment facilities into an underground shelter after a Gaza-fired rocket struck beside its helicopter pad on December 28, 2008.

Foreigners

At the start of the conflict, more than a thousand foreigners were living in or near Gaza, including nationals from several Western nations, most of these Palestinian dual citizens and spouses of Palestinians. As of January 8, diplomats estimated that some 400 foreign nationals from 22 countries remained in Gaza. Agencies assisting in the evacuation of foreigners, including the Red Cross, stated that their efforts were hampered by the violence, by beaurucratic obstacles and by lack of coordination between Israel, the United Nations and host countries. On January 4, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg was rushed into a bomb shelter as warning sirens sounded while he was visiting the Israeli city of Sderot. On January 8, in Gaza city, a Ukrainian woman and her child were killed, while her other child was injured. One of the militants killed was proven to be Saudi Arabian on January 15.

Media coverage

Foreign press in Gaza

Israel and Egypt, the only two countries sharing borders with Gaza, have refused access to Gaza by foreign journalists since November 2008. The Israeli Supreme Court ruled on December 29 that journalists must be allowed access to Gaza at times when the main border crossing is open, but the military has not complied. A spokesman for the Israeli embassy in the United Kingdom said that Israel was restricting entry into Gaza because Gaza is a war zone, and that other countries would do the same.

Various press associations and organizations have called this ban as "unprecedented", and the Foreign Press Association (FPA) of Israel called the ban a "violation of press freedom" as practiced by other regimes. The International Federation of Journalists said that the ban on foreign media entering Gaza, combined with the Military Censor's now following strict guidelines issued by the head censorship office in Israel, meant that the world was not being allowed to see what is happening in Gaza. Ethan Bronner of the New York Times argued that while Israel banned journalists in Gaza to "control the narrative for reasons both of politics and military strategy," it was "eager to show them around southern Israel, where Hamas rockets have been terrorising civilians."

As of January 14, Al Jazeera, whose reporter Ayman Mohyeldin was already inside Gaza when the conflict began, is the only international broadcaster with a journalist reporting from inside Gaza. The BBC has a local producer Rushdi Abu Alouf within Gaza.

The New York Times reported on January 10 that "Israel has also managed to block cellphone bandwidth, so very few amateur cellphone photographs are getting out of Gaza."

Dangers

Media facilities in Gaza, both foreign and domestic, have come under Israeli fire since the military campaign began. On December 29, the IDF destroyed the facilities and headquarters of Al-Aqsa TV (though broadcasts continue from elsewhere), and on January 5, the IDF bombed the offices of the Hamas-affiliated Al-Risala newsweekly. On January 9, the IDF hit the Johara tower of Gaza City, which houses more than 20 international news organizations, including Turkish, French, and Iranian outlets. The coordinates for this building and another nearby one, were known to the Israeli military, and there were floodlights on both roofs to make their presence clear. Al-Jazeera reported that at least one journalist was injured in the attack and Press TV reported that satellite transmission equipment was damaged. An IDF Spokesperson's Unit said the building had not been targeted, though it may have sustained collateral damage, and Israel defended the strike saying that communications equipment in the building "could have been used" by Hamas.

Two Arab journalists from East Jerusalem working for an Iranian TV station were arrested by Israeli authorities on January 12, and charged with violating IDF censorship protocols for allegedly reporting on the IDF ground offensive into Gaza hours before they were given permission. The journalists denied the charges, maintaining that they merely reported what was being said in the international media.. One Italian journalist, after obtaining clearance from the IDF to travel to Netzarim, was fired on at an Israeli checkpoint even after renewed telephonic contact with the military authorities about the incident led to assurances he could proceed safely.

Media campaigns

Haaretz reported that Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni "instructed senior ministry officials to open an aggressive and diplomatic international public relations campaign in order to gain support for Israel Defense Forces operations in the Gaza Strip." Israeli officials at embassies and consulates worldwide have mounted campaigns in local media, and to that end have recruited people who speak the native language. Israel has also opened an international media centre in Sderot. Deputy Israel's consulate in New York began holding online press conferences on Twitter, a microblogging website.

Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Majallie Whbee has criticised some of the international media for not showing the Israeli perspective, saying that some outlets "have often failed to report on the pervasive Kassam attacks that preceded the violence", according to the Jerusalem Post.

There has been a YouTube channel opened by IDF Spokesperson's Unit, with many combat videos and a narrative video log. The videos are intended to bolster Israel's positions on contentious issues. The accuracy of one of the videos has been disputed B'Tselem and Human Rights Watch who claimed that a purported Israeli strike on militants, in fact, killed several civilians. Hamas has also launched pages on Youtube broadcasting criticism of Fatah, "nationalist songs" and videos of Hamas attacks and Israeli casualty numbers.

According to CNN, Hamas controls the flow of images from inside Gaza and has encouraged pictures of suffering. Israel has accused Hamas of exploiting civilian deaths to garner international sympathy from the media.

Reactions

International law

Under international law warring parties are obliged to distinguish between combatants and civilians, ensure that attacks on legitimate military targets are proportional, and guarantee that the military advantage of such attacks outweigh the possible harm done to civilians. Violations of these laws are considered war crimes.

Also under international law occupying powers have certain responsibilities to those under occupation. Israel asserts that it ended its occupation of Gaza when it disengaged from the coastal strip in 2005. However, the UNRWA and Human Rights Watch disagree and consider Israel an occupying power.

Israel

On December 27, the United Nations Human Rights Council released a statement by Richard Falk, professor emeritus of international law at Princeton University and United Nations Special Rapporteur on "the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories", in his official capacity as Special Rapporteur. The statement described the Israeli airstrikes as "severe and massive violations of international humanitarian law as defined in the Geneva Conventions, both in regard to the obligations of an Occupying Power and in the requirements of the laws of war." In a Houston Chronicle article Falk wrote that he had "called on the International Criminal Court" to investigate Israeli leaders responsible for possible violations of international criminal law.

The UNHRC statement alleges three violations: “collective punishment” of all 1.5 million people in the Gaza Strip in response to the actions of a few; ”targeting of civilians” by carrying out air strikes in “the most densely populated area of the Middle East"; and ”disproportionate military response” in that Israeli’ attacks have "destroyed every police and security office of Gaza's elected government," and "killed and injured hundreds of civilians."

Israel's response is that its military action (use of force) in Gaza constitutes acts of self-defense rather than being reprisals or punishment. Justus Weiner and Avi Bell of the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs state that Israel's actions do not fall under the legal definition of collective punishment, because it has not imposed any criminal-type penalties, and there is no precedent for prosecuting collective punishment in circumstances such as these. They defend the proportionality of the Israeli attacks on the grounds that targeting of military installations is not a violation, even if attacks cause collateral damage to civilians, and that attacks were not intended to cause excessive civilian damage, even if Israel erred in its estimates.

Deliberations by the IDF during the conflict resulted in a decision that striking homes that may be used to store weapons when "sufficient warning" is given to the residents falls within the boundaries of international law and is therefore legitimate.

Attorney General of Israel Menachem Mazuz said on January 11 that the Israeli legal system is ready for wave of international lawsuits over Israeli offensive in Gaza. Mazuz further stressed that Military Advocate General participates with the approval of all military attack goals, but the decision to perform the attack is by the military: "The IDF has its own version for everything, and it performs investigations. It is clear to everybody what is allowed and what is forbidden, but accidents do happen."

Louis Michel, the EU Aid Commissioner, said on January 13 that Israel's military strikes in the Gaza Strip were "totally disproportionate" and that established experts in the field acknowledged and denounced Israel's lack of respect for international humanitarian law. Michel also said that, "The first obligation is that an occupying power has the obligation to preserve the life of populations, to protect them, to nourish them and to care for them. That is manifestly not the case here."

President Mahmoud Abbas stated he was considering taking Israel to international courts after Israeli tank shells killed 42 Palestinians seeking shelter in a U.N. school. Raji Sourani, head of the Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) in Gaza stated that "The repeated bombing of clearly marked civilian buildings, where civilians were sheltering, crosses several red lines in regard to international law."

When, after several days' delay, a team of the International Committee of the Red Cross was allowed access by Israel to parts of Gaza on January 7, the team expressed "shock" at the deplorable conditions found in areas of Israeli operation. The Red Cross stated that "the Israeli military failed to meet its obligation under international humanitarian law to care for and evacuate the wounded." It found instances of starvation, along with chronic illness, within 80 meters of Israeli soldiers' positions. The ICRC has concluded that the Israeli military must have been aware of the situation but neither assisted the wounded nor allowed the ICRC or the Palestine Red Crescent to do so.

On January 7, Amnesty International accused both the Israeli Defence Forces and Palestinian gunmen of using Palestinian civilians as human shields. It accused Israeli soldiers of taking positions in Palestinian residential areas, forcing families to stay inside the building while the soldiers use the house as a military base and sniper position. This, the group said, increased the risk of attack on the Palestinian families concerned, effectively being used as human shields.

Palestinians

The BBC reported on January 5 that "Witnesses and analysts confirm that Hamas fires rockets from within populated civilian areas, and all sides agree that the movement flagrantly violates international law by targeting civilians with its rockets."

Israel argues that Hamas blurs the line between civilians and combatants, and is therefore responsible for civilian deaths in Gaza. The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs alleges that Hamas' alleged use of "human shields" and "operational use of heavily built-up and densely populated civilian areas" violates Article 8(2)(b)(xxiii) of the Rome Statute. This statute defines as a war crime the act of "Utilizing the presence of a civilian to render certain points, areas or military forces immune from military operations." It also defines Palestinian attacks as terrorist in nature, because they kill civilians in order to "sow terror" within the broader civilian population. This would constitute violation of the Laws of Armed Conflict, as outlined in Article 51(2) of Additional Protocol I to the Geneva Conventions of 1949.

In 2007 exiled Hamas political chief Khaled Mashaal, called recent rockets attacks on Israel "self defense." Hamas leaders “argue that rocket attacks on Israel are the only way to counter Israel's policies and operations, including artillery strikes. But Human Rights Watch has said that, "Such justifications do not overcome the illegality of the attacks under international humanitarian law."

The New York Times quotes a study about to be published by the Israel-based Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center, an independent research group that has close ties to the Israeli military establishment, saying that Hamas has methodically built its military infrastructure in the heart of population centers. According to the study, Hamas not only hides among the population, but has made a main component of its combat strategy “channeling” the army into the most densely populated areas to fight.

In a January 13 story, a Hamas militant who was willing to be anonymously interviewed by The New York Times reporters stated that “I’m a civilian, and I’m a fighter". He claimed that the small and enclosed nature of the Gaza strip meant that he had nowhere to stay except in civilian areas, saying that “Where do we go... There are no other places.” He also claimed that most Palestinian residents accept and shelter Hamas militants who hid amongst them. The New York Times stated on January 10 that "Unwilling to take Israel’s bait and come into the open, Hamas militants are fighting in civilian clothes; even the police have been ordered to take off their uniforms."

Israel claims to have found a map, which, it argues, shows "'the deployment of explosives and Hamas forces' in the Al-Attara neighborhood in northern Gaza." This map allegedly shows that Hamas has placed many explosives and firing positions in residential areas, several mosques, and even next to a gas station. Israel concedes these are designed to kill Israeli soldiers, but says that they put the local population in extreme danger.

The house of Muhammed Barud, a senior member of the Popular Resistance Committees, was attacked on December 30. Secondary explosions indicated the home's dual-purpose as a weapons storehouse. Nizar Rayyan and his family were killed during the attack. Israel alleges that their presence was designed to ward off Israeli attack. It pointed Arab media reports that civilians had, back in 2006, taken shifts serving as "human shields" of the Barud residence.

Hamas continues to hold Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit. According to human rights group, B'Tselem holding Gilad Shalit hostage is a war crime, since "international humanitarian law" prohibits "hostage taking". B'Tselem also said that the denial of Red Cross visits to the prisoner was a "blatant violation of international law".

Israel alleges that Hamas used the Jabaliya mosque to store ammunition, and fire rockets, as evidenced by a series of secondary explosions following its bombardment. It further states that, "the Hamas police force operations room in the northern Gaza Strip was moved to the Kamal Adwan hospital, and operatives of Hamas’s naval police were situated in a school in Khan Yunis."

See also

• Military equipment of Israel
• Palestinian domestic weapons production
• 2008-09 Israel–Gaza Foreign involvement

References

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254. Situation Report From The Humanitarian Coordinator, January 7, 2009, United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. "There is no safe space in the Gaza Strip - no safe haven, no bomb shelters, and the borders are closed making this one of the rare conflicts where civilians have no place to flee."
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274. Cash crunch leaves Gazans using tattered notes
275. ^ "Gaza Humanitarian Situation Report – January 3, 2009 as of 16:00". UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. 2009-1-3. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2009-1-3. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= and |archivedate= (help); Unknown parameter |accesdate= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
276. ^ "Situation Report from the Humanitarian Coordinator - January 4, 2009 as of 17:00". UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. 2009-1-4. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2009-1-4. Retrieved 2009-1-4. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate=, |date=, and |archivedate= (help)
277. ^ "Situation Report From The Humanitarian Coordinator - January 5, 2009 as of 17:00". UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. 2009-1-5. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2009-1-5. Retrieved 2009-1-5. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate=, |date=, and |archivedate= (help)
278. ^ "Field Update From Gaza From The Humanitarian Coordinator - January 8, 2009, 17.00 hours". UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. 2009-1-8. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2009-1-8. Retrieved 2009-1-8. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate=, |date=, and |archivedate= (help)
279. ^ "Field Update On Gaza From The Humanitarian Coordinator - January 13, 2009, 1700 hours". UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. 2009-1-13. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2009-1-15. Retrieved 2009-1-15. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate=, |date=, and |archivedate= (help)
280. ^ "Gaza Humanitarian Situation Report - January 1, 2009 as of 14:30". UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. 2009-1-1. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2009-1-3. Retrieved 2009-1-3. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate=, |date=, and |archivedate= (help)
281. ^ "Field Update On Gaza From The Humanitarian Coordinator - January 9, 2009, 1700 hours". UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. 2009-1-9. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2009-1-12. Retrieved 2009-1-12. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate=, |date=, and |archivedate= (help)
282. http://www.google.com/hostednews/ukpress/article/ALeqM5iv4xv2KNWjkm8Ixw60eD52Va5zTw The Press Association - Gaza close to losing phone contact
283. Everingham, Sara (2008-12-31). "Gaza hospital chief says medical supplies still low". Gaza, PS: ABC Australia. Retrieved 2009-01-03.
284. Israeli Hospital Cares for Sick and Injured Gaza Arabs, INN, 29-12-2008
285. 12 Palestinians hurt in Gaza fighting being treated in Israeli hopsitals. Haaretz. Published January 1, 2009.
286. Mubarak: We'll open Gaza crossing only if PA takes control, Haaretz, 21-12-2008
287. "Doctor in Gaza: Patients 'lying everywhere'". CNN.
288. ^ "Gaza Strip: Israeli attacks and the right to health". International Federation of Health and Human Rights Organisations (IFHHRO). 2009-01-09. Retrieved 2009-01-13.
289. Donald Macintyre (January 13, 2009). "Gaza clinics destroyed by raids". Retrieved 2009-01-15.
290. Gaza clinic destroyed in strike. BBC News. Published January 13, 2009.
291. "Israeli jets destroy Gaza baby clinic". inthenews.co.uk. 2009-01-13. Retrieved 2009-01-13.
292. Jenna Lyle (January 15, 2009). "Archbishop: Attack on Gaza health clinic 'incomprehensible'". Christian Today.
293. Kim Sengupta (2009-01-16). "Outrage as Israel bombs UN". The Independent (UK). Retrieved 2009-01-16.
294. http://politiken.dk/newsinenglish/article628230.ece
295. "Stressed medics recount Gaza horrors". The New Zealand Herald. 2009-01-11. Retrieved 2009-01-13.
296. Army creating 'security zone' in Gaza. The Jerusalem Post. Published January 11, 2009.
297. Amira Hass (January 14, 2009). "Palestinian doctor killed by IDF while treating Gaza wounded". Haaretz. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |acessdate= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
298. http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3656716,00.html
299. ^ Hamas Exploitation of Civilians as Human Shields. Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center. Published January 2009.
300. Army creating 'security zone' in Gaza. The Jerusalem Post. Published January 11, 2009.
301. ^ Dichter: Hamas salaries paid at Shifa Hospital. The Jerusalem Post. Published January 12, 2009.
302. ^ Gaza doctors slam 'crazy' Shin Bet charges that hospitals in Strip used as Hamas hideouts. By Daniel Edelson.
303. ^ Hamas Hiding in Shifa Hospital? Wide Angle: PBS. January 13, 2009.
304. ^ UN envoy: Hamas uses Gazans as human shields. Ynet News
305. "The Grave Violation of Human Rights in the Occupied Palestinian Territory" (PDF). United Nations Human Rights Council. 2009-1-9. Retrieved 2009-1-12. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)
306. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/7813671.stm
307. "Red Cross Reports Grisly Find in Gaza". Washington Post.
308. http://www.thenational.ae/article/20090109/FOREIGN/314157722/1011/SPORT
309. "Hamas raids aid trucks, sells supplies." Jerusalem Post. January 13, 2009. January 14, 2009.
310. Save the Children (2009-1-7). "Three-hour Gaza ceasefire dangerously inadequate, says Save the Children". politics.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2009-1-8. Retrieved 2009-01-08. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= and |archivedate= (help)
311. "UN says trickle of aid not enough". The Irish Times. UN AID. 2008-12-30. Archived from the original on 2009-1-9. Retrieved 2009-1-9. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |archivedate= (help)
312. "Report: Hamas stealing aid supplies to sell to residents". Ynet. January 6, 2009. Archived from the original on January 14, 2009.
313. "Hamas raids aid trucks, sells supplies". Jerusalem Post. January 13, 2009. Archived from the original on January 14, 2009.
314. "Middle East: Israel Halts Operations To Allow Aid Shipments". Washington Post. January 7, 2009. Archived from the original on January 14, 2009.
315. "Israeli shells rain down on Gaza U.N. headquarters".
316. EU provides 3 mln euros of emergency humanitarian aid for Gaza
317. "Gaza: working together to help the injured and the sick".
318. "Food trucks try to unload as missiles explode".
319. http://www.economist.com/world/mideast-africa/displaystory.cfm?story_id=12945018
320. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/israel/4045162/More-than-700000-Israelis-now-in-range-of-Hamas-missiles.html
321. Aron Heller, "Israelis get creative in coping with rocket threat", Associated Press 31-12-2008
322. Empties, Trauma teams Struggle, IRIN News (UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs),13-01-2009
323. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7828118.stm
324. Aron Heller, "School resumes in Israel despite rocket threat", Associated Press, 11-01-2009
325. IDF: Rocket that hit Beersheba school made in China. By Yael Barnovsky. Ynet News. Published December 31, 2008.
326. Abe Selig, "School closure saves lives of pupils", Jerusalem Post 31-12-2009
327. IDF: Hamas rocket fire down 50% since start of Gaza offensive. By Barak Ravid. Haaretz. Published January 12, 2009.
328. Rockets reach Beersheba, cause damage. By Ilana Curiel. Ynet News. Published January 5, 2009.
329. 32 rockets fired at southern Israel. By Shmulik Hadad. Ynet News. Published December 30, 2008.
330. 4 troops hurt in mortar attack; Grad hits Ashkelon school. By Shmulik Hadad. Ynet News. Published January 8, 2009.
331. 2,700 Beersheba students to attend classes in bomb shelters, Jerusalem Post 10-01-2009
332. "Ashkelon Empties, Trauma teams Struggle", IRIN News (UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs),13-01-2009
333. "Ashkelon Empties, Trauma teams Struggle", IRIN News (UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs13-01-2009
334. Some Israelis go back to school as rocket fire declines. By Dina Kraft. Jewish Telegraphic Agency. Published January 13, 2009.
335. Abe Selig, "Back to school for students in South", Jerusalem Post 12-01-2009
336. Fear sends Israeli hospital underground. MSNBC.com. Published Dec. 28, 2008.
337. "Western governments working to extract their citizens from Gaza". CNN. 2008-01-07. Retrieved 2009-01-08.
338. ^ "Buses carry 250 foreigners to safety, but more still trapped". The Daily Star. 2008-01-09. Retrieved 2009-01-10.
339. Fischer, Matthew (2008-01-09). "48 Canadians among foreigners evacuated from Gaza". Calgary Herald. Retrieved 2009-01-10.
340. Griff Witte, Southern Israel Residents Doubt That Rocket Fire Can Be Stopped, Washington Post 05-01-2009
341. Dina Kraft, "In Israel, Bloomberg Shows His Support", New York Times 04-01-2009
342. "Ukrainian mother, child killed in Gaza". Interfax. 2008-01-08. Retrieved 2009-01-08.
343. "Ukrainian first foreigner to die in Gaza fighting". The Associated Press. 2008-01-08. Retrieved 2009-01-10.
344. "Israel explains Gaza media restrictions", CNN, retrieved 14-01-2009
345. Kim Sengupta Israel ordered to allow journalists into Gaza, The Independent, December 31, 2008
346. Oliver Luft, "Media frustration over Gaza ban grows", Guardian 14-01-2009
347. ^ "Israel Puts Media Clamp on Gaza", by Ethan Bronner, New York Times, January 6, 2009.
348. Based on an AM report by Nicole Butler (January 8, 2009). "Journalists say truth is the casualty of Gaza shut-out". ABC News. {{cite web}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); Missing or empty |url= (help)
349. Al-Jazeera becomes the face of the frontline, The Financial Times, January 13, 2009
350. Israel pushes further into Gaza, Al Jazeera English, January 14, 2009
352. ^ "Airstrike hits media building in Gaza". Committee to Protect Journalists. January 9, 2009. Retrieved 2009-01-11.
353. Andrew England in Jerusalem and Vita Bekker in Tel Aviv (January 10, 2009). "Criticism of Israel's conduct mounts". Financial Times. {{cite web}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); Missing or empty |url= (help); Text "http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/d6eab8a0-de8b-11dd-9464-000077b07658.html" ignored (help)
354. "Jawwara building, with more than 20 press offices inside, hit by Israeli missiles". Ma'an News Agency. 2009-01-09. Archived from the original on 2009-01-10. Retrieved 2009-01-10.
355. "Barghouthi: Israel is stifling Arab press action in Gaza, West Bank and Israel". Ma'an News Agency. 2009-01-10. Archived from the original on 2009-01-10. Retrieved 2009-01-10.
356. "Iranian state TV station says IDF strike targeted its Gaza offices". Haaretz. January 9, 2009.
357. Yaakov Lappin (January 13, 2009). http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1231774431638&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull. Retrieved 2009-01-13. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help); Text "2 Arabs charged with defying IDF censor" ignored (help)
358. http://www.corriere.it/esteri/09_gennaio_17/israele_pronto_a_fermare_i_soldati_lorenzo_cremonesi_89ccf372-e466-11dd-98be-00144f02aabc.shtml Lorenzo Cremonesi, 'Sotto il fuoco dei mitra israeliani nella terra di nessuno della Striscia,' Corriere della Sera, 17/01/2009
359. Ravid, Barak (December 27, 2008). "Israel to mount emergency international PR effort in wake of Gaza campaign". Retrieved December 27, 2008. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
360. "Whbee slams int'l media for playing down Israel's version". Jerusalem Post. December 28, 2008. Retrieved December 28, 2008.
361. Hodge, Nathan (2008-12-30). "YouTube, Twitter: Weapons in Israel's Info War". Wired. Retrieved 2008-12-31.
362. "Contents of truck destroyed by Israeli missile disputed". The Herald. January 2, 2009.
363. "Propaganda war: trusting what we see?".
364. "Israel explains Gaza media restrictions", CNN, retrieved 14-01-2009
365. Yoav Stern, "Hamas' take on the Gaza war? Watch it on YouTube", Haaretz 13-01-2009
366. "ICRC Advisory Service on International Humanitarian Law (July, 2004)". Retrieved January 4, 2009.
367. Occupation and international humanitarian law: questions and answers, International Committee of the Red Cross, 2004.
368. International Law and Gaza: The Assault on Israel's Right to Self-Defense, Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, Vol. 7, No. 29, January 28,2008.
369. Israeli MFA Address by Israeli Foreign Minister Livni to the 8th Herzliya Conference, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Israel), January 22, 2008.
370. A Debate on Israel’s Invasion of Gaza: UNRWA’s Christopher Gunness v. Israel Project’s Meagan Buren, Democracy Now, January 5, 2009; Christopher Gunness, spokesperson for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) identifies Israel an occupying power.
371. "Human Rights Council Special Session on the Occupied Palestinian Territories" July 6, 2006; Human Rights Watch considers Gaza still occupied.
373. "Human Rights Council elects Advisory Committee Members and approves a number of Special Procedures mandate holders". United Nations. 2008-03-26. Archived from the original on 2009-01-01. Retrieved 2009-01-01. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
374. ^ Falk, Richard (2008-12-27). "Statement by Prof. Richard Falk, United Nations Special Rapporteur for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories" (her). United Nations Human Rights Council. Retrieved 2009-01-04. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
375. Richard Falk, Bring light — and censure — to brutal Israeli attacks, World needs to see the victims and carnage in Gaza,Houston Chronicle, December 29, 2008.
376. "Israel rejects UN truce resolution, says Gaza operation to continue". Haaretz. 2009-01-10.
377. Weiner, Justus Reid (2008-12-25). "International Law and the Fighting in Gaza". Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2009-01-02. Retrieved 2009-01-03. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
378. "Hamas leader, 20 Palestinians killed in IAF strikes". Ynet. 2009-01-09. Retrieved 2009-01-09.
379. "Mazuz: Israel bracing for slew of lawsuits over Gaza op". Ynet. 2009-01-011. Retrieved 2009-01-11. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Unknown parameter |Language= ignored (|language= suggested) (help)
380. "מזוז: נערכים לגל תביעות בינלאומי עקב המבצע". Ynet. 2009-01-12. Retrieved 2009-01-12.
381. "Israeli Strikes Disproportionate - EU Aid Chief". Javno. January 13, 2009. Retrieved 2009-01-13.
382. al-Mughrabi, Nidal, Dan Williams, Adam Entous, Aziz el-Kaissouni, Claudia Parsons (2009-01-07). Egypt floats truce plan after 42 killed in Gaza school, Reuters.
383. Could Israel Be Charged With War Crimes?, IPS News reprinted at Alternet, January 7, 2009.
384. ^ Alan, Cowell (2009-01-08). "Gaza Children Found With Mothers' Corpses". New York Times. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help) (subscription)
385. New York Times, January 8, 2009, "Gaza Children Found With Mothers’ Corpses"
386. Stephanie Nebehay (January 8, 2009). "ICRC says Israel broke international law in Gaza". Reuters. Retrieved 2009-01-08.
387. Mel Frykberg, Gaza Children Found Starving, Antiwar.com, January 9, 2009.
388. Gaza 'human shields' criticised http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/7818122.stm
389. ^ "Hamas Exploitation of Civilians as Human Shields". Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs. January 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 7, 2009.
390. Hamas: Rocket Attacks on Israel Are 'Self Defense', Associated Press, April 29, 2007.
391. Palestinian Rocket Attacks since the IDF Withdrawal, from report Indiscriminate Fire: Palestinian Rocket Attacks on Israel and Israeli Artillery Shelling in the Gaza Strip , Human Rights Watch, June 30, 2007.
392. "Warnings Not Enough for Gaza Families". January 5, 2009. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |Language= ignored (|language= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |Publisher= ignored (|publisher= suggested) (help)
393. Hamas Fighters Display Mix of Swagger and Fear. The New York Times. Published January 13, 2009.
394. "Israel says map shows Hamas puts Gaza civilians at risk". CNN. January 9, 2009. Archived from the original on January 13, 2009.
395. "Holding Gilad Shalit as a hostage is a war crime" - B'Tselem press release, issued June 25, 2007

External links

• Ongoing news coverage from Aljazeera, BBC News, CNN, Christian Science Monitor, Financial Times, The Guardian, Haaretz, ICRC, Jerusalem Post, Los Angeles Times, Palestine News Network, The Palestinian Information Center, Radio France International, World Socialist Web Site
• International Law and the Fighting in Gaza Global Law Forum at the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs
• IDF Spokesperson's Unit postings on youtube
• GazaSiege.org - Background, News and Analysis on the siege of Gaza
• Hamas War Against Israel reports from the Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Live Webcam

• Ramattan Live Stream of Gaza City (via UStream)

Individual articles

• Occupation 101
• Historical amnesia and Gaza, by Phyllis Bennis
• Who will save Israel from itself? By Mark LeVine
• Richard Falk, the UN's special rapporteur on human rights in the Palestinian territories, about war crimes in Gaza
• Gaza\Sderot : Life in spite of everything
• "Israelis Face Satisfaction, Fear Over Gaza Attacks". FOXNews.com. FOX News Network. Associated Press. December 30, 2008. Retrieved January 7, 2009.
• Byers, David (December 31, 2008). "Gaza: secondary war being fought on the internet". Times Online. Times Newspapers. Retrieved January 7, 2009.

Maps

• Gaza crisis: key maps and timeline. BBC News.

• Misplaced Pages neutral point of view disputes from January 2009
• Current events from December 2008
• Articles with dead external links from January 2009
• 2008 in Israel
• 2008 in the Palestinian territories
• 2008-2009 Israel-Gaza conflict
• Conflicts in 2008
• Conflicts in 2009
• Gaza
• Gaza Strip
• Israeli-Palestinian conflict