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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 – January 18, 2009 Location Gaza Strip & Southern Israel Status Israel and Hamas declare separate unilateral ceasefires.
Belligerents
Israel (IDF)	Hamas (Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades) File:Fateh-logo.jpg Fatah (Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades) Islamic Jihad in Palestine (Al-Quds Brigades) File:Logoprc.jpg Popular Resistance Committees File:PFLP flag smoothed.svg Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (Abu Ali Mustapha Brigades)
Commanders and leaders
Ehud Barak (DefMin) Gabi Ashkenazi (CoS) Yoav Galant (SoCom) Eyal Eisenberg (Gaza)	Ismail Haniyeh Mahmoud az-Zahar Said Seyam † 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: 518 Soldiers: 336 Civilians: 182	Total killed: 1,330*(MoH) Militants and policemen: 390** (PCHR), 700 (IDF) Civilians: 940*** (PCHR), 250 (IDF) Total wounded: 5,300(MoH)
One Egyptian border guard officer killed and three guards and two children wounded. Over 50,800 Gaza residents displaced. Over 4000 homes destroyed; around $2bn worth of damage to Gaza
*Casualty figures and the civilian/combatant breakdown in Gaza cannot yet be independently verified. **231 policemen were killed (138 during initial airstrikes). ***Two foreigners, a Ukrainian woman and her child were among the killed civilians in Gaza.

Template:Campaignbox Arab-Israeli conflict

The 2008–2009 Israel–Gaza conflict, part of the ongoing Israeli–Palestinian conflict, started on 27 December 2008 (11:30 a.m. local time; 9:30 a.m. UTC) when Israel launched a military campaign in the Gaza Strip. Codenamed Operation Cast Lead (Template:Lang-he), the campaign's aim was to stop Hamas rocket attacks on southern Israel and included the targeting of Hamas' members and infrastructure. In the Arab World, the conflict has been described as the Gaza Massacre (Template:Lang-ar).

A fragile six-month truce between Hamas and Israel expired on 19 December 2008. Hamas and Israel could not agree on conditions to extend the truce. Hamas blamed Israel for not lifting the Gaza Strip blockade, and for an Israeli raid on a purported cross-border tunnel in the Gaza Strip on November 4, which it held constituted a serious breach of the truce. Israel blamed Hamas for rocket and mortar attacks on Israel.

The Israeli operation started with an intense bombardment of the Gaza Strip, carried out by the Israeli Air Force and navy targeting Hamas bases, training camps, headquarters and offices. Civilian infrastructure, including mosques, houses and schools, were also attacked. Israel did this because many of these buildings stocked weapons or personnel. Hamas intensified its rocket and mortar attacks against targets in Israel throughout the conflict, hitting such cities as Beersheba and Ashdod. On January 3, 2009, the Israeli Defence Forces ground invasion began, with mechanised infantry, armor, and artillery units, supported by helicopter gunships, entering Gaza.

As of 28 January 2009, 14 Israelis have been killed during this conflict, including three civilians. According to figures compiled by the Palestinian Ministry of Health, about 1,300+ Palestinians were killed including 900+ civilians of whom 410 were children (with the remainder being police officers and militants). The Israeli military claims that 1,100 and 1,200 Palestinians comprising 700 militants and 250 civilians were killed. In the days following the ceasefire, the BBC reported that more than 400,000 Gazans were left without running water. As a result of the bombings, 4,000 Gazan buildings were razed and 20,000 severely damaged

International reactions during the conflict have included calls for an immediate ceasefire as in the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1860, and concern about the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip and the hindrances in delivering aid. Israel announced a unilateral ceasefire on January 18 which came in effect at 0000 UTC (2 a.m. local time). Hamas offered its own one-week unilateral ceasefire. On 21 January, Israel completed its withdrawal from the Gaza Strip.

Human rights groups and aid organisations have accused Hamas and Israel of war crimes and called for independent investigations and lawsuits.

Background

See also: List of rocket and mortar attacks in Israel in 2001 through 2007, 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 July 2008, it holds a population of 1,500,202. on an area of 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 Palestinian legislative elections and the military conflict between Fatah and Hamas, Hamas assumed administrative control, with Egypt closing the Rafah Border Crossing and Israel closing its border crossings with Gaza and imposing a blockade on the territory, with Israel using its control of border crossings and much of the economy, power, and water of Gaza to launch in July 2007 a political and economic war against Hamas. All exports were prohibited and only enough goods to avert a humanitarian or health crisis were allowed. The blockade was partially bypassed by tunnels between Egypt and Gaza, some of which were alleged to have been used for weapons smuggling. Since 2005 the Palestinian militant groups have launched over 8,000 rockets and missiles into Israel, killing twelve people and wounding dozens; while in Gaza since 2005 more than 800 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli military operations, airstrikes, targeted killings, and undercover operations.

Hamas views Israel as an illegitimate state and its charter calls for the destruction of Israel. Israel views Hamas as a terrorist group that must be dismantled.

2008 lull

On June 19, 2008, an Egyptian-brokered pause in hostilities between Israel and Hamas, consisting of a six-month 'lull', translating the Arabic term Tahdia, 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.. 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. The Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center reported a total of 223 rockets and 139 mortar shells fired from Gaza during the lull (20 rockets and 18 mortar shells before November 4). The UN recorded seven IDF violations of the ceasefire from June 20 to June 26, and three violations from June 23 to 26 from non-Hamas Palestinian groups.

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. The Israeli Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center notes that "Hamas was careful to maintain the ceasefire" until November 4, when the ceasefire was "seriously eroded.". 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.

Conflict escalates

On November 4, 2008, Israeli military raided a Hamas-dug tunnel near 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, stated that Hamas was"interested in continuing the truce, but wants to improve its terms"... "It wants us to lift the siege , stop attacks, and extend the truce to include ,"

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 Hamas leader, 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. 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 claimed.

On December 26, 2008, Israel reopened five crossings between Israel and Gaza for humanitarian supplies. At the same time, 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 December 27 Israeli offensive took Hamas by surprise, thereby increasing their casualties.

Campaign

Israeli offensive

Air strikes

Israel launched its military campaign, Operation Cast Lead, at 11:30 a.m., December 27, when a force including more than than 50 F-16 fighter jets and Apache 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, and homes of Hamas commanders. The IDF sources noted: "Destruction of hundreds of Hamas leaders' homes as one of the keys to the offensive's success. The homes serve as weapons warehouses and headquarters, and shelling them has seriously hindered Hamas capabilities." 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.

Warnings

Prior to airstrikes on buildings inhabited by civilians, the IDF issued warning calls, in a practice codenamed "roof knocking". Typically, intelligence officers contacted the residents of a building where military assets were suspected of being stored, and told them that they had 10 minutes to leave the premises. Inhabitants were warned by telephone, voice-mail, or text-message. In some cases, Hamas asked civilians to stand on the roofs of buildings to dissuade Israeli pilots from attacking and some residents that were warned about an impending bombing climbed up to their roof. When faced with this situation, IDF commanders either called off the bombing or launched a dummy missile at empty areas of the roof to frighten the people gathered on the roof into leaving the building.

According to the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights, the warning of inhabitants by Israeli forces constituted psychological warfare since sometimes the homes were attacked and sometimes they were not. Amnesty International and the United Nations reported that in the densely populated areas of Gaza there were no "safe" places for civilians.

Ground invasion

IDF infantry and armor units amassed near the Gaza border on December 28, engaging in an active blockade of the strip. On December 29, Hamas fired rocket barrages into Israeli territory, killing an Israeli soldier and three Israeli civilians. On the evening of January 3, Israel launched a ground operation by sending troops into Gaza for the first time since the start of the conflict. According to the IDF, the intention of the ground invasion, termed the 'second stage' of Operation Cast Lead, was to secure areas within the Gaza strip from which militants continued to launch rockets even after the Israeli air strikes.

Israeli ground troops entered Beit Lahiya and Beit Hanoun in northern Gaza in the early hours of January 4. Israeli forces reportedly bisected Gaza and surrounded Gaza City, but restricted their movements to areas that were not heavily urbanised. One Israeli soldier was killed in the offensive and another seriously wounded. The Israeli military said that it targeted forty sites, including weapons depots and rocket launch sites.

On January 3, the IDF shelled the Ibrahim al-Maqadna mosque in Beit Lahiya after the evening prayer. Witnesses say that over 200 Palestinians were inside the mosque at the time of the attack. Thirteen people, including six "believed to be under the age of 18," were killed, and 30 wounded. Israel has accused Hamas of using this and other 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 broke out between Israel and Hamas on the streets of Gaza as Israel surrounded the city. On January 6, at least 125 Palestinians were killed. 1 Israeli soldier was killed in an exchange of fire with Hamas militants, with an additional 4 Israeli soldiers killed and 24 wounded when an Israeli tank mistakenly fired on their position. The crew had believed that the position was occupied by enemy fighters. While the UN initially stated that the IDF, in returning mortar fire, had hit an UNRWA school with many casualties, a later clarification from the UN corrected this; the return fire hit outside the school compound, and there were no casualties at the school.

Despite the ground operation by the IDF, rocket attacks by Hamas continued against southern Israel from Gaza city center.

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

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 metres 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 3 Israeli soldiers wounded and 30 Hamas 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 al-Hawa neighborhood. The Al-Shuruq Tower's 13th floor, housing journalists was also hit. There is evidence Hamas launched Grad type rockets from somewhere near the building.

The headquarters of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) was also shelled on January 15. 3 people were injured and hundreds of tons food and fuel were destroyed. The UN confirmed that white phosphorous shells were used during the attack. Israel claimed Hamas fired from the site, but apologized for the "very sad consequences" calling its attack a "grave error". After the UNRWA dismissed the Israeli claim as "nonsense" Israel ordered an army investigation into the incident. Because of this, the United Nations stopped humanitarian aid in and outside the Gaza Strip.

Humanitarian ceasefires

Israel faced mounting international pressure for a ceasefire due to high civilian casualties, and announced a three-hour "humanitarian truce". On January 7 a "humanitarian corridor" was opened 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 found that the IDF was not to blame since 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 fightback

While the Qassam Brigades of Hamas were the major fighting force, other factions have claimed responsibility for rockets fired into Israel and attacks on Israeli soldiers, including Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, an armed wing affiliated with Fatah, as well as the Abu Ali Mustapha Brigades of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), the Quds Brigades of Islamic Jihad and the Popular Resistance Councils. A Fatah official stated that the rocket attacks by his faction contradicted the official position of Mahmoud Abbas, Fatah leader and President of the Palestinian National Authority. Abbas had called on both sides to cease hostilities unconditionally. Political representatives for Hamas, Islamic Jihad, the PFLP, Saiqa, the Popular Struggle Front, the Revolutionary Communist Party, Palestinian Liberation Organisation, Fatah's 'Intifada' faction, and a number of other Palestinian factions in Syria formed a temporary alliance during the offensive, issuing a statement that refused "any security arrangements that affect the resistance and its legitimate right to struggle against the occupation" and refused the presence of international forces in Gaza. The coalition also affirmed that any peace initiatives must include an end to the economic blockade, and an opening of all of Gaza's crossings, including the Rafah crossing with Egypt.

Preparation

Militants booby-trapped houses and buildings and built an extensive system of tunnels in preparation for combat. A Hamas fighter reported that the group had prepared a tunnel network in Gaza city that would allow Hamas to engage the IDF in urban warfare. Some houses were booby-trapped with manneqins, explosives and adjacent tunnels: Israeli officers said that houses were set up this way so that "Israeli soldiers would shoot the mannequin, mistaking it for a man; an explosion would occur; and the soldiers would be driven or pulled into the hole, where they could be taken prisoner". A colonel estimated that one-third of all houses encountered were booby-trapped. IDF Brigadier-General Eyal Eisenberg said that roadside bombs were planted in TV satellite dishes, adding that Hamas booby-trapping of homes and schools was "monstrous" and "inhumane". 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. Israel claims to have found a map showing "the deployment of explosives and Hamas forces in the Al-Attara neighborhood in northern Gaza." This map allegedly shows that Hamas placed many explosives and firing positions in residential areas, several mosques, and next to a gas station.

Rocket attacks into Israel

The strike range of Hamas rockets had 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. Palestinian militants 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, Palestinian militants had launched approximately 565 rockets and 200 mortars at Israel since the beginning of the conflict, according to Israeli security sources. It is reported that 102 rockets and 35 mortars were fired by Fatah, Hamas's chief rival.

On December 27 a rocket hit a house in Netivot, killing one and wounding six. Another rocket hit a synagogue in the Eshkol Regional Council on the same day, injuring two. On December 29 a Grad rocket hit Ashkelon, killing an Israeli-Arab construction worker and seriously wounding three other people. Rockets killed two more Israelis after nightfall. On December 30 a Grad missile landed in an empty kindergarten in Beersheba, causing damage. On the following morning, a rocket hit the Makif Alef high school in the city. Neither incident resulted in casualties, as schools in the area were closed due to rocket threats. On January 3, rockets hit, among other targets, an apartment building in Ashdod, wounding two, as well as a playground in Ashkelon and a cafeteria in a kibbutz bordering the Gaza Strip. On January 6, a rocket hit Gedera for the first time, injuring a 3-month-old girl. On January 11, several rocket barrages were fired during the temporary cease-fire, one hitting the outer wall of a kindergarten in Ashdod and another exploding adjacent to a school in Sderot which had recently been reopened. Israeli settlers in Sderot city applied for Canadian visas as Palestinian fighters were firing rockets from the Gaza Strip.

Engagement 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. Gunmen fired on Israeli troops from mosques.

Hamas claimed that they hoped to bog Israeli forces down in heavy fighting and inflict heavy casulties on the Israelis. 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 hide 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."

Propaganda and psychological warfare

Before the end of the pre-conflict ceasefire, Hamas started boasting that it had countless surprises awaiting Israeli troops, should they advance. At the start of the conflict, Hamas declared that Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit had been wounded by Israeli fire, later announcing that his condition was "no longer of interest to us". Shalit has been held captive in the Gaza Strip since 2006, and his fate is an Israeli national issue. Throughout the conflict, Hamas repeatedly released messages that they had killed or captured Israeli soldiers; no Israeli soldiers were actually captured during the fighting. Hamas also sent messages to Israeli citizens' mobile phones, warning "rockets on all cities, shelters will not protect you," referring to Qassam and Grad rockets and to Israeli bomb shelters required to be present in all buildings and homes.

Internal violence

During the conflict Hamas executed Gazans it classified as being collaborators and Hamas militants executed six Palestinians in Shifa Hospital. The suspected collaborators had been in prison awaiting trial when Israel destroyed the prison. They were then transferred to the hospital and their trials "short-circuited." Hamas had executed more than 35 Palestinians suspected of collaborating with Israel. Shin Bet Chief Yuval Diskin on January 11 accused Hamas of killing 70 supporters of Fatah under the cover of war. Shin Bet gave improved access to the IDF to intelligence on Hamas field operations that they obtained from Palestinians in Gaza. Some communications were intercepted by Hamas, which then rounded up or shot suspected informers.

In addition, Hamas arrested those it suspected of membership in Fatah, sometimes committing acts of violence against them such as beating and systematic shooting in the legs. The Jerusalem Post quoting an unnamed Fatah official alleged that in the first week of the conflict, 75 Fatah activists were shot in the legs by Hamas, while others had their hands broken. Following the ceasefire, Fatah officials said that Hamas had converted several hospitals and schools into "torture centers"; a Fatah official claimed that at least 100 of his men had been killed or wounded by Hamas and that some of them had been brutally tortured. Hamas Interior Ministry spokesman Ihab al-Ghussein called the allegations "lies" but said the group was rounding up suspected collaborators with Israel.

Attacks on Israel from outside Gaza

In addition to the rockets fired from Gaza, Israel has experienced other attacks from outside of Gaza. To date, no parties have claimed responsibility for these attacks.

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 seven 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 three 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 responsibility 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 Dignity, a Free Gaza Movement sailboat carrying medical aid, and prevented it from reaching the Gaza Strip. The boat's passengers, including a journalist from CNN, 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.
• Zeitoun incident: Gazans, speaking to the UN and media, claimed that on January 5, Israeli troops ordered nearly 100 Palestinians of the Samouni family into a building that it shelled 24 hours later, killing 30 people and wounding many more. The Israeli military said it was responding to continued rocket fire into Israel from Hamas, and reiterated that they do not deliberately target civilians. The military said that Israel troops had not yet reached that area at that time the attack was reported on January 4.
• On January 16, Dr. Ezzeldeen Abu al-Aish, an Israeli-trained doctor of Gaza, and regular figure on Israel’s Channel 10 where he reported on the medical crisis, broke down when contacted for his nightly report by informing viewers that he had just lost three daughters and a niece in the fighting, prompting numerous calls of concern to the station from people who know him. An IDF report claimed a tank had fired two shells at suspected militants in the upper level of the doctor's home. Two surviving daughters were transported for treatment of their wounds to Tel Ha-Shomer Hospital in Tel Aviv. The Israeli army's investigation, approved by Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi, revealed that an IDF tank fired two shells at the house after fire was opened at troops from a nearby area.
• Israeli tank fire hit a school run by UNRWA, sheltering 1,600 people, in the northern town of Beit Lahiya on January 17. Two children were killed, and 14 people were wounded.

Unilateral ceasefires

On 17 January, Israeli officials announced a unilateral ceasefire, without an agreement with Hamas. In a press conference, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert declared the ceasefire effective that night at 2400 GMT. The Israeli ceasefire was first suggested by Livni and consists of two phases worked out by Ehud Barak: "First a ceasefire is declared. If Hamas stops firing rockets then Israel pulls its forces out of the Gaza Strip. If rocket fire resumes then the IDF goes back in, this time with the international backing gained by having tried a truce." Olmert declared that the military objectives had been met.

Hamas initially "vowed to fight on", and responded that any continued Israeli presence in Gaza would be regarded as an act of war. Farzi Barhoum, a Hamas spokesman, said before the ceasefire began, "The occupier must halt his fire immediately and withdraw from our land and lift his blockade and open all crossings and we will not accept any one Zionist soldier on our land, regardless of the price that it costs." Palestinian militants resumed rocket fire at Israeli communities the following Sunday morning, four of the supposed six fired landed in or near the town of Sderot. The Israeli military returned fire and carried out an air strike against the rocket launching squad in the northern Gaza Strip. Gaza medics said IDF troop shot eight-year-old girl in the northern town of Beit Hanun and a 20-year-old man near Khan Yunis.

On the 18 of January, in the afternoon, Hamas, Islamic Jihad and other paramilitias stated they would stop launching rockets into Israel for one week, on condition that Israel would withdraw its military within this period.

On January 21, Israeli troops completed their pullout from the Gaza Strip.

Continued negotiations

Egyptian mediators held discussions with Israel and Hamas about extending the cease-fire by a year or more. Hamas and Fatah met in an effort to create a mechanism that would allow both to play a role in rebuilding. Israel began pressuring Egypt to do more to stop weapons smuggling into gaza, the halting of which is one of Israel's central demands in extending a cease-fire. However, on 27 January, Foreign Minister of Egypt Ahmed Aboul Gheit warned discouraged Britain, France and Germany from sending warships to patrol the waters off Gaza, which the three European nations felt could help halt seaborne smuggling. Gheit said such efforts would harm Europe's relations with the Arab world. Egypt also reacted coolly to suggestions that European troops should be stationed on the border between Gaza and Egypt to monitor smugglers' tunnels.

Israel, along with many Western and some Arab countries, wanted international aid groups to control aid from donations around the world, so that Hamas would not receive credit for the rebuilding. Hamas, in order to speed up reconstruction, agreed on 27 January that it would not insist on collecting reconstruction money itself and would allow donated money to flow through different avenues based on the various alliances, although Hamas ultimately expected to administer the aid. But advisors to senior Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh said Israel's willingness to open the border only for humanitarian aid was unacceptable, as Hamas would need much more to rebuild its economy and produce relief to citizens. Haniyeh officials said the cease-fire is contingent on a full border opening.

President of the United States Barack Obama directed George J. Mitchell, his newly appointed special envoy to the Middle East, to visit Israel, the West Bank, Egypt, Jordan, Turkey and Saudi Arabia for peace talks. Mitchell began his meetings in Cairo on 27 January and Obama said his visit was part of the President's campaign promise to listen to both sides of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict and work toward a Middle East peace deal. However, in a continuation of a George W. Bush administration policy, Mitchell did not plan to talk to Hamas, but instead focus on talks with the more moderate Palestinian Authority. A spokesman for Haniyeh said he respected Mitchell, but was disappointed with the envoy's decision not to hold discussions with Hamas.

Ceasefire violations

On 20 January Gaza gunmen fired at IDF patrols in two separate incidents near the Kissufim border crossing, in central Gaza, and in southern Gaza - IDF returned fire. No one was wounded and no damage was reported. Also, eight mortar shells were fired from the central Gaza Strip. Most shells apparently landed in Palestinian areas. The IAF targeted and hit one of the mortar launchers. Shelling of mortars continued during the night and 3-4 shells were fired into the Eshkol Regional Council. No casualties were reported. The same day, another farmer was reportedly shot dead by the IDF while approaching his farm in Jabalia, while two children were killed when ordinance left behind by Israeli troops in Gaza City exploded; however, according to UPI, officials reported that two children died on 19 January, playing with a Hamas mine.

Four Palestinians were injured on the 22nd of January by a shell fired from an Israeli gunboat off the Gaza coast. The same day, a house was set on fire by a shell fired from an Israeli gunboat, but no injuries were reported. Also on 22 January, IDF troops shot and injured a child east of Gaza City near the border.

On 27 January, one Israeli soldier was killed and another three wounded by a roadside bomb while patrolling the Kissifum border crossing. The bomb had been installed inside Israel under cover of fog in the early morning and activated by remote control when an Israeli military vehicle was nearby. Hamas said it was not clear who planted the bomb, but Israel interpreted it as a test from Hamas. In retaliation, Israeli forces opened fire into the Gaza Strip, killing a Palestinian farmer. A subsequent Israeli air raid wounded two Palestinians; Hamas said one of those wounded was a member of its organization who was riding his motorcycle at the time. The Israeli military also closed the border crossings with Gaza, preventing the admittance of 185 truckloads of humanitarian supplies and other goods. Before dawn on 28 January, Israeli planes bombed three smuggling tunnels under the Gaza-Egypt border. In the same day Palestinians fired a rocket that hit an open area in Eshkol Regional Council. Early Thursday morning another rocket fired from Gaza hit an open area near Sderot, only hours after IAF strikes weapons production site in Rafah in response to earlier attack on Eshkol Regional Council.

On 29 January, Israel launched a fresh wave of air raids in the Gaza Strip near the Rafah border region. This attack was confirmed by an Israeli military spokesperson who stated that the attack was intended to disrupt a weapons production site and was a necessary response to the rocket attack on Israel.

On 31 January, a Grad Rocket hit near Ashkelon, no one was killed or injured.

On 1 February 2009, Palestinian militants in Gaza fired at least five Qassam rockets and 14 mortar shells at southern Israel. Two Israel Defense Forces soldiers and an Israeli civilian were lightly wounded after a mortar barrage from the Gaza Strip exploded near them in the Sha'ar Hanegev region of the western Negev.

On 4 February 2009, Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip launched a mortar shell at southern Israel, which exploded in the Eshkol Regional Council. Three people were treated for shock after the attack, which also caused damage to property.

Casualties

Gaza strip

According to the Palestinian Center for Human Rights, 4,336 Gazans were wounded and 1,284 killed with 894 of the killed civilians, including 280 children and minors, age 17 and under, as well as 111 women. Of the remaining 390 dead, 167 were members of Hamas' civil police and 223 were combatants. An unknown number of Hamas commanders killed in "non-combat situations" were included in the "civilian" count by the PCHR research team.

According to the Gaza-based Palestinian Ministry of Health, a total of 1,324 Gazans were killed and about 5,400 injured. The dead include 437 children, age under 16, 110 women, 123 elderly men, 14 medics and four journalists, the wounded include 1,890 children and 200 people in serious condition. 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.

An investigation by the Israeli Defence Forces concluded that between 1,100 and 1,200 people were killed during the offensive, only 250 of them civilians. Furthermore Israel puts the Hamas death toll above 700 - "We know their names," Barak said. Israel also claimed it had captured 120 Hamas gunmen.

Journalist Lorenzo Cremonesi published an independent assessment of Gaza casualty figures in Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera. Cremonesi, who based his report on tours of hospitals in the Gaza Strip and on interviews with families of casualties, claimed that Palestinians had distorted casualty claims, comparing the situation to the Battle of Jenin, in which initial claims of a massacre and high casualty rates were concluded to be false in a subsequent UN report. Cremonesi estimated the number of wounded to be "far lower than 5,300", the number quoted by Hamas and repeated by the UN and the Red Cross in Gaza. He quoted a doctor at Gaza City's main Shifa Hospital who said no more than 500 or 600 people could have been killed in the IDF attacks, and that most were men between 17 and 23 recruited to Hamas's ranks.

Two Palestinian civilians were killed in their home by rockets fired by militants which fell short.

The World Health Organization reported that 16 health personnel were killed and 22 injured while on duty over the course of the offensive. UNRWA reported that 5 of its staff members, 1 Job Creation Programme (JCP) beneficiary, and 3 contractors were killed, while 11 staff members, 2 JCP beneficiaries and 4 contractors injured. The World Food Programme reported 1 contractor killed and 2 injured.

Ayman al-Kurd, a former member of the Palestine national football team was killed by Israeli shelling.

According to the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, it was reported by Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera that some Palestinian civilians accused Hamas of "forcing them to stay in homes from which gunmen shot at Israeli soldiers." Haaretz and Ynet reported that Palestinians claim that civilians carrying white flags were shot and killed by the IDF.

Norwegian doctor Mads Gilbert working in Gaza suspects the Israeli military used Dense Inert Metal Explosive in the Gaza strip. The IDF and Israeli weapons experts deny this claim.

Militant and police casualties

Several prominent members of Hamas and its military wing were 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. The Palestinian Islamic Jihad confirmed the death of its fighter Wajih Mushtahi, who had also been a member of Palestine's Olympic team. Fatah confirmed that their rocket cells commander, Ali Hijazi, had been killed.

In all, militant groups reported 158 of their fighters were killed, not counting the policemen. This was in contrast with PCHR's number of 223 non-police combatants killed and the IDF's overall number of 700 dead combatants. Of the 158, Hamas claimed to have lost 48 fighters, and the Islamic Jihad and Popular Resistance Committees claimed to losses of 38 and 34 fighters, respectively.

Islam Shahwan, the Hamas-rule Police forces spokesman told a news conference held in Gaza that "General Tawfiq Jabber and 230 police officers and police men were killed".

According to The New York Times, Palestinian residents and Israeli officials say that Hamas was tending its own wounded in separate medical centers, not in public hospitals, and that it was difficult to know the number of dead Hamas fighters, many of whom were not wearing uniforms.

Israeli

Three Israeli civilians were killed by rocket and mortar attacks since the Gaza offensive began. 182 civilians were wounded during the conflict. Among civilians: 4 critically wounded, 11 moderately wounded, and 167 lightly wounded.

One IDF soldier was killed by rocket and mortar 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 in two accidents. 336 soldiers were wounded during the conflict, 11 of them severely wounded.

Other

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. Among the civilians killed in the Gaza Strip were also two foreigners, a Ukrainian woman and her child.

At least two Palestinians were killed by Israeli forces in the West Bank during protests against the offensive on Gaza: On January 4, a man among a crowd in Qalqilya who clashed with Israeli forces was shot dead, while on January 16, a teenager died after being shot in the head during a demonstration in Hebron. The Palestinian Center For Human Rights (PCHR) reported that between January 15 and January 21, 36 others, including 16 children, were wounded by Israeli forces in the West Bank in various protests against the offensive.

Effects

There are multiple economic, industrial and medical effects of the 2008–2009 Israel–Gaza conflict. The United Nations Development Programme warned that there will be long-term consequences of the attacks on Gaza because the livelihoods and assets of tens of thousands of Gaza civilians have been affected.

Early independent estimates say that Gaza lost nearly $2 billion in assets, including 4,100 homes destroyed and 20,000 severely damaged, about 1,500 factories and workshops, 24 mosques, 31 security compounds, and 10 water or sewage lines. The World Health Organization said that 34 health facilities (8 hospitals and 26 primary health care clinics) were damaged over the course of the offensive and the UNOCHA said that over 50 United Nations facilities sustained damage, of which 28 reported damage in the first three days of the operation.

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." The importation of necessary food and supplies continues to be blocked even after the respective ceasefires. According to the World Food Programme, the UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation and Palestinian officials, between 35% and 60% of the agriculture industry has been wrecked. Extensive damage has occurred to wells and water sources. Several hundred greenhouses were levelled, and olive groves, citrus orchards and sheep pastures razed. A third of Gaza's farmable land has been devastated. It is reported that 60% of the land in the north of the Strip may no longer be usable.

More than 50,800 Gazans were left homeless.

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".

Israel

Beginning December 27, schools and universities in southern Israel closed due to rocket threats. Palestinian rockets landed on Israeli educational facilities several times during the conflict with no casualties except for cases of shock. Studies officially resumed on January 11. Only schools with fortified classrooms and bomb shelters were allowed to bring students in, and IDF Home Front Command representatives were stationed in the schools attendance was low. 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 28 December 2008.

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.

Human rights experts say that one of the main pitfalls of international law is that enforcement is nearly impossible, even when the law is clear.

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 maintains military control of the Gaza strip's airspace, land borders and territorial waters.

Israelis

Israel has been accused of collective punishment by United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC)'s Richard Falk; of targeting of civilians by Falk, Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas, and Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR)'s Raji Sourani; of disproportionate military response by Falk and EU Aid Commissioner Louis Michel; of failure "to care for and evacuate the wounded" by the Red Cross; and of the use of human shields when fighting in residential areas by Amnesty International - all of which would constitute a violation of international humanitarian law as defined in the Geneva Conventions "in regard to the obligations of an occupying power and in the requirements of the laws of war".

Israel's response is that its military action (use of force) in Gaza constituted acts of self-defense rather than being reprisals or punishment. Israeli's definition of a justifiable target has been criticized for being too broad. Professor Philippe Sands of University College London says that "once you extend the definition of combatant in the way that IDF is apparently doing, you begin to associate individuals who are only indirectly or peripherally involved" as in the case of the Israeli strike on the police station. The IDF justifies the strike, which killed at least 40 trainees, claiming that the policemen participate in Hamas military activities, but the IDF was unable to provide any information to substantiate this allegation. Human Rights Watch argues that even if the Israeli claim is true, it is not legal to target policemen that were not engaged in combat. B'Tselem disputes the IDF's claim, stating in a letter to the Israeli attorney general, that the policemen killed were "trained in first aid, human rights and maintaining public order."

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.

The Israeli reasoning behind their targeting of public buildings including education institutions also drew criticism from human rights groups B'Tselem and Human Rights Watch. Israelis defended their strikes by citing Protocol 1 of the Geneva Conventions which defines a site a legitimate target if it is being used for military activities. According to the BBC, "Israel simply argues are part of the Hamas infrastructure – and there is no difference between its political and military wings." B'Tselem describes Israel's reasoning as being "legally flawed" as a simple Hamas' affiliation does not make the buildings legitimate targets.

The United Nations, Human Rights Watch, B'Tselem, Gaza’s Ministry of Health, International Red Cross, UNRWA's John Ging, and Amnesty International said Israeli military used white phosphorus in the Gaza strip. Israel at first denied yet later admitted to using White phosphorus in the Gaza Strip, stating that it "wishes to reiterate that it uses weapons in compliance with international law, while strictly observing that they be used in accordance with the type of combat and its characteristics." The use of white phosphorus against civilians or in civilian areas is banned under international law, but it is legal to use the substance in other conditions such as to illuminate areas during night or as a smoke screen. Meanwhile, the weapon has a potential to cause particularly horrific and potential injuries or slow painful death. Medical personnel must be specifically trained to treat such injuries and may themselves be exposed to phosphorus burns. White phosphorus spread burning phosphorus, which burns at over 800 degrees celsius (1,500 degrees fahrenheit), over a wide area up to several hundred square metres.

Amnesty International has accused the Israeli army of using flechettes, an anti-personel weapon which spreads between 5000 and 8000 4cm long metal darts over an area 300m wide and 100m long, in civilian areas.

Possible prosecution abroad

A number of human rights groups have reportedly been preparing lawsuits against Israeli soldiers. On January 26, Israeli soldiers and officials were warned against traveling to Britain over fears they could be arrested and charged with war crimes. Ehud Olmert said Israel would actively work to protect Israelis from any prosecution.

Palestinians

UN Humanitarian chief stated that Hamas attacks on Israel violated International law. Former Canadian justice minister, McGill University law professor and president of the Canadian Jewish Congress, Irwin Cotler, wrote that Hamas violates International law on war more than any other group.

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." Amnesty International accused Palestinian gunmen of using Palestinian civilians as human shields. 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 stated that "Hamas' 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 violate the Geneva Convention's Laws of Armed Conflict.

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." On January 14 it was reported that Palestinian militants had fired mortar shells containing phosphorus explosive into the Eshkol Regional Council area in Negev.

Media

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. Media relations also played an important role, with the use of new media (up to and including cyber warfare) on the part of both Israel and Hamas.

Reactions

The United Nations Security Council issued a statement on 28 December 2008 calling "for an immediate halt to all violence". The Arab League, the European Union and many nations made similar calls. On 9 January 2009, following an earlier, failed attempt at a ceasefire resolution, the United Nations Security Council passed Resolution 1860 calling for "an immediate, durable and fully respected cease-fire" leading to a full Israeli withdrawal and an end to Gaza arms smuggling, by 14 votes to one abstention (the United States). The resolution was ignored by both Israel and Hamas.

Thirty-five states condemned Israel's attacks, also expressing support for the Palestinian people. Bolivia, Qatar, Jordan, Mauritania and Venezuela significantly downscaled or severed their relations with Israel in protest of the offensive. Thirteen states issued statements supporting Israel or its "right of self-defence." Another seven condemned the operations of Hamas. Most of the world condemned both sides, or neither side.

The conflict was marked by worldwide civilian demonstrations for and against both sides, with many protesters disagreeing with their governments' official position on the conflict. Large demonstrations against Israel's actions took place in western Europe and in the Muslim world. Some protests became violent, with clashes between demonstrators and police leading to arrests. Protests in Egypt led to controversial police detentions of Islamist protesters. Pro-Israeli demonstrations also took place in many countries.

The number of recorded antisemitic incidents during the conflict more than tripled the number of such incidents in the same period of the previous year, in what is thought to be a backlash against the Israeli campaign.

See also

• 2008–2009 Israel–Gaza foreign involvement
• Military equipment of Israel
• Palestinian domestic weapons production

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318. "Weekly Report: On Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory". PCHR Palestinian Centre for Human Rights LTD (non-profit). January 15–21, 2009. {{cite web}}: line feed character in |publisher= at position 5 (help)CS1 maint: date format (link)
319. http://www.ochaopt.org/gazacrisis/admin/output/files/ocha_opt_pres_release_ny_2009_english.pdf
320. UN Chief: Hamas rocket attacks are 'appalling and unacceptable' , Haaretz, 20/01/2009
321. ^ "Gaza Humanitarian Situation Report - January 2, 2009 as of 14:30". UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. 2009-1-2. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2009-1-2. Retrieved 2009-1-2. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate=, |date=, and |archivedate= (help)
322. "Gaza clashes spark 'major crisis'". BCC News.
323. Michael Slackman, 'At a Border Crossing, Drivers and Truckloads of Aid for Gaza Go Nowhereì, New York Times, January 27, 2009
324. Peter Beaumont, 'Gaza desperately short of food after Israel destroys farmland,'The Observer, 1 February 2009
325. Donald Macintyre,'Gaza counts the cost – and assigns blame,' The Independent Sunday, 1 February 2009
326. "Livni: No crisis in Gaza Strip". Aljazeera English. 2009-1-1. Retrieved 2009-1-3. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)
327. ^ http://haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1052302.html
328. Gaza:"pas de crise humanitaire"(Livni) Le Figaro 1/1/2009
329. 'Livni: No crisis in Gaza Strip', AlJazeera, January 1, 2009
330. James Hider, Hamas rockets threaten Israel's N-plan, The Australian January 3, 2009
331. "Field Update On Gaza From The Humanitarian Coordinator". UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. 2009-1-11. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2009-1-14. Retrieved 2009-1-14. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate=, |date=, and |archivedate= (help)
332. Aron Heller, "School resumes in Israel despite rocket threat", Associated Press, 11-01-2009
333. Abe Selig, "School closure saves lives of pupils", Jerusalem Post 31-12-2009
334. IDF: Hamas rocket fire down 50% since start of Gaza offensive. By Barak Ravid. Haaretz. Published January 12, 2009.
335. Rockets reach Beersheba, cause damage. By Ilana Curiel. Ynet News. Published January 5, 2009.
336. 32 rockets fired at southern Israel. By Shmulik Hadad. Ynet News. Published December 30, 2008.
337. 4 troops hurt in mortar attack; Grad hits Ashkelon school. By Shmulik Hadad. Ynet News. Published January 8, 2009.
338. "Ashkelon Empties, Trauma teams Struggle", IRIN News (UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs),13-01-2009
339. "Ashkelon Empties, Trauma teams Struggle", IRIN News (UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs13-01-2009
340. Some Israelis go back to school as rocket fire declines. By Dina Kraft. Jewish Telegraphic Agency. Published January 13, 2009.
341. Fear sends Israeli hospital underground. MSNBC.com. Published Dec. 28, 2008.
342. "ICRC Advisory Service on International Humanitarian Law (July, 2004)". Retrieved January 4, 2009.
343. ^ "The Pitfalls of International Law". WashingtonIndependent. 2009-01-22.
344. Occupation and international humanitarian law: questions and answers, International Committee of the Red Cross, 2004.
345. 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.
346. Israeli MFA Address by Israeli Foreign Minister Livni to the 8th Herzliya Conference, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Israel), January 22, 2008.
347. 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.
348. "Human Rights Council Special Session on the Occupied Palestinian Territories" July 6, 2006; Human Rights Watch considers Gaza still occupied.
349. ^ 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)
350. 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.
351. Could Israel Be Charged With War Crimes?, IPS News reprinted at Alternet, January 7, 2009.
352. "Israeli Strikes Disproportionate - EU Aid Chief". Javno. January 13, 2009. Retrieved 2009-01-13.
353. Alan, Cowell (2009-01-08). "Gaza Children Found With Mothers' Corpses". New York Times. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help) (subscription)
354. ^ Mel Frykberg, Gaza Children Found Starving, Antiwar.com, January 9, 2009. Cite error: The named reference "Frykberg" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
355. Gaza 'human shields' criticised http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/7818122.stm
356. "Israel rejects UN truce resolution, says Gaza operation to continue". Haaretz. 2009-01-10.
357. "Hamas leader, 20 Palestinians killed in IAF strikes". Ynet. 2009-01-09. Retrieved 2009-01-09.
358. "Gaza Rapid Response Deployment - 23 Jan. 2009". UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. 2009-1-23. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2009-1-23. Retrieved 2009-1-27. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate=, |date=, and |archivedate= (help)
359. Israel using phosphorus bombs, says rights group. France 24. Published January 12, 2009.
360. Israel is using phosphorous illegally in Gaza Strip bombings. B'Tselem Press Release. Published January 12, 2009.
361. Gaza's burn victims add to pressure on army over phosphorus. By Sheera Frenkel and Michael Evans. Times Online. Published January 12, 2009.
362. ^ 'IDF white phosphorus use not illegal'. The Jerusalem Post. Published January 13, 2009.
363. "UN accuses Israel over phosphorus".
364. Gaza: 'Indisputable evidence' of Israel's use of white phosphorus against civilians AI. January 19, 2009.
365. UN report 13 Jan 2009
366. Israel admits using white phosphorous in attacks on Gaza, The Times, January 24, 2009.
367. "Phosphorous weapons - the ICRC's view". International Red Cross. 2009-01-17. Archived from the original on 2009-02-05. Retrieved 2009-02-05.
368. Israeli army used flechettes against Gaza civilians, Amnesty International, January 27, 2009.
369. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/israel/4323980/Israel-warns-soldiers-of-prosecution-abroad-for-Gaza-war-crimes.html
370. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28839036/
371. http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.jewish/browse_thread/thread/2e1cac6479f0e8e3
372. http://www.cleveland.com/world/index.ssf/2009/01/un_mulls_breach_in_civilian_le.html
373. "Hamas Exploitation of Civilians as Human Shields". Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs. January 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 7, 2009. outlined in Article 51(2) of Additional Protocol I
374. "Hamas: Rocket Attacks on Israel Are 'Self Defense'". Associated Press. April 29, 2007.
375. "Palestinian Rocket Attacks since the IDF Withdrawal".
376. "Indiscriminate Fire: Palestinian Rocket Attacks on Israel and Israeli Artillery Shelling in the Gaza Strip". Human Rights Watch. June 30, 2007.
377. "Phosphorus mortar shell detected in Negev".
378. Yanir Yagna (January 14, 2009). "For the first time, Gaza militants fire phosphorus shell at Israel". Haaretz.
379. Israel: Hamas fires phosphorus shell
380. ^ "Airstrike hits media building in Gaza". Committee to Protect Journalists. January 9, 2009. Retrieved 2009-01-11.
381. "Israel hits media building in Gaza". Press TV. 2009-01-15. Retrieved 2009-01-15.
382. 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)
383. "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.
384. ^ Worsnip, Patrick (December 28, 2008). "U.N. Security Council calls for end to Gaza violence". Reuters. Retrieved December 28, 2008. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help) Cite error: The named reference "worsnip1" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
385. "Reaction in quotes: Gaza bombing". BBC News. December 27, 2008. Retrieved December 27, 2008.
386. "A rush to broker peace in Gaza".
387. Castle, Stephen. "Europe Sends Two Missions to Promote a Cease-Fire". New York Times. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
388. Nidal al-Mughrabi (2009-01-04). "Israeli tanks, soldiers invade Gaza Strip". Reuters. Retrieved 2009-01-04.
389. Edith M. Lederer (2008-01-04). "US blocks UN Security Council action on Gaza". Associated Press. {{cite news}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
390. "White House 'behind' US volte-face on ceasefire call January 9, 2009". The Guardian.
391. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7820027.stm
392. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/israel/4016850/Gaza-attacks-Israeli-strikes-spark-protests-across-world.html
393. BBC NEWS UK | London protest over raids on Gaza.BBC News. Retrieved on 2009-01-08
394. Zeina Karam, Protests in Lebanon, Syria against Gaza offensive, Associated Press 11-01-2009
395. VOA News - Protests Against Israel's Gaza Bombardment Spread.Voanews.com. Retrieved on 2009-01-08
396. Will Rasmussen, Egypt police hold 16 Islamists after Gaza protests, Reuters 14-01-2009
397. Yusri Mohamed, Egyptian protesters, police clash in Gaza protests, Reuters 09-01-2009
398. Major cities stage fresh protests over Gaza, AFP 11-01-2009

External links

• Special reports from Aljazeera, BBC News, CNN, Christian Science Monitor, Financial Times, The Guardian, Haaretz, ICRC, Jerusalem Post, Los Angeles Times, Palestine News Network, Radio France International

Involved parties

• IDF Spokesperson's Unit postings on youtube
• Hamas War Against Israel reports from the Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs
• Palutube: Hamas video site

Maps and timelines

• Gaza crisis: key maps and timeline, BBC News.
• TIMELINE - Israeli-Hamas violence since truce ended, Reuters.

• Articles with dead external links from February 2009
• Current events
• 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