Gaza–Israel conflict

The Gaza–Israel conflict is an on-going conflict that escalated during the Second Intifada and is a component of the larger Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Its distinction from the conflict in the West Bank became more obvious following Israel's unilateral disengagement plan (completed by September 12, 2005) which removed all Israeli civilians and settlements from the Gaza Strip. According to the terms of the Disengagement Plan, Israel retained exclusive control over Gaza's airspace and continued to guard and monitor the external land perimeter of the Gaza Strip, with the exception of its southernmost border (where Egypt retained control of the border and border crossings were supervised by European monitors). Israel sealed off Gaza from the ocean by granting security control of its coastline to the Israeli navy. The Disengagement plan similarly gave Israel control of Gaza's water supply, electricity, and communications infrastructure.Citation
last = Leibowitz | first = Shamai | url = http://www.tikkun.org/magazine/tik0511/leibowitz| title = It Takes Two To Tango: From Unilateral to Bilateral Plans|journal = Tikkun - A Critique of Politics, Culture & Society | volume = 60 | pages = 41-50 | date = September 2005 | year = 2005] According to Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, by the standards of international law, Israel still remains an Occupying Power. [ [http://hrw.org/english/docs/2004/10/29/isrlpa9577.htm "Israel: 'Disengagement' Will Not End Gaza Occupation"] Human Rights Watch, October 29, 2004]

When Islamic party Hamas won the democratically-held January 2006 Palestinian elections, gaining a majority of seats in the Palestinian Legislative Council, [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/4650788.stm "Hamas sweeps to election victory"] , BBC News.] the conflict between Israel and Hamas-dominated Gaza intensified. Immediately following Hamas's victory in the 2006 elections, Israel hermetically sealed the Gaza Strip and enforced a siege around it, preventing the free flow of people, equipment, imports and exports. Palestinian militants have been shooting Qassam rockets at Israeli settlements located near the Gaza borders, and have staged cross-border raids aimed at killing or capturing Israeli soldiers. In one such raid, on June 25 2006, Palestinian militants captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, leading to massive retaliation by the Israeli army which included air strikes against many of Gaza's residential neighborhoods and the bombing of Gaza's electrical power plants.

In June 2007, internal fighting broke out between Hamas and Fatah and Hamas fully consolidated its power by staging an armed coup d'etat and taking control of the Gaza Strip. Following the internecine fighting that occurred between June 7 and June 15, 2007, also known as the Battle of Gaza 2007 in which 118 Palestinians were killed and over 550 were wounded, [ [http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/fromthefield/220224/025f24b73a37ef712ad576eb84b22e84.htm Gaza-Westbank – ICRC Bulletin No. 22 / 2007] , AlertNet, accessed 16 June, 2007.] the entire Gaza Strip came under full control of a Hamas government.

As a response to the Hamas takeover, Israel sharply restricted the flow of people and goods into and out of Gaza, causing a humanitarian crisis. About 70% of Gaza's workforce has become unemployed or without pay, and about 80% of its residents live in grinding poverty.cite news | title = The War on Gaza's Children| url = http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-makdisi22sep22,0,1839917.story?coll=la-news-comment-opinions| work = "Los Angeles Times"| date = 2007-09-22| accessdate = 2008-04-24 ] According to Human Rights Watch, this violated the international humanitarian law prohibition against collective punishment against the civilian population of Gaza. cite news | title = Human Rights Watch written statement on Gaza to the UN Human Rights Council| url = http://hrw.org/english/docs/2008/01/22/isrlpa17898.htm| work = Human Rights Watch| date = 2008-01-22| accessdate = 2008-04-21 ] Israel has also cut fuel supplies and reduced electricity, causing a severe medical and health crisis. Many Gazan civilians have died as a result of lack of medicines and medical supplies or because Israel refused to allow them to exit the Gaza Strip for medical treatment.

At the same time, Palestinian armed groups in Gaza continued indiscriminately firing rockets into Israel, killing several Israeli civilians, including children, and wounding many others. According to Human Rights Watch, these deliberate attacks against civilians violate international humanitarian law. Because Hamas exercises power inside Gaza, it is responsible for stopping unlawful attacks even when carried out by other groups. In April 2008, Hamas leaders gave interviews and made statements articulating their goals: A peace process with Israel based on Israeli withdrawal to the borders of 1967, a dismantling of all the West Bank settlements, removal of all soldiers from Gaza and the West Bank, repudiation of Israel's "illegal annexation of Jerusalem," release of all Palestinian prisoners, and an end to Israel's blockade of "our international borders, our coastline and our airspace permanently."cite news | title = No Peace Without Hamas | url = http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2007/jan/11/israel| work = "The Washington Post"| date = 2008-04-19| accessdate = 2008-04-24 ] While Hamas has never said explicitly that it will recognize Israel's "right to exist," statements by Hamas leaders Mahmoud al-Zahar and Khaled Meshalcite news | title = Hamas official accepts Israel but stops short of recognition| url = http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2007/jan/11/israel| work = "The Guardian"| date = 2007-01-11| accessdate = 2008-04-24 ] signal it is ready to accept the fact that Israel does exist.cite news | title = Carter: Hamas Ready To Live Beside Israel| url = http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/04/21/AR2008042101177.html| work = "Washington Post"| date = 2008-04-22| accessdate = 2008-04-23] Political analysts have pointed out that al-Zahar and Meshal's statements generally match the final-status arrangement that most observers see as reasonable and inevitable.cite news | title = Carter’s Hamas Talks Could Aid Exodus to Peace| url = http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2008/04/21/8429/| work = commondreams.org| date = 2008-04-21| accessdate = 2008-04-23 ] And the prestigious Israeli daily Haaretz called, in an editorial, for negotiating with Hamas leaders, saying "the only way to ensure the safety of the people living near the Gaza border is through a political effort to reach a cease-fire agreement." As of April 24 2008, international efforts to achieve a cease-fire, spearheaded by the Egyptian government and other international actors including U.S. President Jimmy Carter, have yet to yield any concrete result.

econd Intifada

The Second Intifada, also known as the "al-Aqsa Intifada" began in September 2000. Many Palestinians consider the Intifada to be a struggle of national liberation against the Israeli occupation imposed on them following the 1967 War, whereas many Israelis consider it to be a terrorist campaign.

Palestinian tactics have ranged from carrying out mass protests and general strikes, as in the First Intifada, to mounting suicide bombing attacks and firing Qassam rockets into Israeli residential areas. Israeli tactics range from conducting mass arrests and locking up Palestinians in administrative detention through setting up checkpoints and building the Israeli Gaza Strip barrier and West Bank barrier to carrying out extra-judicial assassinations targeting militants.

Since the Palestinian legislative election, 2006, Israel has been negotiating with Mahmoud Abbas and the PLO, but has been simultaneously targeting and bombing Hamas activists and militants and arresting Hamas politicians.

The Israeli NGO B'Tselem maintains a list of the casualties up to the present time. [http://www.btselem.org/English/Statistics/Casualties.asp B'Tselem - Statistics - Fatalities ] ] The death toll, both military and civilian, over the entire period in question (2000-2007) is estimated to be over 4,300 Palestinians and over 1,000 Israelis. To date, 64 foreign citizens have also been killed (54 by Palestinians, and 10 by Israeli security forces).

Israeli Hafrada (Separation)

The Gaza Strip has been separated from Israel by the Israeli Gaza Strip barrier since 1996, which has helped reduce infiltration into Israel. Since the beginning of the Second Intifada, Gazans are no longer permitted to enter Israel for work purposes. Special permits to enter Israel for medical purposes have also been greatly reduced.

One of the main proponents of the separation policy is Daniel Schueftan. In his 1999 book, "Disengagement: Israel and the Palestinian Entity"cite web|title=Book Review of "Korah Ha'hafrada: Yisrael Ve Harashut Ha'falestinit", Disengagement: Israel and the Palestinian Authority|author=Meyrav Wurmser|publisher=Middle East Quarterly|date=Fall 2002|accessdate=2007-03-17|url=http://www.meforum.org/article/1488] ("The Need for Separation: Israel and the Palestinian Authority") Schueftan reviews new and existing arguments underlying different separation stances, in order to make the case for separation from the Palestinians, beginning with those in the West Bank and Gaza. Schueftan favors the "hard separation" stances of politicians like Yitzhak Rabin and Ehud Barak, while characterizing the stance of politicians like Shimon Peres, as "soft separation".cite web|title=The New Walls and Fences:Consequences for Israel and Palestine|author=Gershon Baskin & Sharon Rosenberg|publisher=Centre for European Policy Studies|date=June 2003|url=http://shop.ceps.be/free/1037.pdf]

Yitzhak Rabin was the first to propose the creation of a physical barrier between the Israeli and Palestinian populations in 1992, and by 1994, construction on the first barrier - the Israeli Gaza Strip barrier - had begun. Following an attack on Bet Lid, near the city of Netanya, Rabin specified the objectives behind the undertaking, stating that,

"This path must lead to a separation, though not according to the borders prior to 1967. We want to reach a separation between us and them. We do not want a majority of the Jewish residents of the state of Israel, 98% of whom live within the borders of sovereign Israel, including a united Jerusalem, to be subject to terrorism."cite web|title=How to Build a Fence|author=David Makovsky|url=http://www.foreignaffairs.org/20040301faessay83206/david-makovsky/how-to-build-a-fence.html]

Israel's Unilateral Disengagement

Israel implemented its Disengagement Plan in August-September 2005, withdrawing its civilian and military presence from the Gaza Strip, and retaining control over the Gaza airspace, maritime access and borders. While Qassam rockets were fired regularly even prior to the Israeli disengagement, the frequency of Qassam attacks increased after the Disengagement from Gaza. Since there are no Israeli targets inside the Gaza Strip, Palestinian militants have targeted military bases and civilian towns located on the borders or outside of the Gaza Strip. [cite news|url=http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,202159,00.html|title=The Homemade Rocket That Could Change the Mideast|author=Tony Karon|publisher=Time Magazine|date=10 February, 2002]

The Qassam rocket attacks by Hamas against Israel started in the year 2000 and have continued since then. Thirteen Israelis have been killed and hundreds injured as a result of Qassam rocket fire at Israeli targets. Additionally, Qassam rocket attacks have resulted in Post Traumatic Stress Disorder in both children and adults, with 33% of children living in Sderot suffering from PTSD. [cite news |title=Sderot traumatic stress center sees steep rise in new patients |url=http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/861662.html |publisher=Haaretz |date=2007-05-21] [cite news |title=Report: 33 percent of Sderot kids suffer post-traumatic stress |url=http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/792848.html |publisher=Haaretz |date=2006-11-27]

2004 Israel-Gaza conflict

The 2004 Israel-Gaza conflict refers to the series of battles between Palestinian militants and the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). Several qassam rocket attacks on Israel (Sderot and the Negev) forced the IDF to retaliate with airstrikes and land incursions. The fighting included two IDF operations, Operation Rainbow and Operation Days of Penitence.

Operation Rainbow was a military operation from May 18 2004 to May 23 2004 in Rafah to clear terrorist infrastructure, find smuggling tunnels connecting the Gaza Strip to Egypt, and kill militants after the deaths of 13 Israeli soldiers in guerrilla attacks. Israel said the operation was also aimed at preventing a shipment of Strela-2 (SA-7 Grail) anti-aircraft missiles, AT-3 Sagger anti-tank guided missiles, and other long-range rockets which are stored on the Egyptian side of the border from being smuggled through tunnels into the Gaza Strip. [http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1084677182465]

Operation Days of Penitence an IDF operation in the northern Gaza Strip, conducted between September 30, 2004 and October 15, 2004 focused on Beit Hanoun, Beit Lahia and Jabalia refugee camp, which were used as launching sites of Qassam rockets on Sderot and Israeli settlements in the Gaza Strip, and in response to the death of two children in Sderot. The operation resulted in the deaths of between 104 and 133 Palestinians, and 5 people on the Israeli side.

2004 Qassam attacks

; June 28, 2004: Mordechai Yosepov, 49, and Afik Zahavi, 4, were killed when a Qassam rocket fired by Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip struck near a nursery school in the northern Negev town of Sderot. [ [http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/Terrorism-+Obstacle+to+Peace/Memorial/2004/Afik+Zahavi.htm|Afik Zahavi - Ministry of Foreign Affairs] ] ; September 29, 2004: On the eve of the Sukkot holiday, Yuval Abebeh, 4, and Dorit Benisian, 2, were killed by a Qassam rocket fired from Gaza into Sderot. About 30 people were wounded in the attack, for which Hamas claimed responsibility. [ [http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/Terrorism-+Obstacle+to+Peace/Memorial/2004/Yuval+Abebeh+and+Dorit+Aniso.htm|Yuval Abebeh - Ministry of Foreign Affairs] ]

2005 Israel-Gaza conflict

2005 Qassam attacks

; January 15, 2005: A Qassam rocket attack on Sderot left Ayala Abukasis, 17, brain dead, as she was hurt while shielding her younger brother. She died on January 21. [ [http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/Terrorism-+Obstacle+to+Peace/Memorial/2005/Victims/Ayala-Haya+Abukasis.htm|Ayala-Haya (Ella) Abukasis - Ministry of Foreign Affairs] ] ; June 7, 2005: Salah Ayash Imran, 57, Muhammed Mahmoud Jaroun, and Bi Shude, 46, were killed, and five other workers were wounded, when a Qassam rocket hit a packing shed in Ganei Tal, in the Gaza Strip. The Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility for the attack. [ [http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/Terrorism-+Obstacle+to+Peace/Memorial/2005/Victims/Bi+Shude.htm|Bi Shude - Ministry of Foreign Affairs] ] ; July 14, 2005: Dana Galkowicz, 22, was killed in a Qassam attack in the Kibbutz Netiv Ha'asara, just north of the Gaza Strip. Hamas, Islamic Jihad and Fatah all claimed responsibility for the attack. [ [http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/Terrorism-+Obstacle+to+Peace/Memorial/2005/Victims/Dana+Galkowicz.htm|Dana Galkowicz - Ministry of Foreign Affairs] ] ; September 24, 2005: Five Israelis were injured when Palestinian militants launched about 30 rockets on Israeli communities from the Gaza Strip. This attack followed an incident the previous day, in which 20 Palestinians, including 16 civilians, were killed when a vehicle carrying Qassam rockets exploded during a Hamas rally in Jabalya. The exact circumstances surrounding the incident are still unknown. To date, no evidence has been found to substantiate Hamas’ claim that Israeli interference was responsible for the accident. [cite news | title=3 hurt in rocket barrage on South| url=http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3146445,00.html| publisher=YNet| date=2005-9-24] ; December, 2005: A Qassam rocket launched from the West Bank hit near the moshav of Ram-on, near the northern town of Afula.; December 26, 2005: A Qassam rocket landed at a very small distance from a kindergarten during a Hanukkah party at kibbutz Sa'ad. [cite news| title=Rocket lands near kindergarten| url=http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3190485,00.html| publisher=YNet| date=2005-12-26]

2006 Israel-Gaza conflict

The 2006 Israel-Gaza conflict refers to the series of battles between Palestinian militants and the Israel Defense Forces. Large-scale conventional warfare beyond the peripheries of the Gaza Strip began when Israel launched "Operation Summer Rains" the codename for Operation Summer Rains suboperations including Operation Autumn Clouds in the Gaza Strip that began on June 28, 2006, and its first major mobilization into the Gaza Strip since Israel's unilateral disengagement plan was implemented between August and September 2005.

Palestinian militants abducted Corporal Gilad Shalit.

Israel maintains that it mobilized thousands of troops in order to suppress Qassam rocket fire against its civilian population and to secure the release of Gilad Shalit. It is estimated that between 7,000 and 9,000 Israeli artillery shells were fired into Gaza between September 2005 and June 2006, killing 80 Palestinians in 6 months. [ [http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=06/06/29/1420258 Democracy Now! | AIPAC v. Norman Finkelstein: A Debate on Israel's Assault on Gaza ] ] On the Palestinian side, over 1,300 Qassam rockets have been fired into Israel from September 2000 to December 21, 2006. Israeli forces are also continuing to search for underground tunnels used by militants to smuggle weapons, as well as monitor operations at checkpoints (with some assistance from the European Union at Rafah) for security reasons, specifically possible weapons transfers and uninhibited return of exiled extremist leaders and terrorists. [ [http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061017/ap_on_re_mi_ea/israel_palestinians_3] Dead link|date=June 2008] [ [http://www.defense-update.com/2005_01_01_defense-update_archive.html Defense Update News Commentary: 01/01/2005 - 01/31/2005 ] ] [http://www.state.gov/documents/organization/65462.pdf] [ [http://www.aish.com/jewishissues/middleeast/Defending_Israels_Positions_in_Rafah.asp Defending Israel's Positions in Rafah ] ] [ [http://domino.un.org/UNISPAl.NSF/361eea1cc08301c485256cf600606959/c996d2a0e321274185256e9a0051f5c6!OpenDocument S/PV.4972 of 19 May 2004 ] ] As of October 18, 2006, Israel has discovered 20 tunnels used for illegal arms smuggling under the border of the Gaza Strip and Egypt. [cite news|url= http://www.aipac.org/briefing/|title= Today's Briefing|publisher= AIPAC|date= 2006-10-19|accessed= 2006-10-19]

Israel had said it would withdraw from the Strip and end the operation as soon as Shalit was released. [cite news|title=PM: We will not recapture Gaza|date=2006-07-02|url=http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3268440,00.html |publisher=Ynetnews] The Palestinians had said that they were willing to return Shalit in exchange for the release of some of the Palestinians held in Israeli jails. The Palestinians and others have also said the assault was aimed at toppling the democratically elected Hamas-led government and at destabilizing the Palestinian National Authority, citing the targeting of civilian infrastructure such as a power station and the captures of government and parliament members. Some 300 terrorists had been targeted by the IDF in the Gaza Strip since the kidnapping of Corporal Gilad Shalit. [cite news|url= http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3320193,00.html|title= Commander: We met stiff terrorist resistance|publisher= Ynetnews|date= 2006-10-26] On 26 November, a ceasefire was signed by militant Palestinian organisations and Israel, and Israel withdrew its troops while the Palestinian Authority forces deployed to stop Qassam rocket launchings. Following the truce over 60 Qassam rockets were fired from the Gaza Strip at Israel, and 1 Palestinian militant (armed with guns and grenades) was killed by the IDF. On 19 December, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad began taking open responsibility for the Qassam rocket firing, because they said Israel killed two of their members in Jenin. [cite news|url= http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3339743,00.html|title= IDF kills gunman in Gaza for first time since truce |publisher= Ynetnews|date= 2006-10-26] [cite news|url= http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/805295.html|title= Report: IDF seizes Jihad man in Bethlehem; 2 Qassams fired |publisher= Haaretz|date= 2006-10-26] [cite news|url= http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3342493,00.html|title= Islamic Jihad vows to avenge death of 2 operatives|publisher= Haaretz|date= 2006-10-20]

The Gaza beach blast [Originally the event was known as the "Gaza beach massacre", but this title was subsequently overtaken by the current name.] was an event on June 9, 2006 in which eight Palestinians were killed — including nearly the entire family of seven-year-old Huda Ghaliya — and at least thirty others were injured in an explosion on a beach near the municipality of Beit Lahia in the Gaza Strip. [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/5065982.stm "Hamas militants vow to end truce"] , "BBC Online", 10 June, 2006] The incident received considerable attention from news media worldwide, with blame for the explosion hotly disputed in the following weeks.

The Beit Hanoun November 2006 massacre occurred on 8 November 2006 when Israel Defense Forces shells missed their target and hit a row of houses in the Gaza Strip town of Beit Hanoun, [cite news|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/19/world/middleeast/19cnd-mideast.html?hp|title=Israeli Army Strikes Gaza Rocket-Launching Cell|author=Isabel Kershner|publisher="New York Times"|date=May 19, 2007] killing 19 Palestinians and wounding more than 40. [http://www.guardian.co.uk/israel/Story/0,,1942339,00.html?gusrc=rss&feed= 12 children among 19 killed by Israeli tank fire] , "The Guardian"] [http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3326976,00.html Italy: Israel shelled Beit Hanoun deliberately] , YNet Israel News, 12 November 2006] It occurred the day after the Israeli withdrawal following Operation Autumn Clouds, a week-long operation by the Israeli military in the northern Gaza Strip aimed at curbing Qassam rocket attacks fired by Palestinian militants from the town.cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6127250.stm|title=Israeli shelling kills 18 in Gaza|publisher=BBC News|date=8 November, 2006|accessdate=2006-11-14]

The 2006 Franco–Italian–Spanish Middle East Peace Plan was proposed after Israel invaded the Gaza Strip in Operation Autumn Clouds by Spanish Premier Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero during talks with French president Jacques Chirac. Italy's prime minister Romano Prodi gave his full support to the plan.

2006 Qassam attacks

; February 3, 2006: A Qassam rocket struck a family's house in the western Negev village of Kibbutz Karmiya, moderately injuring four people, including a 7-month-old baby. [cite news|title=Baby hurt in rocket attack| url=http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3210491,00.html| publisher=YNet| date=2006-2-3] ; March 30, 2006: Two Qassam rockets landed in Kibbutz Karmiya, south of Ashkelon, one of them landed in a soccer field, where children played only hours earlier, and injured one person.Fact|date=August 2007; June 11, 2006: Three people are wounded, one critically when a Qassam landed near the Sapir Academic College near the Negev town of Sderot.Fact|date=August 2007 14 Qassams are fired throughout the day. [cite news| title=14 Qassams fired at Israel; man critically injured| url=http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3261205,00.html| publisher=YNet| date=2006-6-11] ; July 5, 2006: First Qassam rocket of increased strength is fired into the school yard in the Southern Israeli coastal city of Ashkelon, with a population of 120,000. This was the first instance of an increased distance Qassam rockets can reach and the first time a significantly large city has been attacked. No one was injured in this attack.Fact|date=August 2007; July 6, 2006: A second Qassam was fired and hit Ashkelon 24 hours after the first. Eight people went into shock, four of them children.Fact|date=August 2007; September 20, 2006: Two teenage Israeli Arab shepherds were moderately wounded by two Qassam rockets fired from Gaza. [cite news|title= Palestinians Fire 2 Rockets at Israel Town|url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/20/AR2006092000120.html|publisher=Associated Press|date=2006-09-20|] ; September 21, 2006: A rocket hit HaNegev College, damaging a classroom.Fact|date=August 2007; November 15,2006:Twelve rockets in four separate attacks hit Sderot, killing Faina Slutzker, 57, and seriously wounding two others. One of the wounded, Maor Peretz, a security guard, lost both legs in the attack. [ [http://www.hrw.org/english/docs/2006/11/18/isrlpa14639.htm Palestinian Authority: End Rocket Attacks on Civilians] by HRW] ; November 21,2006:A Qassam rocket struck a factory and hit 43 year-old Yaakov Yaakobov, fatally wounding him. [cite news|title=Sderot: Qassam lands near school| url=http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3331211,00.html| publisher=YNet| date=November 22, 2006]

2007–2008 Israel-Gaza conflict

The 2007–2008 Israel-Gaza conflict refers to a series of battles between Palestinian militants and the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) that began in mid-May 2007. Palestinians fired more than 220 Qassam rocket attacks on Israel (Sderot and the western Negev) in over a week. The Israeli Air Force fired missiles and bombs into Gaza. The fighting came amid serious Palestinian factional violence and reports of growing level of humanitarian crisis in the region. [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7280026.stm BBC NEWS | Middle East | Gaza conditions 'at 40-year low' ] ] Hamas said they will continue to retaliate against Israeli strikes.

In September 2007, citing an intensification of Qassam rocket attacks, Israel declared Gaza "hostile territory." The declaration allowed Israel to prevent the transfer of electricity, fuel, and other supplies into Gaza. The stated purpose of this blockade was to pressure Hamas into ending the rocket attacks and to deprive them of the supplies necessary for the continuation of rocket attacks. [cite news|title=Israel Pressures Hamas Ahead of Rice’s Arrival|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/20/world/middleeast/20mideast.html?scp=3&sq=Gaza+fuel+Qassam&st=nyt|publisher=New York Times|date=September 19, 2007] [cite news|title=Israel declares Gaza 'hostile territory'|url=http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/09/19/africa/mideast.php|publisher=IHT|date=September 19, 2007] [cite news|title=Cabinet declares Gaza 'hostile territory'|url=http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/905561.html|publisher=Haaretz|date=September 20, 2007] [http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/Templates/ArticleDynamicFix.aspx?NRMODE=Published&NRORIGINALURL=%2fMFA%2fGovernment%2fCommuniques%2f2007%2fSecurity%2bCabinet%2bdeclares%2bGaza%2bhostile%2bterritory%2b19-Sep-2007%2ehtm&NRNODEGUID=%7bC93011D3-18EA-4EEB-84C1-717072E4071A%7d&NRCACHEHINT=Guest Security Cabinet declares Gaza hostile territory] by MFA] Israel's decision to cut fuel supplies to Gaza were widely condemned as "collective punishment." [cite news|title=EU warns against 'collective punishment' in Gaza|url=http://in.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idINIndia-30214320071029|publisher=Reuters|date=October 29, 2007] [ [http://hrw.org/english/docs/2008/02/07/isrlpa17994.htm Gaza: Israel’s Energy Cuts Violate Laws of War] by Human Rights Watch] [ [http://www.amnesty.org/en/news-and-updates/news/israel-cuts-electricity-and-food-supplies-gaza-20080121 Israel cuts electricity and food supplies to Gaza] by Amnesty International]

Israel has also arrested Hamas officials in the West Bank, including two cabinet members. Such arrests have been strongly condemned by international organizations and politicians. [ [http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3404081,00.html UN 'troubled' by Hamas legislators' arrests - Israel News, Ynetnews ] ] [cite news|title=Israel launches raids into Gaza|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6664917.stm|publisher=BBC News|date=2007-05-17|accessdate=2007-05-20] [cite news|first=Ronny|last=Sofer|title=IDF may respond harshly|url=http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3400428,00.html|publisher=ynetnews.com|date=2007-05-15|accessdate=2007-05-20] [" [http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSL1731780720070526 Israel pushes Gaza offensive amid rocket attacks] "]

2007 Qassam attacks

; May 16,2007:Over thirty rockets were launched at the Israeli town of Sderot, seriously wounding one woman. The attack came after at least 15 Palestinians were killed during an internal feud between Hamas and Fatah within the Gaza strip. Israeli papers speculated that these attacks were aimed at prompting Israeli intervention in order to unite the warring Palestinian factions.Fact|date=August 2007; May 21, 2007:Shir-El Feldman, 32, killed and two others wounded in Qassam rocket strike on Sderot. [cite news |title=Woman killed, two wounded in Qassam rocket strike on Sderot |url=http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/861946.html |publisher=Haaretz |date=2007-05-22] ; May 27, 2007:Oshri Oz, 36, killed when a Qassam rocket struck near his car and fatally wounded him. [cite news |title=A man of courage |url=http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1178708695334&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull
publisher=Jerusalem Post |date=2007-05-28] ; May 29, 2007:Seventeen Qassams strike the Negev, with three landing in Sderot. The Popular Resistance Committees and the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine claimed responsibility for the attacks. [cite news |title=17 Qassam rockets strike Negev; IDF suspends air strikes in Gaza |url=http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/864464.html |publisher=Haaretz |date=2007-05-29] ; June 18, 2007:A Qassam rocket fired from Gaza struck a factory, containing hazardous materials, in Sderot. The attack resulted in a leak of gaseous caustic soda and prompted the response of police, fire-fighting forces, and teams specialized in dealing with hazardous materials who sealed the leak and removed the poisonous materials. [cite news |title=Qassam lands in factory with hazardous materials |url=http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3414686,00.html |publisher=Ynet |date=2007-06-18] ; June 20, 2007:Nine Qassam rockets struck the western Negev injuring three with shrapnel and causing shock in at least seven reported cases. In Sderot, rockets damaged two homes and a synagogue. Two of the rockets struck near Kibbutz Nir Am injuring no one but causing a power outage in the area by damaging a high-tension wire. Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility for four of the rockets. [cite news |title=3 lightly hurt from Kassam attack |url=http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1181813086866 |publisher=Jerusalem Post |date=2007-06-20] ; July 8, 2007:Five Qassam rockets struck the Western Negev with three striking near Sapir College. The attack did not result in any reported casualties and caused damage to a building undergoing construction. The al-Quds Brigades, the armed wing of Islamic Jihad, claimed responsibility for the attack. [cite news |title=Five rockets fired into western Negev |url=http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1183459221989 |publisher=Jerusalem Post |date=2007-07-08] ; July 19, 2007:Four Qassam rockets struck southern Israel, damaging several buildings and causing five people to suffer from shock -- one of whom required hospitalization. [cite news |title=Kassam hits Sderot; one hospitalized |url=http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1184766014199 |publisher=Jerusalem Post |date=2007-07-19] ; August 22, 2007:A Qassam rocket landed in Sderot late in the evening, causing no reported damage or casualties. [cite news| title=Kassam rocket lands near Sderot; none hurt| url=http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1187779137431&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull| publisher=Jerusalem Post| date=2007-8-22] ; August 23, 2007:Eight Qassam rockets hit in the Negev. Two landing in Sderot caused minor injuries, anxiety, and damage to a house. [cite news| title=Qassams hit Sderot causing mild injuries| url=http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3441313,00.html| publisher=YNet| date=2007-8-23] ; September 3, 2007:Seven Qassam rockets hit in the Negev. One landed in the courtyard of a Sderot day-care center, damaging a building and causing shock to twelve people, including some infants. Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility. [cite news| title=Sderot parents declare unlimited strike following morning's barrage| url=http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1188392521771&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull| publisher=Jerusalem Post| date=2007-09-03] ; September 11, 2007: Qassam rockets fired from Beit Hanun struck the Zikim military base, a basic training camp for the IDF, resulting in at least 66 wounded, with at least 10 moderately to seriously [cite news| title=Gaza rockets wound Israeli soldiers | url=http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/5B7F29C9-A66F-46B4-917D-27E6CA7356A9.htm| publisher=Al Jazeera English| date=2007-9-11] . The attack harmed both male and female soldiers. Nasr Salah al-Din Brigades and Islamic Jihad both claimed responsibility for the attacks. [cite news| title=At least 66 wounded in Kassam attack on Zikim military base| url=http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1189411380210&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull| publisher=Jerusalem Post| date=2007-9-11] [cite news| title=67 wounded in Qassam attack| url=http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3448282,00.html| publisher=YNet| date=2007-9-11] ; October 23, 2007: At least ten Qassam rockets were fired at Israel; five struck Sderot, with one hitting an apartment building. The Salah al-Din Brigades claimed responsibility. [cite news| title=Heavy rocket barrage follows targeted killing| url=http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3463280,00.html| publisher=Ynet| date=2007-10-23 ]

2008 Israel-Gaza conflict

By January 2008, the economic effects of Israel's blockade on Gaza reached a critical threshold, according to a United Nations study. Finally, on January 17 2008, Israel sealed the border completely following a rise in rocket attacks. The breach of the Gaza-Egypt border began on January 23, 2008, after gunmen in the Gaza Strip set off an explosion near the Rafah Border Crossing, destroying part of the former Israeli Gaza Strip barrier. The United Nations estimates that as many as half the 1.5 million population of the Gaza Strip crossed the border into Egypt seeking food and supplies.

Conflict continued on February 27 2008 as Palestinian militants fired more than 40 Qassam rockets into southern Israel and the Israeli army fired three missiles at the Palestinian Interior Ministry in Gaza destroying the building. [ [http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/meast/02/27/mideast/index.html Airstrike hits Gaza ministry building] CNN, Feb. 27, 2008] On February 28 2008 Israeli aircraft bombed a police station near the Gaza City home of Hamas leader Ismail Haniya, killing several children. [ [http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/meast/02/28/mideast/index.html Children killed as Gaza violence flares] CNN, Feb. 28, 2008] The Israeli military says its air and ground operations against militants firing rockets from northern Gaza have hit at least 23 armed Palestinians, while Palestinian sources have reported higher death tolls and say many civilians have also been killed. [ [http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/meast/03/01/mideast/index.html Palestinians: Israeli attacks killing dozens] CNN, Mar. 1, 2008]

Israel began its air and ground operations on February 29. [http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aLyZdF2fucGg&refer=home UN Demands End to Gaza Strip Violence as 72 Palestinians Killed] ] The IDF's offensive in Gaza has killed more than 100 Palestinians in less than a week. [ [http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/959923.html Iran leader calls on Muslims to hit Israel 'in face' over Gaza op] ] Palestinians fired 150 rockets at Israel which killed three Israelis. The United States called for an end to clashes between Israel and the Palestinians. [http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5g5m6DPBT8Ba1eOE00ORUel-9ZrKQ White House calls for end to Gaza violence: spokesman] ] The Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, has accused Israel of "international terrorism," saying its assault on Gaza constitutes "more than a holocaust." [ [http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/0C8EBD66-032E-4470-82FB-005D6A2B5186.htm Abbas: Gaza attacks 'a holocaust'] ] On March 3 Abbas suspended all contact with Israel over its assault on Gaza as the Israeli government sent warplanes to hit more targets early on Monday and vowed to continue its offensive. [ [http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/52EF7122-5D4D-416A-B343-37118EAD689B.htm Abbas suspends ties with Israel] ] The European Union condemned what it called "disproportionate use of force" by the Israeli military in Gaza after 54 Palestinians were killed in the highest casualty toll for a single day since fighting erupted in 2000. [ [http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2008-03-02-eu-israel_N.htm EU condemns "disproportionate" use of force by Israel] ] United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon also issued a condemnation of what he termed Israel's "excessive and disproportionate" response, and called on Israel "to cease such attacks," while denouncing the ongoing rocket attacks on Sderot and Ashkelon.citation|url=http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=25816&Cr=Palestin|title=Security Council, Secretary-General alarmed by deadly violence in Middle East|date=2 March 2008|publisher=UN News Centre|accessdate=2008-03-03] In the Muslim world, demonstrators took to the streets to protest the IDF attacks. Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei called on Muslims to rise up and their leaders to hit Israel "in the face with their nations' anger." In Lebanon, hundreds of Hezbollah supporters gathered at the Fatima Gate at the border between Lebanon and Israel, shouting "Death to Israel" and waving Lebanese and Palestinian flags. In Egypt, thousands of students held protests at universities across the country calling on Arab leaders to stop Israeli aggression and support the Palestinians. Some protesters burned Israeli and American flags. About 10,000 protesters, mainly from Jordan's mainstream Muslim Brotherhood and smaller opposition groups, took to the streets in one of the country's most vocal and largest anti-Israeli demonstrations in recent years. Saudi Arabia meanwhile compared the IDF offensive to "Nazi war crimes" and called on the international community to stop what it called the "mass killings" of Palestinians. Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that the IDF attacks can have "no humanitarian justification" and added that Israel was rejecting a "diplomatic solution" to the dispute. Most Israeli tanks and troops pulled out of northern Gaza March 3 2008, and an Israel Defense Forces spokesman confirmed that the Israeli military was ending offensive operations there after five days. [ [http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/meast/03/03/mideast/index.html Israel withdraws from Gaza as anti-rocket offensive ends] ]

On February 29, 2008, the Israeli military launced Operation Hot Winter, also called "Operation Warm Winter," in response to Qassam rockets fired from the Strip by Hamas. The Israeli army killed 112 Palestinians, and Palestinian militants killed three Israelis. More than 150 Palestinians and seven Israelis have been injuredCite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7274929.stm|publisher=BBC|title=Israeli Gaza operation 'not over' |date=2008-03-03|accessdate=2008-03-03] .

There was widespread international alarm at the scale of the operation, with the US state department encouraging Israel to exercise caution to avoid the loss of innocent life, and the European Union and the United Nations criticising Israel's "disproportionate use of force". The European Union also demanded an immediate end to Palestinian militant rocket attacks on Israel and urged Israel to halt activities that endanger civilians, saying they were "in violation of international law." [ [http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/959837.html U.S. calls for end to continued violence, return to peace talks - Haaretz - Israel News ] ]

2008 Qassam attacks

; January 9, 2008:At least ten Qassam rockets and twelve mortar shells were fired into Israel. Two of the twelve Qassam rockets "directly struck houses" in Sderot.cite news| title=Israel to increase industrial-use diesel supply to Gaza Strip.| url=http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/943678.html | publisher=Haaretz| date=January 10, 2008] ; January 10, 2008:At least one Qassam rocket was fired into Israel hitting a "kibbutz" in the western Negev about "100 meters from the cafeteria."; January 15-January 18, 2008:More than 120 Qassam-rockets and 65 mortars were fired towards the Western Negev, in a 72-hour period. The attacks injured more than eight Israelis, and two of the rockets struck near a kindergarten, which was full of children at the time of the attack. [cite news| url=http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3495781,00.html| title=Barak orders lockdown of Gaza, Hamas vows revenge| publisher=Ynet| date=January 18, 2008] [cite news| title=25 Qassams fired at Israel after deadly IDF raid.| url=http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/944957.html | publisher=Haaretz| date=January 16, 2008] ; February 27:About 50 rockets were fired towards the Negev, one of which struck a parking lot near Sapir Academic College, killing a 47-year-old student there. [cite news|title=Student killed in Negev college as Qassam barrage intensifies|url=http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/958928.html|publisher=Haaretz|date=February 28, 2008] ; March 1:About 50 rockets were fired in a span of 12 hours. [cite news|title=5 hurt in Ashkelon as close to 50 rockets hit southern Israel|url=http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/959172.html|publisher=Haaretz|date=March 2, 2008]

ee also

*Timeline up to 2006 Gaza crisis
*2004 Israel-Gaza conflict
*2006 Israel-Gaza conflict
*2006 Israel-Gaza conflict casualties timeline
*2007–2008 Israel-Gaza conflict
*2008 Israel-Gaza conflict
*List of Qassam rocket attacks
*Palestinian factional violence
*Gaza Division
*Gaza Strip
*Israel's unilateral disengagement plan
*Hafrada
*Israeli Gaza Strip barrier
*Palestinian legislative election, 2006
*2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict
*Rachel Corrie

Violence during the Second Intifada

* Violence in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict: 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008
* List of massacres committed during the al-Aqsa Intifada
* Child suicide bombers in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict
* The lynch in Ramallah
* The shooting on Gilo neighborhood
* Palestinian factional violence

References and notes