Gaza War

The Gaza War was a three-week military conflict that took place in the Gaza Strip during the winter of 2008–2009. Palestinian representatives and individuals, among others, described it as a "war on the Palestinian people," however in Israel, the public believed that their army "works hard to spare civilians", the war was seen as just by the Jewish population, an act of self-defence in face of Palestinian rocket attacks on Israel. Arab Israelis strongly opposed the attacks . Hamas military leadership saw the fighting with Israel in context of: "the final battle" with "an offense against God". It was dubbed Operation Cast Lead and defined as a military operation against Hamas by the Israeli government. It was referred to as the War in the South in Israeli media coverage while the Arab world's Al Jazeera titled it a war on Gaza. It has also been called the Gaza massacre in the Arab world. Following previous winter Israel Defense Forces military campaign in the Gaza Strip, on 19 December 2008 a fragile six-month Israel-Hamas ceasefire was set to expire. Following Israel's violation of the ceasefire on November 4,, there were sporadic violent clashes along the Israeli-Gaza border for the following two months, as well as a stepping up of the blockade of Gaza, which had been in place since June 2007, when Hamas took control over the Gaza Strip. On 18 December, with a surge in cross-border fighting, Hamas confirmed the end of the ceasefire, and indicated its refusal to renew it absent an Israeli commitment to abide by its conditions. Palestinian rocket attacks on Israeli cities and towns resumed with Israel having fully sealed Gaza's borders since November 4. On 27 December Israel began a wave of airstrikes on the Gaza Strip with the stated aim of stopping the rocket attacks from and arms smuggling into the territory, damaging or destroying tens of thousands of homes, 15 of Gaza’s 27 hospitals and 43 of its 110 primary health care facilities, 800 water wells, 186 greenhouses, and nearly all of its 10,000 family farms; leaving 50,000 homeless, 400,000-500,000 without running water, one million without electricity,, and resulting in acute food shortages. Hamas' armed wing, the Izzedine al-Qassam Brigades, and the armed wings of other Palestinian factions, intensified rocket and mortar attacks against Israel, reaching major Israeli cities Beersheba and Ashdod for the first time, and hitting civilian targets including a schoolhouse, a kindergarten and private homes. According to HRW, during the Gaza War, rocket attacks placed up to 800,000 people within range of attack. An Israeli ground invasion began on January 3, 2009. The war ended on January 18, when Israel declared a unilateral ceasefire, followed by Hamas' announcing a one-week ceasefire twelve hours later. Israel completed its withdrawal on January 21. Between 1,166 and 1,417 Palestinians and 13 Israelis were killed, and tens of thousands of people were left homeless. In 2009, the United Nations Mine Action Centre reported that a further 12 people have been killed and 27 injured in the Gaza Strip by unexploded ordnance since the ceasefire. A UN mission headed by Judge Richard Goldstone was established in April 2009 and produced a report in September 2009, accusing both Palestinian militants and Israeli Defence Forces of war crimes and possible crimes against humanity, and recommending bringing those responsible to justice. In October 2009 the UN Human Rights Council endorsed the report by 25 votes for, 6 against and 16 abstentions/failures to vote. Against Goldstone's recommendations, the Council singled out Israel exclusively for reprimand without any mention of Hamas.