2014 Gaza War

Operation Protective Edge 2014
Part of the Gaza–Israel conflict
(left) A home in Gaza bombed by Israel (right) Iron Dome missile defense system in operation
Date 8 July – 26 August 2014 (1 month, 2 weeks and 4 days) Location Gaza Strip Israel Result Both sides claim victory According to Israel and Palestinian president Abbas, Hamas was severely weakened and achieved none of its demands According to Hamas, Israel was repelled from Gaza
Belligerents
Israel Armament support: United States	Gazan militant groups Hamas Islamic Jihad DFLP PFLP PRC al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades Abdullah Azzam Brigades Armament support: Iran
Commanders and leaders
Benjamin Netanyahu Prime Minister Moshe Ya'alon Defense Minister Benny Gantz Chief of General Staff Amir Eshel Air Force Commander Ram Rothberg Naval Commander Sami Turgeman Southern Commander Mickey Edelstein Gaza Division Yoram Cohen Chief of Shin Bet	Khaled Mashal Leader of Hamas Ismail Haniyeh Deputy chief of Hamas Mohammed Deif Head of Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades Ramadan Shalah Leader of PIJ
Units involved
Israeli Army Israeli Air Force Israeli Navy File:ShabakLogo.png Shin Bet	File:Alqassam.jpg Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades Abu Ali Mustapha Brigades File:Emblem of the Al-Nasser Salah al-Deen Brigades.jpeg Al-Nasser Salah al-Deen Brigades Al-Quds Brigades
Strength
176,500 active personnel 565,000 reservists	Al-Qassam Brigades: 20,000–40,000 Al-Quds Brigades: 8,000
Casualties and losses
66 soldiers and 6 civilians (1 Thai) killed, 469 soldiers and 87 civilians wounded	UN OCHA: 2,205 killed (1,483 civilians) Gaza Health Ministry: 2,310 killed (70% civilians), 10,626 wounded Israeli security: 2,140 killed*, 250 captured (159 identified as militants) PCHR: 2,191 killed (1,660 civilians), 10,895 wounded ITIC: 2,157 killed**
45% civilians and 55% militants of those identified **48% civilians and 52% militants of those identified

On 8 July 2014, Israel launched a military operation which it designated Operation Protective Edge (Template:Lang-he-n, Miv'tza Tzuk Eitan, lit. "Operation Strong Cliff") in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip. Thereafter, seven weeks of Israeli bombardment, Palestinian rocket attacks, and ground fighting resulted in the deaths of over 2,200 people, the vast majority of them Gazans.

The stated aim of the Israeli operation was to stop rocket fire from Gaza into Israel, which increased after an Israeli crackdown on Hamas in the West Bank was launched following the 12 June kidnapping and murder of three Israeli teenagers by two Hamas members. Conversely, Hamas's goal was to bring international pressure to bear to lift Israel's blockade of the Gaza Strip, end Israel's offensive, release Palestinian prisoners and overcome its political isolation, after, it is claimed, Israel was the first, on June 13, to break the ceasefire agreement with Hamas that had been in place since November 2012.

On 7 July, after seven Hamas militants died in a tunnel explosion in Khan Yunis which was caused by an Israeli airstrike (per Hamas) or an accidental explosion of their own munitions (per the IDF), Hamas assumed responsibility for rockets fired into Israel and launched 40 rockets towards Israel.

The operation officially began the following day, and on 17 July, the operation was expanded to an Israeli ground invasion of Gaza with the stated aim of destroying Gaza's tunnel system; Israeli ground forces withdrew on 5 August. On 26 August, an open-ended ceasefire was announced. By that date, the IDF reported that Hamas, Islamic Jihad and other militant groups had fired 4,564 rockets and mortars from Gaza into Israel, with over 735 intercepted in flight and shot down by Iron Dome. Most Gazan mortar and rocket fire hit open land, more than 280 fell on areas in Gaza, while only 224 struck residential areas. The IDF attacked 5,263 targets in Gaza; at least 34 known tunnels were destroyed and two-thirds of Hamas's 10,000-rocket arsenal was used up or destroyed.

Between 2,140 and 2,310 Gazans were killed (including 513 children) and between 10,626 and 10,895 and were wounded. 66 Israeli soldiers, 5 Israeli civilians (including one child) and one Thai civilian were killed and 469 IDF soldiers and 261 Israeli civilians were injured. The Gaza Health Ministry, UN and some human rights groups reported that 69–75% of the Palestinian casualties were civilians; Israeli officials estimated that around 50% of those killed were civilians. On 5 August, OCHA stated that 520,000 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip (approximately 30% of its population) might have been displaced, of whom 485,000 needed emergency food assistance and 273,000 were taking shelter in 90 UN-run schools. The UN calculated that more than 7,000 homes for 10,000 families were razed, together with an additional 89,000 homes damaged, of which roughly 10,000 were severely affected by the bombing. Rebuilding costs were calculated to run from 4-6 billions dollars, over 20 years. In Israel, an estimated 5,000 to 8,000 citizens temporarily fled their homes due to the threat of rocketry from Gaza. The economic cost of the operation is estimated at NIS 8.5 billion (approximately 2.5 billion USD) and GDP loss of 0.4%. At the conclusion of hostilities 3,000-3,700 claims for damages had been submitted by Israelis, and $41 million paid out for property damage and missed work days. Reconstruction costs were estimated at approximately $11 million.

Background

Main article: Israeli–Palestinian conflict

In 2005, then Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon unilaterally withdrew Israeli forces and settlements from the Gaza Strip. Nonetheless, the ICRC, the UN and various human rights organizations consider Israel to still be the de facto occupying power due to its control of Gaza's borders, air space and territorial waters. The following year, Hamas won a majority of seats in the Palestinian legislative elections. The outcome disconcerted Israel, the United States and the Quartet, and they demanded Hamas accept all previous agreements, recognize Israel's right to exist, and renounce violence; when Hamas refused, they cut off aid to the Palestinian Authority. In mid-2006 an Israeli soldier was captured by Hamas in a cross-border raid. The United States, in response to Fatah moves in October 2006 to form a unity government with Hamas, tried to undo the elections by arming Fatah to overthrow Hamas in Gaza. Hamas preempted the coup and took complete power by force. Israel then defined Gaza as a "hostile territory" forming no part of a sovereign state and put Gaza under a comprehensive economic and political blockade, which also denied access to a third of its arable land and 85% of its fishing areas. It has led to considerable economic damage and humanitarian problems in Gaza. The overwhelming consensus of international institutions is that the blockade is a form of collective punishment and illegal. Israel maintains that the blockade is legal and necessary to limit Palestinian rocket attacks from the Gaza Strip on its cities and to prevent Hamas from obtaining other weapons. Israel carried out Operation Cast Lead in December 2008 with the stated aim of stopping rocket attacks from Hamas militants. It lead to a decrease in Palestinian rocket attacks. The UN Fact Finding Mission on the Gaza Conflict concluded that the operation was "a deliberately disproportionate attack designed to punish, humiliate and terrorize a civilian population, radically diminish its local economic capacity both to work and to provide for itself, and to force upon it an ever increasing sense of dependency and vulnerability". The Israeli government's analysis concludes that the report perverts international law to serve a political agenda and sends a "legally unfounded message to states everywhere confronting terrorism that international law has no effective response to offer them".

First Hamas–Fatah reconciliation (2011)

Influenced in the Arab Spring and by demonstrations in Ramallah and Gaza, the gap between Hamas and Fatah was bridged in 2011. After the Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas declared his willingness to travel to Gaza and sign an agreement, the IDF killed two Hamas activists in Gaza; the IDF stated the killings were in response to the launching of a single Qassam rocket, which hit no one, but Yedioth Ahronoth's Alex Fishman argued they were a "premeditated escalation" by Israel. In an interview with CNN, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared that the reconciliation talks were calls for Israel's destruction, and strongly opposed the idea of a unity government.

The November 2012 ceasefire and its violations

On 14 November 2012, Israel launched Operation Pillar of Defence in the Gaza Strip. The operation was preceded by a period with a number of mutual Israeli–Palestinian responsive attacks. According to the Israeli government, the operation began in response to the launch of over 100 rockets at Israel during a 24-hour period, an attack by Gaza militants on an Israeli military patrol jeep within Israeli borders, and an explosion caused by IEDs, which occurred near Israeli soldiers, on the Israeli side of a tunnel passing under the Israeli West Bank barrier. The Israeli government stated that the aims of the military operation were to halt rocket attacks against civilian targets originating from the Gaza Strip and to disrupt the capabilities of militant organizations. The Palestinians blamed the Israeli government for the upsurge in violence, accusing the IDF of attacks on Gazan civilians in the days leading up to the operation. They cited the blockade of the Gaza Strip and the occupation of West Bank, including East Jerusalem, as the reason for rocket attacks. A week later, on 21 November, Egypt brokered a ceasefire to the conflict which contained the following agreements:

1. Israel should stop all hostilities in the Gaza Strip land, sea and air, including incursions and targeting of individuals.
2. All Palestinian factions shall stop all hostilities from the Gaza Strip against Israel, including rocket attacks and all attacks along the border.
3. The crossings should be opened, facilitating the movement of people and goods; Israel should refrain from restricting residents' movements and from targeting residents in border areas; procedures of implementation should be dealt with 24 hours after the start of the ceasefire.

Gaza Strip: access and closure

A sculpture in Sderot made from rocket debris

Violations

Both Israel and Hamas argue that the other violated the 2012 ceasefire agreement, resulting in 1 Israeli and 8 Gazan deaths and 5 Israeli and 66 Gazan injuries. According to the Israeli Security Agency (Shabak) there was a sharp decrease in attacks from Gaza in 2013. Nevertheless, 63 rockets (average 5 per month) were launched in 36 rocket attacks in addition to various mortar attacks, all prohibited by the November 2012 ceasefire. The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) reported monthly Israeli attacks involving drones, missiles, small arms fire and airstrikes. Six of the deaths in Gaza occurred in the border area's Access Restricted Areas (ARAs, non-demarcated zones within Gazan territory unilaterally defined by Israel as being of restricted access), despite the ceasefire's prohibition on Israeli attacks on these areas. OCHAO, more broadly sourced data, reported 11 deaths in Gaza and 81 injuries for 2013.

In the first three months after the IDF Operation Pillar of Defense, according to Ben White, two mortar shells struck Israeli territory, while four Gazans were shot dead and 91 were wounded by Israeli forces who fired inside Gazan territory on 63 occasions, made 13 incursions into the Strip, and attacked the Gazan fishing fleet 30 times. Israeli attacks on Gaza steadily increased during the second half of 2013, notwithstanding the decrease in attacks from Gaza.

From December 2012 to late June/early July 2014, Hamas did not fire rockets into Israel, and tried to police other groups doing so. These efforts were largely successful; Netanyahu stated in March 2014 that the rocket fire in the past year was the "lowest in a decade." According to Shabak, in the first half of 2014 there were 181 rocket attacks compared to 55 rocket attacks in whole 2013.

As occasional rocket fire continued, the blockade of Gaza continued in direct violation of the ceasefire agreement. "Crossings were repeatedly shut and buffer zones were reinstated. Imports declined, exports were blocked, and fewer Gazans were given exit permits to Israel and the West Bank."

Israel halted construction material going to Gaza after it stated that it had discovered a tunnel leading into Israel, some 300 m from a kibbutz. The IDF said it was the third tunnel discovered that year and that the previous two were packed with explosives.

According to the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, there were 85 rocket attacks in the first five months of 2014. Most of the 85 rockets were fired in March, after the IDF killed 3 members of Islamic Jihad. The members of the PIJ say they were firing rockets in response to an incursion by Israeli tanks and bulldozers into Gazan territory east of the Khan Yunis area. The IDF said they were conducting routine military patrols near the Gaza border when they came under fire, and thus responded with airstrikes.

Second Hamas–Fatah reconciliation

See also: Palestinian Government of 2014

Leading up to the collapse of the 2013–14 Israeli–Palestinian peace talks, in the face of Netanyahu's perceived reluctance to make desired concessions, Mahmoud Abbas decided to forge a deal with Hamas. With its alliance with Syria and Iran weakened, the loss of power by the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt after a coup d’ètat in Egypt, and the economic impact of the closure of its Rafah tunnels by Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, on 23 April 2014, ending seven divisive years, Hamas agreed to reconciliation under a unity government with the other main Palestinian faction, Fatah. The government accepted by Hamas was to be run exclusively by PNA technocrats. This Palestinian unity government was sworn in by 2 June 2014 and Israel announced it would not negotiate any peace deal with the new government and would push punitive measures. Netanyahu took Palestinian unity as a threat rather than an opportunity. On the eve of the agreement he stated that the proposed reconciliation would "strengthen terrorism", and called on the international community to avoid embracing it. Most of the outside world, including the European Union, Russia, China, India, Turkey, France and the United Kingdom, proved cautiously optimistic, and subsequently expressed their support for new arrangement. The United States, more skeptical, announced it would continue to work with the PNA-directed unity government. Israel itself suspended negotiations with the PNA and, just after the announcement, launched an airstrike, which missed its target and wounded a family of three bystanders. Netanyahu had warned before the deal that it would be incompatible with Israeli–Palestinian peace and that Abbas had to choose between peace with Hamas and peace with Israel. When a reconciliation deal was signed, opening the way to the appointment of the new government, Netanyahu chaired a security cabinet which voted to authorise Netanyahu to impose unspecified sanctions against the Palestinian Authority. On 4 June, the day before Naksa Day, the Israeli Housing and Construction Ministry published tenders for 1,500 settlement units in the West Bank and East Jerusalem in a move Minister Uri Ariel said was an "appropriate Zionist response to the Palestinian terror government." Marwan Bishara, senior political analyst at Al Jazeera, alleged that Israel had hoped to disrupt the Palestinian national unity government between Fatah and Hamas by its operation.

Immediate events

Street in Ramallah after an IDF raid during Operation Brother's Keeper, June 2014

Factory bursts in flames after rocket attack in Sderot, Israel, 28 June 2014

On Nakba Day, May 15, 2014, two Palestinian youth, Nadeem Siam Nawara, 17, and Mohammad Mahmoud Odeh Abu Daher, 16, were killed by Israeli sniper fire using live ammunition near Ofer military prison in the West Bank city of Beitunia. Many Palestinians say this was the first action that began the 2014 conflict, named Operation Protective Edge, by Israel. On 12 June 2014, three Israeli teenagers were abducted in the West Bank: Naftali Fraenkel, Gilad Shaer, and Eyal Yifrah. Israel blamed Hamas, with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying that he had "unequivocal proof" that Hamas was involved and that the abduction was linked to Palestinian reconciliation, and the IDF stated that the two men Israel suspected of having kidnapped the teenagers were known members of Hamas. No evidence of Hamas involvement was offered by Israeli authorities at the time. High-ranking members of Hamas denied the group had any involvement in the incident, and ex-Shin Bet chief Yuval Diskin doubted Hamas had any involvement. The Palestinian Authority in the West Bank attributed the abductions to the Qawasameh clan, notorious for acting against Hamas's policies and any attempts to reach an entente with Israel. Hamas political chief Khaled Meshal said he could neither confirm nor deny the kidnapping of the three Israelis, but congratulated the abductors. The kidnappings were condemned by human rights organizations. Documents released by Israel suggest that Hamas member Hussam Qawasmeh organized the kidnappings with $60,000 provided by his brother Mahmoud through a Hamas association in Gaza, after requesting support for a "military operation". On 20 August, Saleh al-Arouri, an exiled Hamas leader based in Turkey, claimed responsibility for the kidnapping of the three Israeli teens: "Our goal was to ignite an intifada in the West Bank and Jerusalem, as well as within the 1948 borders... Your brothers in the Al-Qassam Brigades carried out this operation to support their imprisoned brothers, who were on a hunger strike... The mujahideen captured these settlers in order to have a swap deal." Palestinian security forces said the kidnappings were organized by Saleh al-Arouri. Khalid Meshaal, head in exile of Hamas's political wing since 2004, acknowledged that Hamas members were responsible, but stated that its political leaders had no prior knowledge of the abduction, were not involved in military details and learnt of it through the ensuing Israeli investigations. He also said that while Hamas was opposed to targeting civilians, he understood that Palestinians "frustrated with oppression" were exercising a "legitimate right of resistance" against the occupation by undertaking such operations. Israel states that the IDF and the Shin Bet have foiled between 54 and 64 kidnapping plots since 2013. The PA said it had foiled 43 of them.

Withholding evidence in its possession suggesting that the teens had been killed immediately until 1 July, Israel launched Operation Brother's Keeper, a large-scale crackdown of what it called Hamas's terrorist infrastructure and personnel in the West Bank, ostensibly aimed at securing the release of the kidnapped teenagers. During the operation, 11 Palestinians were killed and 51 wounded in 369 Israeli incursions into the West Bank through to 2 July, and between 350 and 600 Palestinians, including nearly all of Hamas's West Bank leaders, were arrested. Among those arrested were many people who had only recently been freed under the terms of the Gilad Shalit prisoner exchange. Israeli military spokesman Lt. Col. Peter Lerner defended the arrests, stating that Hamas members had carried out 60 abduction attempts on Israelis in the West Bank "in the last year and a half", and that "Hamas does not need to give a direct order." The arrests yielded no information about the abduction. Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch stated that certain aspects of the operation amounted to collective punishment, and B'tselem said in a press release that the actions have caused "disproportionate harm to the basic rights of Palestinians". During the course of the operation, Israel said it had uncovered a Hamas plot to launch a massive wave of violence throughout the West Bank, with the goal of overthrowing the Palestinian Authority. The purported coup plotters were arrested and their weapons stockpiles were seized

On 30 June, search teams found the bodies of the three missing teenagers near Hebron. After their burial, an anti-Arab riot broke out, and a Palestinian teenager was killed in revenge. His killing sparked Arab rioting. Israel police arrested six suspects belonging to the Beitar Jerusalem F.C. supporters' group La Familia and charged three of them with murder.

As part of its crackdown, Israel conducted air strikes against Hamas facilities in the Gaza Strip, while Hamas apparently refrained from retaliating, though it did not impede other factions from firing rockets towards Israel. From 1 May to 11 June, six rockets and three mortar shells were launched from Gaza towards Israel. From 12 to 30 June 44 rockets and 3 mortar shells were launched from Gaza. On 29 June, an Israeli airstrike on a rocket crew killed a Hamas operative, while at least 18 rockets were launched from Gaza through the next day by Hamas according to both J.J. Goldberg and Assaf Sharon, with Goldberg stating that it was the first time Hamas directly launched rockets since the conflict in 2012. Overnight, on 30 June – 1 July, Israeli airstrikes struck 34 Gaza targets in what officials stated was a response to the Sunday rocketry, while Stuart Greer reported the strikes were revenge for the deaths of the three youths. From the day of the abductions on 12 June through 5 July 117 rockets were launched from Gaza and there were approximately 80 Israeli airstrikes on Gaza.

Israel sought a ceasefire but refused to accept Hamas's condition that Palestinians arrested in the West Bank crackdown be released. In a meeting held on 2 July to discuss the crisis, Hamas reportedly tried but failed to persuade armed factions in Gaza to uphold the truce with Israel. Following escalating rocket fire from Gaza, Israel issued a warning on 4 July that it "would only be able to sustain militant rocket fire for another 24, or maximum 48, hours before undertaking a major military offensive." Hamas declared it was prepared to halt the rocket fire in exchange for an agreement by Israel to stop airstrikes. Netanyahu said Israel would only act against further rocket attacks. On 5 July, Hamas official Osama Hamdan said rocket fire would continue until Israel lifted its import restrictions on Gaza and the Palestinian Authority transferred money to pay Hamas civil servants. Between 4 and 6 July, a total of 62 rockets where fired from Gaza and the IAF attacked several targets in Gaza. The following day, Hamas assumed formal responsibility for launching rocket attacks on Israel. Hamas increased rocket attacks on Israel, and by 7 July had fired 100 rockets from Gaza at Israeli territory; at the same time, the Israeli Air Force had bombed several sites in Gaza. Early on 8 July, the IAF bombed 50 targets in the Gaza Strip. Israel's military also stopped a militant infiltration from the sea. Brigadier General Moti Almoz, the chief spokesman of the Israeli military, said: "We have been instructed by the political echelon to hit Hamas hard." Hamas insisted that Israel end all attacks on Gaza, release those re-arrested during the crackdown in the West Bank, lift the blockade on Gaza and return to the cease-fire conditions of 2012 as conditions for a ceasefire.

Operation timeline

Main article: Timeline of the 2014 Israel–Gaza conflict

The following is a timeline of the 2014 Gaza War. Over 2014, Palestinians suffered the highest number of civilian casualties since the Six-Day War in 1967, according to a United Nations report, given the July–August conflict, and rising tolls in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. A spike in Israeli casualties also occurred. 2,256 Palestinians and 85 Israelis died, while 17,125 Palestinians, and 2,639 Israelis suffered injuries.

For events pertaining to the conflict which occurred before 8 July 2014, see Background of the 2014 Israel–Gaza conflict and Operation Brother's Keeper.

Overview

Israeli residents of Ashkelon run for shelter during a rocket alert

IDF-released map of rocket launch sites in Gaza

Israeli troops and tanks near the Gaza border

Phase 1: Air strikes

As the Israeli operation began, and the IDF bombarded targets in the Gaza Strip with artillery and airstrikes, Hamas continued to fire rockets and mortar shells into Israel in response. A cease-fire proposal was announced by the Egyptian government on 14 July, backed by Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas; the Israeli government accepted it and temporarily stopped hostilities on the morning of 15 July, but Hamas rejected it in "its current form", citing the fact Hamas has not been consulted in the formation of the ceasefire and it omitted many of their demands. By 16 July, the death toll within Gaza had surpassed 200 people.

Phase 2: Ground invasion

On 16 July, Hamas and Islamic Jihad offered the Israeli government a 10-year truce with ten conditions centred on the lifting of the blockade and the release of prisoners who were released in the Gilad Shalit prisoner swap and were re-arrested; it was not accepted. On 17 July, a five-hour humanitarian ceasefire, proposed by the UN, took place. Approximately five and a half hours prior to the ceasefire's effect, the IDF sighted 13 armed Hamas militants emerging from a Gazan tunnel on the Israeli side of the Gaza border. IDF destroyed the tunnel's exit, ending the incursion. After the ceasefire, IDF began a ground offensive on the Gaza Strip focused on destroying tunnels crossing the Israel border. On 20 July, the Israeli military entered Shuja'iyya, a populous neighborhood of Gaza City, resulting in heavy fighting.

On 24 July, over 10,000 Palestinians in the West Bank protested against the Israeli operation; 2 Palestinian protesters were killed. 150 Hamas militants who surrendered to the IDF were being questioned about Hamas operations. On 25 July, an Israeli airstrike killed Salah Abu Hassanein, the leader of Islamic Jihad's military wing. On 26 July, another humanitarian ceasefire took place for twelve hours, followed by a unilateral extension by Israel for another twenty-four hours, which was rejected by Hamas. The Palestinian death toll in the Gaza Strip topped 1,000.

On 1 August, the US and UN announced that Israel and Hamas had agreed to a 72-hour ceasefire starting at 08:00. There was dispute about the terms of the ceasefire: Israel and the US stated that they allowed Israel to "continue to do operations to destroy tunnels that pose a threat to Israeli territory that lead from the Gaza Strip into Israel proper as long as those tunnels exist on the Israel side of their lines"; Hamas said that it would not accept such a condition. The ceasefire broke down almost immediately after it started. Israel blamed Hamas for violating the ceasefire, saying a group of Israeli soldiers were attacked by Palestinian militants emerging from a tunnel. Palestinians said the IDF was the first to breach the ceasefire when at 08:30 it destroyed 19 buildings while undertaking work to demolish tunnels. According to the PLO, the Palestinian Authority and Gazan sources, Hamas attacked an Israeli unit, killing an Israeli officer (Hadar Goldin, who was initially thought to have been captured) while Israeli forces were still engaged in military activities in Rafah on Gaza's territory before the truce came into effect. Tweets reported the battle in Rafah before the deadline for the cease-fire. Hamas also killed two soldiers in a suicide bombing attack. Senior Hamas leader Moussa Abu Marzouk accused Israel of creating pretexts to undermine the Gaza ceasefire and said that Palestinian fighters abducted the officer and killed the two soldiers before the start of the humanitarian truce, which a Hamas witness has stated began at 7:30 and lasted five minutes, while Israel said the event took place at 09:20, after the 08:00 start of the ceasefire.

Phase 3: Withdrawal of Israeli troops

On 3 August, IDF pulled most of its ground forces out of the Gaza Strip after completing the destruction of 32 tunnels built by Hamas and other militants. On 5 August, Israel announced that it had arrested Hossam Kawasmeh on 11 July, and suspected him of having organized the killing of the three teenagers. According to court documents, Kawasmeh stated that Hamas members in Gaza financed the recruitment and arming of the killers.

On 10 August, another Egyptian proposal for a 72-hour ceasefire was negotiated and agreed upon Israeli and Palestinian officials, and on 13 August it was extended for another 120 hours to allow both sides to continue negotiations for a long-term solution to end the month-long fighting. On 19 August, a 24-hour ceasefire extension renewal was violated just hours after agreement with 29 Hamas rockets fired in 20 minutes, with IAF airstrikes in response, killing 9 Gazans. The Israeli delegation was ordered home from Cairo.

On 21 August, an Israeli airstrike in Rafah killed three of Hamas's top commanders: Mohammed Abu Shammala, Raed al Atar and Mohammed Barhoum. During the period from 22 to 26 August, over 700 rockets and mortar shells fired into Israel, killing 3 Israelis. On 26 August, Israel and Hamas accepted another cease-fire at 19:00.

Result and post-conflict events

On 16 September, a mortar shell was fired to Israel for the first time since the cease-fire commenced. Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon reassured border town populations that fighting would not resume with the Gaza Strip at the end of this month, the same time of year as the Jewish new year.

According to Palestinians on 1 October, Israeli forces entered the Gaza Strip and fired upon Palestinian farmers and farms. No injuries were reported.

IDF reported that on 31 October a rocket or a mortar shell was launched from Gaza into southern Israel without causing harm.

On 23 November, a Palestinian farmer was shot dead in Gaza, marking the first time a Palestinian from Gaza had been killed by Israeli fire since the seven-week war between Israel and Hamas militants ended with an Egyptian-brokered ceasefire on 26 August. The Israeli army said two Palestinians had approached the border fence and had ignored calls to halt, prompting troops to fire warning shots in the air. "Once they didn't comply, they fired towards their lower extremities. There was one hit," a spokeswoman said.

Timeline, weeks 1–4 (7 July – 4 August)

Week 1

7 July

After an Israeli Air Force strike killed 7 Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip the day before, Hamas responded by launching rockets and assumed responsibility for all rockets fired from Gaza. In preparations for a potential escalation in fighting, the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) called up 1,500 reserves on 7 July. These reserves were positioned around southern Israel and were working on training in case of escalation.

8 July

Israeli Air Forces bombing over Ansar site, 8 July 2014

The IDF continued calling up additional reserves on 8 July, stating plans to call up 40,000 or more. Due to the rocket fire from the Gaza Strip into Israel, the IDF Home Front Command closed all summer camps and banned gatherings of more than 300 people within 40 km of Gaza, while universities suspended studies and final exams, and people were cautioned to stay close to shelter. In Gaza, 37,000 students who had completed high school had their graduation delayed.

In the early morning of 8 July, Israel announced it had struck at least 50 targets in Gaza overnight Monday, injuring 17 people. In the Central Gaza Strip, 13 IAF airstrikes, with 16 missiles, struck numerous targets. In Gaza City, 9 airstrikes involving 11 missiles struck militant sites, agricultural plots and a blacksmith workshop. In the Northern Gaza Strip, 36 airstrikes using 45 missiles targeted numerous houses and militant training sites, and a poultry farm. In Khan Yunis 7 airstrikes using 18 missiles demolished 3 houses, with collateral damage to nearby homes. In Rafah 4 airstrikes involving 9 missiles hit 2 houses and agricultural sites.

A force of five Hamas naval commandos landed on a beach in Israel near kibbutz Zikim and advanced toward an IDF command post. Israeli infantry, aircraft, and a naval vessel engaged the Hamas commandos, killing all five. A short while later, a parachute was found abandoned near Yad Mordechai and a Gaza tunnel exploded near Kerem Shalom.

This was followed by Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu instructing the IDF to "take their gloves off" against Hamas and instructed them to take any means necessary to restore peace to Israeli citizens. As the afternoon progressed, the IDF continued their targeted retaliation, including the home of senior Hamas member Abdul Rahman Juda, which served as a command and control center.

Additionally, the IDF targeted and killed Muhammad Sa'aban a commander of Hamas's naval commando unit. The IDF targeted the homes of Hamas members Eiad Sakik, Abdullah Hshash, Samer Abu Daka, and Hassan Abdullah. The Palestinians confirmed that all homes were called by the IDF prior to being hit, asking residents to leave. The IDF assassinated Islamic Jihad commander Hafez Hamad, who was a commander in its military wing in Beit Hanoun, in an airstrike on his home.

Late afternoon, Hamas announced that all Israelis are now legitimate targets. Early evening, the Iron Dome Defense system shot down a rocket over Tel Aviv.

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

Palestinian man with child, 8 July

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

By the end of 8 July, Israeli Air Force (IAF) and the Israeli Navy had struck 435 targets in Gaza, resulting in the death of at least 23 Palestinians, including two children under five, and over 122 injuries. Also, during the first day 225 rockets were fired from Gaza into Israel and 40 of out of 225 were intercepted.

Property damage in Israel totaled approximately 10 million NIS, from 35 vehicles, 52 buildings, 12 agriculture-related instances of damage reported.

9 July

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

The IDF confirmed that overnight it struck 160 targets in Gaza, bringing the total to 435 sites that Israel has struck, while from Gaza 235 rockets have been fired. Overnight in Rafah 95 airstrikes, with 130 missiles, targeted houses, militant training sites and border tunnels. In Khan Yunis, 74 airstrikes struck 9 houses, 2 mosque minarets, and militant sites with 80 missiles. In the Central Gaza Strip, 20 airstrikes using 30 missiles destroyed 4 houses. Also targeted were militants and agricultural plots. 65 Palestinians were wounded. In Gaza City, 42 airstrikes, employing 75 missiles, struck various targets. In the Northern Gaza Strip 112 airstrikes were launched with 114 missiles, destroying 6 houses, killing 8 and injuring a further 89. On the morning of 9 July the IDF confirmed that two further rockets had been shot down over Tel Aviv.

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

In the afternoon, the Iron Dome shot down a rocket over Zichron Yaakov, 120 km (75 miles) from the Gaza border. This was immediately followed by two rockets landing in the Mount Carmel region, just short of Haifa; Hamas said they were responsible, and that Gaza had been hit 500 times in the past two days. The IDF announced that they had struck 129 targets in Gaza including Palestinian militants, rocket launchers, weapons stores, tunnels and command centers.

In the early evening two rockets, believed by Israel to have been aimed at Haifa, landed in an open field in Caesarea. Israel struck a house in Gaza, killing a mother and her two children. Palestinians reported that the Islamic Jihad Communications Commander was killed in IAF strike on his house. Following the Israeli attacks on Gaza, the death toll rose to 43; Abbas called the operation an Israeli genocide. Within the first 36 hours of Operation Protective Edge, Israel hit more targets in Gaza than they had in the full eight days of Operation Pillar of Defense.

As night fell, Hamas fired multiple rockets toward Dimona, which they said were attempting to hit the nuclear reactors. Israel continued to strike Gaza; Palestinian casualties rose to 51 dead and 450 injuries Over the same period, Magen David Adom reported that there had been no Israeli deaths and 68 injuries, 59 from shock and nine while running for shelter.

As the second day came to an end, the IDF announced that it had hit over 550 targets in Gaza over the first two days. Hamas fired approximately 180 rockets into Israel during the second day. Palestinian casualties were 68 dead and 550 injured (some of them civilians).

10 July

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

Throughout the night, Israel continued their targeted attacks on Gaza, hitting several sites, resulting in 14 additional deaths, including some women and children. Overnight in the Northern Gaza Strip, 111 airstrikes, involving 120 missiles, struck 15 houses and other targets, with 9 deaths and 51 wounded. In Gaza City, 46 airstrikes, using 54 missiles, hit 14 houses, 2 security sites and a press vehicle, resulting in 10 fatalities and 70 injured. In the Central Gaza Strip, 30 airstrikes, with 33 missiles, demolished 9 houses and struck police stations, resulting in 7 fatalities and 25 wounded. In Khan Yunis, 57 airstrikes demolished 12 houses and a beach resort killing 19 civilians. Israel vowed to intensify the attacks as the operation enters its third day. Eight of those killed were members of the Kaware family. Israel announced that although the family was warned, and they did leave the house, they returned after the warning shot hit the house. They returned home moments after the second rocket was fired and it was too late to reprogram. In total 320 sites in Gaza were hit overnight.

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

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

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

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

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

As in the past few nights, militants from Gaza chose to shoot a large number of rockets into Israel during the 20:00 news broadcast, with tonight's resulting in a number of injuries after a direct hit on a house. Initial reports indicated that an Israeli was killed when a rocket hit their car; however this was later proven to be untrue as the car was empty, and the Israeli death count remained at zero since the operation started.

As the third day of fighting came to an end, Israel announced that 144 rockets had been shot at Israel on 10 July, and 442 since the operation started. This rocket fire has resulted in injuries to 123 people; one seriously, 21 moderately to lightly and 101 from shock. Israel had struck 201 targets In Gaza, resulting in 23 deaths and carried out almost 900 airstrikes on the Gaza strip since the start of the operation, killing at least 100 Palestinians (some of whom were civilians).

Hamas stated that they are ready for a long battle and that they plan a ground operation to free Palestinian prisoners.

11 July

The remains of a building in Beersheba (Israel), after a direct hit from a rocket in the fourth day of the Operation, (11 July 2014)

Overnight, in the Northern Gaza Strip 45 airstrikes hit 5 houses, 7 offices, 2 security sites, and militants. UNRWA buildings were damaged. There were 4 fatalities and 36 wounded. In Gaza City there were 40 airstrikes, with ground and sea shelling. 5 houses, a site of the Naval Police, the Gaza fishing harbor, a security compound, the 4th floor of al-Wafaa' Rehabilitation Hospital and a monument of the Turkish Marmara Ship were destroyed. In the Central Gaza Strip, 37 airstrikes struck militant sites, a motorbike, a charity office, destroying 9 houses. In Khan Yunis, 31 airstrikes destroyed 12 houses. In Palestinian calculations there were 19 civilian dead and 37 wounded. At approximately 03:30, the Iron Dome counter-rocket defense system shot down a rocket over Haifa, the first time a rocket from Gaza reached that far. An elderly woman running for cover when hearing the sirens collapsed and was pronounced dead at the scene.

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

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

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

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

In the evening, two Israeli soldiers were injured by anti-aircraft missiles near Nahal Oz. By the end of that day, Israel had struck 235 targets in Gaza, resulting in 23 deaths. From Gaza 137 rockets were fired toward Israel, causing no deaths.

12 July

A house in Israel after a direct hit from a rocket in the fifth day of the operation, 12 July 2014

Overnight in the Northern Gaza Strip, 57 airstrikes, together with tank and gunboat fire, struck and shelled a variety of sites, destroying 10 houses and institutional offices, including a disability rehabilitation center. 77 people were wounded including 28 children and 21 women. In Gaza City, 43 airstrikes, combined with ground and sea shelling destroyed 11 houses, and hit security sites, and open land, with 11 killed and 30 wounded. In the Central Gaza Strip, 35 airstrikes demolished 9 houses, militant sites, open areas, and some charities and mosques. There were 6 fatalities and 41 wounded. In Khan Yunis, 39 airstrikes hit housing, demolishing 12 houses, open areas, a charity, and a bank. There were 9 fatalities. In Rafah 34 airstrikes targeted houses, destroying 8, and government offices and tunnels, and ground and sea artillery was all offices. There were 28 fatalities. An IDF strike targeting Gaza police chief Tayseer Al-Batsah's home killed 21 people and wounded 45. The police chief's Gaza City house was nearly destroyed by two rockets. Many of those killed were leaving a mosque, next door to the home, at the time of the strike.

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

Rockets were fired at Beersheba and Ashdod wounding ten people, one of them seriously. Ten rockets aimed at Tel Aviv were launched, for which Hamas claimed responsibility; no casualties were reported. At around 20:00 in the evening, Hamas convened a news conference and announced that at 21:00 they would fire J80 rockets into central Israel that would challenge the Iron Dome system. The Iron Dome system intercepted three of the rockets; the rest fell in open areas. there were no injuries and minor shrapnel damage. In response, the IDF launched a combined attack involving artillery, helicopters, and fighter jets on many targets throughout the Gaza Strip. Rockets were fired at Haifa, where an elderly woman died of a heart attack while trying to reach a bomb shelter.

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

Around 23:00, two rockets were fired from Lebanon into western Galilee, causing no casualties; the IDF responded with artillery fire. By day's end, Israel had struck 180 targets in Gaza, resulting in 51 deaths. From, Gaza 125 rockets were fired toward Israel, with no deaths.

13 July

An elementary school in Gaza's Rimal neighborhood, where UNRWA is housing refugees who left their homes on orders from the Israeli military on the night between 12 and 13 July 2014

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

In the early hours of the morning, Israeli naval commandos landed in Gaza on the al-Sudaniya beach, on a mission to raid a compound from which long-range rockets were being fired. The Israeli commandos encountered Hamas fighters during the raid, and a gunfight ensured. Three Hamas fighters were killed and four of the commandos were lightly wounded. Israel stated that their mission was successful, and it took out several long-range rocket launchers.

At 6:00am, 670 people living in Gaza who had dual citizenship were given a chance to be escorted by the IDF out of Gaza to their respective embassies in Israel. A 30-minute window was given to people wishing to leave; many people missed this opportunity and remained in Gaza.

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

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

In the evening, a rocket fired from Gaza hit the infrastructure in Israel that provides electricity to 70,000 Palestinians in Gaza, cutting off their power. This was followed by a break from the rocket fire, which correlated with the World Cup. An Israel missile killed 9 youths and wounded 15 as they were watching the Argentine-Netherlands semi-final match in a beach café in Khan Younis,

By day's end, Israel had struck 173 targets in Gaza, resulting in 13 deaths. 130 rockets were fired from Gaza toward Israel, but there were no resulting fatalities.

14 July

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

Throughout the day, 115 rockets were fired from Gaza toward Israel, causing no fatalities. Israel struck 163 targets in Gaza, killing seven Hamas fighters and raising the overall death toll to 185. The IDF said that after the first seven days they believed 3,000 of the 9,000 rockets in Gaza had been destroyed. 1,050 rockets had been fired at Israel, leaving roughly 5,000 remaining rockets as of that time and date.

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

In the early evening, Hamas said it destroyed an IDF Merkava tank stationed near Gaza with a Kornet anti-tank missile; Israel confirmed that a missile had been fired at a tank, but said that the tank's Trophy Active Protection System destroyed the missile before it could cause any damage or injuries.

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

Week 2

15 July

A school in Rishon LeZion damaged by Palestinian rocket on 15 July 2014

Israeli civilians lying on the ground in order to defend themselves from a rocket attack.

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

At 07:00, Israel announced it had officially voted to accept the ceasefire proposed by Egypt for 09:00. Hamas rejected the ceasefire, claiming that it had not been consulted on it, and criticized it as an initiative of surrender rather than a truce, vowing that "our battle with the enemy will continue and will increase in ferocity and intensity." Ismail Haniyeh, the deputy head of the Hamas political bureau, stated that although Hamas was contacted about the ceasefire, they would not accept it unless Israel fulfilled the "demands of the Palestinian people", such as ending the blockade. Hamas fired 40 rockets into Israel within the first five hours of the proposed ceasefire timeframe.

At approximately 15:00, six hours after Israel announced it would accept the ceasefire, Netanyahu announced that, due to the continued rocket fire from Gaza, they would be renewing their strikes.

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

In the evening, eight days into the operation, an Israeli civilian, Dror Hanin, a rabbi who was delivering food to Israeli soldiers, was killed in a mortar attack at the Erez crossing. He was the first Israeli directly killed in the war and the second Israeli death that was a result of it (the first being an elderly woman in Haifa who died of a heart attack while running to a bomb shelter).

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

16 July

Around midnight, the start of day nine of fighting, Netanyahu vowed to intensify and expand Israeli strikes after accelerated rocket launches from Gaza during the six-hour Israeli cessation of hostilities.

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

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

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

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

Later in the afternoon, four Palestinian boys from the Fatah-aligned Bakr family, aged between 9 and 11, Ismail, Zachariah, Ahed and Mohammed Bakr, were killed on a Gaza beach by a shell fired by an Israeli naval gunboat as they were playing soccer. A later Israeli criminal investigation closed the case stating the site was a Hamas Naval Police and Naval Force compound, which was shelled when several figures were observed entering it "at a running pace" and "the figures were not identified at any point during the incident, as children." A 2015 IDF internal report, published in 2018 by The Intercept, concluded that the four were killed by missiles fired from a Hermes 450 surveillance drone hovering above the beach, after the go-ahead was given by an Israeli air force commander at the Palmachim air base, south of Tel Aviv. One boy was said to be mistaken for a Hamas militant was killed, and as the other 3 fled, the drone operators asked their supervisors how far they could pursue the other three along the beach. Since no reply was given, the other three were then taken out. No charges were laid for criminal negligence since, in the view of the reviewing committee, it was impossible with air surveillance to identify the four as children.

During the day, UNRWA discovered approximately 20 rockets hidden in a vacant school in the Gaza Strip. Israel claimed that the rockets were returned to Hamas. Christopher Gunness, the spokesperson of UNRWA, has denied this, saying that "According to longstanding UN practice in UN humanitarian operations worldwide, incidents involving unexploded ordnance that could endanger beneficiaries and staff are referred to the local authorities. Local authorities fall under the government of national consensus in Ramallah."

On 16 July Israel had struck 50 targets in Gaza, resulting in 17 deaths. From Gaza 94 rockets were fired toward Israel, resulting in no fatalities.

17 July

Tunnel used to infiltrate Israel, 17 July

During the night, Israel agreed to a five-hour humanitarian ceasefire, proposed by the UN, followed shortly by Hamas' acceptance. The ceasefire took place from 10:00 to 15:00, local time.

Approximately five and a half hours prior to the ceasefire's effect, 13 armed Hamas fighters emerged from a tunnel on the Israeli side of the Gaza border near kibbutz Sufa. The IDF detected the infiltrators, who went back to the tunnel shaft to escape back to Gaza after realizing they had been spotted. The IDF hit the tunnel shaft with an airstrike, killing five of the infiltrators. No Israeli casualties were sustained in this incident. Israeli Army Radio reported the men were carrying weapons and abduction-related equipment, including tranquilizers and handcuffs. Subsequent searches of the tunnel uncovered ammunition, grenades, grenade-launchers, and military-grade vests.

Approximately two hours into the ceasefire, three rockets were fired from Gaza into Israel. Israel attributed them to Hamas, although responsibility for them was not claimed. At exactly 15:00, at the end of the agreed upon five-hour ceasefire, sirens began ringing again in Israel, in the Ashkelon region.

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

At the beginning of the night, IDF artillery batteries fired hundreds of shells into the northern Gaza strip after warning civilians to leave the area. Hamas ordered civilians not to leave, and some were still present when the attack started. IDF ground forces then entered Gaza. The Egyptian government stated that it held Hamas responsible for the hostilities leading to Israel's ground operations, as Hamas had been offered but rejected a ceasefire. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the ground invasion's task was to disable the tunnels near the border used by Hamas to invade Israel.

Shortly after Israeli ground forces entered Gaza, Israeli tanks began shelling Wafa Hospital in Gaza. Israel said it had given the hospital multiple advance warnings to evacuate their 17 patients before attacking a weapons storage facility at the hospital.

18 July

Operation Protective Edge, east of Gaza City, 18 July

Shortly after midnight, the IDF announced approval to call up 18,000 additional reserves, bringing the total reserves IDF allowed to call to 72,000. Overnight the IDF destroyed the home of PIJ leader Abdullah al-Shami.

The IDF announced that 20 Hamas fighters were killed and 13 captured in the opening hours of the ground offensive. One Israeli soldier was killed during an operation against rocket launchers in Beit Hanoun on the early morning of July 18 after IDF troops came under fire, in an incident in which five other Israeli soldiers were injured. It was later established that he was killed by friendly fire.

In the early afternoon, Israel announced that paratroopers had found eight tunnels and later announced that thirteen more tunnels had been discovered.

The IDF announced that it had hit 260 targets in Gaza and uncovered 21 tunnels so far. Hamas military commander Ali Jandiya was killed in an Israeli airstrike on his home in Shuja'iyya. Three militants were killed by Israeli tank shelling on the building they were positioned in after firing an anti-tank missile at an Israeli tank. A search of the building uncovered a stockpile of weapons that included anti-tank missiles. Separately, Israeli commandos of the Maglan unit destroyed a Hamas position with a precision missile, and an armored force hit a militant squad preparing to fire an anti-tank missile. The IDF announced that a militant had been killed by Israeli troops after requesting medical assistance, only to attempt a grenade attack. An Israeli commando force of the Sayeret Rimon unit also ran into and killed a militant riding a motorcycle while combing a tunnel opening.

19 July

Airstrike of a house in Gaza, 19 July

Equipment left behind by Hamas operatives who infiltrated Israel through a tunnel and engaged IDF troops

Shortly after midnight, the IDF said that more than 40 militants had been killed since the start of the ground operation, and an additional 21 militants had been captured.

In the late morning, nine Hamas militants entered Israel via a tunnel, wearing IDF uniforms and carrying weapons, handcuffs, syringes, and sedatives. They were met by IDF troops. One militant and two IDF soldiers were killed in the resulting exchange of fire. The remaining militants escaped through the tunnel, and several of them were later killed in Gaza by an Israeli airstrike. Hamas claimed to have killed five IDF soldiers in the attack.

During the day, an anti-tank missile was fired at an IDF position in Gaza, killing a soldier. In the evening, a Hamas fighter emerged from a tunnel in southern Gaza and opened fire at an Israeli unit, killing a soldier and wounding another. The soldiers returned fire, killing the attacker.

In the afternoon, a rocket fired from Gaza at Israel landed on a tent of an Israeli Bedouin family, killing a man, critically injuring a 4-month-old, and injuring two others. By that night the IDF had uncovered 34 tunnels within Gaza, and was dismantling them.

On 19 July, over 94 rockets were fired from Gaza at Israel. That day the IDF hit 140 sites in Gaza, bringing the total to 260 since the ground operation started, causing 49 deaths and bringing the total number of Palestinian deaths during the operation to 348.

In the evening, the Battle of Shuja'iyya began. The IDF launched a preemptive bombardment of the Shuja'iyya neighborhood of Gaza City, prior to a ground incursion. According to the IDF, at least 15 Palestinian militants were killed in the preemptive bombardment. An IDF force spearheaded by the Golani Brigade then entered Shuja'iyya. Late on 19 July, forward elements of the Golani Brigade met Hamas units and fierce combat broke out, with Hamas fighters emerging from tunnels and bunkers to engage the Israelis, employing sniper fire, automatic weapons, and anti-tank missiles, pinning down some Israeli formations.

20 July

Israeli paratroopers operate within Gaza.

An Israeli soldier overlooks an uncovered Hamas tunnel

The Battle of Shuja'iyya, which had begun the previous day, continued as Israeli troops and Hamas fighters continued to battle in Shuja'iyya. On the morning of 20 July, seven Israeli soldiers were killed when an Israeli M113 armored personnel carrier was hit by an anti-tank missile. Hamas fighters managed to seize the body of Staff Sergeant Oron Shaul, one of the soldiers killed in the attack on the armored personnel carrier. IDF engineering forces later reached the wreck of the APC and towed it back to Israel. In the following hours, three more Israeli soldiers were killed in clashes with Hamas fighters, and three others were killed when an anti-tank missile hit a building where soldiers were setting up a command center. The IDF brought in D9 armored bulldozers to destroy enemy positions. In one case, a few Hamas fighters were killed when an IDF bulldozer destroyed a tunnel they were in. After particularly heavy fire was laid down on Israeli forces in Shuja'iyya, the IDF launched a massive artillery barrage and series of airstrikes after ordering the infantry into armored personnel carriers, with artillery fire landing within 100 meters of Israeli forces. According to the IDF, 37 Hamas fighters were killed in the bombardment, and all firing ceased afterward.

In total, at least 72 and up to 120 Palestinians, including civilians, were killed in the battle, in what local medical authorities, along with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, called a massacre. The IDF stated that Shuja'iyya had been the site of 8% of the rocket launches since 8 July, and that residents had been warned to leave two days earlier.

Hamas requested via the Red Crescent a humanitarian ceasefire for the Shuja'iyya neighborhood to allow the evacuation of wounded from the area. The IDF agreed, and the ceasefire began at 13:30; however, only an hour into the truce, IDF troops came under fire and responded.

In total, the IDF confirmed that 13 IDF soldiers were killed during the fighting in Shuja'iyya. Another 56 soldiers were wounded and scores were hospitalized, including the commander of the Golani Brigade, Colonel Ghassan Alian. The IDF claimed that more than 100 Palestinian militants were killed in Gaza during the night. In one airstrike aimed at a Hamas member, 25 members of one family were killed along with the target. During the overnight fighting, the IDF uncovered ten more tunnel systems.

The military wing of Hamas claimed to have killed at least 32 Israeli soldiers since 19 July. Hamas also claimed captured an Israeli soldier named Shaul Aron. However, Ron Prosor, the Israeli ambassador to the United Nations, denied the report. Israel confirmed that Staff Sergeant Oron Shaul was missing, but eventually declared him dead.

21 July

An Israeli armored column including Merkava 4m tanks and IDF Caterpillar D9 armored bulldozers of the 401st Armored Brigade operating near the Israel-Gaza border

Since the beginning of the operation, IDF has struck some 2,800 targets in Gaza, while 1,497 rockets have been fired from Gaza at Israel.

During the night, two cells of Palestinian militants attempted to infiltrate Israel using tunnels. While the Israeli Air Force directly hit the first cell, ground troops engaged the second. At least ten militants were killed in the two incidents. During one attack, 10 Palestinians exited the tunnel wearing full IDF uniforms. Four IDF soldiers were killed in the attack when an anti-tank missile hit their jeep. Another three Israeli soldiers were killed in heavy fighting in Shuja'iyya, during which the Israeli Air Force dropped 120 one-ton bombs on the neighborhood, striking within 250 meters of ground troops. Israeli commandos of the Egoz Unit killed 10 Palestinian militants in Shuja'iyya, including one who was carrying an explosive belt. The commander of the Egoz Unit was seriously wounded in the fighting. Two other Israeli soldiers were killed in fighting elsewhere in Gaza. An Israeli officer commanding a paratrooper unit in the Khan Yunis area was fatally shot by a sniper, and would die of his injuries in January 2017.

An Israeli airstrike in Gaza City killed Islamic Jihad commander Sha'ban Suleiman al-Dahdouh, a commander in the Islamic Jihad's battalion in Zeitoun.

Reports from Gaza in the afternoon stated that the IDF shelled a hospital, killing five and injuring many others. The IDF commented on the situation stating that their target was a stock of anti-tank missiles which was stored in the immediate vicinity of the hospital.

At the Erez Border Crossing, the IDF set up a field hospital for injured Palestinians from Gaza.

A 21 July CNN report stated that more than 83,000 Palestinians have sought refuge in U.N. facilities with more than 2,000 rockets fired at Israel since the start of the Operation, the latter information from the IDF. That day as well, President of the United States Barack Obama called for a return to the Gaza-Israel cease-fire agreement while also expressing regret at the civilian casualties both in Israel and in Palestine.

Week 3

Histogram of Palestinian rocket attacks on Israel per day, 2014

22 July

Shortly after midnight, the United Arab Emirates announced it would be giving $41 million in aid to Gazans and the U.S. government announced $47 million in aid.

A night raid by an Israeli force of the Nahal Brigade killed eight Palestinian fighters. In the morning, a battle took place between an Israeli paratrooper unit and Hamas fighters in which 15 Hamas operatives and an Israeli soldier were killed. Two Israeli tank officers were also killed in fighting in Gaza. A tank company commander was killed by a Hamas sniper in Shuja'iyya, and a tank platoon commander was killed by enemy fire during combat in Beit Hanoun. Senior Hamas operative Muhammad Majed Abu Kamil was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Juhor ad-Dik. Another Hamas member was killed in an airstrike on his home in the Khan Yunis area.

In the late morning, Al Jazeera stated their office was currently under attack by the IDF. IDF denied this, but could not rule out indirect damage from nearby targets.

In the afternoon, the IDF released additional information about the infiltrators from Gaza the day before. Details included the announcement that at least three were children, including a 13- and 14-year-old who were both wearing suicide vests.

In the evening, the EU released a statement condemning the firing of rockets from Gaza at Israeli civilians, the use of human shields, and called for the disarming of Hamas, the PIJ and all other militant groups in Gaza. The EU added that although Israel has the right to defend itself, they were appalled at the loss of human life in Gaza and asked Israel to try harder to limit civilian casualties.

Late in the evening, the UNRWA announced that for the second time in a week, during a routine inspection, rockets were found in one of their schools.

23 July

An Israeli D9 armored bulldozer operating on the Israel-Gaza border

During the night, a number of reports began circulating that the IDF was shelling the Al-Wafa hospital. The IDF later commented that, on several occasions, they were under direct fire from the hospital, a violation of international law; they also stated that they had been warning the hospital for several days to move the patients. A doctor from the hospital, Dr. Basman Alashi, confirmed that the hospital had been evacuated prior to the strike. The IDF released a video showing firing from the hospital, IDF's warning calls and finally the airstrike which triggered secondary explosions from weapons cached inside the hospital.

In the early morning, Hamas claimed to have shot down an F-16 over Gaza; however, Israel neither confirmed nor denied this claim.

In the afternoon, the IDF announced that it had recently discovered a new tunnel in Gaza in which IDF uniforms, maps, and weapons were found. In total, the IDF had uncovered 28 tunnel systems and over 60 tunnel openings since the beginning of the operation.

The IDF assassinated Mahmoud Awad Ali Ziadeh, a senior Islamic Jihad commander, in an attack on his home in the Jabaliya Camp. Ziadeh had served as a battalion commander in Islamic Jihad's northern Gaza Strip brigade.

A force of IDF paratroopers was attacked after entering a booby trapped house in Khan Yunis. Hamas operatives detonated the explosives that the house was rigged with, collapsing portions of the building, and opening fire. Three soldiers were killed, and a fourth was fatally wounded and died of his injuries on 31 August.

24 July

Israeli soldier armed with Tavor X95 in Gaza

During the night, 150 Palestinian militants, mostly Hamas operatives, were taken prisoner in raids in Khan Yunis and Rafah. Of them, 70 who were suspected of involvement in terror attacks were transferred to military intelligence and Shin Bet facilities for interrogation, while the remainder were later released. The IDF announced that it had killed 15 militants within the past 24 hours.

An UNRWA school in Beit Hanoun, being used as a shelter, was struck resulting in 11 being killed, including 7 children and two women, and UN staff, and some 110 civilians, including 55 children and 31 women, were wounded. While Israel has not admitted responsibility for the attack, a senior Israel military officer has admitted that the school shelling could have been caused by Israeli forces, Additionally several other Gaza rockets have landed in Beit Hanoun and the IDF has not ruled out one of these rockets landing on the school. Gaza authorities however said that the school was shelled by Israeli forces. Both the UN and Fatah stated that they were investigating the incident and was unaware of who struck the school. The school was used as a shelter, and about 800 people were inside at the time it was hit.

In the morning, Palestinian militants fired an anti-tank missile at IDF troops from Wafa Hospital. The IDF returned fire and killed two militants. A militant waiting in ambush was killed by IDF Paratroopers. During the night, an Israeli unit was engaged by Hamas fighters, and an Israeli infantry officer was fatally wounded in the firefight. He died of his injuries two days later. A grenade explosion outside of combat wounded five Israeli soldiers, one of whom also died of his injuries two days later.

During the evening, over 10,000 Palestinians in the West Bank protested the current operation at the Qalandia border crossing, resulting in at least 2 Palestinian deaths after Al-Aqsa Brigades members opened fire on Israeli forces. This protest was the largest since the second intifada. Following these protests and several riots over the past few weeks, Hamas called for more, including a third intifada.

25 July

An Israeli Navy patrol boat firing at targets in Gaza

Palestinian officials have called for 25 July to be a "Day of Rage" in the West Bank and within Israel. In preparation of the expected protests and riots, the IDF and police have been stationed in critical points across Israel. It was reported that 3,000–4,000 police officers would be stationed around Jerusalem.

The IDF confirmed that three soldiers were killed during fighting in Gaza. One of them was killed in the course of a failed abduction attempt during which a Palestinian militant was also killed. Two soldiers from the Nahal Brigade were wounded in battle and seven others were injured by a bomb when they entered a booby trapped house. During the night, the IDF announced that a division commander was injured when a wall collapsed in one of the tunnels. The IDF claimed that six Hamas fighters were killed by Israeli paratroopers. The Israeli Air Force, acting on intelligence from Shin Bet, assassinated Islamic Jihad operative Salah Abu Hassanein, a member of the military council of the Al-Quds Brigades and head of Islamic Jihad's information department. His two children were also killed in the attack.

Overall, the Gazan death toll rose to 867. Rockets were fired at central Israel, and communities near the Gaza border continued to come under fire. One rocket was intercepted by an Iron Dome system. One person in Israel was moderately injured by a rocket.

Hamas claimed to have killed at least 10 Israeli soldiers in fighting in Gaza on July 25.

In the afternoon of 25 July, both Israel and Hamas stated that they were reviewing John Kerry's proposal, which would call for an immediate ceasefire followed by meetings in Cairo. Discussions would consist of:
Palestinian Demands

• Opening the Gaza and Israeli border crossings,
• Opening the Egypt and Gaza Rafah border crossing,
• Release Shalit prisoner exchange Palestinians rearrested during Operation Brother's Keeper,
• Release prisoners from the collapsed Israeli–Palestinian peace talks,
• Widen the Palestinian fishing barrier, and
• Establish both an airport and a seaport in Gaza

Israel announced in the evening that they had rejected the ceasefire, and would not accept any ceasefire that does not include destroying the Hamas tunnels. Israel, however, stated they would agree to a 12-hour humanitarian ceasefire in good faith.

Also on 25 July, anonymous sources within the Shin Bet claimed that the war had prevented 'a catastrophic event on an apocalyptic magnitude such as the Yom Kippur war', citing evidence said to have been uncovered of a planned September attack during Rosh Hashanah, in which 200 militants would have simultaneously infiltrated Israel through dozens of tunnels beneath Gaza, thousands of Hamas militants dressed in IDF fatigues would have swarmed over Israel to seize kibbutzim and murder or abduct as many Israeli citizens as possible. However, IDF Army Radio later quoted an unnamed "senior military official" as saying "all the tunnels were aimed at military targets and not at the Gaza-vicinity communities". In April 2015 intelligence sources stated that Mohammad Deif had planned such an operation, whose execution had been cancelled by the Hamas political leadership. Attempts by the Qassam Brigades nonetheless to conduct the operation during the war then failed, according to IDF assessments, because of the presence of large numbers of Israeli troops within the Strip.

26 July

An Israeli unit operating in Beit Hanoun, Battalion 931 of the Nahal Brigade, encountered a force of Hamas fighters and engaged them in a 17-minute battle, killing 15 Hamas fighters while losing 2 dead and 10 wounded. Another Nahal Brigade soldier was killed when an anti-tank missile struck his position in Gaza, and an Israeli Engineering Corps soldier was killed in a mortar attack on an IDF assembly zone in Israel near the Gaza border. The IDF announced that Ismail Muhammad Saad Akluk, a senior Hamas member who had been involved in Hamas' weapons development and research programs, particularly in rocket and drone production, was killed when the Israeli Air Force bombed his vehicle, acting on intelligence provided by Shin Bet.

Both Israel and Hamas agreed to a 12-hour humanitarian ceasefire from 08:00 to 20:00. Although they stated that no shots would be fired, the IDF announced that they would continue to demolish tunnels during the ceasefire. The IDF stated that by the end of the ceasefire, only 9 rockets had been shot at Israel so far on 26 July, all before the ceasefire started.

Just prior to the expiration of the 12 hour ceasefire, Israel agreed to another four-hour extension of the ceasefire. Hamas, however, rejected the extension, and began firing rockets into Israel again, though Israel did not retaliate.

The Palestinian death toll rose above 1,000 as 150 bodies were found during the ceasefire. Additionally, the IDF death toll reached 42 after 2 soldiers who were previously injured died from their wounds. It was also determined that the Oron Shaul had been killed in action, though his body remained missing and was presumably in the hands of Hamas.

27 July

Israeli artillery shells targets in Gaza

The four-hour ceasefire extension ended at midnight, and, despite the continued rocket fire from Gaza, Israel agreed to an additional ceasefire throughout all of 27 July; however, Hamas rejected it. Hamas stated that they would not agree to any ceasefire that does not include a pullout of IDF troops.

Several hours after Israel respected UN's call to continue the humanitarian ceasefire, Hamas began firing a heavy barrage of rockets which was intercepted by the Iron Dome; in response, the IDF resumed attacks on military targets in Gaza. Later, Hamas requested another 24-hour ceasefire via the UN, but continued firing and took responsibility for the attacks.

As Israel continued the demolition of tunnels between Gaza and Israel, Egypt announced that they had destroyed 13 tunnels connecting Gaza to Egypt, bringing the total number of tunnels destroyed on the Egyptian border to 1,639.

Israel's Health Ministry offered humanitarian aid which included medical equipment and blood donations worth millions of shekels to the Gaza Strip, but the Palestinian Authority refused to accept it.

The IDF later announced that they had concluded their investigation into the UNRWA deaths. They stated that one mortar bomb had landed in a courtyard of the school but caused no injuries, and that the damage that caused the casualties was not caused by the IDF. The UN stated that they will be conducting their own investigation as well.

That afternoon, Israel announced for the second time in three weeks that a car bombing had been thwarted. The car contained electrically connected gas canisters, a pipe bomb, and a switch.

In the evening, Barack Obama called Netanyahu and reaffirmed his support for Israel's right to defend itself against rockets and tunnels, but expressed concern about the civilian death toll in Gaza. Obama called for a disarmed and demilitarized Gaza in any ceasefire proposal.

28 July

Despite the unified Palestinian government, Fatah spoke out during the night against Hamas and their recent arrests of Fatah members within Gaza.

At 07:00, the United Nations Security Council held an emergency meeting to issue a statement calling for both sides to have an immediate and indefinite humanitarian ceasefire. The statement did not mention Hamas or Israel; instead, it only referenced the conflict in Gaza and requested that Egypt mediate a permanent ceasefire.

In the afternoon, there were reports of an explosion at the Al-Shifa Hospital that resulted in dozens of injuries. Initial reports from Gaza stated the Israeli F-16 planes fired missiles at the hospital, but Israel stated that they believed the explosion was caused when militants attempted to fire a Fajr-5 rocket at Tel Aviv and it malfunctioned and exploded. Hamas stated that neither they nor the PIJ had anything to do with the explosion.

In the evening, several Hamas members infiltrated Israel through a tunnel and attacked an IDF base near Nahal Oz. According to the IDF, five soldiers and at least one of the infiltrators were killed, and the rest of the infiltrators escaped. The infiltrators attempted unsuccessfully to take an IDF soldier's body back with them. Hamas claimed that the infiltrators killed 10 IDF soldiers and all returned safely.

In a separate incident, four IDF soldiers of the 7th Armored Brigade were killed by Hamas mortar fire toward Israel's Eshkol region. Shortly afterward, the IDF warned via text messages and phone calls the residents of Jabalia, Zeitoun and Shejaiya to evacuate their homes. Soon after the warnings, Zeitoun and Jabalia came under fire by the IDF. The IDF later extended the evacuation warnings to Beit Hanoun and Beit Lahiya.

In Gaza, an Israeli soldier was killed when an anti-tank rocket hit the D9 armored bulldozer he was driving. The militant squad that fired the RPG then withdrew into a nearby building that was then demolished by an IDF bulldozer, killing eight militants. Two others were found alive and taken prisoner by Givati Brigade troops.

Hamas said that its fighters managed to kill 19 Israeli soldiers on Monday alone in three separate attacks. "Ten were killed in a behind-enemy-lines operation in eastern Gaza City, six killed in mortar attack on Israeli troops in eastern Khan Younis, and two in clashes in northern Gaza Strip," the group said.

Israel criticized John Kerry's proposed ceasefire, stating that it favors Hamas and its continuity. Furthermore, Israel informed other nations that no ceasefire deal will be accepted without the destruction of the tunnels leading from Gaza to Israel and the demilitarization of the Gaza Strip.

Week 4

29 July

Shortly after midnight, France announced that it had agreed to transfer 8 million Euros to Gaza in aid. In Israel, Guy Meroz reported that Israeli supermarket magnate Rami Levy was providing food to the families of Israeli soldiers who were killed in action.

Overnight, over 100 were killed in Gaza. Israel targeted 70 locations within Gaza, including the home of a senior political leader of Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh. Additionally, Israeli forces targeted the building containing Hamas' media offices for Al-Aqsa TV and radio. The PIJ announced that Ahmed Najam Abu Hamda, the commander of its forces in Rafah, was one of 32 killed by Israel overnight. Fuel tanks located outside the only Gazan power plant were also struck overnight, causing massive blackouts across Gaza.

In Rafah, Israeli Givati Brigade troops of the Sayeret Rimon commando unit who were serving as lookouts for other Israeli troops on an anti-tunnel mission were attacked by a squad of five Hamas fighters while positioned in a building. All five of the militants were killed. Four were killed by a single Israeli soldier who ignored his commander's order to take cover and returned fire, and the fifth was killed by another soldier after running to a nearby mosque.

In the early evening, a squad of five Hamas fighters infiltrated into Israel from a tunnel in the southern Gaza Strip. IDF Givati Brigade troops identified them as they emerged from the tunnel and killed all five without sustaining any casualties. A subsequent search of the tunnel shaft from which they had emerged uncovered numerous weapons. The militants were carrying a large amount of explosives and weapons for what the IDF believed was for a suicide mission.

In the early morning, it was announced that Egypt agreed to have Hamas and PIJ representatives be part of the Palestinian delegation set to meet on 29 July in Cairo. In the afternoon, the PLO said that a 3-day unilateral ceasefire would be announced shortly. Hamas however rejected the ceasefire. Later in the evening, it was again announced that all sides had agreed to a ceasefire, though no official word was given.

Waddah Abu Amer, a political leader of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP), his wife, and five children were killed when the army fired a missile into their home in Khan Younis.

As of 29 July, 200,000 of Gaza's 1.6 million residents were seeking shelter in UNRWA schools. Additionally 1,190 Palestinians have been killed through 22 days of the conflict.

30 July

Israeli paratroopers operating in Gaza

During the night, the PIJ stated that no Palestinian group had been formally invited to Egypt to discuss a ceasefire.

A UNRWA school was once again hit overnight resulting in 19 Palestinian deaths. Israel admitted that one of their rockets hit the school when they were returning fire after being shot at from the vicinity of the school.

Israel agreed to a four-hour humanitarian ceasefire from 15:00 to 19:00, however stated that it did not apply to areas they were currently operating in, and residents were requested to not return home. Hamas rejected the ceasefire, calling it a media stunt by Israel.

The IDF announced that nine militants were killed in clashes with IDF troops throughout the day. Three IDF soldiers from the Maglan commando unit were killed and fifteen wounded after entering an explosives-rigged building near Khan Yunis that was subsequently blown up on top of them. The building, which was allegedly a UNRWA health clinic, had an entry shaft to a tunnel the soldiers were sent in to eliminate. IDF soldiers evacuating the casualties were fired on by Palestinian militants. UNRWA later announced that this building was not their property and they did not have a health center at this location. Hamas claimed that at least 15 Israeli soldiers were killed in this attack.

31 July

The US announced that they agreed to transfer a number of arms to Israel, including rocket launchers, mortar rounds, grenades and other arms. For many years, the US has stored weapons in Israel for their use, under the War Reserves Stock Allies-Israel program, however they have agreed to transfer these to Israel for their use.

In the early morning the IDF the call-up of an additional 18,000 reservists, bring the total to 84,000.

Five Israeli soldiers of the 188th Armored Brigade were killed in a mortar attack on their position in Israel's Eshkol Regional Council, near the border with Gaza. Three other soldiers were wounded by sniper fire in Gaza. There were a number of clashes between the IDF and militants in Gaza during which 15 Palestinian militants were killed, including one where Golani Brigade troops killed an armed Palestinian emerging from a tunnel and another where a paratrooper squad identified about five militants and called in an airstrike which killed them. According to Magen David Adom, 26 people were injured by rocket fire, most of them suffering from shock. A man was seriously injured in Kiryat Gat by shrapnel after a rocket was intercepted over the city, and two soldiers were injured by rocket fire in Sderot.

The Palestinian Authority announced that it plans to sue Israel in the International Criminal Court for war crimes. The PA chose to join the ICC and sue Israel despite the risk of knowing it can be sued back by Israel.

Israel and Hamas agreed to a 72-hour humanitarian cease-fire set to begin on 1 August at 08:00. The United States Secretary of State, John Kerry, stated "this is a respite. It is a moment of opportunity, not an end." Furthermore, Netanyahu, stated that Israel will continue to destroy Hamas' tunnel network with or without a ceasefire. Delegates from Israel, the US, the UN, and other parties agreed to meet in Cairo to discuss terms during the ceasefire. Egypt was to stand in as the mediator for the indirect talks as both the United States and Israel refused to negotiate directly with Hamas due to its designation as a terrorist organization.

The cease-fire comes after the death toll in Gaza rose to at least 1,441, surpassing the casualties of the Gaza War that occurred in late 2008 through early 2009.

1 August

Hours before the 72-hour ceasefire was announced, US Secretary of State John Kerry announced that "... Israel will be able to continue its defensive operations that are behind its lines, and Palestinians will be able to receive food, medicine and additional humanitarian assistance."

Overnight 29 July–August 1, Israel and Hamas agreed to a 3-day ceasefire, to come into force at 08:00hrs. Forces were to remain in place. Israel declared it would continue search and destroy operations on tunnels within its lines: Hamas agreed not to fire over the border, but said it would not tolerate continued operations against their tunnels during the period.

Hamas fighters emerged from a tunnel in Rafah and attacked an Israeli reconnaissance unit of the Givati Brigade. A suicide bomber exploded among the soldiers while gunmen exchanged fire with them. Three Israeli soldiers were killed, including the reconnaissance unit's commander and his radio operator. Hamas fighters managed to seize the body of one of the soldiers, Second Lieutenant Hadar Goldin, before escaping. A Hamas fighter wearing an Israeli uniform was also reportedly killed in the clash. According to the IDF, the unit was attacked 90 minutes after the ceasefire came into effect. Israel adopted the Hannibal Protocol. Colonel Ofer Winter, the commander of the Givati Brigade, on the night the ceasefire was brokered, ordered a search and destroy operation for a suspected tunnel or related infrastructure 2 km northwest of Israel's border, in an area Israel had earlier searched and then withdrawn from. At the time of the brokered ceasefire it lay beyond Israel's lines. The orders foresaw making "a big boom before the ceasefire" came into effect. At 07:30 am, Hamas's military wing tweeted that battles were taking place in east Rafah, causing casualties for the IDF. Palestinian casualties started arriving at the al-Najjar hospital by 08:00 am, and Hamas declared it had captured a Lieutenant Hadar Goldin. After 08:00 Palestinians, hearing of the ceasefire, began to return to their homes in the area. No warning was given to Rafah residents: for three hours, massive firepower was trained on the area. The IDF fired around 800 artillery shells and 260 mortar shells, while combat planes bombed about 20 targets and combat helicopters bombed another 14. By day's end, the munitions expended had reached 2,000. Bulldozers flattened houses in which people were hiding. Cars in which Palestinians tried to flee were shot at. Survivors described jets, drones, helicopters and artillery raining fire at pedestrians and vehicles, including ambulances either returning for the ceasefire or fleeing the renewed onslaught. According to Palestinian sources, about 130 Palestinians were killed and hundreds wounded. An IDF investigation concluded that 42 Palestinian militants and 72 civilians were killed in the bombardment. Throughout the day, Israel kept up fire on the al-Najjar hospital and its vicinity, causing further casualties, and it had to be evacuated when the fire became too intense, at 15:30 pm.

The White House Press Secretary, Josh Earnest called the capture of the IDF soldier a barbaric violation of the ceasefire. The US Deputy National Security Advisor, Tony Blinken also commented calling the capture outrageous and demanding the immediate return of the soldier. John Kerry called the incident outrageous and called for the immediate and unconditional release of the soldier. Ban Ki-moon stated that he placed full blame for the truce violations on Hamas and ordered the immediate release of Goldin. Canada's Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird called the capture and breaking of the ceasefire "disgraceful and repugnant" and stated that Hamas has lost all credibility. Turkey Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu stated that although a ceasefire is the number one priority they are willing to help Israel in any way they can find Goldin.

At around 10:00 at least 15 Hamas rockets were fired from Gaza, seven reportedly intercepted by Iron Dome. Otherwise, Hamas did not engaged in any further combat clashes with the Israeli forces that day in Rafah. By day's end, at least 2,201 houses were destroyed or damaged.

2 August

At around 02:30 A.M. Hamas military wing, Qassam Brigades, denied holding Hadar Goldin. It also acknowledged that it had lost contact soon after the firefight with group that was thought to have clashed with Goldin and the other soldiers. It presumed that Goldin and the militant squad which had taken him were all killed by Israeli airstrikes and artillery fire. That morning Israeli forensic investigators concluded Goldin had died the day before. Israel continued through to 3 August to lay waste greenhouses, homes, fields and orchards, turning the outskirts of Rafah into a wasteland.

According to officials within the Gaza Health Ministry, intense bombardment in the area where Goldin was thought to have been abducted caused at least 112 Palestinian casualties.

3 August

As morning unfolded on the 27th day of the conflict, Israel targeted Gaza as air raids and tank shelling resumed in the southern and central part of Gaza. At around 09:30–10:00 The Al-Zafer 9 tower, and many other buildings in central Gaza was subject to heavy Israeli fire.

Al-Aqsa TV initially reports that at around 11:00 a UN school in Rafah is under Israeli fire. Various reports, including reports from the Palestinian health ministry have reported that at least seven people were killed in the attack and more than 30 injured. Latest reports suggest that "...an explosion just outside the school gates.", were witnessed at around 10:30 Further reports suggest that "... It was not immediately clear whether the strike was the result of Israeli or Palestinian fire." Israel released a statement, stating Israeli military surveillance video showed that the IDF had targeted three militants who were near the school on a motorcycle. The IDF is still investigating the incident further. The death toll in Gaza topped 1,800.

The IDF announced that it believed 2nd Lt. Hadar Goldin to have been killed in action, after Israel employed its "Hannibal Directive," which dictates that Israel bombard the area where the soldier was taken captive, even at the risk of the soldier, in order to ensure that he is not taken captive into enemy territory. The IDF continued to make significant progress in destroying dozens of cross border tunnels discovered during the operation, however Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared that Israel's operation in Gaza to restore security would continue, and made it clear that Israel would not negotiate ceasefires with Hamas due to the latest breaches in the ceasefire. The Israeli government maintained the position that Israel would withdraw its forces only once it had deemed security to have been restored.

Ahmad al-Mabhouh, a Hamas commander who was an engineering and sabotage expert in a Hamas unit in the Jabaliya refugee camp, was killed in an Israeli airstrike based on intelligence provided by Shin Bet. Mabhouh, who was a nephew of Hamas commander Mahmoud al-Mabhouh, had participated in rocket attacks on Israel and the preparation of complex explosive charges to be used by Hamas. Four other militants were killed when the building they were positioned in was shelled by the IDF and collapsed. Givati Brigade soldiers discovered and seized quantities of weapons and munitions, and discovered the entrance to a tunnel. Three militants were spotted emerging from the tunnel, and fled under heavy IDF shelling to a nearby home. All three were killed when the home was shelled. The tunnel was subsequently destroyed. Palestinian militants fired at least 119 rockets at Israel throughout the day, eight of which were shot down by the Iron Dome.

The IDF began redeploying ground forces, including the removal of many of their forces, however Israel Cabinet Minister, Amir Peretz, clarified, saying, "It's not a withdrawal. It's setting up a new line that is a more controlled line with the air force doing its work."

4 August

Israel declared a seven-hour humanitarian ceasefire, except for Rafah, starting from 10:00–17:00 to allow aid for civilians. A few hours before the ceasefire was due to start, an Israeli airstrike killed senior Islamic Jihad commander Danial Mansour in northern Gaza, and rocket fire from Gaza continued to hit Israel. The IDF stated that this incident occurred just prior to 10:00. According to news reporters, just 6 minutes after the beginning the ceasefire, an ASM missile was fired at a three-story house in the Shati refugee camp, killing a Palestinian eight-year-old girl.

In the early afternoon, a man named Mohammad Jabbis, in downtown Jerusalem, driving an industrial digger, hit a pedestrian, bus, and car; before the driver was shot and killed by police. The victim, a 25-year-old male, died after resuscitation attempts failed. The bus was empty at the time of the incident minimizing the casualties. Israel later announced that the tractor driver's cousin's house was destroyed by the IDF two weeks ago, and this is believed to be a revenge attack.

At approximately 16:00 an IDF soldier was shot in the stomach just outside Mount Scopus at Hebrew University. After the soldier was shot, the shooter jumped on his motorcycle heading toward the Arab village of Wadi al-Joz.

In the late evening it was announced that once again both Hamas and Israel has agreed to a 72-hour ceasefire. Netanyahu has previously stated he wouldn't explore a ceasefire until the tunnels were all destroyed, which was finishing earlier on 4 August.

Timeline, weeks 5–8

Week 5

5 August

Shortly after midnight, hours before the ceasefire, Obama signed The Iron Dome Bill providing $225 million in additional funding for the Iron Dome.

In the early afternoon a security guard was stabbed at the entrance to Ma'ale Adumim. The security guard then opened fire on the stabber who was able to flee on foot toward Kfar Azaria.

As day 29 ended, both sides had held their fire, and were engaged in negotiations for a long-term truce through Egyptian mediation in Cairo.

6 August

After 30 hours of silence in southern Israel, false alarm sirens rang out along the Gaza border.

In the evening Egypt proposed an extension of the cease fire from Friday morning until Sunday morning. Israel later announced that they accepted the extension. Hamas later responded by saying there was no agreement to extend the ceasefire and would renew fire if their demands were not met.

7 August

As permanent ceasefire talk progressed, the main separation point held with Hamas demanding the lifting of the blockade, while Israel demanded Hamas demilitarization. Israel agreed that it will terminate the blockade and expand the Gaza fishing zone, on the condition that all the groups in Gaza demilitarize.

In the evening it was announced that the body of Ayman Taha, a Hamas official, was found in Shuja'iyya ruins. It is believed that he was executed for spying for Egypt. Additionally Hamas admitted that a number of collaborators with Israel had been executed.

An armed Palestinian man on a bus, who was in the country illegally, was arrested in Beit Shemesh.

8 August

Amid the stalemate regarding the negotiations in Cairo, hours before the end of the 72-hour cease-fire, Israel announced fire from southern Gaza into Israel resumed, however Hamas denied it. At 04:02, rocket sirens sounded in southern Israel, and at 04:35, mortar rounds landed in southern Israel as well. No injuries were reported.

At 08:00, at the end of the ceasefire, rockets from Gaza were fired at Ashkelon, with one rocket downed by the Iron Dome. Within the first few hours after the ceasefire's end, over 35 rockets were fired from Gaza at Israel, resulting in two injuries.

After several hours of rocket fire, Netanyahu ordered Israel to respond and resume targeted strikes in Gaza. Israel announced that their troops were still positioned along the Gaza border and were prepared for any necessary action.

The Israeli delegation left Cairo, stating they would not negotiate any long term ceasefire while under fire.

The IDF stated that since resuming fighting, over 57 rockets were fired from Gaza, and the IDF struck 51 targets in Gaza.

9 August

Senior Hamas official Moaaz Zaid was killed when an airstrike hit a mosque in Gaza. Two other Hamas operatives were killed in an airstrike on the motorcycle they were riding in the Maghazi refugee camp. The IDF claimed to have attacked 60 targets and killed nine militants in targeted killings. Two Hamas operatives were killed in fighting with the IDF in Al-Qarara when they emerged from a tunnel and attacked an Israeli tank.

Over 30 rockets were fired at Israel, and 49 targets were struck in Gaza.

10 August

After Israel has previously stated they will not negotiate while under rocket fire, Hamas and the PIJ stated they would leave Cairo on 10 August if Israel did not attend negotiations. Later it was announced that Israel and the Palestinian factions accepted a three-day ceasefire, beginning midnight.

In the afternoon, the Kerem Shalom border crossing was closed, due to rocket fire landing in the area, for the protection of the workers. Much of the food and aid that enters Gaza goes through this crossing, and were unable to be transferred during that time. Later, the IDF discovered and attacked six militants attempting to use the crossing to enter Israel, killing all of them.

Turkey announced in the evening that they would utilize the 72 hour ceasefire to evacuate wounded Palestinians to their hospitals.

Before midnight, as in the other ceasefire, both sides took final shots at each other. Israel successfully targeted and killed Faraj Abu Raviah, a Hamas militant who was active in the tunnel network of northern Gaza Strip, while in a tunnel in Gaza. A series of rockets was fired from Gaza at various locations around Israel, including Eshkol, Ashdod, Gush Dan, and Tel Aviv.

11 August

In the morning, as the ceasefire appeared to hold, Egypt's foreign ministry announced that they opened the Rafah border crossing to allow aid into Gaza, although some Gaza residents claimed the crossing was still closed. Hamas official Izzat al-Risheq, a member of the Hamas negotiating team in Cairo, announced that Hamas does not object to Fatah policemen manning the Rafah crossing.

In the afternoon, the UN announced a fact finding mission, whose members will be William Schabas, Amal Clooney and Doudou Diène. Later, Clooney turned down the offer, due to other commitments. Israel claimed that the committee, and particularly the chairman Schabas, is biased against Israel, pointing to previous comments by Schabas, including calls for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to be tried before the International Criminal Court. Israel referred to the inquiry as a kangaroo court. Canadian Foreign Minister John Baird called the UN Human Rights Council a "sham" for appointing the committee, and said the committee is a "shame" and will do nothing to promote peace.

Week 6

12 August

The Turkish Humanitarian Relief Foundation (IHH) announced a new attempt to breach the Israeli naval blockade of Gaza.

As talks in Cairo continued, varying reports stated that progress was being made toward a long term ceasefire, although Israel still did not agree to building a seaport or an airport in Gaza.

Hamas claimed that the Israeli Navy violated the ceasefire and fired at Gaza. Israel maintains that a fishing boat attempted to leave the permitted fishing zone, and that the Navy then fired warning shots at the boat.

13 August

During the night, the UK announced that if the fighting in Gaza continued after the ceasefire, they would suspend their military sales to Israel, while investigating whether they have been used properly.

In the late morning, Al-Aqsa radio again reported that Israel was in violation of the ceasefire, by firing on Beit Lahiya. Later reports from Gaza medical facilities corrected the earlier reports, stating 6 were killed in an attempt to disable Israeli missiles that had not exploded. Two journalists were killed in Beit Lahiya along with three Hamas police engineers and three other people by an unexploded Israeli bomb that detonated as a police engineering team was working to neutralize it. The two journalists, who had been reporting on the efforts to defuse the bomb, were Simone Camilli, an Italian video journalist working for the Associated Press, and Ali Shehda Abu Afash, a Palestinian journalist who had been working with Camilli.

Hamas originally scheduled a press conference for 21:30, when they were expected to announce that the ceasefire talks failed. Israel however has agreed to extend the ceasefire an additional 72 hours. At 21:45, few hours prior to the end of the ceasefire, sirens were heard in Ashkelon, in which the rocket landed in an open area. Israeli police later confirmed that an additional rocket from Gaza landed in Sha'ar HaNegev. Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri denied any rocket fire.

The Palestinian factions, shortly before the ceasefire expired, announced the extension of the ceasefire by five days. Despite the ceasefire extension announcement, shortly before midnight the Iron Dome intercepted a rocket over Netivot, while two more landed in open areas.

14 August

During the night, despite the ceasefire still in effect, Netanyahu ordered the IDF to retaliate for the rocket fire. Israel struck four targets in Gaza, followed by two more rockets fired from Gaza into Israel.

The US confirmed that it has suspended the sale of Hellfire Missiles to Israel due to the current conflict.

15 August

PIJ officer Ziad al-Nakhaleh stated that even if a lasting agreement isn't achieved by Monday, the ceasefire will continue, in addition to confirming that the seaport and airport talks have been postponed.

A report by al-Shorouk stated that the 11 terms of the ceasefire are:

• Israel will halt military actions in Gaza by land, air or sea.
• All Palestinian factions in Gaza will stop all attacks against Israel by land, air or sea.
• The openings between Israel and Gaza for the transfer of goods to rebuild Gaza will be determined between Israel and the Palestinian Authority.
• Israel and PA will coordinate all issues of funds related to Gaza's reconstruction.
• The elimination of the buffer zones along the security fence, in stages, with the deployment of PA troops.
• The fishing zone in stages will be extended to 12 miles, coordinated by Israel and the PA.
• Israel will assist the PA in rebuilding infrastructure destroyed in Gaza as well as assisting those whose homes were destroyed.
• International aid groups will provide the basic products needed to rebuild Gaza.
• Egypt implores the international community to provide swift humanitarian and monetary assistance for Gaza's reconstruction.
• The exchange of prisoners and remains will also be discussed at a later time.
• The seaport and airport will be discussed at a later time

16 August

Palestinians in Cairo tell Israel to meet their demands or "face a long war." Israeli officials stated that if talks in Cairo fail, it will be up to the UN Security Council to negotiate a truce.

17 August

Israel responded to Palestinian demands by saying that no demands will be met without security being guaranteed in Israel, including the demilitarization of Gaza. As a sign of good faith, Israel removed the fishing blockade and allowed Gazan fishermen to fish up to the three miles out.

18 August

In the evening, as the five-day ceasefire neared an end, Netanyahu stated that they are prepared for any scenario in Gaza. In preparation for possible restart of violence, the train to Sderot was canceled, so they could be fortified to protect against anti-tank missile attacks on them.

Israel arrested 93 Hamas activists, who were planning a third intifada by overthrowing the PA, according to the Shin Bet.

Later in the evening, reports began circulating that Israel and the Palestinian factions had agreed to a long term ceasefire, which would be signed and announced at 23:00. The Palestinians later confirmed they had accepted the ceasefire.

Week 7

19 August

Overnight news leaked that the US and Israel came to an agreement over the blockade of Gaza. Israel agreed to ease the blockade and in exchange, the US will use their international influence to prevent Hamas from rearming.

In the afternoon, shortly before 16:00, three rockets fired from Gaza exploded outside of Be'er Sheva, breaking the ceasefire with the first action by either side in nearly 6 days. Shortly before the rocket fire, Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum stated "If Netanyahu doesn't understand … the language of politics in Cairo, we know how to make him understand," possibly hinting at the rocket fire, although Hamas denied involvement in the rocket fire. Netanyahu ordered the IDF to retaliate against the renewed fire, and ordered the negotiators to return from Cairo due to the violations.

At about 18:30 the Iron Dome intercepted two rockets over Netivot, its first interception in over a week. Later, two rockets were shot down over Sderot and another two over Be'er Sheva, as well as several fired at Tel Aviv, which Hamas took credit for.

Hamas announced that they blame Israel for the ending of the ceasefire. The US however has stated that they hold Hamas responsible for breaking the ceasefire and reiterated Israel's right to defend itself. According to a senior Fatah official Qatar threatened Hamas' political bureau chief Khaled Mashal that it would expel him if Hamas accepts the Egyptian ceasefire deal.

Israel attempted to assassinate the chief commander of Hamas' military wing, Mohammad Deif, in an airstrike on his house in the Sheikh Radwan district of Gaza City, killing his wife and two children. Israeli intelligence concluded in April 2015 that Deif had survived the assassination attempt, the fifth Israeli attempt to assassinate him.

In total 50 rockets were fired from Gaza at Israel, and Israel struck 30 targets in Gaza, on 19 August.

20 August

In the morning, reports leaked that Qatar threatened to expel Khaled Mashaal if Hamas accepted the Egyptian ceasefire.

Hamas threatened to fire additional rockets at Ben Gurion on 21 August as 06:00. Their warning stated that all airlines should cancel their flights.

On 20 August from Gaza 168 rockets were fired at Israel, a record since the operation began, accounting for over 200 rockets since the conflict resumed. In response, Israel carried out 92 attacks into Gaza.

21 August

In the morning the IDF killed three Hamas commanders in an airstrike:

• Raed al Atar – The commander of Hamas' Rafah company and member of its high military council; participated heavily in attacks against Israel, including the kidnapping of Gilad Shalit.
• Muhammad Abu Shamala – The head of its southern command, believed by Israel to have been involved in every attack from Rafah since 2001.
• Mohammed Barhoum – Commander of the southern sector

All three were also heavy involved with the cross-border tunnels. Attar and Abu Shamaleh were also believed to have been involved in the attack in which Hadar Goldin was killed and his body seized. Hamas said that Israel would not break their resistance, and would pay a heavy price for their crimes.

The IDF in the afternoon called up 10,000 reservists. Hamas killed 3 Palestinians and seven were arrested.

22 August

In the morning Hamas shot dead 11 Palestinians it suspected of being informants for Israel at an abandoned police station, and another seven near a mosque. Hamas warned that others would soon be killed.

Violence in the south continued. A Grad rocket fired from Gaza hit a synagogue in Ashdod, injuring three civilians In the afternoon Grad rockets were fired toward Gush Dan. In Sha'ar Hanegev a 4 year old Israeli child was killed in a mortar attack on kibbutz Nahal Oz. The Israeli Prime Minister said that military operations would intensify in response. At least 130 rockets were reported to have been fired, of which some were intercepted; others caused some damage and injuries. A rocket attack on Gan Yavne fatally wounded an IDF soldier who was on home leave from his unit after having served in the war. He died of his injuries a week later. Five others were also injured in the attack, including the soldier's younger brother. The IDF initially carried out about 30 airstrikes in Gaza, killing seven people according to the Gaza Health Ministry. Later, an Israeli airstrike destroyed a building in Gaza. The Palestinians reported at least 12 dead and dozens wounded. It was reported that 20 militants were killed and 50 wounded in the attack.

23 August

In the early afternoon the IDF stated that more than 100 rockets and mortars were fired into Israel since midnight.

Hamas killed four more Palestinians for collaborating with Israel, saying that they had been tried based on evidence. An aid to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas condemned the executions as "provocative," illegal, and without a fair trial. Amnesty International said "Hamas must also remember that the right to a fair trial before a competent court remains in force during times of armed conflict".

An apartment complex, known as Al Zafer Tower 4, collapsed after an Israeli strike which was preceded by roof knocking to warn the residents. According to the IDF, the building was used as one of the headquarters for Hamas.

An unnamed Israeli army intelligence officer said that Hamas had over 2,000 short-range rockets and many dozens of mid-range rockets left, less than 30% of those they had before the operation started.

24 August

Israel assassinated senior Hamas official Mohammed al-Ghoul, who was Hamas' payroll head, in an airstrike on his car in northern Gaza. He had just taken $13 million from a contact who had smuggled it into Gaza from the Sinai which was to be used to pay the salaries of Hamas fighters. The cash he had taken was destroyed, which severely impacted Hamas' ability to pay salaries.

In the afternoon a mortar wounded three Israeli Arabs who worked as taxi drivers tasked with taking a group of Gazans from the crossing into Israel for medical care. About 135 rockets and mortar shells were fired on 24 August; five fell in built-up areas, ten were intercepted, and the remainder exploded in Israeli territory.

Five rockets from south Lebanon were fired into northern Israel early in the morning, the Lebanese Army later located the launcher used. The rockets caused an electrical power failure and injuries in two kids. Israel did not return fire but appealed to the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon to investigate.

Five rockets were fired from Syria into the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. The IDF later assessed that rocket fire was unintentional and was a stray rocket from the Syrian Civil War.

The Israeli Prime Minister said "I call on the inhabitants of Gaza to vacate immediately every site from which Hamas is carrying out terrorist activity. Every one of these places is a target for us."

25 August

In the early morning hours news began to leak of Abbas's new plan for an independent Palestinian state, which would be announced on 26 August. In the first stage of the plan, Abbas would request from the UN a deadline for Israeli withdrawal to the 1967 borders. The response from the Israeli Prime Minister's office indicated that Israel would oppose a withdrawal

Hamas, one day after Iran claimed it down an Israeli drone, claimed it as well had downed an Israeli drone over Gaza.

In the afternoon, according to an unnamed Palestinian source said to be familiar with the issue, the Palestinian factions would agree to a monthlong ceasefire proposed by Egypt in order to restart truce talks in Cairo. Egyptian mediators were awaiting Israeli approval before formally announcing the plan on Monday evening

Hamas POWs interrogated by the IDF revealed that Hamas does in fact use mosques in Gaza for military operations. They also revealed that their tunnels were strategically built near kindergartens and clinics.

In the late evening, a rocket once again was fired from Lebanon into Israel, landing in the Upper Galilee. The IDF returned fire toward the source of the rocket launch.

More than 120 rockets and mortars have been fired from the Gaza Strip.

Week 8

26 August

Gazan sources reported that overnight Israel struck a 13-story building in Gaza known as the Italian Tower, after firing three warning shots into the building, which contained a mix of residences, offices (including the Ministry of Public Works), and retail stores. Two were reported killed, about 20 injured, and most of the complex was destroyed. Hamas fired at sick Gazans as they tried to leave the Strip for treatment Three Salafist militants in Rafah were killed in an Israeli airstrike as they fired rockets at Israel.

The head of the Palestinian delegation to the Cairo cease-fire talks, said that difference of opinion among different Palestinian groups was delaying an agreement. Hamas stated that the wording in the new Egyptian ceasefire proposal was acceptable to them, stating "we're prepared to discuss at a later stage the various controversial issues: the sea port, the prisoners and the airport, what's important at this stage is ending the Israeli aggression, opening the crossings and rebuilding the Strip." In hopes to restart future peace talks, the US sent Marine Corps general John Allen to Israel as a negotiator.

During the day, rockets hit a house and kindergarten playground. Two Israeli civilians were killed and four were injured in a mortar attack on kibbutz Nirim. A border crossing used by Gazans seeking medical treatment in Israel, among others, was under frequent rocket fire. Power lines were damaged in the Eshkol Region.

Hamas, and Islamic Jihad accepted an Egyptian ceasefire draft at 19:00 for a month. Hamas claimed it was accepted by both sides, and that they were waiting for a Cairo to determine the zero hour for implementation. Israel approved the ceasefire. The ceasefire was infringed. Egypt agreed to open the Israel–Gaza barrier.

It was reported that the cease-fire was accepted by Netanyahu without a cabinet vote, leading Bennett to call for a vote on the proposed Gaza ceasefire.

In Gaza, Hamas declared victory during a news conference, and television showed Palestinians celebrating in the streets, with some waving the Hamas flag and others waving the Palestinian Authority flag. The truce came into effect at 19:00 on 26 August; in the previous day over 182 rockets and mortar bombs were fired at Israel, 143 of them falling in open areas and five in residential areas, while 27 were intercepted. Since the collapse of a ceasefire the week before, over 1,045 rockets and mortars were fired at Israel, 141 of which were intercepted.

Status following start of August 26 cease-fire

As of 26 August 2014, when a month-long ceasefire was agreed to by both parties, nearly 2,000 people had been killed in Gaza, as well as 69 Israelis. It was estimated that reconstruction in the Gaza Strip after damage suffered in this conflict would take 10 years. After Hamas had declared victory, Israeli sources said that the IDF had struck 5,200 "terror targets" in Gaza and killed 1,000 "terrorists", that Hamas had received "the worst blow in its history", and that over 4,500 rockets had been fired into Israel. The UN estimated that at least 100,000 Gazans had been internally displaced following Operation Protective Edge.

Political status

Israel

After the first comments of Netanyahu on August, opinions differ. Hamas wants to persuade the Gazans that it has won a victory, but others wonder if the costs of the battle were worth it.

The cost of the war was economically and socially expensive as the Governor Karnit Flug states that she agrees with an increase the budget deficit for 2015 from 2.5% to 3% provided it stems from one-time requirements for covering the costs of Operation Protective Edge and its results. Some will said that the war started after Israel opposed to the unity government of Palestinian Authority with Fatah and Hamas and as result, the negotiations plunged into crisis. Supposedly, those actions gave a validated to Hamas to kidnapping and kill the three teenage boys, which end, in fact, with an agreement with Hamas about ceasefire.

Other said that Hamas is a terrorist argumentation that uses the suffer and the pain in Gaza for his own purpose. Netanyahu by himself told, all ready, that Hamas is adamantly opposed to negotiations with Israel, and that the reason why so soon, after the sign deal, they were shooting from Gaza towards Israel. Even after the fighting ends Hamas warned that this was only an interlude in Hamas' fight against Israel. Therefore, the agreement with Hamas let for nothing, not only Israel had loss money and lives, she also get nothing because Hamas still control in Gaza and become even stronger in Gaza. The head of the Central Committee of Netanyahu's Likud party told "We promised the voters we would be decisive against Hamas, but when we had the chance we hesitated. It's only a matter of time until we will have to face Hamas again." The fact that Netanyahu didn't call the cabinet for a vote show that he was afraid of the opposition.

Netanyahu's right flank in the government has been sharpening its knives even before the fighting with Hamas began and by the middle of the fighting, Minister Avigdor Lieberman reported to the media that Likud Yisrael Beiteinu dismantles partnership with Likud-Beiteinu. Liberman reported that "Israel can't ensure safety of citizens in the South as long as Hamas rules Gaza", in additional he said, "It is impossible and forbidden to trust lowly murderers. Therefore, we are against a cease-fire that allows Hamas to rearm and wage another battle against Israel whenever it finds it comfortable...A real peace process and a strategic breakthrough will only be possible after we succeed in freeing the Middle East and the Palestinians from the threat of Hamas (and no one else will do so in our place)" Others have sniped at Netanyahu for his handling of the crucial US-Israel relationship, "He shouldn't have gone into a direct confrontation with the Americans," Israeli Knesset member David Tzur.

In response, on 27 August, Netanyahu, in his first comments, told that Hamas was hit hard and won few concessions. He also said that the goal of the opening Operation Protective Edge was not brings down Hamas but a long-term calm and inflicting substantial damage to "terrorist infrastructure". Israeli officials emphasized that there were no direct talks with Hamas because the Palestinian delegation was headed by a Palestinian Authority official. Israel already open the border crossings reopen. In addition Israel prevent many attacks. A source close to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said "not an arrangement; it is a cease-fire…a comprehensive deal will be possible only after the two sides discuss the various demands in a month's time." On 28 August, at the Morning Show, "Keshet – Morning" it was reported that Israel also respected the requests of the Arab countries which worried to citizens of Gaza.

Skeptical citizens in the South said that they lost there trust in the Government. Many believe that the goods planned to enter Gaza under international supervision will fall into the hands of Hamas. Eshkol Regional Council Mayor: "We'll see what happens in the coming days, I don't think the cease-fire will last," Although Netanyahu standing that Israel would not accept any further rocket fire, and if the attacks resumed, Israel would react with even more force.

On 1 September, it was reported by BBC that Israel intended to "expropriate 4 sq km (1.5 sq miles) of Palestinian land in the occupied West Bank". The military-run local administration said it was a response to the kidnapping and killing of three Jewish teenagers in the area in June.

On 7 July, political source warns Hamas rebuilding Gaza warfare tunnels despite the ceasefire. Lieberman response that he does not believe it is possible to demilitarize Gaza. Meantime, Mahmoud al-Zahar continues to threaten, "If the Palestinian resistance in the West Bank held a quarter of the tools at the disposal of the resistance in Gaza – Israel would be demolished in a day."

Gaza and PA

The celebration took hold for two days. Two men were killed during the celebration. Abu Obeida, a spokesman for the Hamas military wing, stood over an Israeli flag as he addressed the crowd. "Gaza achieved victory because it has done what major armies failed to do. It forced the enemy to retreat," he said. "We must know that no voice is louder than the voice of the resistance." , "We are here today to declare the victory of the resistance, the victory of Gaza, with the help of God, and the steadfastness of our people and the noble resistance," Hamas spokesman Sami Abu said in a news conference at Gaza's Shifa Hospital. Zuhri also said that their main goal is to liberating Jerusalem.

Abbas associates said that the PA would take legal action against Israel in The Hague, home to the International Criminal Court and the International Court of Justice. on 1 September,

It appears that the unity government of Hamas Fatah is in crisis. There were allegations that Hamas abused Fatah members during Gaza war. They harassed, beaten and in some cases even killed Fatah members. Fatah source said, "they are just closed minded, unethical racist people who discriminate against non-Hamas people" In addition, on 1 September, Abbas told that Mashaal is a liar because Hamas worked to bring down the PA ever since its establishment. As mentioned, on 18 August Israel arrested 93 Hamas men, which tried to carry out a coup of the Palestinian Authority.

Abbas was quoted as saying, "Hamas's goal is to destroy the West Bank and create chaos in order to stage a coup against us. Hamas wants to drive me crazy. Since the kidnapping of [IDF soldier] Gilad Schalit they have been contacting the Americans and Israelis and Europeans and others. They have been doing things behind our backs." He also point out about the murder of the three youths, "When I asked Mashaal [about the murder of the three youths] he replied: 'I don't know.' Then he told me, 'I neither deny nor confirm.' Lies and beating around the bush." Abbas pointed out that Saleh Arouri, later confirmed that his movement had been behind the murder of the youths. Mashaal denied the claim. After Operation Protective Edge, support for Hamas rises, 61 percent of Palestinians say they would vote for Hamas.

On 6 September, there were made first hints for the ending of the unity government. Abbas called in the media that "We won't accept the continuation of the situation with Hamas as it is now and in this shape. There must be one authority and one regime." He also reported that Hamas killed 120 men who defied because the house arrest imposed on them. Meanwhile, U.S. opposed for Abbas' diplomatic plan since it is a unilateral Palestinians say, Herzog asked Abbas to avoid unilateral moves at the United Nations "that might hamper the chances for an agreement." Herzog added that he supports "real negotiations based on security and the fixing of borders as a first step." Despite this Abbas would be expected to bring the plan for a vote in the United Nations General Assembly but in any case, the General Assembly resolutions are not binding.

On 7 September, during the speech at Arab League, Abbas interrupted after he mention the revolution made by Hamas in 2007. It reported that the session was planned to be closed to media. Hamas officials responded to Abbas's allegations by urging him to stop "inciting" against them. The Palestinian Ma'an News Agency reported today that in a speech given to Fatah Party on Sunday, Abbas said that the Egyptian government offer to the PA 618-square mile area of the Sinai adjacent to Gaza. Abbas rejected the offer.

Arab countries

Qatari media which knows that Qatar's support of Hamas calling Hamas' efforts a victory.

On Al-Akhbar, Lebanese media, reported as the end of the firecaese that "Israel in shock: Intelligence failure in handling the rockets", and other media say that Israel had caved to Hamas' demands.

Egypt which has a strong opponent of the Muslim Brotherhood condemns Israeli action in Gaza but thoughts that the actions of Hamas lead for nothing, only to more pain and suffering of the citizens's Gaza, while "The Hamas movement continues listening to voices from Qatar and Khaled Mashal who stays there and enjoys his time at the gym of one of the most luxurious hotels in Qatar"

United States

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said Tuesday that the United States welcomed the newly announced cease-fire. "We strongly support today's cease-fire agreement, and call on all parties to fully and completely comply with its terms. ... We are all aware that this is an opportunity, not a certainty."

See also

• List of Israeli strikes and Palestinian casualties in the 2014 Israel–Gaza conflict
• List of Palestinian rocket attacks on Israel, 2014

External links

• Timelines of the first and second Archived 23 July 2014 at the Wayback Machine phases of operation, idfblog.com; accessed 23 July 2014.

Impact

On Gaza residents

A map showing the location of damage in Gaza

Ruins of buildings in Beit Hanoun, August 2014

Five-year-old Shaymaa al-Masri was injured on 9 July 2014.

As of 20 July 2014, hospitals in Gaza were ill-equipped and faced severe shortages of various kinds of medicine, medical supplies, and fuel. Egypt temporarily reopened the Rafah crossing with Gaza to allow medical supplies to enter and injured Palestinians to receive treatment in Egypt. Due to the operation, prices of food, including fish and produce, rose dramatically. A 21 July news report stated that over 83,000 Palestinians had taken shelter in UN facilities. Fatah officials accused Hamas of mishandling humanitarian aid meant for civilians. According to them, Hamas took the aid, which included clothing, mattresses, medicine, water, and food, and distributed it among Hamas members or sold it on the black market for profit.

According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), over 273,000 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip had been displaced as of 31 July 2014, of whom 236,375 (over eleven percent of the Gazan population) were taking shelter in 88 UNRWA schools. UNRWA exhausted its capacity to absorb displaced persons, and overcrowding in shelters risked the outbreak of epidemics. 1.8 million people were affected by a halt or reduction of the water supply, 138 schools and 26 health facilities were damaged, 872 homes were totally destroyed or severely damaged, and the homes of 5,005 families were damaged but still inhabitable. Throughout the Gaza Strip, people received only 2 hours of electricity per day. Power outage had an immediate effect on the public health situation and reduced water and sanitation services, with hospitals becoming dependent on generators. On 2 September, UNRWA reported that 58,217 people were sheltering in 31 of their school buildings, a fifth of their buildings.

OCHA estimated that at least 373,000 children required psychosocial support. "Intense overcrowding, compounded by the limited access of humanitarian staff to certain areas, is increasingly undermining the living conditions at many shelters and raising protection concerns. Water supply has been particularly challenging..." More than 485,000 internally displaced persons were in need of emergency food assistance.

Gaza City, home to 500,000, suffered damage to 20-25% of its housing. Beit Hanoun, with 70% of its housing stock damaged, is considered uninhabitable, with 30,000 residents there in need of accommodation. The only power station in the Strip was damaged on 29 July, and the infrastructure of power transmission lines and sewage pumps was severely damaged, with a major sewage pipe catering to 500,000 badly damaged. Among the infrastructure targeted and destroyed by Israel's bombing campaign were 220 factories in various industrial zones, including a major carpentry enterprise, construction companies, a major biscuit factory, dairy farms and livestock, a candy manufacturer, the orange groves of Beit Hanoun, Gaza's largest mosques, and several TV stations. Farms, as a consequence of damage or the presence of unexploded ordnance dropped during the conflict, are often inaccessible, and the damage to agriculture was estimated at over $200 million. 10 out of 26 hospitals closed.

According to the Palestinian Ministry of Endowments and Religious Affairs, 203 mosques were damaged during the war, with 73 being destroyed completely. Two of Gaza's three Christian churches were also damaged, with the third suffering some damage to peripheral buildings owned by the parish. In the light of the damage to mosques, Manuel Musallam informed Muslims they could call their prayers from Christian churches. In contrast to Operation Pillar of Defensive, which did not damage a single mosque, Israel maintained that Hamas had a routine military use of mosques and that made them legitimate military targets. According to the IDF, 160 rockets were launched from mosques during the war. It also stated that mosques were used for weapon storage, tunnel entrances, training and gathering of militants. In one Associated Press report, residents denied that mosques damaged by Israeli forces had been used for military purposes.

On Israeli residents

A kindergarten in central Israel during a rocket attack.

One of the shelter signs that were placed in the Ben Gurion Airport because of the rocket attacks on Israel.

Hamas and other Islamist groups in Gaza fired rockets and mortars at Israeli towns and villages. Despite Israel's use of the Iron Dome missile defense systems, six civilians were killed, including an Arab Israeli and a Thai civilian worker. An Israeli teen was seriously injured in a rocket strike in the city of Ashkelon. Medical health professionals have noted that Israeli teens prone to mental health problems suffer increasingly during both short-term and long-term conflicts. Experts have identified a number of mental health symptoms which rise during conflict, including anxiety, depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, interpersonal sensitivity, phobias, and paranoia. There is some doubt whether these issues will dissipate after the conflict is resolved.

Rocket attacks from Gaza caused damage to Israeli civilian infrastructure, including factories, gas stations, and homes.

At the onset of the operation, the Israeli government canceled all programs within 40 km (24 miles) of Gaza, and requested all people stay at home or near shelter. All summer camps were closed and universities canceled their final exams. Additionally, all gatherings of 300 or more people were banned. Due to the trajectory of rocket fire from Gaza, many flights in and out of Ben-Gurion Airport were delayed or rerouted. and flights to Ben-Gurion airport were interrupted for some days after a Hamas rocket struck an area in its vicinity. Hamas called the FAA flight ban a "great victory". Michael Ross wrote that the decision was driven by anxiety and caused considerably more damage than the potential danger it prevented.

Nearly 3,000 claims of damage were submitted to Israel's Tax Authority, which paid $20 million for direct damage and $21 million for indirect damage such as missed work days as of .

The Bedouin communities in the Negev, many unrecognised by the Israeli government, were classified as "open areas" and so their 200,000 residents did not have warning sirens or anti-rocket protection.

Casualties and losses

Palestinian

Further information: List of Israeli strikes and Palestinian casualties in Operation Protective Edge

Reports of casualties in the conflict have been made available by a variety of sources. Most media accounts have used figures provided by the government in Gaza or non-governmental organizations.

Current reports of the proportion of those killed who were civilians/militants are incomplete, and real-time errors, intentional data manipulation, and diverse methodologies produce notable variations in various sides' figures. For example, the Hamas-run Interior Ministry has issued instructions for activists to always refer to casualties as "innocent civilians" or "innocent citizens" in internet posts. However, B'Tselem has stated that after the various groups finish their investigations, their figures are likely to end up about the same. UNICEF and the Gaza Health Ministry reported that from 8 July to 2 August, 296–315 Palestinian children died due to Israeli action, and 30% of civilian casualties were children; by 27 August, the total number of children killed had risen to 495–578, according to OCHA and the Gaza Health Ministry.

Human rights groups and the UN use the Gaza Health Ministry's number of Palestinians killed in Gaza as preliminary and add to or subtract from it after conducting their own investigations. For example, human rights groups say that the casualty count provided by the Health Ministry most likely includes victims of Hamas executions, domestic violence, and natural deaths, but they (the human rights groups) remove the accused collaborators (who were shot as close range) from their own counts. Israel contends that the Health Ministry's casualty count also includes deaths caused by rocket or mortar malfunctions.

	Gaza Health Ministry (GHM)	OCHA	Al Mezan	PCHR	ITIC	Israeli security
Total killed	2,310	2,205	2,142	2,191	2,157	2,140
Civilians	≈1,617	1,483	1,646	1,660	480	712
Militants	≈693	722	496	506	528	886
Unidentified	—	—	—	—	157 unknown, 992 unchecked	542
Percent civilians	70%	69.1%	76.9%	76.6%	48% of the 1,008 identified	45% of the 1,598 identified
Last updated	3 January 2015	15 October	25 August	27 August	1 December	21 December
Notes	Defines as a civilian anyone who isn't claimed by an armed group as a member.	Cross-references figures with different sources.	Requires ≥2 sources, counts on local ties to determine if someone was a combatant or civilian.	Counts militants who were not effectively participating in combat when killed as civilians.	Removes from GHM's report names it considers duplicates and adds missing militants.	Uses its own intelligence reports to determine combatant deaths.

According to data provided by the Palestinian International Middle East Media Center, 79.7% of the Palestinians killed in Gaza were male, with the majority between 16 and 35 (fighting-age). In contrast, a New York Times analysis states that males of ages that are most likely to be militants form 9% of the population but 34% of the casualties, while women and children under 15, who are least likely to be legitimate targets, form 71% of the general population and 33% of the casualties. Israel has pointed to the relatively small numbers of fatalities among women, children and men over 60, and to instances of Hamas fighters being counted as civilians (perhaps due to the broad definition of "civilian" used by the Gaza Health Ministry), to support its view that the number of the dead who were militants is 40–50%. The IDF calculates that 5% of Gaza's military forces were killed in the war. Jana Krause, from the war studies department at Kings College London, stated that "a potential explanation other than combatant roles" for the tendency of the dead to be young men "could be that families expect them to be the first ones to leave shelters in order to care for hurt relatives, gather information, look after abandoned family homes or arrange food and water." ITIC reported instances in which children and teenagers served as militants, as well as cases where the ages of casualties reported by GHM were allegedly falsified, with child militants listed as adults and adults listed as children.

Abbas said that "more than 120 youths were killed for violating the curfew and house arrest orders issued against them" by Hamas, referring to reports that Hamas targeted Fatah activists in Gaza during the conflict. Abbas said that Hamas also executed more than 30 suspected collaborators without trial. He said that "over 850 Hamas members and their families" were killed by Israel during the operation. During the fighting between Israel and Gaza, solidarity protests occurred in the West Bank, during which several Palestinians died; see Reactions.

Israeli

Further information: List of Palestinian rocket attacks on Israel, 2014

During the conflict, 66 IDF soldiers were killed, as were 5 Israeli civilians and 1 Thai civilian. One other person died due to natural causes brought on by the conflict. According to Magen David Adom, 837 civilians were treated for shock (581) or injuries (256): 36 were injured by shrapnel, 33 by debris from shattered glass and building debris, 18 in traffic accidents which occurred when warning sirens sounded, 159 from falling or trauma while on the way to shelters, and 9 in violence in Jerusalem and Maale Adumim. 469 IDF soldiers were injured.

The first Israeli civilian death occurred at the Erez border crossing with Gaza when a Chabad rabbi, delivering food and drinks on the front line, was hit by mortar fire. The second Israeli civilian killed was a 32-year-old Bedouin who was hit by a rocket in the Negev Desert. A Thai migrant worker was also killed by mortar fire while working at a greenhouse in the Ashkelon Coast Regional Council. In addition, an elderly woman in Wadi Nisnas collapsed and died of heart failure during an air-raid siren. On 22 August, a 4-year-old Israeli child was killed by a mortar fired from Gaza. A barrage of mortar fire killed two Israeli civilians in the Eshkol region, an hour before a ceasefire went into effect.

Economic impact

Palestinian officials estimated on 4 September that, with 17,000 homes destroyed (and as of early August at least 30,000 partially destroyed) by Israeli bombing, the reconstruction would cost $7.8 billion, which is about 3 times Gaza's GDP for 2011. Gaza City suffered damage to 20–25% of its housing and Beit Hanoun with 70% of its housing uninhabitable. The New York Times noted that damage in this third war was more severe than in the two preceding wars, where in the aftermath of the earlier Operation Cast Lead the damage inflicted was $4 billion, 3 times the then GDP of Gaza's economy. Strikes on Gaza's few industries will take years to repair. Gaza's main power plant on Salaheddin Road was damaged. Two sewage pumping stations in Zeitoun were damaged. The biggest private company in Gaza, the Alawda biscuit and ice cream factory, employing 400, was destroyed by a shelling barrage on 31 July, a few days after undertaking to supply its Choco Sandwich biscuits to 250,000 refugees in response to a request from the World Food Programme; other strikes targeted a plastics factory, a sponge-making plant, the offices of Gaza's main fruit distribution network, the El Majd Industrial and Trading Corporation's factory for cardboard box, carton and plastic bag production, Gaza's biggest dairy product importer and distributor, Roward International. Trond Husby, chief of the UN's Gaza development programme in Gaza, commented that the level of destruction now is worse than in Somalia, Sierra Leone, South Sudan and Uganda.

A number of tunnels leading into both Israel and Egypt were destroyed throughout the operation. There were reports that the tunnels between Gaza and Egypt were bringing an estimated $700 million into Gaza's economy through goods or services. Several Palestinians argued that the tunnels had been critical to supporting the residents of Gaza, either through the employment they provided or through the goods that they allowed in—goods which were otherwise not available unless shipped through Egypt. However, tunnels along the Israeli border serve a purely military purpose.

During the ground invasion, Israeli forces destroyed livestock in Gaza. In Beit Hanoun, 370 cows were killed by tank shelling and airstrikes. In Beit Lahiya, 20 camels were shot by ground forces. Israel's Minister of Finance estimated that the operation would cost Israel NIS 8.5 billion (approximately 2.5 billion USD), which is similar to Operation Cast Lead in 2009 and higher than Operation Pillar of Defense in 2012. The forecast included military and non-military costs, including military expenditure and property damage. The calculation indicated that if the operation lasted 20 days, the loss in GDP would be 0.4%.

Reactions

Main article: Reactions to the 2014 Israel–Gaza conflict

International

Quds Day 2014 pro-Palestinian protest in Berlin, 25 July 2014

Pro-Israel demonstration in Helsinki, Finland

International reactions to the 2014 Israel–Gaza conflict came from many countries and international organizations around the world.

Canada was supportive of Israel and critical of Hamas. The BRICS countries called for restraint on both sides and a return to peace talks based on the Arab Peace Initiative. The European Union condemned the violations of the laws of war by both sides, while stressing the "unsustainable nature of the status quo", and calling for a settlement based on the two-state solution. The Non-Aligned Movement, the Arab League, and most Latin American countries were critical of Israel, with some countries in the latter group withdrawing their ambassadors from Israel in protest. South Africa called for restraint by both sides and an end to "collective punishment of Palestinians".

There were many pro-Israel and pro-Palestine demonstrations worldwide, including inside Israel and the Palestinian territories. According to OCHA, 23 Palestinians were killed and 2,218 were wounded by the IDF (38% of the latter by live fire) during these demonstrations.

Concerns were raised regarding rising anti-Semitism and related violence deemed related to the conflict.

United States

U.S. President Obama acknowledged Israel's right to defend itself, but urged restraint by both sides. Meanwhile, the United States Congress expressed vigorous support for Israel. It passed legislation providing Israel with an additional $225 million in military aid for missile defense with a bipartisan 395-8 vote in the House of Representatives and by unanimous consent in the Senate. This was in addition to strong measures supporting Israel's position passed with overwhelming support in both houses. Israel received strong statements of bipartisan support from the leadership and members of both houses of Congress for its actions during the conflict.

Gaza

On 6 August 2014, thousands of Palestinians rallied in Gaza in support of Hamas, they demanded an end to the blockade of Gaza. After the 26 August ceasefire, the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research conducted a poll in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip: 79% of respondents said that Hamas had won the war and 61% said that they would pick Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh as the Palestinian president, up from 41% before the war.

According to The Washington Post, a percentage of Gazans held Hamas responsible for the humanitarian crisis and wanted the militants to stop firing rockets from their neighborhoods to avoid Israeli reaction. Some of the Gazans have attempted to protest against Hamas, which routinely accuses protesters of being Israeli spies and has killed more than 50 such protesters. Around 6 August, Palestinian protesters reportedly attacked and beat up Hamas spokesperson Sami Abu Zuhri because they blamed Hamas for inciting Operation Protective Edge.

An unknown number of Palestinians, estimated in the hundreds or thousands, have tried to flee to Europe due to the conflict. The Palestinian rights group Adamir collected the names of 400 missing persons. In what was described as the "worst shipwreck in years", a boat carrying refugees was rammed by smugglers and capsized off the coast of Malta, resulting in the deaths of about 400 people. According to interviews with survivors, they paid smugglers between $2,000-$5,000 or used legal travel permits, to get to Egypt. One refugee who died had considered the boat to be rickety but told his father "I have no life in Gaza anyway".

Israel and the West Bank

Banner on a kindergarten in Kiryat Ono saying "Dear soldiers! Take care of yourselves! You are our heroes!"

Demonstration against Operation Protective Edge in Tel Aviv, Israel.

A majority of the Israeli public supported Operation Protective Edge. Nonetheless, there were protests throughout Israel, after which nearly 700 people were arrested, including 224 people from East Jerusalem. Most were subsequently released, but some face charges.

There were continuous protests and clashes in the West Bank. The funeral of Mohammed Abu Khdeir on 4 July was joined by thousands of mourners, and was accompanied by clashes across east Jerusalem throughout the weekend. According to OCHA, 23 Palestinians were killed and 2,218 were wounded by the IDF, 38% of the latter by live fire. According to the PLO, 32 Palestinians were killed in the West Bank in the period 13 June – 26 August, nearly 1400 were wounded by Israeli fire and 1,700 were detained in the largest offensive in the West Bank since the Second Intifada. The PLO also stated that 1,472 settlement homes had been approved over the summer.

During the war there were over 360 attacks on Jews from the West Bank, a spate that was thought by the Jerusalem Post to have "peaked" on 4 August with a tractor attack in Jerusalem and the shooting of a uniformed soldier in the French Hill neighborhood, leading to an increase in security in the city.

On 1 September, Israel announced a plan to expropriate 1,000 acres of land in the West Bank, reportedly as a "reaction to the deplorable murder in June of three Israeli teenagers", which Amnesty International denounced as the "largest land grab in the Occupied Palestinian Territories since the 1980s". The EU complained about the land expropriation and warned of renewed violence in Gaza; the US called it "counterproductive".

Alleged violations of international humanitarian law

Further information: International law and the Arab–Israeli conflict

A number of legal and moral issues concerning the conflict arose during course of the fighting. Various human rights groups have argued that both Palestinian rocket attacks and Israeli targeted destruction of homes of Hamas and other militia members violated international humanitarian law and might constitute war crimes, violations of international humanitarian law. Navi Pillay, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, accused Hamas militants of violating international humanitarian law by "locating rockets within schools and hospitals, or even launching these rockets from densely populated areas." She also criticized Israel's military operation, stating that there was "a strong possibility that international law has been violated, in a manner that could amount to war crimes", and specifically criticizing Israel's actions in Gaza as disproportionate.

Amnesty International found evidence that "[d]uring the current hostilities, Hamas spokespeople reportedly urged residents in some areas of the Gaza Strip not to leave their homes after the Israeli military dropped leaflets and made phone calls warning people in the area to evacuate", and that international humanitarian law was clear in that "even if officials or fighters from Hamas or Palestinian armed groups associated with other factions did in fact direct civilians to remain in a specific location in order to shield military objectives from attacks, all of Israel's obligations to protect these civilians would still apply." B'tselem found that Hamas had breached provisions of International Humanitarian Law (IHL), both firing from civilian areas and firing at Israeli civilian areas. It also stated that the Israeli policy of bombing homes, formulated by government officials and the senior military command, though claimed to be in conformity with IHL, was 'unlawful', and designed to 'block, a priori, any allegations that Israel breached IHL provisions', in that it relies on an interpretation that leaves 'no restrictions whatsoever on Israeli action' so that 'whatever method it chooses to respond to Hamas operations is legitimate, no matter how horrifying the consequences.' NGO Monitor criticized the report, referring to it as a "simplistic and distorted political narrative".

Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh urged the Palestinian Authority to sign the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC); the fact that the PA has not done so yet has prevented the ICC from launching a formal investigation. ICC prosecutor Geoffrey Nice said that a "decision to do nothing clearly emerges from the meeting" with the PA foreign minister Riad Malki. The UNHRC has appointed a panel led by William Schabas to investigate war crimes allegations by both sides. Israel criticized Schabas as biased because he repeatedly made statements against Israel and in support of Hamas, and has announced its own investigations of both military and civilian leadership and the conduct during the war. Schabas denied any bias, but on 2 February 2015 resigned from the position. According to the New York Times, "Of 44 cases initially referred to army fact-finding teams for preliminary examination, seven have been closed, including one involving the death of eight members of a family when their home was struck on 8 July, the first day of the Israeli air campaign, and others are pending." Human rights organizations have expressed little confidence in Israel's measures, citing past experience. Moreover, several human rights organizations were denied access to Gaza by Israel, rendering it impossible for them to carry out on-site investigations. B'Tselem has refused to participate in the army investigation.

Alleged violations by Hamas

Killing and shooting of Gazan civilians

The IDF stated on 31 July that more than 280 Hamas rockets malfunctioned and fell inside the Gaza strip, hitting sites including Al-Shifa Hospital and the Al-Shati refugee camp, killing at least 10 and wounding dozens. Hamas has denied that any of its rockets hit the Gaza Strip. While the incident is disputed, early news reports have suggested that the strike was from an Israeli drone missile.

Twenty civilians from Shuja'iyya were killed while protesting against Hamas. A few days later, Hamas reportedly killed two Gazans and wounded ten after a scuffle broke out over food handouts.

Killing of suspected collaborators

During the conflict, Hamas executed Gazan civilians it accused of having collaborated with Israel; thirty on 30 July; forty-six on 21/22 August, including twenty-five as part of a campaign codenamed "Strangling Necks"; four on 23 August; and eighteen more at other times. Overall, Hamas executed between 30-40 suspected collaborators during Operation Protective Edge alone, according to Abbas. Abbas condemned the executions, calling them murders and a crime.

Abbas' Secretary-General, Al-Tayyib Abd al-Rahim, condemned the "random executions of those who Hamas called collaborators", adding that some of those killed had been detained for more than three years. Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and Palestinian human rights groups condemned the executions. Bodies of the victims were brought to hospitals to be added to the number of civilian casualties of Israeli operation. According to a Shin Bet official, "not even one" of the alleged collaborators executed by Hamas provided any intelligence to Israel, while the Shin Bet officially "confirmed that those executed during Operation Protective Edge had all been held in prison in Gaza in the course of the hostilities."

Senior Hamas official Moussa Abu Marzouk confirmed that some victims were kept under arrest before the conflict began and were executed to satisfy the public without due legal procedure.

Shurat HaDin filed a suit with the ICC charging Khaled Mashaal with war crimes for the executions of 38 civilians. Hamas co-founder Ayman Taha was found dead; Al-Quds Al-Arabi reported he had been shot by Hamas for maintaining contact with the intelligence services of several Arab countries; Hamas stated he was targeted by an Israeli airstrike.

Human shields

Israel has stated that many civilian casualties were the result of Hamas using the Gazan population as human shields at rocket launch targets. However, according to Harriet Sherwood in The Guardian, this is their justification for targeting such places, despite the legal requirement to ensure its attacks are proportional, distinguish between military and civilian objects, and avoid civilian casualties.

The statements fall into two categories: using civilian structures like homes, mosques and hospitals to store munitions in or launch rockets from, and urging or forcing civilian population to stay in their homes, to shield militants. Israeli soldiers have also said Hamas operatives directly employed women and children as involuntary human shields to evade pursuit, while Hamas and others have said such accusations are false. Asa Kasher wrote that "Israel cannot forfeit its ability to protect its citizens against attacks simply because terrorists hide behind non-combatants. If it did so, it would be giving up any right to self-defense."

Use of civilian structures for military purposes

Israel has stated that many mosques, schools and hospitals were used to store weapons. The IDF spokesman said that mortar shells were fired from a boys' school that served as a shelter for refugees. There were reports of the use of mosques to store weapons, and having launch sites very close to civilian structures. Gaza's Greek Orthodox archbishop has said that Hamas used the church compound, which sheltered 2000 Muslim civilians, to launch rockets into Israel. France 24 correspondent Gallagher Fenwick reported that a Hamas rocket-launching pad was placed in densely populated neighborhood of Gaza City, about 50 meters from the hotel where the majority of international media were staying and 100 meters from a UN building. Fenwick said that "children can be seen playing on and near the rocket launcher".

Israel released footage of Palestinian militants launching rockets from a school and a cemetery. In at least one case a cemetery was targeted by an Israeli airstrike.

According to Shabak, the Israeli internal security service, some militants, when interrogated, admitted using civilian buildings for military purposes. The admissions included more than ten mosques that were used for gatherings, training, storage of weapons, tunnel activities and military observations. During interrogations, one militant said that he was instructed in case of successful abduction using a tunnel to take the victim to a kindergarten located near its opening.

On 24 August, Israel released part of what it says is a Hamas training manual on urban warfare, which states "the process of hiding ammunition inside buildings is intended for ambushes in residential areas and to move the campaign from open areas into built up and closed areas" and "residents of the area should be used to bring in the equipment...take advantage of this to avoid [Israeli] spy planes and attack drones." The manual also explains how fighting from within civilian population makes IDF operations difficult and what the benefits of civilian deaths are. Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri dismissed the document as a "forgery...aimed at justifying the mass killings of Palestinian civilians."

On 12 September, Ghazi Hamad, a senior Hamas official, acknowledged for the first time that Hamas did fire rockets from civilian areas and said "some mistakes were made".

In Israel

Israeli and Jewish critics of the war, including Uri Avnery, Gideon Levy and Richard Silverstein wrote that in its own war of independence and earlier Jews hid weapons in synagogues, kindergartens and schools. Correctness of such comparison is denied by Ross Singer, who notes that "the legacy of both the Irgun and Lehi was and to a large degree still is a matter of public debate", while Zionist paramilitary groups "rarely if ever" fired weapons "from within civilian population centers" and routinely evacuated civilians from areas of conflict.

Some commentators noted the high population density of Gaza in conjunction with Palestinian military activities and installations being in or near civilian structures. Some critics note that the headquarters of the IDF and Shin Bet, as well as an Israeli military training facility, are located near civilian centers.

Legality

Using civilian structures to store munitions and launch attacks from is unlawful, and the Fourth Geneva Convention states that "The presence of a protected person may not be used to render certain points or areas immune from military operations." On the other hand, another convention says that "Any violation of these prohibitions shall not release the parties to the conflict from their legal obligations with respect to the civilian population and civilians, including the obligation to take the precautionary measures."

According to Harriet Sherwood, even if Hamas were violating the law on this matter, it would not legally justify Israel's bombing of areas where civilians are known to be. Amnesty International stated that "Indiscriminate and disproportionate attacks (where the likely number of civilian casualties or damage to civilian property outweighs the anticipated military advantage to be gained) are … prohibited." It said that "Israel's relentless air assault on Gaza has seen its forces flagrantly disregard civilian life and property". Human Rights Watch has said that in many cases "the Israeli military has presented no information to show that it was attacking lawful military objectives or acted to minimize civilian casualties." An investigation by Human Rights Watch found that "in most of the sites we investigated so far (in this conflict) we found no valid military targets".

Medical facilities and personnel

Photo taken during the 72-hour ceasefire between Hamas and Israel on 6 August 2014. A destroyed ambulance in Shuja'iyya in the Gaza Strip.

Medical units including hospitals and medical personnel have special protections under international humanitarian law. They lose their protection only if they commit, outside their humanitarian function, "acts harmful to the enemy." More than 25 medical facilities were damaged in the conflict; one attack on Al-Aqsa hospital killed 5 people. In many cases, ambulances and other medical personnel were hit. Amnesty International has condemned the attacks and said that there is "mounting evidence" that Israel deliberately targeted hospitals and medical personnel; Israel said it had not.

A Finnish reporter from Helsingin Sanomat reported seeing rockets fired from near the Gaza Al-Shifa hospital. The IDF said that in several cases Hamas used Wafa hospital as a military base and used ambulances to transport its fighters. According to the Israeli Shabak, many of the militants it interrogated said that "everyone knew" that Hamas leaders were using hospitals for hiding. Hamas security reportedly wore police uniforms and blocked access to certain parts of the hospitals. One of the interrogated militants reportedly said that civilians seeking medical attention usually were thrown out by the security.

French-Palestinian journalist Radjaa Abu Dagga reported that Hamas militants interrogated him in Gaza's main hospital (Al-Shifa); his report was later removed from his paper's website at his request.

Urging or forcing civilians to stay in their homes

The IDF has released photographs which it says show civilians on rooftops, and a video of Hamas spokesperson Sami Abu Zuhri saying "the fact that people are willing to sacrifice themselves against Israeli warplanes in order to protect their homes […] is proving itself". The EU has strongly condemned "calls on the civilian population of Gaza to provide themselves as human shields" and US Congress-members introduced bills condemning Hamas for using human shields. Civilians and activists in Gaza used themselves as 'human shields' in attempts to prevent Israeli attacks.

Hamas officials said human shields were not used. One Gazan stated that "nobody is safe and nobody can flee anywhere because everywhere is targeted." Many reporters, including from the BBC, the Independent and the Guardian said that they found no evidence of Hamas forcing Palestinians to stay and become unwilling human shields.

Fatah officials said that Hamas placed over 250 Fatah members under house arrest or in jail, putting them under threat of being killed by Israeli strikes and shooting them in the legs or breaking their limbs if they tried to leave. According to Abbas, more than 300 Fatah members were placed under house arrest and 120 were executed for fleeing.

Amnesty International reported that it did "not have evidence at this point" that Palestinian civilians were intentionally used by Hamas or Palestinian armed groups during the current hostilities to "shield" specific locations or military personnel or equipment from Israeli attacks". It additionally said that "public statements referring to entire areas are not the same as directing specific civilians to remain in their homes as "human shields" for fighters, munitions, or military equipment" and that "even if officials or fighters from Hamas or Palestinian armed groups … did in fact direct civilians to remain in a specific location in order to shield military objectives …, all of Israel's obligations to protect these civilians would still apply." Human Rights Watch said many of the attacks on targets appeared to be "disproportionate" and "indiscriminate".

Human Rights Watch attributed many civilian deaths to the lack of safe places to flee to, and accused Israel of firing at fleeing civilians. It stated that there are many reasons that prevent civilians from abiding by warnings, and that the failure to abide by warnings does not make civilians lawful targets.

A survey of Gazan residents by the Gatestone Institute addressed the subject of human shields, with respondents issuing statements such as "People received warnings from the Israelis and tried to evacuate... Hamas shot some of those people... The rest were forced to return to their homes and get bombed"; "Hamas imposed a curfew: anyone walking out in the street was shot without being asked any questions. That way Hamas made sure people had to stay in their homes even if they were about to get bombed"; and "My father received a text-message from the Israeli army warning him that our area was going to be bombed, and Hamas prevented us from leaving."

Rocket attacks on Israeli civilians

House destroyed by a rocket in Yehud.

Human rights organizations, including Amnesty International, pointed to Hamas's rocket attacks on Israeli cities as violations of international law and war crimes. Palestinian ambassador to the UN Human Rights Council, Ibrahim Khraishi stated in an 9 July interview on PA TV that the "missiles that are now being launched against Israel – each and every missile constitutes a crime against humanity, whether it hits or misses, because it is directed at civilian targets".

Hamas political figure Khaled Mashaal has defended the firing of rockets into Israel, saying that "our victims are civilians and theirs are soldiers". According to one report, "nearly all the 2,500–3,000 rockets and mortars Hamas has fired at Israel since the start of the war seem to have been aimed at towns", including an attack on "a kibbutz collective farm close to the Gaza border", in which an Israeli child was killed. Former Israeli Lt. Col. Jonathan D. Halevi stated that "Hamas has expressed pride in aiming long-range rockets at strategic targets in Israel including the nuclear reactor in Dimona, the chemical plants in Haifa, and Ben-Gurion Airport", which "could have caused thousands" of Israeli casualties "if successful".

According to Israel, Hamas continued to fire rockets at the Erez border crossing while sick and wounded Gazans tried to enter Israel for treatment. The Erez border crossing is the only legal border crossing between Gaza and Israel. Other people affected by this included journalists, UN workers, and volunteers.

Military use of UN facilities

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) has a number of institutions and schools in the Gaza region, and, as of 24 July 23 had been closed. Hamas took advantage of the closures to employ some of these vacant UNRWA buildings as weapon storage sites. UNRWA officials, on discovering that three such vacated schools had been employed for storing rockets, condemned Hamas's actions, calling it a "flagrant violation of the neutrality of our premises."

Israel's foreign minister Avigdor Lieberman stated that UNRWA had turned over some discovered rockets to Hamas. Israel Democracy Institute Vice President, Mordechai Kremnitzer, accused the UNRWA of war crimes for handing over the rockets, while Hebrew University Professor Robbie Sabel stated that the UNRWA "had no legal obligation to hand the rockets over to Israel" and had little other choice in the matter. UNRWA states the armouries had been transferred to local police authorities under the Ramallah national unity government's authority, in accordance with "longstanding UN practice in UN humanitarian operations worldwide". UN Secretary Ban Ki-moon ordered an investigation.

On 30 July, the IDF said that they had discovered the entrance to a tunnel concealed inside a UNRWA medical clinic in Khan Yunis. The clinic was rigged with explosives, which then exploded and killed three Israeli soldiers. This report was later corrected by the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories, the military unit that implements government policies in the Palestinian areas, who later that day stated that despite its UNRWA sign, the site was not registered as belonging to UNRWA.

Intimidation of journalists

Israeli officials said Hamas intimidates journalists in Gaza. A French reporter said that he was "detained and interrogated by members of Hamas's al-Qassam Brigade" in Gaza's Al-Shifa hospital, and forced to leave Gaza; he later asked the newspaper to remove his article from their site. Some journalists reported threats on social media against those who tweet about rocket launch sites. John Reed of The Financial Times was threatened after he tweeted about rockets being fired from near Al-Shifa Hospital, and RT correspondent Harry Fear was told to leave Gaza after he tweeted that Hamas fired rockets from near his hotel. Isra al-Modallal, head of foreign relations for the Hamas Information Ministry, said Hamas did deport foreign journalists who filmed Hamas rocket launches, stating that by filming the launch sites the journalists were collaborating with Israel. The Foreign Press Association (FPA) in Israel and the Palestinian territories protested what it called "blatant, incessant, forceful and unorthodox methods employed by the Hamas authorities … against visiting international journalists in Gaza", saying several had been harassed or questioned over information they reported. It also said that Hamas was trying to "put in place a 'vetting' procedure" that would allow the blacklisting of specific journalists. The Jerusalem Post said UNRWA workers were threatened by Hamas at gun-point during the war, but Christopher Gunness, UNRWA spokesman, said "I have checked and double checked with sources in Gaza and there is no evidence of death threats made to UNRWA personnel."

Some FPA members disputed the FPA's comments, including New York Times Jerusalem bureau chief Jodi Rudoren, who wrote "every reporter I've met who was in Gaza during [the] war says this Israeli/now FPA narrative of Hamas harassment is nonsense." Haaretz interviewed many foreign journalists and found "all but a few of the journalists deny any such pressure". They said Hamas's intimidation was no worse than what they got from the IDF, and said no armed forces would permit reporters to broadcast militarily sensitive information. Furthermore, most reporters seldom saw Hamas fighters, because they fought from concealed locations and in places that were too dangerous to approach.

Alleged violations by Israel

According to Assaf Sharon of Tel Aviv University, the IDF was pressured by politicians to unleash unnecessary violence whose basic purpose was 'to satisfy a need for vengeance,' which the politicians themselves tried to whip up in Israel's population. Asa Kasher wrote that the IDF was pulled into fighting "that is both strategically and morally asymmetric" and that like any other army it made mistakes, but the charges it faces are "grossly unfair".

Civilian deaths

Many of those killed were civilians, prompting concern from many humanitarian organisations. An investigation by Human Rights Watch concluded that Israel had probably committed war crimes on three specific incidents involving strikes on UNWRA schools. Amnesty International stated that: "Israeli forces have carried out attacks that have killed hundreds of civilians, including through the use of precision weaponry such as drone-fired missiles, and attacks using munitions such as artillery, which cannot be precisely targeted, on very densely populated residential areas, such as Shuja'iyya. They have also directly attacked civilian objects." B'tselem has compiled an infogram listing families killed at home in 72 incidents of bombing or shelling, comprising 547 people killed, of whom 125 were women under 60, 250 were minors, and 29 were over 60. On 24 August, Palestinian health officials said that 89 families had been killed.

Nine people were killed while watching the World Cup in a cafe, and 8 members of a family died that Israel has said were inadvertently killed. A Golani soldier interviewed about his operations inside Gaza said they often could not distinguish between civilians and Hamas fighters because some Hamas operatives dressed in plainclothes and the night vision goggles made everything look green. An IDF spokesperson said that Hamas "deploys in residential areas, creating rocket launch sites, command and control centers, and other positions deep in the heart of urban areas. By doing so, Hamas chooses the battleground where the IDF is forced to operate." The highest-ranking U.S. military officer, Army General Martin Dempsey, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said that "Israel went to extraordinary lengths to limit collateral damage and civilian casualties". Later in his speech he said, "the Pentagon three months ago sent a 'lessons-learned team' of senior officers and non-commissioned officers to work with the IDF to see what could be learned from the Gaza operation, to include the measures they took to prevent civilian casualties and what they did with tunneling."

Warnings prior to attacks

In many cases the IDF warned civilians prior to targeting militants in highly populated areas in order to comply with international law. Human rights organizations including Amnesty International, confirmed that in many cases, Palestinians received warnings prior to evacuation, including flyers, phone calls and roof knocking. A report by Jaffa based NGO Physicians for Human Rights, released in January 2015, said that Israel's alert system had failed, and that the roof-knock system was ineffective. The IDF was criticized for not giving civilians enough time to evacuate. In one case, the warning came less than one minute before the bombing. Hamas has told civilians to return to their homes or stay put following Israeli warnings to leave. In many cases, Palestinians evacuated; in others, they have stayed in their homes. Israel condemned Hamas's encouragement of Palestinians to remain in their homes despite warnings in advance of airstrikes. Hamas stated that the warnings were a form of psychological warfare and that people would be equally or more unsafe in the rest of Gaza.

Amnesty International said that "although the Israeli authorities claim to be warning civilians in Gaza, a consistent pattern has emerged that their actions do not constitute an "effective warning" under international humanitarian law." Human Rights Watch concurred. Many Gazans, when asked, told journalists that they remained in their houses simply because they had nowhere else to go. OCHA's spokesman has said "there is literally no safe place for civilians" in Gaza. Roof knocking has been condemned as unlawful by Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch as well as the United Nations Fact Finding Mission in the 2008 war.

Destruction of homes

Ruins of a residential area in Beit Hanoun.

See also: § Use of civilian structures for military purposes, and House demolition in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict

Israel targeted many homes in this conflict. UNWRA official Robert Turner estimated that 7,000 homes were demolished and 89,000 were damaged, some 10,000 of them severely. This has led to many members of the same family being killed. B'Tselem documented 59 incidents of bombing and shelling, in which 458 people were killed. In some cases, Israel has stated that these homes were of suspected militants and were used for military purposes. The New York Times noted that the damage in this operation was higher than in the previous two wars and stated that 60,000 people had been left homeless as a result. The destruction of homes has been condemned by B'Tselem, Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International as unlawful, amounting to collective punishment and war crimes.

Israel destroyed the homes of two suspects in the case of the abduction and killing of the three teenagers. The house demolition has been condemned by B'Tselem as unlawful.

Palestinians returning to their homes during the ceasefire reported that IDF soldiers had trashed their homes, destroyed home electronics such as TV sets, spread feces in their homes, and carved slogans such as "Burn Gaza down" and "Good Arab = dead Arab" in walls and furniture. The IDF did not respond to a request by The Guardian for comment.

On 5 November 2014, Amnesty International published a report examining eight cases where the IDF targeted homes, resulting in the deaths of 111 people, of whom 104 were civilians. Barred from access to Gaza by Israel since 2012, it conducted its research remotely, supported by two contracted Gaza-based fieldworkers who conducted multiple visits of each site to interview survivors, and consulted with military experts to evaluate photographic and video material. It concludes, in every case, that "there was a failure to take necessary precautions to avoid excessive harm to civilians and civilian property, as required by international humanitarian law" and "no prior warning was given to the civilian residents to allow them to escape." As Israel did not disclose any information regarding the incidents, the report said it was not possible for Amnesty International to be certain of what Israel was targeting; it also said that if there were no valid military objectives, international humanitarian law may have been violated, as attacks directed at civilians and civilian objects, or attacks which are otherwise disproportionate relative to the anticipated military advantage of carrying them out, constitute war crimes.

The report was dismissed by the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs as "narrow", "decontextualized", and disattentive of alleged war crimes perpetrated by Hamas. Amnesty, it asserted, was serving as "a propaganda tool for Hamas and other terror groups.” Anne Herzberg, legal adviser for NGO Monitor, questioned the accuracy of the UN numbers used in the report, saying that they “essentially come from Hamas.”

Shelling of UNRWA schools

Main article: 2014 Israeli shelling of UNRWA Gaza shelters

There were seven shellings at UNRWA facilities in the Gaza Strip which took place between 21 July and 3 August 2014. The incidents were the result of artillery, mortar or aerial missile fire which struck on or near the UNRWA facilities being used as shelters for Palestinians, and as a result at least 44 civilians, including 10 UN staff, died. During the 2014 Israel-Gaza conflict, many Palestinians fled their homes after warnings by Israel or due to air strikes or fighting in the area. An estimated 290,000 people (15% of Gaza's population) took shelter in UNRWA schools.

On three separate occasions, on 16 July, 22 July and on 29 July, UNRWA announced that rockets had been found in their schools. UNRWA denounced the groups responsible for "flagrant violations of the neutrality of its premises". All of these schools were vacant at the time when rockets were discovered; no rockets were found in any shelters which were shelled. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) stated that "Hamas chooses where these battles are conducted and, despite Israel's best efforts to prevent civilian casualties, Hamas is ultimately responsible for the tragic loss of civilian life. Specifically in the case of UN facilities, it is important to note the repeated abuse of UN facilities by Hamas, namely with at least three cases of munitions storage within such facilities."

The attacks were condemned by members of the UN (UNRWA's parent organization) and other governments, such as the U.S., have expressed "extreme concern" over the safety of Palestinian civilians who "are not safe in UN-designated shelters." The Rafah shelling in particular was widely criticized, with Ban Ki-moon calling it a "moral outrage and a criminal act" and US State Department calling it "appalling" and "disgraceful". UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay said that both Hamas militants and Israel might have committed war crimes. A Human Rights Watch investigation into three of the incidents concluded that Israel committed war crimes because two of the shellings "did not appear to target a military objective or were otherwise indiscriminate", while the third Rafah shelling was "unlawfully disproportionate". On 27 April 2015, the United Nations released an inquiry which concluded that Israel was responsible for the deaths of at least 44 Palestinians who died in the shelling and 227 were injured.

Infrastructure

On 23 July, twelve human rights organizations in Israel released a letter to Israeli government warning that "Gaza Strip's civilian infrastructure is collapsing". They wrote that "due to Israel's ongoing control over significant aspects of life in Gaza, Israel has a legal obligation to ensure that the humanitarian needs of the people of Gaza are met and that they have access to adequate supplies of water and electricity." They note that many water and electricity systems were damaged during the conflict, which has led to a "pending humanitarian and environmental catastrophe". The Sydney Morning Herald reported that "almost every piece of critical infrastructure, from electricity to water to sewage, has been seriously compromised by either direct hits from Israeli air strikes and shelling or collateral damage."

Between five and eight of the 10 power lines that bring electricity from Israel were disabled, many of them by Hamas's rockets. On 29 July, Israel bombed Gaza's only power plant, which was estimated to take a year to repair. Amnesty International said the crippling of the power station amounted to "collective punishment of Palestinians". Human Rights Watch has stated that "[d]amaging or destroying a power plant, even if it also served a military purpose, would be an unlawful disproportionate attack under the laws of war". Israel immediately denied damaging the power plant, stating there was "no indication that [IDF] were involved in the strike … The area surrounding the plant was also not struck in recent days." Contradicting initial reports that it would take a year to repair, the power plant resumed operation on 27 October.

Attacks on journalists

17 journalists were killed in the conflict, of which five were off-duty and two (from Associated Press) were covering a bomb disposal team's efforts to defuse an unexploded Israeli artillery shell when it exploded. In several cases, the journalists were killed while having markings distinguishing them as press on their vehicles or clothing. IDF stated that in one case it had precise information that a vehicle marked "TV" that was hit killing one alleged journalist was in military use. Several media outlets, including the offices of Al-Jazeera, were hit. The International Federation of Journalists has condemned the attacks as "appalling murders and attacks". Journalists are considered civilians and should not be targeted under international humanitarian law. The Israeli army said it does not target journalists, and that it contacts news media "in order to advise them which areas to avoid during the conflict". Israel has made foreign journalists sign a waiver stating that it is not responsible for their safety in Gaza, which Reporters Without Borders calls contrary to international law. The Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, who in August 2014 condemned the killing of Al Aqsa TV journalist Abdullah Murtaja, withdrew her comments after it was revealed that Murtaja was also a combatant in Hamas's Al Qassam Brigade, and said she "deplore[d] attempts to instrumentalize the profession of journalists by combatants"

ITIC published a report analyzing a list of 17 names published by Wafa News Agency based on information originating from Hamas-controlled Gaza office of the ministry of information that supposedly belong to journalists killed in the operation. The report says that 8 of the names belong to Hamas or Islamic Jihad operatives, or employees of the Hamas media.

Israel bombed Hamas's Al-Aqsa radio and TV stations because of their "propaganda dissemination capabilities used to broadcast the messages of (Hamas's) military wing." Reporters Without Borders and Al-Haq condemned the attacks, saying "an expert committee formed by the International Criminal Court's prosecutor for the former Yugoslavia, to assess the NATO bombing campaign of 1999, specified that a journalist or media organization is not a legitimate target merely because it broadcasts or disseminates propaganda." The U.S. government classifies Al-Aqsa TV as being controlled by Hamas, a "Specially Designated Global Terrorist," and states that it "will not distinguish between a business financed and controlled by a terrorist group, such as Al-Aqsa Television, and the terrorist group itself."

Human shields

The Jaffa based NGO Physicians for Human Rights stated in a report in January 2015 that the IDF had used human shields during the war. IDF criticized the report's conclusions and methodology which "cast a heavy shadow over its content and credibility". Defense for Children International-Palestine reported that 17 year-old Ahmad Abu Raida was kidnapped by Israeli soldiers who, after beating him up, used him as a human shield for five days, forcing him to walk in front of them with police dogs at gunpoint, search houses and dig in places soldiers suspected there might be tunnels. Several of the key claims could not be verified because his Hamas-employed father said he forgot to take photographs of the alleged abuse marks and discarded all the clothing IDF soldiers supposedly provided Abu Raida when he was freed.

The IDF confirmed that the troops suspected Ahmad of being a militant based on the affiliation of his father (a senior official in Gaza's Tourism Ministry) with Hamas and so detained him during the ground operation. The IDF and Israeli authorities challenged the credibility of DCI-P noting their "scant regard for truth". The IDF Military Advocate General opened criminal investigation into the event.

Military operations, weaponry and techniques

Gaza

Range of rockets launched from Gaza Strip

Palestinian militants with rockets

Rockets

The rockets used by Gazan militias vary in range, size and lethality. They include the Syrian-made (Chinese-designed) M-302 and the locally-made M-75, which have the range to target Tel-Aviv. Other rockets include the Soviet Katyushas and Qassams.

According to the Fars News Agency, Fajr-5 (long range Iranian) rockets have a warhead of 150–200 kg. According to Theodore Postol, the vast majority of Gazan artillery rocket warheads contain 10- to 20-pound explosive loads. Postol states that this fact makes bomb shelters more effective for protection. Mark Perry states that the "vast majority of the rockets are unsophisticated Qassams, with a 10-20 kg warhead and no guidance system". He also stated that "Hamas’ arsenal is considerably weaker today than it was in 2012". Regarding the Fajr-5, he stated that Iran had not transferred full-fledged rockets to Hamas, it only transferred technology to manufacture them. He also stated that "its guidance system was crude, at best, and its warhead nearly non-existent."

According to the IDF, of all the 4,564 projectiles fired at Israel, 224 hit built-up areas, 735 were intercepted by the Iron Dome, 875 fell inside Gaza and the rest fell in open territory or failed to launch.

According to OCHA, Palestinian militants fired 4,844 rockets and 1,734 mortar shells towards Israel. 25% of Gazan rockets had sufficient effectiveness to threaten to reach populated areas.

Gazan tunnels

Main article: Palestinian tunnel warfare in the Gaza Strip

See also: Gaza Strip smuggling tunnels

Palestinian tunnel warfare in the Gaza Strip Tunnel warfare has a long history, and such routes had been 'mainstay of Jewish resistance for centuries', for defensive and offensive purposes. Israel knew of the existence of at least 40 tunnels before Operation Protective Edge began, and only took them as an objective after Hamas rejected a ceasefire proposal on 15 July that failed to promise to lift the siege and open crossings. Some intelligence sources suggest that the tunnels are primarily meant to be used for military purposes. According to them, "of the nine cross-border tunnels detected, none actually stretches into the grounds of a civilian community". An IDF military official has said that "All the tunnels were aimed at military targets". However, Israel reportedly stopped an attempt to raid a kibbutz during the war, and says that it has uncovered evidence that the tunnels were being prepared for massive attacks against Israeli civilians. On the basis of electronic intercepts, files seized from Hamas offices during the operation, interrogations of Hamas operatives, and information from informants, six Israeli intelligence officers outlined what was called a ‘nightmare scenario’. It was alleged that Hamas planned to use 14 tunnels to send hundreds of militants to kill or kidnap as many Israelis as possible. The putative plan failed, in this view, because the kidnapping of the 3 teenagers, the West Bank crackdown, and pressure from Egypt pre-empted its execution. Khaled Mashal has denied these allegations; he has insisted that killing civilians was never Hamas’s intention, and that his group only targets soldiers and those living on occupied territory.

Other weaponry

Hamas has also used a "crude, tactical" drone, reported to be Iranian-made and named "Ababil-1".

Palestinian militant groups have also used anti-tank rockets against armoured vehicles, as well as against groups of Israeli soldiers. Some armored personnel carriers were hit by missiles, and the Israeli Trophy system reportedly intercepted at least 15 anti-tank missiles shot at Merkava IV tanks. Anti-tank mines had also been used against armored vehicles.

Israel

IDF Artillery Corps fires a 155 mm M109 howitzer, 24 July 2014

Israel has used air, land and naval weaponry. The artillery includes Soltam M71 guns and US-manufactured Paladin M109s (155-mm howitzers). The aerial weaponry includes drones and F-16 fighter jets. Drones are used to constantly monitor the Gaza strip. The IDF fired 14,500 tank shells and 35,000 other artillery shells during the conflict.

The IDF stated that it attacked 5,263 targets in Gaza, including:

• 1,814 rocket and mortar launch or otherwise related sites
• 191 weapon factories and warehouses
• 1,914 command and control centers
• 237 government institutions supporting the militant activity
• hundreds of military outposts inside buildings

According to OCHA figures, Israel fired 5,830 missiles in 4,028 IAF air raids, the IDF's ground forces shot off 16,507 artillery and tank projectiles, and the Israeli navy's off-shore fleet fired 3,494 naval shells, into the Gaza Strip.

A bomb disposal expert in the Palestinian Interior Ministry said that by 22 August, 8,000 bombs and 70,000 artillery shells, or 20,000 tons of explosives (the equivalent of two low-yield tactical nuclear weapons), had been dropped on Gaza; Channel 4 said a bomb disposal expert had reported the same figures.Template:Unreliable source? The Sydney Morning Herald quoted an anonymous expertTemplate:Unreliable source? who estimated that 10,000 tonnes of explosives were dropped from the air alone, which does not include tank and artillery shells.

Between 32 and 34 known tunnels were destroyed or neutralized, 13 of them destroyed completely.

The performance of the Iron Dome defense system was considered effective, achieving an almost 90% success rate. Israel's early warning sirens and extensive shelters have been an effective defense against Gazan rocketry. They are less effective against short-range mortars because they have less time to react.Template:Citation needed

Media coverage

Template:Main Portrayals of the conflict in different media outlets varied. U.S. news sources were often more sympathetic to Israel while British news sources featured more criticism of Israel. Commentators on both sides claimed that the media was biased either for or against Israel. According to an article by Subrata Ghoshroy published in the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, most United States media focused on Hamas rockets, of which only 3% actually strike populated areas (causing little damage), with less attention paid to Palestinian casualties, or to why Gazans back Hamas's rocket campaign. As the conflict progressed and Palestinian deaths increased, British media became somewhat more critical of Israel. Within Israel, the newspaper Haaretz issued an editorial stating that the "soft Gaza sand... could turn into quicksand" for the Israeli military and also warned about the "wholesale killing" of Palestinian civilians; the article declared: "There can be no victory here". The Sydney Morning Herald apologised for running an allegedly antisemitic cartoon after Australian Attorney-General George Brandis denounced it as "deplorable." Israel was accused of waging a propaganda war, and on both sides, sympathetic authors released video games relating to the conflict. In Israel, according to Naomi Chazan, the Gaza war sparked "an equally momentous conflagration at the heart of Israeli society": attempts to question government policy were met with severe verbal and physical harassment, incidents of Arab-bashing occurred daily, and 90% of internet posts on the war were found to be racist or to constitute incitement.

Diplomatic efforts

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Benjamin Netanyahu, Tel Aviv, 23 July 2014

A number of diplomatic efforts were made to resolve the conflict. These attempts included efforts by United States Secretary of State John Kerry to broker a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, like the meeting in Paris with European G4 foreign ministers and his counterparts of Qatar and Turkey. Egypt brokered a number of ceasefires between Hamas and Israel.

Efforts to reconstruct Gaza

On 17 September 2014, a UN official said that the amount of building materials entering Gaza may quadruple under a reconstruction plan agreed to by the Palestinian Authority, Israel and the UN. According to the deal, use of the building materials will be overseen by the UN.

An international conference took place on 12 October 2014 in Cairo, where donors pledged US$5.4 billion to the Palestinians with half of that sum being "dedicated" to the reconstruction of Gaza, which was more than the US$4 billion Abbas first sought. Japan pledged US$100 million in January 2015. The EU pledged €450 million to rebuilding Gaza.

On 15 September 2014, a Fatah spokesperson accused Hamas of misappropriating US$700 million of funds intended to rebuild Gaza. On 6 January Hamas spokesperson said that Palestinian national consensus government ministers admitted redirecting rebuilding funds to PNA budget. Israel's military estimated that 20% of cement and steel allowed by Israel to be delivered to Gaza for the reconstruction efforts were taken by Hamas. Arne Gericke, a member of the European Parliament said "It would sicken most [European] taxpayers to know that the EU itself could be directly contributing to the tragic cycle of violence".

See also

• 2013–14 Israeli–Palestinian peace talks
• 2014 in Israel
• 2014 in the Palestinian territories
• History of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict
• List of the Israel Defense Forces operations
• List of wars involving Israel
• List of wars involving the State of Palestine
• Silent Intifada

Footnotes

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References

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External links

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• www.amnesty.org Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories: Families under the rubble: Israeli attacks on inhabited homes

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