Israeli airstrikes on the Gaza Strip

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Since 2005, Israel Defense Forces have launched thousands of airstrikes [1] on the Gaza Strip from Israel as part of the continuing Gaza–Israel conflict. [2] [3] [4] [5] The airstrikes, widely condemned for targeting civilians, [6] [7] have been described as war crimes by the United Nations, [8] human rights groups Amnesty International [9] and Human Rights Watch. [10] The international community considers indiscriminate attacks on civilian targets to be illegal under international law. [11] Israel says the airstrikes are a response to the rocket attacks by Palestinian militants. [12]

Contents

Notable incidents

Killing of Ahmed Yassin

On 22 March 2004, Ahmed Yassin, the founder and spiritual leader of the Palestinian group Hamas, was killed by an Israeli airstrike outside a mosque in Gaza City. [13] [14]

Destruction of al-Jalaa Building

On 15 May 2021, an Israeli airstrike targeted and destroyed a high-rise building in Gaza City that housed offices of Al Jazeera, the Associated Press and other media outlets. [15] [16]

World Central Kitchen

On 1 April 2024, a strike by Israel's armed forces on a convoy of the humanitarian group World Central Kitchen, traveling from Deir al-Balah to Khan Younis, killed six aid workers and their Palestinian driver. [17]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Qassam rocket</span> Palestinian homemade artillery rocket

The Qassam rocket is a simple, steel artillery rocket developed and deployed by the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the military arm of Hamas. These rockets cannot be fired to target specific military objectives in or near civilian areas, and are "indiscriminate when used against targets in population centers".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2006 Gaza–Israel conflict</span> Israeli military offensive in the Gaza strip

The 2006 Gaza–Israel conflict, known in Israel as Operation Summer Rains, was a series of battles between Palestinian militants and the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) during summer 2006, prompted by the capture of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit by Palestinian militants on 25 June 2006. Large-scale conventional warfare occurred in the Gaza Strip, starting on 28 June 2006, which was the first major ground operation in the Gaza Strip since Israel's unilateral disengagement plan was implemented between August and September 2005.

The Gaza–Israel conflict is a localized part of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict beginning in 1948, when 200,000 Palestinians fled or were expelled from their homes, settling in the Gaza Strip as refugees. Since then, Israel has fought 15 wars against the Gaza Strip. The number of Gazans reportedly killed in the most recent 2023 war — 34,000 — is higher than the death toll of all other wars of the Arab-Israeli conflict.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gaza War (2008–2009)</span> Armed conflict between Israel and Palestinian militant groups in the Gaza Strip

The Gaza War, also known as Operation Cast Lead, also known as the Gaza Massacre, and referred to as the Battle of al-Furqan by Hamas, was a three-week armed conflict between Gaza Strip Palestinian paramilitary groups and the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) that began on 27 December 2008 and ended on 18 January 2009 with a unilateral ceasefire. The conflict resulted in 1,166–1,417 Palestinian and 13 Israeli deaths. Over 46,000 homes were destroyed in Gaza, making more than 100,000 people homeless.

Accusations of violations regarding international humanitarian law, which governs the actions by belligerents during an armed conflict, have been directed at both Israel and Hamas for their actions during the 2008–2009 Gaza War. The accusations covered violating laws governing distinction and proportionality by Israel, the indiscriminate firing of rockets at civilian locations and extrajudicial violence within the Gaza Strip by Hamas. As of September 2009, some 360 complaints had been filed by individuals and NGOs at the prosecutor's office in the Hague calling for investigations into alleged crimes committed by Israel during the Gaza War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2012 Israeli operation in the Gaza Strip</span> Military offensive in the Gaza strip

In November 2012, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) launched Operation Pillar of Defense, which was an eight-day campaign in the Hamas-governed Gaza Strip, beginning on 14 November 2012 with the killing of Ahmed Jabari, chief of the Gaza military wing of Hamas, by an Israeli airstrike.

There were many reactions to Operation Pillar of Defense:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2014 Gaza War</span> Armed conflict between Israel and Palestinian militants

The 2014 Gaza War, also known as Operation Protective Edge, and Battle of the Withered Grain, was a military operation launched by Israel on 8 July 2014 in the Gaza Strip, a Palestinian territory that has been governed by Hamas since 2007. Following the kidnapping and murder of three Israeli teenagers in the West Bank by Hamas-affiliated Palestinian militants, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) initiated Operation Brother's Keeper, in which some 350 Palestinians, including nearly all of the active Hamas militants in the West Bank, were arrested. Hamas subsequently fired a greater number of rockets into Israel from the Gaza Strip, triggering a seven-week-long conflict between the two sides. It was one of the deadliest outbreaks of open conflict between Israel and the Palestinians in decades. The combination of Palestinian rocket attacks and Israeli airstrikes resulted in over two thousand deaths, the vast majority of which were Gazan Palestinians. This includes a total of six Israeli civilians who were killed as a result of the conflict.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2021 Israel–Palestine crisis</span> Part of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict

A major outbreak of violence in the ongoing Israeli–Palestinian conflict commenced on 10 May 2021, though disturbances took place earlier, and continued until a ceasefire came into effect on 21 May. It was marked by protests and police riot control, rocket attacks on Israel by Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), and Israeli airstrikes in the Gaza Strip. The crisis was triggered on 6 May, when Palestinians in East Jerusalem began protesting over an anticipated decision of the Supreme Court of Israel on the eviction of six Palestinian families in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah. Under international law, the area, effectively annexed by Israel in 1980, is a part of the Israeli-occupied West Bank; On 7 May, according to Israel's Channel 12, Palestinians threw stones at Israeli police forces, who then stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound using tear gas, rubber bullets, and stun grenades. The crisis prompted protests around the world as well as official reactions from world leaders.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wehda Street airstrikes</span> 2021 bombing of civilian area in Gaza

The Wehda Street airstrikes, known in Palestine as the Wehda Street massacre, took place on May 16, 2021, when Israeli forces bombed al-Wehda Street, a densely populated area located in one of Gaza's most prominent residential and commercial neighbourhoods. The bombardment was the single deadliest operation in an 11-day conflict between Israel and Gaza that erupted after weeks of turmoil in East Jerusalem. Some 44 Palestinian civilians died and approximately 50 were injured in the strike, the heaviest of many that, in exchanges between the IDF and Gaza militants, left 2500 Palestinians homeless, and displaced tens of thousands.

The year 2023 in Israel was defined first by wide-scale protests against a proposed judicial reform, and then by the Hamas-led attack on Israel on October 7, which led to a war and to Israel invading the Gaza Strip.

Events in 2023 in the Palestinian territories.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Israel–Hamas war</span> Ongoing armed conflict in the Middle East

An armed conflict between Israel and Hamas-led Palestinian militant groups has been taking place chiefly in and around the Gaza Strip since 7 October 2023. It began when Hamas launched a surprise attack on southern Israel from the Gaza Strip. After clearing the militants from its territory, the Israeli military embarked on an extensive aerial bombardment of the Gaza Strip followed by a large-scale ground invasion beginning on 27 October. Clashes have also occurred in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and with Hezbollah along the Israel–Lebanon border. The fifth war of the Gaza–Israel conflict since 2008, it is part of the broader Israeli–Palestinian conflict, and the most significant military escalation in the region since the Yom Kippur War 50 years earlier.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Israeli war crimes</span> War crimes perpetrated by the state of Israel and its armed forces

Israeli war crimes are the violations of international criminal law, including war crimes, crimes against humanity and the crime of genocide, which the Israel Defense Forces, the military branch of the state of Israel, has been accused of committing since the founding of Israel in 1948. These have included murder, intentional targeting of civilians, killing prisoners of war and surrendered combatants, indiscriminate attacks, collective punishment, starvation, the use of human shields, sexual violence and rape, torture, pillage, forced transfer, breach of medical neutrality, targeting journalists, attacking civilian and protected objects, wanton destruction, incitement to genocide, and genocide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">War crimes in the Israel–Hamas war</span> Violations of the laws of war during the 2023 Israel–Hamas war

Since the start of the Israel–Hamas war on 7 October 2023, the UN Human Rights Council has identified "clear evidence" of war crimes by both Hamas and the Israel Defense Forces. A UN Commission to the Israel–Palestine conflict stated that there is "clear evidence that war crimes may have been committed in the latest explosion of violence in Israel and Gaza, and all those who have violated international law and targeted civilians must be held accountable." On 27 October, a spokesperson for the OHCHR called for an independent court to review potential war crimes committed by both sides.

On 3 November 2023, amid the Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip and siege of Gaza City, an Israeli airstrike hit an ambulance convoy departing from al-Shifa Hospital carrying critically injured patients. The strike killed 15 people and wounded dozens. The Palestine Red Crescent Society, which was part of the convoy, said that all 15 casualties were civilians.

Israel has accused Hamas of using human shields in the Gaza Strip, saying that Hamas has purposely attempted to shield itself from Israeli attacks by storing weapons in civilian infrastructure, launching rockets from residential areas, and telling residents to ignore Israeli warnings to flee. Israel has also accused Hamas of maintaining command and control bunkers and tunnel infrastructure below hospitals. Critics have questioned whether the mere proximity of Hamas militants to civilians constitutes "human shields" given that IDF headquarters are in the middle of Tel Aviv and other IDF military bases are located near residential areas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bombing of the Gaza Strip</span> Air raids by the Israeli Air Forces in the Israel–Hamas war

The bombing of the Gaza Strip is an ongoing aerial bombardment campaign on the Gaza Strip by the Israeli Air Force during the Israel–Hamas war. During the bombing, Israeli airstrikes damaged Palestinian refugee camps, schools, hospitals, mosques, churches, and civilian infrastructure.

On 31 October 2023, the Israeli Defense Forces struck a residential building in the Gaza Strip during its operations in Gaza in the Israel–Hamas war, killing at least 106 people, including 54 children. Human Rights Watch said there was no evidence of any military targets in the area at the time of the attack, making the strike a war crime. The incident was not public knowledge until April 2024.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hamas war crimes</span> War crimes Hamas is accused of committing

Hamas war crimes are the violations of international criminal law, including war crimes and crimes against humanity, which the Islamist Nationalist organization Hamas and its paramilitary wing, the al-Qassam Brigades have been accused of committing. These have included murder, intentional targeting of civilians, killing prisoners of war and surrendered combatants, indiscriminate attacks, the use of human shields, rape, torture and pillage.

References

  1. ↑ "Gaza under siege: Israel dropped 6,000 bombs in 6 days". Samaa. 5 November 2023.
  2. ↑ Sharp, Alexandra (10 October 2023). "Israel Pummels Gaza Despite Hamas Threats to Hostages". Foreign Policy. The Israel Defense Forces unleashed devastating airstrikes on the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, flattening entire neighborhoods, reducing streets and buildings to rubble, and flooding hospitals and morgues with the wounded and dead. Israeli strikes targeted apartment buildings, mosques, and markets...
  3. ↑ Casey, Nicholas; Pronczuk, Monika; Boxerman, Aaron (17 October 2023). "'No More Safe Places in Gaza': Evacuees Face Airstrikes in North and South". The New York Times.
  4. ↑ Parker, Claire; Dadouch, Sarah (9 October 2023). "Gaza reels from Israeli airstrikes and braces for all-out war". Washington Post.
  5. ↑ "Israeli airstrikes pummel Gaza, including civilian refuge areas, ahead of expected ground invasion". PBS NewsHour. Associated Press. 23 October 2023.
  6. ↑ "UN Middle East envoy condemns deadly Israeli airstrikes in Gaza". news.un.org. UN News. 9 May 2023.
  7. ↑ Landler, Mark; Bergman, Ronen (3 November 2023). "As Gaza War Enters New Phase, Israel Faces Pressure Over Civilian Deaths". The New York Times.
  8. ↑ "UN rights chief: Israel's airstrikes on Gaza may constitute 'war crimes'". Times of Israel. 27 May 2021. "...airstrikes in such densely populated areas resulted in a high level of civilian fatalities and injuries, as well as the widespread destruction of civilian infrastructure," she said. "If found to be indiscriminate and disproportionate in their impact on civilians and civilian objects, such attacks may constitute war crimes."
  9. ↑ "Israel/OPT: unlawful Israeli airstrikes on Gaza have 'decimated' entire Palestinian families". www.amnesty.org.uk. Amnesty International. 20 October 2023. As Israeli forces intensify their cataclysmic assault on the occupied Gaza Strip, Amnesty International has documented unlawful Israeli attacks in Gaza - including indiscriminate ones - which caused mass civilian casualties and must be investigated as suspected war crimes.
  10. ↑ "Gaza: Israel's May Airstrikes on High-Rises". Human Rights Watch. 23 August 2021. The Israeli military's airstrikes that destroyed four high-rise buildings in Gaza City during the May 2021 fighting apparently violated the laws of war and may amount to war crimes, Human Rights Watch said today.
  11. ↑ "Protection of the civilian population". Protocol Additional to the Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949, and relating to the Protection of Victims of International Armed Conflicts (Protocol I), 8 June 1977. International Committee of the Red Cross.
  12. ↑ "Gaza before and after: satellite images show destruction following Israeli airstrikes". The Guardian. Israel has vowed to wipe out Hamas, which rules Gaza, in retaliation for the 7 October attacks in which they killed 1,400 people and took more than 200 people hostage. Since then, Israel has continuously struck Gaza from the air, imposed a siege and is preparing a ground invasion.
  13. ↑ "LEADER OF HAMAS KILLED BY MISSILE IN ISRAELI STRIKE". The New York Times. 22 March 2004.
  14. ↑ "Hamas founder killed in Israeli airstrike". edition.cnn.com. CNN. 22 March 2004.
  15. ↑ "Israeli air strike flattens Gaza building housing AP, Al-Jazeera as violence spirals". France 24. 15 May 2021.
  16. ↑ Stelter, Brian (16 May 2021). "Media offices destroyed by Israeli airstrike in Gaza". CNN.
  17. ↑ "7 World Central Kitchen aid workers killed by Israeli airstrike in Gaza". www.cbsnews.com. CBS News. 2 April 2024.
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