Reactions to the 2014 Gaza War came from around the world.
The United States and Canada were supportive of Israel [1] 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".
Pro-Palestine and pro-Israel demonstrations took place throughout the world and in Israel and the Palestinian territories. According to OCHA, during demonstrations, 23 Palestinians were killed and 2,218 were wounded by the IDF, 38% of the latter by live fire. [2] [3] [4]
Rising anti-Semitism and anti-Semitic violence broke out concurrent to, and in many cases, directly related to the conflict.[ citation needed ] The UN Secretary-General and many European leaders condemned the phenomenon.
The United Nations Human Rights Council announced a panel headed by William Schabas to investigate accusations of war crimes by both sides. Major human rights organizations including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch condemned human rights violations by both sides and called for an arms embargo for the region.
Commercial airlines in several countries banned flights to Israel because of safety concerns. The restrictions were later lifted.
After the 26 August ceasefire, the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research polled 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. [5]
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Protests were organized by pro-Palestinian groups throughout the world. Around 45,000 people demonstrated in London, [151] 20,000 in Santiago, [152] 3,000 in Oslo, hundreds in Caracas and around 2,000 in Tunis. [153] Protests were planned in Amman, at the UN in Geneva and in Kashmir. [154] In Ireland, 3,000 people demonstrated in Dublin. Demonstrations also took place in Derry, Galway, Cork and Limerick. [155]
In Paris, France, on 13 July, around 10,000 people and on 18 July about 5,000 [156] protested the Israeli operation. Dozens of protesters tried to force their way into a synagogue with around 150 people inside, attempting to enter it armed with bats and chairs, and chanting "Death to Jews" and ultimately clashed with Parisian police who blocked them from entering. [157] The city's government banned pro-Palestinian protests after two synagogues were attacked on 13 July. On 19 July, Parisian protesters clashed with riot police in a working-class neighborhood. [158]
In Frankfurt, Germany, neo-Nazis and Islamists clashed with police, resulting in 8 injured police officers. Signs held by these groups read as things such as "You Jews are Beasts". After the clash, the groups looked for Jewish institutions, and Frankfurt police said they were going to protect these institutions. [159]
Demonstrations in solidarity with Gaza took part or were scheduled in all regions of Spain, from Bilbao in the Basque Country to Santiago de Compostela in Galicia to Barcelona in Catalonia and in the Canary Islands. On 14 July some 500 people of different nationalities demonstrated in the area near the Israeli Embassy in Madrid. The protesters chanted, "Long live the struggle of the Palestinian people!" and "You Zionists are the terrorists!" [160]
In Brazil, protests organized by the Arab-Brazilian community and left-wing movements against Israel and for Palestine were attended by over 2000 people in São Paulo [161] and over hundreds in Rio de Janeiro, Recife, Porto Alegre, Foz do Iguaçu, Curitiba and Campinas. [162]
Some 150–200 participants joined a demonstration organised by the association of Palestinians living in Hungary. The demonstration called for stopping the "terrorist bombing" of Gaza and for "Palestine's freedom." [163]
One teenager aged 15–16 years old was killed in Khudwani, a village south of Srinagar when Indian government forces fired on a pro-Palestinian rally. Kashmiris held pro-Palestinian protests every day since the start of the conflict. [164] On 17 July, demonstrations were held in Morocco and Yemen in solidarity with Gazan civilians, while protestors burned Israeli flags. [165]
In Jordan, a protest was held in front of the Israeli embassy in Amman. Demonstrators in Amman burned Israeli flags and urged Palestinian factions in Gaza to increase rocket attacks on Israel. [166]
In Cape Town, South Africa approximately 4,000 protested in support of the Palestinians on 16 July. [167] A Pro-Palestinian protest was held in Pretoria, South Africa, calling for the freedom of Palestine. [168]
134 demonstrations were held in the first fifteen days of the conflict in the United States. [169] Demonstrations took place in Los Angeles and New York. [170] [171] In August 2014, the Port of Oakland was the scene of a protest against an Israeli-owned ship. [172] Palestinian demonstrators claimed to have the support of the port's International Longshore and Warehouse Union(ILWU) dockworkers who they said had refused to unload the ship's cargo. The union however denied this saying the ILWU had not taken a position on the conflict. The demonstration produced a heavy police presence, initially comprising more than 100 police officers. The ship's cargo remained unloaded for four days. [173]
On 25 July 2014, International Quds Day, millions of people around the world called for the liberation of Palestine and an end to the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories. Pro-Palestinian demonstrators, marched in streets of Afghanistan [174] Argentina, [175] Azerbaijan, [176] Germany [177] Iran [178] Lebanon [179] Australia [180] South Africa [181] Pakistan [182] [183] India [184] Iraq [185] Bahrain [186] Belgium [187] West Bank [188] Canada [189] Jordan [190] Egypt [191] Singapore [192] [193] Syria [194] Tunisia [192] Turkey [195] Yemen [196] Saudi Arabia [ citation needed ] China, [197] South Korea [192] [198] Kenya [199] New Zealand [192] Nigeria [200] [201] Sudan [ citation needed ] Algeria [ citation needed ] Bangladesh [202] Kyrgyzstan [203] United States [204] United Kingdom, [205] [206] Tanzania, [124] Hong Kong, [207] Taiwan, [208] [209] [210] and Japan. [211]
The Quds Day march was banned in France. [212] [213] Despite the ban, pro-Palestinian protest took place in Paris and other French cities. [206]
In Nigeria, the Nigerian Army fired on members of the Islamic Movement taking part in a Quds Day rally in the ancient city of Zaria, in Nigeria's Kaduna State, killing 35. [214] [215] [216] Numerous other Islamic Movement members were arrested. The Nigerian Army claimed that soldiers had acted in self-defense. According to eyewitnesses, the incident happened when protesters tried to force their way through a military checkpoint, defying orders from soldiers to take another route. [217] The event became known as the Zaria Quds Day massacres.
On 9 August 2014, a "Global Day of Rage" [218] drew tens of thousands of people across the world to protest Israel's offensive. [219] According to Palestinian Solidarity Campaign, 150,000 people marched through London, shouting anti-Israel slogans and calling for an "end to the siege". Demonstrators first marched to the BBC's Broadcasting House headquarters to denounce what they called pro-Israeli bias. They filled the main shopping artery of Oxford Street , marched to the US embassy in Grosvenor Square and to Hyde Park. One banner said "UK – Stop Arming Israel". [220]
In Paris, several thousand people marched, calling for end to Israeli aggression, carrying banners condemning the violence. Some protesters carried mannequins wrapped in a Palestinian flag, depicting Palestinian deaths. [220] In Berlin 1,000 people took part in two rallies. [219] In Tehran hundreds of doctors, nurses and paramedics gathered in "Palestine Square" [219]
In New Delhi, a protest was organized by 70 political and social groups on the theme of "Stop The Genocide in Gaza! Boycott Israel!" Protestors demanded that the international community, including India should "boycott Israel till the time it continues the illegal occupation of Palestine". [218]
In Melbourne protesters marched down Swanston Street and gathered in front of Department of Foreign Affairs & Trade building. Protesters called for an end to Israel's blockade. They called on Australia to cut all ties with Israel, release Palestinian political prisoners and end Israel's occupation of the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Protesters urged the UN to convene a special general assembly to condemn Israeli aggression and demand the country abide by International law, Agreements and Conventions [221]
In Yemen, an estimated 100,000 people attended a pro-Palestinian demonstration in Sanaa.[ citation needed ]
At least 100,000 held a pro-Palestine march called by the National Coalition for Palestine in Cape Town on 9 August. [222] [223]
Pro-Israel rallies were held in Argentina, Canada, Chile, El Salvador, Mexico, Russia, Uruguay and the United States.
On 10 July 200 people voiced support for Israel at the Rockland County Courthouse. [224] On 11 July, In Philadelphia, Israel supporters rallied outside the Israeli consulate. [225] A plethora of actors, producers, directors and other entertainment professionals signed a statement opposing Hamas. [226] A pro-Israel rally of more than 1,200 supporters in Los Angeles resulted in physical violence after its protesters ripped a Palestinian flag away from a passing vehicle and began stomping on it. [171] On 13 July, a pro-Israel rally attacked a passing car that was flying Palestinian flags in Westwood, Los Angeles. A police officer fired a shot to intervene in the situation. [227] On 14 July, over two dozen elected officials rallied at New York City Hall in support of Israel. [170] On 17 July over 1,200 supporters attended a demonstration at a local synagogue in the Greater Toronto area. [228] Around 5,000 people attended a 20 July pro-Israel rally in New York City, while a smaller counter-protest was held nearby. Both rallies were held without incident. [229]
On 3 August 2014, 3000 people participated in The Bay Stands With Israel solidarity rally in downtown San Francisco, after which approximately 1,200 demonstrators marched under police escort. Signed carried by the protestors included "Israel is the only country in the Middle East where they don't burn American flags" and "More Hummus, Less Hamas." [230]
On 27 July, supporters of Israel marched through the streets of Mexico City to show their solidarity with Israel, asking for peace and condemning Hamas' rocket fire. [231]
On 10 August, up to 600 people including several MPs marked their support for Israel in a demonstration outside the Norwegian Parliament in Oslo. [232] [233] A pro-Israel rally was held at the South African Jewish Museum in Cape Town on 10 August [234] attended by some 5,000 people. [235] In Budapest some 4,500 people attended an interfaith rally in support of Israel, while a smaller counter demonstration was held near the synagogue building by the far-right Hungarian Jobbik political party. [236]
In Paris, a pro-Israeli rally was attended by some 8,000 people who gathered near Israel's embassy, [237] while a similar demonstration in Marseilles gathered some 2,000 participants. [238]
In London some 5,000 people turned out to show solidarity [239] In Helsinki, the pro-Israeli rally was attended by some 1,000 participants [240] Pro-Israeli rallies were held in Sydney, where some 10,000 people participated. Another pro-Israeli rally was held in Brisbane.
In Brazil, some 2,500 people gathered in at the Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro, to support Israel, another pro-Israel rally in Brazil took place in São Paulo, where some 3,000 people marched.
Hundreds of Israeli supporters marched in Guatemala City. In the city of Gori in Georgia, a support rally was organized, with children painting their faces with the Israeli flag [241] Another pro-Israeli rally was held in Tokyo. [242] On 16 August 2014 in Kolkata, India 20,000 demonstrators from the Hindu, Sikh, and Buddhist communities held the biggest pro-Israel rally so far with many Indian political activists proclaiming Israel's rights to defend itself. [243]
Reaction among the non-Arab Israeli population was strongly supportive of the military action. [244] Israel's Arab minority mostly opposed the war. Opinion polls consistently showed a very high level of support for the military operation among the Jewish public, varying between 91% and 95%. [245] [246] An opinion poll which surveyed Israeli-Arabs found that 62% of the Arab public opposed the operation while 24% supported it. [247]
Numerous demonstrations in support of the operation were held in Israel. In Sderot, Israelis gathered on the hillside to watch and cheer Israeli military strikes on nearby Gaza. [248] Anti-war demonstrations were also held, but demonstrators were often confronted by counter-demonstrators in support of the war and in some cases faced verbal and physical harassment. About 1,500 Arabs and a handful of Jews were arrested for involvement in anti-war demonstrations. A one-day general strike in solidarity with Gaza was declared among Israeli-Arabs, and many Arab businesses temporarily closed. [249] [250] [251]
As the scale of Operation Protective Edge expanded, civilian casualties mounted and accusations of war crimes were levelled from different quarters. On 19 July, Nabil el-Araby, the head of the Cairo-based Arab League, accused Israel of perpetrating "war crimes". [252]
On 21 July, Navi Pillay, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, 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". She also criticized Hamas for "indiscriminate attacks" on Israel. [253]
Human rights advocacy group B'Tselem argued that both Palestinian rocket fire and Israeli targeting the homes of militia members, could constitute war crimes and be violating international law. [254] [255] The international organization Human Rights Watch described Hamas's deliberate targeting of Israeli civilians as war crimes in a 9 July statement and also called Israel's attacks on civilian structures as "unlawful under the laws of war" and "collective punishment". [256] [257] Amnesty International said that the "UN must impose arms embargo on Israel/Gaza and mandate an international investigation". [258]
On 23 July HRC announced an investigation into the accusations of war crimes. [259]
Ecuador, Brazil, Peru, El Salvador and Chile recalled their ambassadors from Tel Aviv as a reaction to Israel's offensive. Brazil and Chile suspended trade talks with Israel. [260] [261] [262]
Spain froze arms and military technology exports to Israel, stopping sales of defense and dual use technology. Britain was reported to be reviewing its arms sales to Israel. [263] [264] [265]
Pro-Palestinian hackers carried out cyber-attacks on Israeli commercial, [266] [267] government, aviation and banking websites. [266] [268] Anonymous's 'OpIsrael' defaced or took down more than 1,000 Israeli websites, including Israeli government web domains [269] such as those of Mossad, the Tel Aviv Police Department and the Israeli Ministry of Defense. Hackers claimed to have published over 170 emails and passwords of Israeli officials on 21 July. A report by Arbor Networks showed a direct correlation between cyber attacks and the intensity of the conflict. [270] Iranian [271] and Chinese [272] hackers were blamed for some of the attacks. [273] [274]
In some instances, Israeli security forces responded to attacks with 'counter hacks' [275] targeting Hamas websites. [276] Pro-Israeli hackers called the Israeli Elite Force published what were said to be 45,000 usernames and passwords of government officials at the Gaza Ministry of Health. [277]
Multiple pro-Palestinian protests in Europe descended into antisemitic violence against local Jewish communities. Some demonstrators called for the death of Jews and attacked Jews and Jewish-owned property. These actions raised concerns over antisemitism and the safety of Jews in European countries. [278] [279] [280] Similar concerns over antisemitism were raised following protests in other countries. [281] [282] [283]
During a rally in the capital of Belgium's Flemish region one speaker reportedly used a loudspeaker to chant in Arabic "slaughter the Jews." [284] A sign on a Belgian cafe declaring that no Jews were allowed inside was removed by following a complaint. [285] A Holocaust memorial in the Netherlands was defaced with "free Gaza" graffiti. [286] [ better source needed ] In Morocco, the rabbi of the Jewish community of Casablanca was attacked while walking to synagogue for Shabbat services and severely beaten by a man who told the rabbi that he was taking retribution for Gaza. The rabbi claimed that he asked passerby for help but was ignored. There was a reported increase of antisemitic harassment in Morocco. [287] [288] [289] Rome's historic Jewish quarter was vandalized with swastikas and antisemitic graffiti. [290]
Police in England recorded more than 100 antisemitic hate crimes since the start of the Gaza conflict. In Toulouse, France, a man was arrested by local police for throwing fire-bombs at a Jewish community center. The fire-bombs failed to ignite. [291] In Malmö, Sweden, a rabbi and a member of his congregation were assaulted at different times on the same day. [292] [293] In Australia, antisemitic attacks occurred in Sydney, Perth and Melbourne. Teenagers harassed Jewish schoolchildren on a Sydney bus, a Jewish school was vandalized in Perth and a Jewish man was beaten in a street attack in Melbourne. [294]
In South Africa, the South African Jewish Board of Deputies laid criminal charges of hate speech and incitement of violence against the South African Jewish community. Complaints were lodged at the South African Human Rights Commission against the regional secretary of the Western Cape region of COSATU, Tony Ehrenreich, over comments he made on social media that included the statement "The time has come to say very clearly that if a woman or child is killed in Gaza, then the Jewish board of deputies, who are complicit, will feel the wrath of the people of SA with the age old biblical teaching of an eye for an eye. The time has come for the conflict to be waged everywhere the Zionist supporters fund and condone the war killing machine of Israel". [295] [296] [297]
Synagogues were targeted by pro-Palestinian protesters. Following a demonstration in Paris, protesters attempted to break into nearby synagogues. Six police officers and two Jewish residents were injured during the scuffle. [298] In Wuppertal, Germany, a synagogue was firebombed. [290] In Belfast, Northern Ireland, bricks were thrown through the windows of a local synagogue on two successive nights. [291] A synagogue was vandalized in Malmö, Sweden. [292] [293] And a synagogue in Miami, Florida, was vandalized with graffiti; swastikas and the word "Hamas" were painted on the building. [299] [300] On 29 August, it was reported that French police uncovered a plot by two teenage Muslim girls, aged 15 and 17, to commit a suicide bombing attack at the Great Synagogue of Lyon, in Lyon, France. They were indicted on 22 August on charges of conspiracy to commit terrorism. [301] During an anti-Israel rally in front of a synagogue in Turkey, demonstrators pelted the synagogue with eggs. [286]
During the war, newspapers throughout the Arab and Muslim world published cartoons with antisemitic caricatures and themes. [302] [ better source needed ] A mainstream newspaper in Spain published an op-ed which claimed that Israel's military operation demonstrated why Jews were so frequently expelled throughout history, and that "what is surprising is they persist. Either they are not good, or someone is poisoning them." Colombia's premiere weekly magazine also ran an op-ed which stated that Palestinian land has been occupied "since three thousand years ago, when Jews arrived there escaping from Egypt with Moses and Joshua, cutting heads and foreskins off of local inhabitants, Amalekites, Amorites, Canaanites, etc., to satisfy, they said, the demands of their bigoted one God who had appointed them his chosen people and had promised them all that foreign land." [286] In Australia, The Sydney Morning Herald apologized after running a cartoon which was interpreted as antisemitic. Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull had phoned the Herald's editor to express concern. [303] On 19 July, Turkish daily newspaper Yeni Akit used a picture of Adolf Hitler as the centerpiece for its daily word game, and the phrase "We long for you" [Seni arıyoruz] as the answer to the puzzle. [304]
UN chief Ban condemned the rise of antisemitism in a published statement, declaring that the conflict in the Middle East must not be used as a pretext for prejudice affecting social peace. [305] The foreign ministers of France (Laurent Fabius), Germany (Frank-Walter Steinmeier) and Italy (Federica Mogherini) condemned antisemitic attacks and protests in a joint statement, saying "antisemitic rhetoric and hostility against Jews, attacks on people of Jewish belief and synagogues have no place in our societies." French president François Hollande declared that fighting antisemitism would be a "national cause". [306] A spokesman for German Chancellor Angela Merkel stated that the Chancellor "sharply condemns the flare-up of violence and the antisemitic utterances" as "an attack on freedom and tolerance and an attempt to undermine our free democratic order. This is something we can't and won't accept." [307]
Many Holocaust survivors were among the elderly in Israel who donated money to help IDF soldiers in Gaza, totaling over 100,000 shekels, saying "It's the least we can do". Some individuals compared helping the IDF to helping allied soldiers during WWII, with one saying "Now we must contribute to soldiers that are protecting us. My husband was a pilot, he fought for four years during the war and was seriously wounded. For me, donating is not a mitzva but rather a duty." and another saying "I served as an officer and a military doctor in the Red Army in the Soviet Union. It's the least we can do in this difficult atmosphere of war. As long as there's a continued threat to Israel's existence, we must all pitch in order to protect it." [308] [309]
Other Holocaust survivors both inside and outside of Israel were shocked about the rising anti-Semitism masked as anti-Israel criticism, with one saying "It's ok not to agree with the Israeli government, like lots of people do over here. But if they are yelling 'kill all Jews' during protests, you haven't learned anything from the past." and another saying "I am deeply worried about the future of my children and grandchildren. Most of the elderly people are afraid. Everybody hates us. We are being surrounded by danger." [310]
Nobel laureate Elie Wiesel said Hamas must stop using children as human shields, adding "Do the two cultures that brought us the Psalms of David and the rich libraries of the Ottoman Empire not share a love of life, of transmitting wisdom and opportunity to their children? And is any of this discernible in the dark future offered by Hamas to Arab children, to be suicide bombers or human shields for rockets? Palestinian parents want a hopeful future for their children, just like Israeli parents do. And both should be joining together in peace." [311]
Reactions to the 2006 Lebanon War came from states on all continents, supranational bodies, individuals and international NGOs, as well as political lobbyists in the United States.
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.
In 2008 the Israel Defense Forces launched Operation Hot Winter, also called Operation Warm Winter, in the Gaza Strip, starting on February 29, 2008 in response to Qassam rockets fired from the Strip by Hamas onto Israeli civilians. At least 112 Palestinian militants and civilians, along with three Israelis, were killed, and more than 150 Palestinians and seven Israelis were injured.
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 2023–2024 war (37,000) is higher than the death toll of all other wars of the Arab–Israeli conflict.
International reaction to the Gaza War 2008-2009 came from many countries and international organisations.
Pakistan–Palestine relations refer to the bilateral relations between Islamic Republic of Pakistan and State of Palestine. The Palestinian Authority established an embassy in Islamabad on 31 January 2017. Pakistan remains a staunch supporter of the proposal for the creation of an independent Palestinian state, and in line with its pro-Palestinian doctrine, does not recognize the State of Israel. However, the former President of Pakistan, Pervez Musharraf, stated that Pakistan will recognize Israel's sovereignty if the latter withdraws its forces from the Israeli-occupied territories and allows an independent Palestinian state to be established within the Green Line that served as the international border between Israel and the Palestinian territories from the First Arab–Israeli War of 1948 to the Third Arab–Israeli War of 1967. Pakistan frequently provides various forms of humanitarian aid to the Palestinian Authority.
Since 2001, Palestinian militants have launched tens of thousands of rocket and mortar attacks on Israel from the Gaza Strip as part of the continuing Israeli–Palestinian conflict. The attacks, widely condemned for targeting civilians, have been described as terrorism by the United Nations, the European Union, and Israeli officials, and are defined as war crimes by human rights groups Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch. The international community considers indiscriminate attacks on civilian targets to be illegal under international law. Palestinian militants say rocket attacks are a response to Israel's blockade of Gaza, but the Palestinian Authority has condemned them and says rocket attacks undermine peace.
The bilateral relations between the State of Palestine and Russia have a complex history, deeply interwoven with Russian and Soviet relations with the Israeli enterprise, Palestinian nationalism, and Third World national liberation movements. Between 1956 and 1990, Soviet–Palestinian relations were part of the then-ongoing Soviet–American confrontation.
Egypt–Palestine relations are the bilateral relations between the Arab Republic of Egypt and the State of Palestine. Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser was a strong supporter of the Palestinian cause and he favored self-determination for the Palestinians. Although the Egyptian government has maintained a good relationship with Israel since the Camp David Accords, most Egyptians strongly resent Israel, and disapprove of the close relationship between the Israeli and Egyptian governments.
The Shaar HaNegev school bus attack was a missile attack on 7 April 2011, in which Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip fired a Kornet laser-guided anti-tank missile over the border at an Israeli school bus, killing a schoolboy.
On August 18, 2011, a series of cross-border attacks with parallel attacks and mutual cover was carried out in southern Israel on Highway 12 near the Egyptian border by a squad of presumably twelve militants in four groups. The attacks occurred after Israel's interior security service Shin Bet had warned of an attack by militants in the region and Israeli troops had been stationed in the area. The militants first opened fire at an Egged No. 392 bus as it was traveling on Highway 12 in the Negev near Eilat. Several minutes later, a bomb was detonated next to an Israeli army patrol along Israel's border with Egypt. In a third attack, an anti-tank missile hit a private vehicle, killing four civilians. Eight Israelis – six civilians, one Yamam special unit police sniper and one Golani Brigade soldier—were killed in the multiple-stage attack. The Israel Defense Forces reported eight attackers killed, and Egyptian security forces reported killing another two.
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.
The following is a list of reactions to the 2012 Gaza War:
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 it killed 10 Palestinians, injured 130 and imprisoned more than 600. 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.
From July 8 to August 26, 2014, another conflict between Israel and Gaza escalated and led to the outbreak of a war between Israel and Gaza. Between 2,127 and 2,168 Gazans were killed, including 578 children. The Gaza Health Ministry reported more than 70% of the victims were civilians whilst Israel reported that 55% of the dead were civilians. On the Israeli side 66 soldiers and 5 Israeli civilians, including one child, were killed.
The following is the list of international reactions to the 2021 Israel–Palestine crisis.
On 6 April 2023, dozens of rockets were fired from Lebanon into Israel, wounding 3 Israeli civilians. The Israel government alleged that the rockets were fired by Palestinian factions Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, with Hezbollah's approval.
On 7 October 2023, a large escalation of the Gaza–Israel conflict began with a coordinated offensive by multiple Palestinian militant groups against Israel. A number of countries, including many of Israel's Western allies, such as the United States and a number of European countries, condemned the attacks by Hamas, expressed solidarity for Israel and stated that Israel has a right to defend itself from armed attacks, while countries of the Muslim world have expressed support for the Palestinians, blaming the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories as being the root cause for the escalation of violence. The events prompted several world leaders to announce their intention to visit Israel, including US President Joe Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
The Israel–Hamas war has had significant effects on some major European Union member countries and institutions.
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