Operation Summer Rains
Encyclopedia : O : OP : OPE : Operation Summer Rains
, Mivtza Gishmey Kayitz) is the codename for an Israeli military operation in the Gaza Strip that began on June 28, 2006. It is the first major mobilization of Israel Defense Forces into the Gaza Strip since Israel's unilateral disengagement plan was implemented between August and September 2005.
Israel maintains that it mobilized thousands of troops in order to suppress Qassam rocket fire against its civilian population and to secure the release of Corporal Gilad Shalit, who was captured when several Palestinians belonging to terrorist organizations raided his army post in an attack which killed two other Israeli soldiers. Israel has stated that it will withdraw from Gaza and end the operation as soon as Shalit is released. The Palestinians say the assault is aimed at toppling the democratically elected Hamas-led government and at destabilizing the Palestinian National Authority, citing the targeting of civilian infrastructure such as a power station and the arrests of government and parliament members.
- 1 Background
- 2 Operation
- 2.1 IDF enters Southern Gaza
- 2.2 Incursion into Northern Gaza
- 2.3 Arrest of Hamas government members
- 2.4 Bombardment phase
- 2.5 High-trajectory fire into Israel
- 2.6 Ongoing responses
- 2.7 Ground Invasion of Northern Gaza Strip
- 3 Impact on Strip residents
- 4 Casualties
- 5 Reaction
- 6 See also
- 7 References
- 8 External links
Background
Exchange of fire
Tensions had been high for some time in Israel due to Qassam rocket attacks launched by Palestinians into densely populated areas such as the Israeli city of Sderot, reported to have exceeded 800 rockets in the past seven months, although there had been no casualties since Israel's withdrawal from Gaza. Concurrently, between the end of March and the end of May 2006, Israel fired at least 5,100 artillery shells into the Gaza Strip.On June 9, during or shortly after an Israeli operation, an explosion occurred on a busy Gaza beach, killing eight Palestinian civilians. An investigation is underway as to who is responsible. Israeli shelling was temporarily suspended, but resumed soon after and reached more than a thousand shells per week by the end of the month. Other Israeli missile attacks included one on the Gaza highway on June 13 that killed 11 Palestinians and injured 30, and on June 20 that killed 3 Palestinians and wounded 15.
After these incidents Hamas formally withdrew from its 16-month ceasefire on June 9 (or 10?), and began openly taking responsibility for Qassam rocket attacks. During the ceasefire, Hamas had regularly been implicated in similar attacks carried out by other Palestinian terrorist groups, as well as engaging in its own attacks.
The Economist reported that plans for the arrests and the incursion were laid in advance. They also theorize that perhaps Israel used the kidnapping as an excuse to launch them..
Raids and arrests
On June 24, 2006, Israeli commandos entered the Gaza Strip to capture two Palestinians, who Israel claims are Hamas militants, in the first arrest raid into the Strip since Israel pulled out of Gaza in September 2005.["Gaza Strip arrests"], The Observer, 25 June, 2006Jonathan Cook, ["Kidnapped by Israel"], Media Lens, 30 June, 2006 Noam Chomsky has claimed in a recent interview that these two Palestinians were civilians, a doctor and his brother. ["Noam Chomsky interview regarding Gaza and Lebanon"], ''Democracy Now!, 14 July, 2006On June 25, 2006, armed Palestinians crossed the border from the Gaza Strip into Israel via a makeshift tunnel and attacked an Israel Defense Forces post. During the morning attack, two Palestinian militants and two Israel Defense Force soldiers were killed and four others wounded, in addition to Corporal Gilad Shalit, who suffered a broken left hand and a light shoulder wound. Hamas claimed that the attack was carried out in response to the death of the Ralia family on north Gaza beach a few weeks before, but the IDF concluded that the digging of the tunnel must have taken between 3 and 6 months.Gil Hoffman et. al.,["Shalit's health better than first feared"], Jerusalem Post, 29 June, 2006Tim Butcher, [Soldier kidnapped and two killed in Gaza tunnel attack], Daily Telegraph, 26 June, 2006
Shalit's captors issued a series of statements demanding the release of all female Palestinian prisoners and all Palestinian prisoners under the age of 18.["Militants issue Israel hostage demands"], CNN, 26 June, 2006 The statements came from Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades (the military wing of Palestinian governing party Hamas), the Popular Resistance Committees (which includes members of Fatah, Islamic Jihad and Hamas), and the Army of Islam. More than 8,000 Palestinians are held as prisoners by the Israel Defense Forces and Israel Prisons Service. Approximately two thirds of these prisoners were convicted in court, while around ten percent are held without charge. B'Tselem, [Statistics on Palestinians in the custody of the Israeli security forces]
Operation
IDF enters Southern Gaza
Israeli forces entered Khan Yunis on June 28, 2006 to search for Shalit. Four Israeli F-16s flew over the Latakia residence of Bashar Assad, President of Syria, in a symbolic move linked by the IDF Spokesperson's Office to Israel's view of the Syrian leadership as a sponsor of terrorism, and the presence in Syria of Hamas leader Khaled Mashal. In preparation for the Israeli operation, the government of Egypt announced it deployed 2,500 policemen to the border of Egypt and the Gaza Strip in order to prevent the possible transfer of Shalit into Egypt, as well as to prevent an influx of refugees out of the Palestinian territory.
In the early hours of the operation, several Palestinian civilian locations were targeted. Bridges were destroyed to effectively cut the Gaza Strip in half. Power was also cut to 65% of the Gaza Strip after Israeli planes fired at least nine missiles at Gaza's only power station. Israeli forces also occupied the Gaza International Airport. Airstrikes were carried out on Hamas training and munitions camps, though no casualties were reported.
In apparent response to this, the Popular Resistance Committees announced they had abducted an 18-year-old man from the West Bank settlement of Itamar, Eliyahu Asheri, and would kill him if the invasion continued. On 29 June, IDF combat engineers and Shabak agents, acting on intelligence, found Asheri's body in an abandoned car in an open field outside of Ramallah. The youth appeared to have been shot to death, and findings indicated that he may have been killed as early as Sunday, casting doubt on the PRC's earlier claims that he was alive and kept in captivity.
Although the Popular Resistance Committees said it was behind the attack, it became known that the kidnapping was planned and carried out by Fatah militants. Four suspects were arrested by IDF forces for kidnapping and killing Asheri, all al-Aqsa Brigades activists and Palestinian Preventive Security force members.
The al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades later announced that they had captured a third Israeli, Noach Moskovich from the central Israeli city of Rishon LeZion. However Moskovich was eventually discovered dead, apparently of natural causes, near the spot where he had last been seen. The Brigades also threatened that, should there be any Palestinian civilian casualties as a result of the incursion, they would attack Israel's overseas embassies. As night fell, the Israel Defence Forces began shelling locations in Gaza with artillery, and hit two weapons warehouses.
Incursion into Northern Gaza
As night approached 28 June, IDF troops and tanks massed on the Northern border of Gaza Strip, and prepared to take strategic positions in the second phase of the operation, which Israel claims targeted the Qassam rocket sites. Qassam rockets were continually fired into Israel, and during the early hours of 29 June, several Israeli naval vessels shelled Qassam locations. Thousands of leaflets advising civilians to leave their homes were dropped on inhabited areas in the northern Gaza Strip towns of Beit Lahia and Beit Hanoun which Israel had identified as frequent launch sites for Qassam rockets.
An explosion was reported in Gaza City, and eyewitnesses reported it was at the Islamic University. The university is believed to be a pro-Hamas institute. Witnesses reported Israeli tanks, soldiers, and bulldozers entering Northern Gaza. Following a plea from Egypt for more time for negotiations however, the IDF later announced it would put a hold on the second phase to give the militants a final chance to turn over Shalit.
Arrest of Hamas government members
On 29 June, Israel arrested and detained 64 Hamas officials. Amongst them were Palestinian Authority cabinet ministers and members of the Palestinian Legislative Council. Eight Hamas government members (five of whom in Ramallah) and up to twenty Legislative Council representatives were arrested in the operation.
Among those arrested are the Finance Minister Abed Razek; Labour Minister Mohammad Barghouti; Religious Affairs Minister Nayef Rajoub, brother of former West Bank strongman Jibril Rajoub of the rival Fatah party; parliamentary speaker Abdel Aziz Duaik; Palestinian Deputy Prime Minister Nasser Shaer; East Jerusalem legislative council member and number two on Hamas list, Muhammad Abu Tir; as well as heads of regional councils, and the mayor of Qalqilyah and his deputy. At least a third of the Hamas cabinet have been arrested and held by Israel. As a result, Hamas officials have gone into hiding.
The IDF stated that the captured Hamas ministers "are not bargaining chips for the return of the soldier - it was simply an operation against a terrorist organization". Israeli Minister of National Infrastructure, Benjamin Ben-Eliezer, hinted that the Prime Minister of the Palestinian National Authority, Ismail Haniya, is not immune from being arrested or attacked by the Security Forces. The Israeli army and government officials said, the captured Hamas officials will be questioned and eventually indicted. "Their arrests were not arbitrary. They will be put to trial, and they will be able to defend themselves in accordance with a legal system which is internationally recognized," Israeli Deputy Prime Minister Shimon Peres said, explaining the Hamas arrests.
The operation to arrest these Hamas ministers was reportedly planned several weeks before and was met then with the approval of Israel's Attorney General, Menachem Mazuz. On 28 June, Shabak Director Yuval Diskin brought a list of names to the approval of Israel's Prime Minister, Ehud Olmert. Mazuz decided that those arrested will be prosecuted for the criminal offences of failing to prevent acts of terror and membership of a terrorist organization (which carry a maximum sentence of twenty years) and tried by military judges before an open military tribunal, as would be the case for any other Gaza or West Bank resident.()
Bombardment phase
Beginning on 30 June, the IDF began to hit the Gaza Strip with a variety of targeted bombardments. Israeli warplanes struck more than a dozen times in Gaza in the hours after midnight, hitting a Fatah office and a Hamas facility in Gaza City as well as roads and open fields.[[Citing sources citation needed]]
Israeli Air Force aircraft struck the Palestinian Interior Ministry in Gaza City. The Israel Defense Forces confirmed its planes hit the office of Interior Minister Said Siyam, which it called "a meeting place to plan and direct terror activity". Shortly after, several militants approached an IDF position in Southern Gaza carrying anti-tank weaponry. The Israeli forces opened fire, wounding two militants, and causing them to leave their position.[[Citing sources citation needed]]
In a separate Israeli airstrike, three missiles hit the office of Khaled Abu Ilal, a hardline Interior Ministry official, who also heads a pro-Hamas militia.
After Israeli warnings that the Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniya could be targeted for assassination if Corporal Shalit was not freed, Israeli aircraft hit the Prime Minister's office with two missiles in the early hours of 2 July.
High-trajectory fire into Israel
On July 4, high-trajectory fire by Palestinian militants into Israel reached a milestone when an improved Qassam rocket succeeded in reaching central Ashkelon, the first Palestinian-made rocket to do so, hitting an empty school yard, and causing light damage and no injuries.
The next day, two more Qassam rockets hit a neighborhood in southern Ashkelon, wounding 8 civilians. The IDF was given the go-ahead to move into Northern Gaza with a large force, with the stated aim of attempting to push the militants farther into Gaza, and out of range from Ashkelon and other coastal towns.
Qassams also struck near Netivot (which is 12 km. east of Northern Gaza), Saad, Kibbutz Kfar Azza, as well as smaller towns and kibbutzim in the Negev.
Ongoing responses
On July 5, 2006, the Israeli Security Cabinet called for prolonged and gradual military action in Gaza. A communique issued after the meeting said that in light of the kidnapping of Cpl. Gilad Shalit and the continuation of the rocket fire on Israel, "preparations will be made to bring about a change in the rules of the game and mode of operating with the Palestinian Authority and Hamas."
Later that day IDF soldiers apprehended a Palestinian wearing an explosives belt, who entered the industrial zone in the West Bank town of Barkan, near the Jewish settlement of Ariel, in a Palestinian taxi which the IDF said was destined for a major Israeli city.
Ground Invasion of Northern Gaza Strip
On July 6, 2006, the IDF's Golani Brigade under the command of Colonel Tamir Yadai, backed by IAF jets and artillery fire, reoccupied the site of three former Israeli settlements of Dugit, Nisanit and Elei Sinai in the northern Gaza Strip. Additional forces entered the nearby Palestinian town of Beit Lahiya. A Beit Lahiya resident was quoted in Ynetnews.com as saying, "It's a crazy scene — everyone is shooting at everyone," and "Soldiers are coming out of the trees, from the rooftops. The residents don't know if they should leave their homes or hide." Israeli tanks and helicopter gunships entered Beit Lahiya firing at militant positions. Palestinian militants responded with automatic weapons fire.
Impact on Strip residents
--> Israeli jets hit the power plant, along with two bridges, in the early morning of June 29, as the precursor to a slowly building invasion of the Gaza Strip intended to secure the release of Gilad Shalit, a French-Israeli soldier who was captured by Palestinian militants Sunday in a cross-border raid. Israeli leaders said the strikes were designed to prevent the militants holding Shalit in southern Gaza from spiriting their hostage out of the area.The impact of the strike in Gaza City: More than half of the 600,000 residents are without water, and at least two-thirds lack power. The power plant hit by Israeli forces does more than provide energy to more than half of the Gaza Strip's 1.3 million residents; it also fuels critical water and sewage pumps as Gaza heads into another Mediterranean coast summer. Palestinian officials say that it could take six months and some $15 million to repair the damage done to the destroyed power plant.
The public health and safety and environmental hazards stemming from the damage caused to infrastructure as a result of this military operation include water shortages, contaminated remaining drinking water, uncontrolled discharge and untreated sewage flowing in the streets resulting in groundwater pollution, pollution of agricultural land which Gazans will now be unable to cultivate to harvest crops, negatively impacting their earning.
On 29 June the IDF made the following announcement to Gaza residents, distributed through pamphlets and broadcasted through other means:
- To the civilians of the area: The IDF extends its operations to all areas of the Gaza Strip, and therefore conducts military activities in your area, for the time period that is required. The operations will be launched in order to locate the site in which the kidnapped soldier, Gilad Shalit, is being held, to rescue him, and to continue to defend the citizens of Israel. For your own safety and due to our intent to prevent injuring citizens who are not involved in activities against our forces, you must avoid being on any premises in which the IDF is operating and be attentive to the IDF's instructions. Anyone who interrupts IDF forces activities, conducted in order to complete the mission to bring the kidnapped soldier home safely, will be in danger.(bold in the original)
Concern for potential humanitarian crisis
Early on, all border crossings in and out of Gaza were shut. Gas stations predicted petrol supplies would run out by sundown Thursday as companies rely on generators.
On June 29, Álvaro de Soto, United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process and the Secretary-General's Special Representative to the Palestine Liberation Organization and the Palestinian Authority, said that fuel in Gaza would run out in two to three days, which would result in the collapse of the sewage system. Senior UN officials estimated that Gaza has two weeks of food supply left.
UN Undersecretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Jan Egeland said, "No one can hide from us what they’re doing, neither the Palestinian nor the Israeli side. We are appalled by seeing how they're playing with the future of defenseless civilians, including children," and warned that Gaza was three days away (as of 29 June) from a humanitarian crisis.
It was predicted that all 22 Gaza hospitals would lose electricity from spare generators within one week due to the shortage of fuel and an average of 200 daily surgeries would be postponed or cancelled. There were fears that about 250 citizens suffering renal failure would face death due to the lack of electricity to run dialysis units.
On Sunday July 2, Israel reopened Gaza's main cargo crossing — the Karni crossing, allowing 50 trucks with food, medical supplies and fuel, to travel from Israel to Gaza. Other trucks carrying fuel entered northeastern Gaza through the Nahal Oz border crossing. The next day, however, citing a security threat, Israel once again closed the Karni crossing.
Crossed border into Gaza
On July 14, 2006, Hundreds crossed the Gaza-Egypt border, into the Gaza strip from Egypt, after Palestineans blew a hole in the wall seperating Gaza and Egypt.Casualties
- IAF helicopter fired upon and critically wounded an Islamic Jihad militant who tried to launch a rocket at Israeli forces. The man, 25-year-old Abdel Rael, later died of his wounds.
- An IAF missile targeted a car with four Islamic Jihad militants traveling in Gaza City, causing an enormous explosion, Palestinian reports indicated three were wounded, one seriously. They were able to flee because the Israeli missile missed the car but hit nearby. They apparently launched several Qassam rockets and had numerous rockets in the vehicle, hence the extraordinary explosion.
- IDF troops in southern Gaza noticed several Palestinian militants approaching an IDF position with an anti-tank rocket launcher. Troops fired at the group, causing them to flee. According to the IDF, two of the attackers were believed to be wounded, but all managed to escape.
- In Gaza City a Hamas militant, Shaaban Manoun, was killed in an Israeli air strike attack on a warehouse facility used by militants; another was wounded.
- IAF targeted and killed one Hamas militant in the northern Gaza town of Jabalya.
- Three Palestinian militants were killed near the Dahaniyeh airport in southern Gaza, where Israeli soldiers are stationed, after they opened fire at troops from the Golani Brigade. Troops identified the militants approaching an outpost and opened fire. The army said explosive belts were found strapped to the bodies of two of the gunmen, indicating they had planned to carry out a suicide attack.
- IDF soldiers fired on two armed Hamas militants, killing 30-year old Abed el-Rahim. The IAF later attacked from the air, killing the second militant.
- Israeli aircraft fired missiles at Hamas militants carrying explosives near the security fence in the northern Gaza Strip, killing one.
- The Israel Air Force struck the main post of the Palestinian naval police in Sudaniya, killing Hussam Hijazi and Rami Abu Hashem. Eight others were injured.
- Hamas activist Abdullah Zomer was killed in an IAF strike on a North Gaza beach.
- Two Islamic Jihad members killed when a bomb they were working on prematurely exploded in Gaza City.
- A car carrying a crew from the Arabic satellite TV channel Al-Jazeera came under fire from Palestinian gunmen, wounding two, according to one of the reporters in the car, Wael Dahdouh. He said the gunmen apparently thought the reporters were Israeli undercover agents.
- An Israeli soldier, Yehuda Bessal, was apparently killed in a friendly fire incident during fierce clashes with militants. The IDF is currently investigating.
- Two gunmen were killed by troops while trying to fire an anti-tank missile at IDF forces.
- Nine people, mostly gunmen according to Israeli sources, were killed and 20 more people wounded when an Israel aircraft fired a missile and two shells at a group of armed militants in Beit Lahia.
- According to Palestinian reports at least four people were killed, and 15 wounded in an IAF strike in Khan Younis. The IDF confirmed it had carried out the airstrike, saying that Islamic Jihad terrorists, who had fired anti-tank rockets and a Qassam rocket at troops operating near the Kissufim Crossing to uncover underground tunnels, were the target.
- A Palestinian was killed in a shootout between the IDF and militants in Beit Lahiya.
- IDF forces fired at Palestinians, who launched two anti-tank missiles at them, killing one of the attackers.
- Mohammed Atat, a Palestinian civilian, was killed in when an Israeli tank fired at his family's home in the northern Gaza Strip town of Beit Lahiya.
- Five gunmen were killed in an Air Force attack in northern Gaza. Three other gunmen were injured in the attack, two of them critically.
- Israeli air strike killed one Hamas gunman and wounded three others near Beit Lahiya. The IDF said an aircraft had opened fire on a group of four gunmen.
- Two militants were killed in an IAF strike on the northern Gaza Strip town of Beit Lahia.
- One militant was killed in an IAF airstrike on Jabalya.
- Three Israelis were injured when a barrage of Qassam rockets landed in the western Negev from the Gaza Strip. At least 11 Qassam rockets were shot in total.
- Three gunman were killed in clashes with Israeli soldiers in the Northern Gaza Strip.
- Two Palestinians were killed in an IAF airstrike on armed militants.
- IAF fired missiles at a group of militants gathered at the outskirts of Shajaiyeh and injuring at least two people.
- One Palestinian militant was killed when the IAF bombed a tunnel that Palestinian operatives had dug beneath the Karni crossing. The entrance to the tunnel had been concealed inside a chicken coop.
- Israeli soldiers identified a cell of three gunmen approaching forces. Soldiers opened fire on the gunmen, killing two of them.
- A Palestinian policeman was killed in a firefight.
- A six-year old girl, her elder brother and her mother were killed in a mysterious explosion near their home. The IDF denied involvement. The IDF confirmed, however, that the Air Force had targeted a group of armed Palestinians in the Beit Hanoun area some 10 kilometers to the north, apparently wounding some of them.
- Four people were wounded when a Qassam rocket, launched from the northern Gaza Strip, landed in a house in Sderot.
- Israeli aircraft targeted militants in western Gaza City, firing a missile at them and wounding four, one seriously; Palestinian hospital officials said.
- An IAF airstrike missed a car carrying members of a Hamas rocket squad and killed a bystander instead, Palestinian health officials said.
- An Israel Air Force air strike killed a Hamas militant and wounded two others in the Gaza Strip. The IDF said it had fired at a group that was firing rockets into Israel.
- Two Islamic Jihad militants were killed in a strike in Khan Yunis. Six others were wounded.
- A Palestinian gunman was killed in the northern Gaza Strip. The armed man was spotted about 200 meters from the Israel-Gaza security fence before being killed by an IAF missile.
- A 10-year-old Palestinian girl was seriously injured when an errant Qassam rocket that was fired by militants toward Israel hit her family home in Beit Lahiya.
- Three Palestinians were killed when an IAF missile struck Qassam rocket launchers near a soccer field.
- One militant was killed by the IAF when he and his group were retrieving Qassam rockets from a vehicle in order to fire at Israel.
- A group of gunmen that were about to launch Qassam rockets with three Qassam launchers already set up were hit with an IAF missile, moments before the rockets were to have been launched. Two were critically wounded.
- Israeli aircraft blasted a house and killed at least six people in Gaza City early Wednesday during a high-level meeting of Hamas commanders. Apparently Israel's most wanted man, Mohammed Deif, was wounded in the attack.
- The IAF fired at armed Palestinian militants near the Kissufim crossing, killing two, Zaka reported Wednesday.
- Israeli ground troops on Wednesday opened fire on three armed Palestinians, killing two of them and wounding the third in this central Gaza town, Palestinian medical officials and the army said.
- An an elite unit force killed a cell of five militants traveling in the southern Gaza Strip near Deir al-Balah. Palestinians said five of the cell's members were killed where Kfar Darom once stood. The other six gunmen were wounded, according to Palestinians.
- Five IDF soldiers were lightly wounded in fighting in Gaza – two during morning operations and three during an evening operation.
Reaction
Involved parties
- In Gaza City a Hamas militant, Shaaban Manoun, was killed in an Israeli air strike attack on a warehouse facility used by militants; another was wounded.
- IAF targeted and killed one Hamas militant in the northern Gaza town of Jabalya.
- Three Palestinian militants were killed near the Dahaniyeh airport in southern Gaza, where Israeli soldiers are stationed, after they opened fire at troops from the Golani Brigade. Troops identified the militants approaching an outpost and opened fire. The army said explosive belts were found strapped to the bodies of two of the gunmen, indicating they had planned to carry out a suicide attack.
- IDF soldiers fired on two armed Hamas militants, killing 30-year old Abed el-Rahim. The IAF later attacked from the air, killing the second militant.
- Israeli aircraft fired missiles at Hamas militants carrying explosives near the security fence in the northern Gaza Strip, killing one.
- The Israel Air Force struck the main post of the Palestinian naval police in Sudaniya, killing Hussam Hijazi and Rami Abu Hashem. Eight others were injured.
- Hamas activist Abdullah Zomer was killed in an IAF strike on a North Gaza beach.
- Two Islamic Jihad members killed when a bomb they were working on prematurely exploded in Gaza City.
- A car carrying a crew from the Arabic satellite TV channel Al-Jazeera came under fire from Palestinian gunmen, wounding two, according to one of the reporters in the car, Wael Dahdouh. He said the gunmen apparently thought the reporters were Israeli undercover agents.
- An Israeli soldier, Yehuda Bessal, was apparently killed in a friendly fire incident during fierce clashes with militants. The IDF is currently investigating.
- Two gunmen were killed by troops while trying to fire an anti-tank missile at IDF forces.
- Nine people, mostly gunmen according to Israeli sources, were killed and 20 more people wounded when an Israel aircraft fired a missile and two shells at a group of armed militants in Beit Lahia.
- According to Palestinian reports at least four people were killed, and 15 wounded in an IAF strike in Khan Younis. The IDF confirmed it had carried out the airstrike, saying that Islamic Jihad terrorists, who had fired anti-tank rockets and a Qassam rocket at troops operating near the Kissufim Crossing to uncover underground tunnels, were the target.
- A Palestinian was killed in a shootout between the IDF and militants in Beit Lahiya.
- IDF forces fired at Palestinians, who launched two anti-tank missiles at them, killing one of the attackers.
- Mohammed Atat, a Palestinian civilian, was killed in when an Israeli tank fired at his family's home in the northern Gaza Strip town of Beit Lahiya.
- Five gunmen were killed in an Air Force attack in northern Gaza. Three other gunmen were injured in the attack, two of them critically.
- Israeli air strike killed one Hamas gunman and wounded three others near Beit Lahiya. The IDF said an aircraft had opened fire on a group of four gunmen.
- Two militants were killed in an IAF strike on the northern Gaza Strip town of Beit Lahia.
- One militant was killed in an IAF airstrike on Jabalya.
- Three Israelis were injured when a barrage of Qassam rockets landed in the western Negev from the Gaza Strip. At least 11 Qassam rockets were shot in total.
- Three gunman were killed in clashes with Israeli soldiers in the Northern Gaza Strip.
- Two Palestinians were killed in an IAF airstrike on armed militants.
- IAF fired missiles at a group of militants gathered at the outskirts of Shajaiyeh and injuring at least two people.
- One Palestinian militant was killed when the IAF bombed a tunnel that Palestinian operatives had dug beneath the Karni crossing. The entrance to the tunnel had been concealed inside a chicken coop.
- Israeli soldiers identified a cell of three gunmen approaching forces. Soldiers opened fire on the gunmen, killing two of them.
- A Palestinian policeman was killed in a firefight.
- A six-year old girl, her elder brother and her mother were killed in a mysterious explosion near their home. The IDF denied involvement. The IDF confirmed, however, that the Air Force had targeted a group of armed Palestinians in the Beit Hanoun area some 10 kilometers to the north, apparently wounding some of them.
- Four people were wounded when a Qassam rocket, launched from the northern Gaza Strip, landed in a house in Sderot.
- Israeli aircraft targeted militants in western Gaza City, firing a missile at them and wounding four, one seriously; Palestinian hospital officials said.
- An IAF airstrike missed a car carrying members of a Hamas rocket squad and killed a bystander instead, Palestinian health officials said.
- An Israel Air Force air strike killed a Hamas militant and wounded two others in the Gaza Strip. The IDF said it had fired at a group that was firing rockets into Israel.
- Two Islamic Jihad militants were killed in a strike in Khan Yunis. Six others were wounded.
- A Palestinian gunman was killed in the northern Gaza Strip. The armed man was spotted about 200 meters from the Israel-Gaza security fence before being killed by an IAF missile.
- A 10-year-old Palestinian girl was seriously injured when an errant Qassam rocket that was fired by militants toward Israel hit her family home in Beit Lahiya.
- Three Palestinians were killed when an IAF missile struck Qassam rocket launchers near a soccer field.
- One militant was killed by the IAF when he and his group were retrieving Qassam rockets from a vehicle in order to fire at Israel.
- A group of gunmen that were about to launch Qassam rockets with three Qassam launchers already set up were hit with an IAF missile, moments before the rockets were to have been launched. Two were critically wounded.
- Israeli aircraft blasted a house and killed at least six people in Gaza City early Wednesday during a high-level meeting of Hamas commanders. Apparently Israel's most wanted man, Mohammed Deif, was wounded in the attack.
- The IAF fired at armed Palestinian militants near the Kissufim crossing, killing two, Zaka reported Wednesday.
- Israeli ground troops on Wednesday opened fire on three armed Palestinians, killing two of them and wounding the third in this central Gaza town, Palestinian medical officials and the army said.
- An an elite unit force killed a cell of five militants traveling in the southern Gaza Strip near Deir al-Balah. Palestinians said five of the cell's members were killed where Kfar Darom once stood. The other six gunmen were wounded, according to Palestinians.
- Five IDF soldiers were lightly wounded in fighting in Gaza – two during morning operations and three during an evening operation.
Reaction
Involved parties
- The Israel Air Force struck the main post of the Palestinian naval police in Sudaniya, killing Hussam Hijazi and Rami Abu Hashem. Eight others were injured.
- Hamas activist Abdullah Zomer was killed in an IAF strike on a North Gaza beach.
- Two Islamic Jihad members killed when a bomb they were working on prematurely exploded in Gaza City.
- A car carrying a crew from the Arabic satellite TV channel Al-Jazeera came under fire from Palestinian gunmen, wounding two, according to one of the reporters in the car, Wael Dahdouh. He said the gunmen apparently thought the reporters were Israeli undercover agents.
- An Israeli soldier, Yehuda Bessal, was apparently killed in a friendly fire incident during fierce clashes with militants. The IDF is currently investigating.
- Two gunmen were killed by troops while trying to fire an anti-tank missile at IDF forces.
- Nine people, mostly gunmen according to Israeli sources, were killed and 20 more people wounded when an Israel aircraft fired a missile and two shells at a group of armed militants in Beit Lahia.
- According to Palestinian reports at least four people were killed, and 15 wounded in an IAF strike in Khan Younis. The IDF confirmed it had carried out the airstrike, saying that Islamic Jihad terrorists, who had fired anti-tank rockets and a Qassam rocket at troops operating near the Kissufim Crossing to uncover underground tunnels, were the target.
- A Palestinian was killed in a shootout between the IDF and militants in Beit Lahiya.
- IDF forces fired at Palestinians, who launched two anti-tank missiles at them, killing one of the attackers.
- Mohammed Atat, a Palestinian civilian, was killed in when an Israeli tank fired at his family's home in the northern Gaza Strip town of Beit Lahiya.
- Five gunmen were killed in an Air Force attack in northern Gaza. Three other gunmen were injured in the attack, two of them critically.
- Israeli air strike killed one Hamas gunman and wounded three others near Beit Lahiya. The IDF said an aircraft had opened fire on a group of four gunmen.
- Two militants were killed in an IAF strike on the northern Gaza Strip town of Beit Lahia.
- One militant was killed in an IAF airstrike on Jabalya.
- Three Israelis were injured when a barrage of Qassam rockets landed in the western Negev from the Gaza Strip. At least 11 Qassam rockets were shot in total.
- Three gunman were killed in clashes with Israeli soldiers in the Northern Gaza Strip.
- Two Palestinians were killed in an IAF airstrike on armed militants.
- IAF fired missiles at a group of militants gathered at the outskirts of Shajaiyeh and injuring at least two people.
- One Palestinian militant was killed when the IAF bombed a tunnel that Palestinian operatives had dug beneath the Karni crossing. The entrance to the tunnel had been concealed inside a chicken coop.
- Israeli soldiers identified a cell of three gunmen approaching forces. Soldiers opened fire on the gunmen, killing two of them.
- A Palestinian policeman was killed in a firefight.
- A six-year old girl, her elder brother and her mother were killed in a mysterious explosion near their home. The IDF denied involvement. The IDF confirmed, however, that the Air Force had targeted a group of armed Palestinians in the Beit Hanoun area some 10 kilometers to the north, apparently wounding some of them.
- Four people were wounded when a Qassam rocket, launched from the northern Gaza Strip, landed in a house in Sderot.
- Israeli aircraft targeted militants in western Gaza City, firing a missile at them and wounding four, one seriously; Palestinian hospital officials said.
- An IAF airstrike missed a car carrying members of a Hamas rocket squad and killed a bystander instead, Palestinian health officials said.
- An Israel Air Force air strike killed a Hamas militant and wounded two others in the Gaza Strip. The IDF said it had fired at a group that was firing rockets into Israel.
- Two Islamic Jihad militants were killed in a strike in Khan Yunis. Six others were wounded.
- A Palestinian gunman was killed in the northern Gaza Strip. The armed man was spotted about 200 meters from the Israel-Gaza security fence before being killed by an IAF missile.
- A 10-year-old Palestinian girl was seriously injured when an errant Qassam rocket that was fired by militants toward Israel hit her family home in Beit Lahiya.
- Three Palestinians were killed when an IAF missile struck Qassam rocket launchers near a soccer field.
- One militant was killed by the IAF when he and his group were retrieving Qassam rockets from a vehicle in order to fire at Israel.
- A group of gunmen that were about to launch Qassam rockets with three Qassam launchers already set up were hit with an IAF missile, moments before the rockets were to have been launched. Two were critically wounded.
- Israeli aircraft blasted a house and killed at least six people in Gaza City early Wednesday during a high-level meeting of Hamas commanders. Apparently Israel's most wanted man, Mohammed Deif, was wounded in the attack.
- The IAF fired at armed Palestinian militants near the Kissufim crossing, killing two, Zaka reported Wednesday.
- Israeli ground troops on Wednesday opened fire on three armed Palestinians, killing two of them and wounding the third in this central Gaza town, Palestinian medical officials and the army said.
- An an elite unit force killed a cell of five militants traveling in the southern Gaza Strip near Deir al-Balah. Palestinians said five of the cell's members were killed where Kfar Darom once stood. The other six gunmen were wounded, according to Palestinians.
- Five IDF soldiers were lightly wounded in fighting in Gaza – two during morning operations and three during an evening operation.
Reaction
Involved parties
- An Israeli soldier, Yehuda Bessal, was apparently killed in a friendly fire incident during fierce clashes with militants. The IDF is currently investigating.
- Two gunmen were killed by troops while trying to fire an anti-tank missile at IDF forces.
- Nine people, mostly gunmen according to Israeli sources, were killed and 20 more people wounded when an Israel aircraft fired a missile and two shells at a group of armed militants in Beit Lahia.
- According to Palestinian reports at least four people were killed, and 15 wounded in an IAF strike in Khan Younis. The IDF confirmed it had carried out the airstrike, saying that Islamic Jihad terrorists, who had fired anti-tank rockets and a Qassam rocket at troops operating near the Kissufim Crossing to uncover underground tunnels, were the target.
- A Palestinian was killed in a shootout between the IDF and militants in Beit Lahiya.
- IDF forces fired at Palestinians, who launched two anti-tank missiles at them, killing one of the attackers.
- Mohammed Atat, a Palestinian civilian, was killed in when an Israeli tank fired at his family's home in the northern Gaza Strip town of Beit Lahiya.
- Five gunmen were killed in an Air Force attack in northern Gaza. Three other gunmen were injured in the attack, two of them critically.
- Israeli air strike killed one Hamas gunman and wounded three others near Beit Lahiya. The IDF said an aircraft had opened fire on a group of four gunmen.
- Two militants were killed in an IAF strike on the northern Gaza Strip town of Beit Lahia.
- One militant was killed in an IAF airstrike on Jabalya.
- Three Israelis were injured when a barrage of Qassam rockets landed in the western Negev from the Gaza Strip. At least 11 Qassam rockets were shot in total.
- Three gunman were killed in clashes with Israeli soldiers in the Northern Gaza Strip.
- Two Palestinians were killed in an IAF airstrike on armed militants.
- IAF fired missiles at a group of militants gathered at the outskirts of Shajaiyeh and injuring at least two people.
- One Palestinian militant was killed when the IAF bombed a tunnel that Palestinian operatives had dug beneath the Karni crossing. The entrance to the tunnel had been concealed inside a chicken coop.
- Israeli soldiers identified a cell of three gunmen approaching forces. Soldiers opened fire on the gunmen, killing two of them.
- A Palestinian policeman was killed in a firefight.
- A six-year old girl, her elder brother and her mother were killed in a mysterious explosion near their home. The IDF denied involvement. The IDF confirmed, however, that the Air Force had targeted a group of armed Palestinians in the Beit Hanoun area some 10 kilometers to the north, apparently wounding some of them.
- Four people were wounded when a Qassam rocket, launched from the northern Gaza Strip, landed in a house in Sderot.
- Israeli aircraft targeted militants in western Gaza City, firing a missile at them and wounding four, one seriously; Palestinian hospital officials said.
- An IAF airstrike missed a car carrying members of a Hamas rocket squad and killed a bystander instead, Palestinian health officials said.
- An Israel Air Force air strike killed a Hamas militant and wounded two others in the Gaza Strip. The IDF said it had fired at a group that was firing rockets into Israel.
- Two Islamic Jihad militants were killed in a strike in Khan Yunis. Six others were wounded.
- A Palestinian gunman was killed in the northern Gaza Strip. The armed man was spotted about 200 meters from the Israel-Gaza security fence before being killed by an IAF missile.
- A 10-year-old Palestinian girl was seriously injured when an errant Qassam rocket that was fired by militants toward Israel hit her family home in Beit Lahiya.
- Three Palestinians were killed when an IAF missile struck Qassam rocket launchers near a soccer field.
- One militant was killed by the IAF when he and his group were retrieving Qassam rockets from a vehicle in order to fire at Israel.
- A group of gunmen that were about to launch Qassam rockets with three Qassam launchers already set up were hit with an IAF missile, moments before the rockets were to have been launched. Two were critically wounded.
- Israeli aircraft blasted a house and killed at least six people in Gaza City early Wednesday during a high-level meeting of Hamas commanders. Apparently Israel's most wanted man, Mohammed Deif, was wounded in the attack.
- The IAF fired at armed Palestinian militants near the Kissufim crossing, killing two, Zaka reported Wednesday.
- Israeli ground troops on Wednesday opened fire on three armed Palestinians, killing two of them and wounding the third in this central Gaza town, Palestinian medical officials and the army said.
- An an elite unit force killed a cell of five militants traveling in the southern Gaza Strip near Deir al-Balah. Palestinians said five of the cell's members were killed where Kfar Darom once stood. The other six gunmen were wounded, according to Palestinians.
- Five IDF soldiers were lightly wounded in fighting in Gaza – two during morning operations and three during an evening operation.
Reaction
Involved parties
- IAF fired missiles at a group of militants gathered at the outskirts of Shajaiyeh and injuring at least two people.
- One Palestinian militant was killed when the IAF bombed a tunnel that Palestinian operatives had dug beneath the Karni crossing. The entrance to the tunnel had been concealed inside a chicken coop.
- Israeli soldiers identified a cell of three gunmen approaching forces. Soldiers opened fire on the gunmen, killing two of them.
- A Palestinian policeman was killed in a firefight.
- A six-year old girl, her elder brother and her mother were killed in a mysterious explosion near their home. The IDF denied involvement. The IDF confirmed, however, that the Air Force had targeted a group of armed Palestinians in the Beit Hanoun area some 10 kilometers to the north, apparently wounding some of them.
- Four people were wounded when a Qassam rocket, launched from the northern Gaza Strip, landed in a house in Sderot.
- Israeli aircraft targeted militants in western Gaza City, firing a missile at them and wounding four, one seriously; Palestinian hospital officials said.
- An IAF airstrike missed a car carrying members of a Hamas rocket squad and killed a bystander instead, Palestinian health officials said.
- An Israel Air Force air strike killed a Hamas militant and wounded two others in the Gaza Strip. The IDF said it had fired at a group that was firing rockets into Israel.
- Two Islamic Jihad militants were killed in a strike in Khan Yunis. Six others were wounded.
- A Palestinian gunman was killed in the northern Gaza Strip. The armed man was spotted about 200 meters from the Israel-Gaza security fence before being killed by an IAF missile.
- A 10-year-old Palestinian girl was seriously injured when an errant Qassam rocket that was fired by militants toward Israel hit her family home in Beit Lahiya.
- Three Palestinians were killed when an IAF missile struck Qassam rocket launchers near a soccer field.
- One militant was killed by the IAF when he and his group were retrieving Qassam rockets from a vehicle in order to fire at Israel.
- A group of gunmen that were about to launch Qassam rockets with three Qassam launchers already set up were hit with an IAF missile, moments before the rockets were to have been launched. Two were critically wounded.
- Israeli aircraft blasted a house and killed at least six people in Gaza City early Wednesday during a high-level meeting of Hamas commanders. Apparently Israel's most wanted man, Mohammed Deif, was wounded in the attack.
- The IAF fired at armed Palestinian militants near the Kissufim crossing, killing two, Zaka reported Wednesday.
- Israeli ground troops on Wednesday opened fire on three armed Palestinians, killing two of them and wounding the third in this central Gaza town, Palestinian medical officials and the army said.
- An an elite unit force killed a cell of five militants traveling in the southern Gaza Strip near Deir al-Balah. Palestinians said five of the cell's members were killed where Kfar Darom once stood. The other six gunmen were wounded, according to Palestinians.
- Five IDF soldiers were lightly wounded in fighting in Gaza – two during morning operations and three during an evening operation.
Reaction
Involved parties
- One militant was killed by the IAF when he and his group were retrieving Qassam rockets from a vehicle in order to fire at Israel.
- A group of gunmen that were about to launch Qassam rockets with three Qassam launchers already set up were hit with an IAF missile, moments before the rockets were to have been launched. Two were critically wounded.
- Israeli aircraft blasted a house and killed at least six people in Gaza City early Wednesday during a high-level meeting of Hamas commanders. Apparently Israel's most wanted man, Mohammed Deif, was wounded in the attack.
- The IAF fired at armed Palestinian militants near the Kissufim crossing, killing two, Zaka reported Wednesday.
- Israeli ground troops on Wednesday opened fire on three armed Palestinians, killing two of them and wounding the third in this central Gaza town, Palestinian medical officials and the army said.
- An an elite unit force killed a cell of five militants traveling in the southern Gaza Strip near Deir al-Balah. Palestinians said five of the cell's members were killed where Kfar Darom once stood. The other six gunmen were wounded, according to Palestinians.
- Five IDF soldiers were lightly wounded in fighting in Gaza – two during morning operations and three during an evening operation.
Reaction
Involved parties
- An an elite unit force killed a cell of five militants traveling in the southern Gaza Strip near Deir al-Balah. Palestinians said five of the cell's members were killed where Kfar Darom once stood. The other six gunmen were wounded, according to Palestinians.
- Five IDF soldiers were lightly wounded in fighting in Gaza – two during morning operations and three during an evening operation.
Reaction
Involved parties
- Five IDF soldiers were lightly wounded in fighting in Gaza – two during morning operations and three during an evening operation.
Reaction
Involved parties
- Hamas (military wing)
On July 6, 2006, PA Interior Minister Said Siyyam of Hamas issued the Palestinian government's first, official call to arms since Israeli ground forces invaded Gaza, appealing on Thursday to all security forces to fulfill their "religious and moral duty to stand up to this aggression and cowardly Zionist invasion." The majority of PA security forces are loyal to Fatah, which opposes Hamas.
- Israel
- David Siegel, spokesman for the Israeli embassy in Washington, D.C. said that "Israel did everything it could in exhausting all diplomatic options and gave Mahmoud Abbas the opportunity to return the kidnapped Israeli... This operation can be terminated immediately, conditioned on the release of Gilad Shalit."
- In describing Israel's assault on Gaza, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said, "I take personal responsibility for what is happening in Gaza. I want no one to sleep at night in Gaza. I want them to know what it feels like."
- Syria
International organizations
- Amnesty International
Amnesty International also stated "The hostage-taking of Corporal Gilad Shalit, and the killing of Eliyahu Asheri, the 18 year old settler, by Palestinian armed groups violate fundamental principles of international law. Corporal Gilad Shalit should be released immediately and unharmed".
- Arab League
- European Union
- United Nations
- On July 6, 2006, The UN Human Rights Council passed a resolution deploring Israel's military operations in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip as a violation of international law. Passed by a vote of 29 - 11, with 5 abstentions, the resolution, "urges all concerned parties to respect the rules of international humanitarian law, to refrain from violence against the civilian population and to treat under all circumstances all detained combatants and civilians in accordance with the Geneva Conventions." "Deep concern" was expressed over the "arbitrary arrest of Palestinian (Cabinet) ministers, members of the Palestinian Legislative Council and other officials as well as the arbitrary arrests of other civilians" and military attacks."
- On July 13, 2006, The United States vetoed a U.N. resolution condemning this military operation.
Other
- - Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov called for the unconditional release of Shalit while urging Israel to show restraint. "Such restraint, together with the involvement of the international community, can lead to dialogue restarting and the two sides can go back to implementing the 'Road Map'".
- - "Israel has committed an indefensible act," the Swedish TT news agency quoted Swedish Prime Minister Goran Persson as saying. "It is disproportionate in terms of what the Palestinians have done," Persson said. "To go like that and remove part of a government and members of parliament is incompatible with international law." Persson cast doubt on the possibility of an exchange of prisoners. The situation "keeps getting worse and the dialogue between Israelis and Palestinians has now become virtually impossible. It is ominous," he said.
- - "A number of actions by the Israeli defense forces in their offensive against the Gaza Strip have violated the principle of proportionality and are to be seen as forms of collective punishment, which is forbidden," the Swiss Foreign Ministry said in a statement. "There is no doubt that [Israel] has not taken the precautions required of it in international law to protect the civilian population and infrastructure," Switzerland said. Switzerland also called for the "rapid release" of the captive Israeli soldier.
- - White House Press Secretary Tony Snow said that "Israel has the right to defend itself and the lives of its citizens...in any actions the government of Israel may undertake, the United States urges that it ensures that innocent civilians are not harmed and also that it avoid the unnecessary destruction of property and infrastructure." The United States vetoed a U.N. resolution condemning this military operation. On 17 July President George W Bush, caught on an open microphone at a summit in St Petersburg, said the irony is, what they need to do is get Syria to get Hezbollah to stop doing this shit, and it's over. [link]
See also
References
External links
- [Special: Gaza kidnapping] - Ynetnews
- [Jon Snow confronts Deputy Israeli Ambassador on Israeli terror]
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