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Israeli military operation since 2023 From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip is a major part of the Israel–Hamas war. Starting on 7 October 2023, immediately after the Hamas-led attacks on Israel, it began bombing the Gaza Strip; on 13 October, Israel began ground operations in Gaza, and on 27 October, a full-scale invasion was launched. Israel's campaign, called Operation Swords of Iron, has four stated goals: to destroy Hamas, to free the hostages, to ensure Gaza no longer poses a threat to Israel, and to return displaced residents of Northern Israel.[53][54][55] More than 35,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since the Israeli operation began,[56] including more than 7,800 children and 4,900 women, with another 10,000 people missing and presumed dead under the rubble of destroyed buildings.[57] There are allegations that Israel has committed war crimes and genocide during the invasion.
| Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip | |||||||
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| Part of the Israel–Hamas war | |||||||
 Gaza Strip under Israeli control
Furthest Israeli advance in Gaza Strip
Evacuated areas inside Israel
Area of Gaza subject to Israeli evacuation orders See here for a more detailed map. | |||||||
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 Israel |
 Hamas[2] | ||||||
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 40,000+[31] |
20,000–40,000+[32] | ||||||
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Per Israel: Per Al-Qassam Brigades: Per Yedioth Ahronoth:
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32,331 Palestinian civilians killed, 60,128 Palestinians injured (Per Euro-Med Monitor)[46][47] ~16,000 Palestinian civilians killed (Per Israel)[48] 35,303 Palestinians killed, 60,294 injured (Per the Gaza Health Ministry)[49][50] 64 Israeli hostages killed (per Israel)[51] 70+ Israeli hostages killed (per Hamas)[52] | |||||||
By mid-December, Israel had dropped 29,000 munitions on Gaza, destroying or damaging 70 percent of homes, destroying hundreds of cultural landmarks, and damaging dozens of cemeteries.[58][59][60][61] Experts say that the scale and pace of destruction in Gaza is among the most severe in recent history.[62][63] A severe humanitarian crisis has developed, with healthcare on the brink of collapse,[64] shortages of food, clean water, medicine and fuel due to the blockade,[65][66][67] electricity and communications blackouts,[68] and the UN warning of potential famine.[69] It was widely reported that there is "no safe place in Gaza", as Israel struck areas it had previously told Palestinians to evacuate to.[70][71][72] Nearly all 2.3 million Gazans have been internally displaced[73] and 250,000 to 500,000 Israelis were internally displaced,[74][75][76] while Israel has detained thousands of Palestinians[77][78][79] and said it lost 353 additional soldiers in its invasion as of 13 October 2024.[80]
The widespread civilian deaths have led to accusations of war crimes against both Israel and Hamas.[81][82] As a result of the invasion, South Africa instituted proceedings against Israel in the International Court of Justice (ICJ), charging that Israel was committing genocide[83] and requesting that the ICJ render provisional measures of protection. Other accusations include the deliberate targeting of civilians and starving the population of Gaza by Israel, and the use of human shields and holding of Israeli hostages by Hamas.
After Palestinian militant groups led by Hamas launched an attack on Israel on 7 October 2023 which saw a minimum of 1,139 largely non-combatant individuals killed, Israel declared war against Hamas.[84] Israel moved to mobilize 300,000 reservists and began to move armor close to the border with the Gaza Strip in the aftermath.[85][86] Included in the amassing of armor were Namer armored personnel carriers and Merkava tanks.[86]
Before the raids, Israel had told the UN that the more than a million people living in the north half of the Gaza Strip should evacuate within a 24-hour window.[87] In response, Hamas instructed those residents to stay put.[88][89] The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) had urged around 1.1 million civilians to leave North Gaza so they would not be hurt or caught in crossfire,[90] and Israeli officials said that the window was left at 24-hours to reduce the time for Hamas to conduct military preparation in the area. However, aid groups stated that the time window was too short to evacuate the one million people, and lack of electricity in Gaza hampered the ability of electronic communications regarding the evacuation to reach Gazans.[89] Israel had dropped leaflets in Gaza City containing the evacuation order, in addition to electronic communications.[91]
On 21 October 2023, the Israeli army dropped more leaflets in Gaza with the message: "Urgent warning! To the residents of Gaza: your presence to the North of Wadi Gaza is putting your lives at risk. Anyone who chooses not to evacuate from the North of the Gaza Strip to the South of the Gaza Strip may be identified as a partner in a terrorist organization."[92][93]
On 13 October 2023, the IDF sent armored vehicles and infantry into the Gaza Strip, stating that their goals were to attack Hamas fighters[94] and to rescue hostages that had been abducted to Gaza by Hamas.[94][95] The operation, according to Israeli officials, was not part of a larger and widely anticipated ground invasion, but rather a raid in which troops only temporarily enter the Gaza Strip.[96][97] The IDF confirmed the same day that Israeli remains were located and retrieved in the Gaza Strip.[98]
Another raid, headed by the Givati Brigade and the 162nd Armoured Division, took place between 25 and 26 October and was the largest offensive so far,[99] including tanks, other vehicles and IDF Caterpillar D9 armored bulldozers.[100] A follow-up raid took place the next night in the Shuja'iyya neighborhood of Gaza City.[101]
Internet and mobile phone services in Gaza were nearly cut off.[102][103] On the evening of 27 October, the IDF launched a large-scale ground assault on the towns of Beit Hanoun and Bureij in the Gaza Strip.[104] Shayetet 13, a commando unit of the Israeli Navy, carried out a strike on Hamas naval forces overnight.[19] An Israeli Skylark II drone was shot down on the Gaza Strip.[105]
Israel said that the units deployed inside the Gaza Strip the previous night were still on the ground, which marked the beginning of the Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip.[106] The IDF announced it was "expanding ground operations" in the Gaza Strip.[107] The Israeli military reissued a call to Gaza residents to evacuate the north as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the "second phase of the war has begun".[108]
The IDF advanced on three fronts: from the northeast near Beit Hanoun,[109] from the northwest near Beit Lahia, and from the east near Juhor ad-Dik.[110]
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO), described as "deeply concerning" reports from the Palestine Red Crescent Society with smoke and dust, prompting staff to give breathing masks to some patients.[111] Around 14,000 civilians were believed to be sheltering in or near the hospital.[111] The al-Quds hospital had received an urgent evacuation warning along with a notice that it was "going to be bombarded". He reiterated that it was "impossible to evacuate hospitals full of patients without endangering their lives".[112] Israeli airstrikes targeted the area around the hospital, filling parts of the building. Associated Press reported that Israeli airstrikes also destroyed roads leading to the Al-Shifa hospital, making it increasingly difficult to reach.[113] Later in the day, Hamas said that Palestinian militants clashed with Israeli tanks in Salah al-Din Street in Gaza and forced the IDF to retreat.[114] The Institute for the Study of War also said that Israel withdrew from the road.[115]
The IDF blocked the Salah al-Din Road, a major thoroughfare connecting the northern and southern parts of the Gaza Strip. Israeli tanks were also seen in the Zeitoun neighborhood of Gaza City.[116][117] A local resident told AFP that the Israelis "have cut the Salah al-Din road and are firing at any vehicle that tries to go along it."[118] Witnesses reported, and a video showed, an Israeli tank firing on a taxi with a white flag on its roof that had attempted to turn around. An Israeli military spokesman said "The IDF was not shown any proof that this is a civilian car and there's no information on who is inside."[119] A kidnapped IDF private was freed the same day in an operation headed by the IDF, with assistance from Shin Bet and Mossad.[120] In northwest Gaza, the Al-Qassam Brigades and the DFLP's National Resistance Brigades engaged Israeli forces, and the National Resistance Brigades bombarded Israeli vehicles with heavy mortar shells.[26]
IDF reported the deaths of 16 soldiers, 15 inside Gaza and one outside of Palestinian territory.[121]
On 2 November, IDF had completely surrounded Gaza City, which began the siege of Gaza City.[122][123] Al-Qassam Brigades showed footage of the destruction of an Israeli Merkava tank after its fighters used an Al-Yassin 105mm rocket-propelled grenade to neutralize its Trophy protection system.[124]
A UNRWA spokeswoman confirmed reports that Israel had conducted an airstrike against a United Nations-run school in the Jabalia refugee camp.[125] According to the Gaza Health Ministry, the attack killed 15 people and wounded dozens more.[125] According to UNRWA, at least one strike hit the schoolyard, where displaced families had set up their tents.[125] The Gaza Ministry of Health said another Israeli missile strike on the entrance to the Nasser Children's Hospital killed two women.[125] According to White House officials, efforts to evacuate foreign nationals through the Rafah border crossing were temporarily hindered by Hamas's refusal to allow anyone to leave, until a certain number of its own wounded were also allowed to leave.[126][127] Hamas said that within the last two days they had destroyed 24 Israeli vehicles, including a tank, an APC, and a bulldozer with anti-armour weapons.[128]
Turkey recalled its ambassador to Israel "in view of the unfolding humanitarian tragedy in Gaza caused by the continuing attacks by Israel against civilians, and Israel's refusal (to accept) a ceasefire." President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told reporters he held Netanyahu personally responsible for civilian deaths in Gaza and said that he was "no longer someone we can talk to".[129]
Abu Obaida, the spokesperson for the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, reported that due to Israeli air strikes, the bodies of 23 missing Israeli hostages were buried under the rubble.[130][131]
IDF reported that 29 soldiers had been killed, and one severely wounded, during the fighting in the Gaza Strip.[132]
Israeli missile attacks targeted the Nasser Medical Complex in Gaza City, hitting the Al-Nasser Children's Hospital, eight people were killed and dozens more were injured according to Al Jazeera.[133] Human Rights Watch called for a weapons embargo against both Israel and Hamas and other Palestinian militant groups, accusing them of committing war crimes against civilians.[134]
The Wall Street Journal reported that the U.S. Biden administration was planning to send $320 million worth of "Spice Family Gliding Bomb Assemblies", a type of precision guided weapon fired by warplanes, to Israel. Under the deal, weapons manufacturer Rafael USA would send the bombs to its Israeli parent Rafael Advanced Defense Systems for use by the Israeli defense ministry.[135]
Netanyahu said the IDF would control Gaza after the war and rejected proposals to establish an international force in the strip.[136]
Four IDF soldiers—a major, a sergeant major, and two master sergeants[137]—were killed and other four were wounded after a tunnel exploded in their vicinity near Beit Hanoun. All casualties were from the 697th battalion of the 551st Reserve Brigade Arrows of Fire.[138] Among the dead was Matan Meir, the executive producer of the Israeli television series Fauda.[139]
Israel Defense Forces @IDF Beneath the Rantisi Hospital in Gaza, IDF forces found a room where Israeli hostages are believed to have been held. The calendar found in the room marked the days since 7 October Massacre with the title "Operation Al-Aqsa Flood", Hamas's name for their horrific attack on Israel.
14 November 2023[140]
The IDF published a video which they said showed that Hamas had a facility under Al-Rantisi Hospital, and that Israeli hostages were likely hidden there.[141] The video showed, among others, a stash of weapons and explosives; what appears to be a motorbike with a bullet hole on its side; and water, ventilation and sewage infrastructure that the IDF said were improvised in preparation of coming hostages.[142]
According to The New York Times, the origins of the weapons shown in the video could not be independently verified.[143]
Charles Lister, Director of the Counterterrorism and Extremism Program at the Middle East Institute, said the IDF footage "clearly indicated" that the basement was a bomb shelter.[144] Mohammed Zarqout, a local official responsible for Gaza's hospitals, said the basement was a shelter for women and children.[145]
The IDF also presented a calendar that they said was found under the hospital marking the days since 7 October, with the title "Operation Al-Aqsa Flood".[146] Israel said the calendar was a list "where every terrorist writes his name",[147] but fluent Arabic speakers called this claim "propaganda", and that the words in Arabic only spelled out the days of the week.[148][149]
| External videos | |
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| Instagram videos by Ahmed Hijazi of the Al-Shifa Hospital strike shown in the Visual Investigations report published by The New York Times.[150] | |
 A video of the airstrikes and immediate injuries. | |
| Shows dead and injured in the aftermath. |
The New York Times published a report by its Visual Investigations team contradicting claims by the IDF that civilian deaths and damage at the al-Shifa Hospital had been caused by stray Palestinian projectiles.[150] The report concluded instead, "some of the munitions were likely fired by Israeli forces", based on video and satellite evidence and an examination of weapons fragments collected and verified by The Times and analyzed by experts.[150] Moreover, two of the most severe strikes analyzed by The Times hit upper floors of the maternity ward and did not appear to be aimed at underground infrastructure.[150] "Israel's assertion that Al-Shifa was actually hit by a Palestinian projectile echoed similar – and unresolved – claims and counterclaims following munitions that hit the courtyard of another Gaza hospital, Al-Ahli, nearly a month ago. The evidence reviewed by The Times from Al-Shifa points more directly to strikes by Israel – whether on purpose or by accident is unclear," the report said.[150] The IDF has said that it is targeting Al Shifa Hospital due to its use by Hamas, and that there is a command center underneath the facility, with U.S. officials stating that their intelligence confirms Israel's conclusions that Hamas is operating out of hospitals in Gaza.[151] A day earlier, the EU issued a joint declaration condemning Hamas for its use of hospitals and civilians as "human shields" in Gaza.[152] A number of countries and international organizations condemned what they called Hamas' use of hospitals and civilians as human shields.
IDF soldiers carried boxes into al-Shifa, labeled in English and Arabic as "medical supplies" and "baby food".[153] In an interview with Al Jazeera, an emergency room employee said that Israel "did not bring any aid or supplies",[154] while another contact within the hospital told the BBC that Israeli soldiers had supplied water to elderly patients.[155] Several hours later, the IDF said it had found weapons in al-Shifa, indicating the presence of a command center.[156] The IDF released a video that it said showed grenades, automatic weapons and flak jackets recovered from the hospital.[157] John Kirby, a U.S. government official, said that the U.S. remained confident in its previous assessment that a Hamas military compound exists under the hospital.[157]
In response, Mouin Rabbani, a Middle East analyst, said, "Israeli forces have invaded Shifa Hospital and been inside it for 12 full hours – having refused any independent party to accompany them – and now we're supposed to believe that there were Hamas militants in there being pursued by the Israeli military but they somehow left their weapons behind?"[158] Political analyst Marwan Bishara said: "It's kind of baffling. Why would Hamas leave the guns and not anything else?"[159] Jeremy Scahill said, "I've seen more guns in the homes of ordinary Americans than in this purported Hamas Pentagon under al-Shifa Hospital."[160]
The next day Israeli forces demolished the Hamas parliament building in Gaza City.[161]
Netanyahu had said in an interview with CBS that the Israeli government had "strong indications" that hostages were in al-Shifa, which was one of the reasons they entered the hospital.[162] It was reported that the body of Yehudit Weiss, a 65-year-old woman who was kidnapped from Be'eri kibbutz, was found in a building near the hospital.[163][164]
Residents in parts of southern Gaza reportedly received evacuation notices, sparking concerns over an expansion of the invasion.[165] A fuel shortage was widely reported to have caused a shutdown of all internet and phone networks in the Gaza Strip, according to its two primary telecom providers Jawwal and Paltel.[165][166][167]
Internet and telecom services were restored after Israel reportedly agreed to allow the delivery of 140,000 liters of fuel into the Gaza Strip every two days following a request by the U.S. to do so,[168] consisting of 20,000 liters to be delivered to Jawwal and Paltel to maintain telecom and internet service and 120,000 liters for water desalination, sewage pumping, food production and hospitals.[169] It was reported that the body of Noa Marciano, a 19-year-old soldier who was taken captive on 7 October, was found in a building near al-Shifa hospital.[170]
Israeli strikes killed more than 80 people in Jabalia refugee camp.[171]
A World Health Organization team visited the al-Shifa hospital amid reports that the Israeli army commander sent patients away with an Agence France-Presse journalist reportedly witnessing the departure of patients and displaced persons from the hospital.[172]
Jordan's foreign minister Ayman Safadi said that Arab troops would not go into Gaza to assume control after the war.[173]
The IDF released footage of an underground tunnel under al-Shifa.[174] The tunnel, which is 160 meters long and 10 meters deep, passes directly under the Qatari building of the hospital; it has air-conditioned rooms, bathrooms, a kitchenette, electricity connections and communication infrastructure, and is protected by a blast door.[175] The IDF also released CCTV footage that appears to show two of the hostages being led in the hospital's corridors, as well as Hamas and stolen IDF vehicles in its courtyard.[176] During the 1980s, Israel expanded the hospital with functional basements for maintenance and administration purposes;[177][178] and a network of tunnels was part of this construction.[179][177][180] According to Israel, Hamas eventually appropriated the complex, then expanded it with its own system of tunnels and bunkers.[181] Multiple sources concluded that evidence did not demonstrate the use of the tunnels by Hamas as a command center.[182][183][184][185][186][187][188]
A group of 31 premature babies were evacuated from al-Shifa hospital to southern Gaza.[189]
The White House denied reporting from The Washington Post that a Qatari brokered five-day ceasefire deal had been reached. The deal would have included a five-day ceasefire in exchange for the stepwise release of female and child hostages in small groups.[190][191] The U.S. National Security Council Spokesperson wrote on X (formerly Twitter): "We have not reached a deal yet, but we continue to work hard to get to a deal".[192]
IDF tanks completely surrounded the Indonesia Hospital in Gaza after heavy fire using artillery weapons against it, around 12 Palestinians were killed in clashes around the hospital according to the Gaza Health Ministry. Around 700 people, including the injured and medical staff, were inside the facility when the IDF surrounded it.[193] The head of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, responded on X (formerly known as Twitter) saying he was "appalled" by the Israeli forces and their actions against the Indonesia Hospital by keeping the injured and medical staff inside the building while besieging it.[194]
On 20 November the IDF released video footage of what appears to be a weapons manufacturing facility hidden behind a false wall inside the basement of a mosque in Zeitoun, Gaza.[195] IDF soldiers also discovered weapons, explosive devices, a drone, and a vertical tunnel shaft inside the building.[195]
The IDF moved its frontline to encircle the Jabaliya refugee camp where they are battling Palestinian militants and attempting to control with IDF forces getting more equipment for the attack.[196][197]
Israel and Hamas reached a temporary ceasefire agreement, providing for a four-day "pause"[198] or "lull"[62][199] in hostilities, to allow for the release of 50 hostages held in Gaza.[198][62] The deal also provided for the release of approximately 150 Palestinian women and children incarcerated by Israel.[62] The agreement was approved by the Israeli cabinet in the early hours of the day; in a statement, the Israeli Prime Minister's Office stated Israel's intention to continue the war.[198][62]
According to Hamas, in addition to the truce and prisoner exchange, the deal also involved Israel halting all air sorties over southern Gaza and maintaining a daily six-hour daytime no-fly window over northern Gaza, in addition to the entry of hundreds of trucks of humanitarian, medical and fuel supplies into the Gaza Strip.[200] The Israeli government said that the truce would be extended by one day for every additional 10 hostages released by Hamas.[201] The deal was brokered by Egypt and Qatar, and Egyptian state media announced the truce will enter into effect on the morning of 23 November.[202] Qatari Foreign Affairs minister Mohamed Bin Mubarak Al-Khulaifi, whom Reuters referred to as "Qatar's chief negotiator in ceasefire talks," stated his hope that the truce "will be a seed to a bigger agreement and a permanent cease of fire...That's our intention."[203]
The IDF released video footage from Sheikh Zayed, an area which is home to many senior members of Hamas. The footage showed what the IDF claimed to be a rocket launcher situated near a school, and an armament-laden truck used in the 7 October attack parked in the courtyard of a mosque.[204]
The IDF released footage showing a weapons cache hidden under a child's bed, which it said belonged to the child of a senior Hamas official.[205][206]
Hamas released 13 Israeli hostages, 10 Thai nationals, and one Filipino captive.[207] Israel released 39 Palestinian prisoners.[208] The IDF also revised the number of hostages held in Gaza to 236.[209]
Hamas released 13 Israeli and four foreign hostages after a seven-hour delay from their agreed time.[210] Hamas was accused of violating the deal after not having released a mother with her child.[211]
Hamas released 17 hostages, including 14 Israelis and three Thai nationals.[212] Israel also released 39 teenage Palestinian prisoners.[213]
Qatar announced that an agreement between Israel and Hamas to extend the truce by two days had been reached.[214]
Both Israel and Hamas accused each other of violating the truce. The IDF reported that several soldiers sustained minor injuries following an attack by Hamas in the northern Gaza Strip by three explosive devices that it said were detonated near its forces at two different locations, while Hamas said it had engaged Israel in a "field clash" that it said was instigated by Israel.[215] Turkish media and Muhammad al-Hindi, Deputy Secretary-General of the PIJ, confirmed that Al-Quds Brigade soldiers held and released civilian women and children to the Red Cross.[216]
Hamas released 12 hostages, 10 of them Israeli and two of them Thai nationals. Afterwards, Israel released 30 Palestinian prisoners.[217] Hamas continued to deny the International Committee of the Red Cross access to the remaining hostages.[218][219]
Hamas released two more hostages as the truce, which was supposed to end minutes later, was extended by another day.[220] An Israeli Skylark II drone was reported shot down on central Gaza. The remains were recorded by Palestinian media.[221][222]
Upon the expiry of the truce, the Israeli army was subject to several ambushes and attacks by Palestinian militants.
The IDF engaged in battles against militants in Zeitoun. Soldiers at the Netzarim Junction on the Salah al-Din Road south of Zeitoun neighbourhood were subjected to mortar shelling by Saraya al Quds. Palestinian militants ambushed Israeli forces in the Tel al-Hawa neighborhood west of Zeitoun.
The IDF said on 18 November that it was expanding offensive operations toward Jabalia city in the northern Gaza Strip.[223]
Palestinian militants led by Saraya al Quds resisted the Israeli penetration into the northwestern front towards Jabalia, engaging soldiers in urban warfare throughout the Sheikh Radwan neighbourhoods. Al Qassam launched 3 loitering munitions to target Israeli forces throughout northern Gaza. They also targeted Israeli soldiers in Beit Hanoun, firing at groups, normally holed up in buildings with rockets. An IDF Caterpillar D9 armoured bulldozer was also targeted by Palestinian rockets at Juhor ad-Dik. PFLP militants targeted the Gaza envelope with rockets and mortar shelling.[224]
Israeli forces in Northern Gaza were subject to heavy attacks, led by Al-Qassam Brigades. In Sheikh Radwan, Israeli soldiers were trapped in a booby-trapped tunnel then shelled by Palestinian mortar fire. Three vehicles were targeted by Saraya al Quds with small arms and tandem-charged RPGs.[225]
The next day, Israeli forces demolished the Palace of Justice in south Gaza City, a significant structure that housed the Palestinian Supreme Court, the Court of Appeal, the Court of First Instance, and the Magistrate.[226]
Israeli forces begun to enter Khan Yunis, reporting the most violent fighting in the entire war[227] with the Israeli 7th Brigade engaged in a multi-hour complex attack on Palestinian militias.
Al-Qassam brigades displayed a shift to more sophisticated battle tactics, including rigging houses to detonate when entered by Israeli soldiers. Primary relying on rockets, damage was inflicted on Israeli vehicles while Saraya al Quds, DFLP, and PFLP shelled advancing forces with mortar fire. The IDF conducted land and sea raids on central Gaza, specifically Deir al-Balah to destroy militant command posts.
Israeli sources reported stiff resistance by Palestinian militants in Shujaiyya, in southern Gaza city, as the 188th Brigade was sent to fight in the neighbourhood.
Qassem Brigades targeted vehicles with RPGs Sheikh Radwan and Zaytoun, while Saraya al Quds militants claimed two tandem-charged RPG and grenade attacks on Israeli forces on advancing axes in the Shujaiya and Zaytoun neighborhoods. Attempts to close in on Jabalia have resulted in significant Israeli casualties, with the IDF acknowledging Gadi Eizenkot's son been eliminated fighting in the northern Gaza Strip on 7 December. The Qassam Brigades claimed that its militants killed the soldier when they detonated an IED on a tunnel door on the eastward line of advance into Jabalia.[228]
In a video publicised by Saraya Al Quds, three militants take positions within the ruins of an urban centre in Gaza, as a Merkava arrives, firing at the militants with its machine guns. They then shoot from three positions with multiple rockets, overriding the Trophy system and destroying the tank. A fighter can be seen rejoicing, exclaiming that the tank had "caught fire"[229]
The Times of Israel announced that 6 IDF soldiers were killed in fighting in the southern Gaza strip, after Hamas militants detonated an IED targeting the Israeli 5th Brigade's 8111st Battalion forces in Khan Younis. Israeli forces announced that they conducted airstrikes and helicopter strikes in response and eliminated several Hamas militants.[230]
Israel announced that a further 10 IDF soldiers had been killed in the fighting in the Gaza Strip, including a Colonel and 7 other soldiers of the Golani Brigade, that were killed in the Shuja'iyya area of Gaza after Hamas militants ambushed them.[231]
The IDF released a statement announcing that they had killed three of their own hostages by friendly fire. According to the Israeli military, they "mistakenly identified three Israeli hostages as a threat" during operations in Shuja'iyya and subsequently fired at them, killing them.[232][233][234] According to an Israeli military official on 16 December, the three hostages were shirtless and were carrying "a stick with a white cloth on it" when an Israeli soldier, who declared them to be "terrorists" after feeling "threatened", opened fire, killing two hostages and injuring the third, who was killed by Israeli reinforcements.[235]
Israel announced the deaths of 7 IDF soldiers, mostly killed in the fighting in the southern Gaza strip. Bringing the Israeli death toll to 53 since 1 December. The IDF said it was facing tough opposition in Gaza.[236][237]
Qassam militants confronted Israeli vehicles in the Khan Yunis axis, targeting a Namer APC and an IDF Caterpillar D9. In a video publication, Qassam militants are shown firing a rocket at a Merkava, destroying the Windbreaker and proving that Yassin 105 rockets are able to bypass or override interception and damage tanks.[238]
Israel announced that 15 IDF soldiers had been killed in heavy fighting in Gaza in the 23–24 December period, including six killed when a Namer APC was hit by an anti-tank missile. The IDF also claimed to have killed Hamas' chief of supplies.[239][240]
Israel also withdrew from Beit Hanoun amidst heavy fighting with various Palestinian armed groups. Returning civilians to the ruins of the town reported that no vehicles were in sight. Israeli forces continue to shell the city.[241][242]
Militants engaged Israeli vehicles in the Khan Yunis axis of the invasion. In an episode a tank is targeted by a rocket, tearing off a plate which lands near the militant demonstrating the capabilities of the Yassin 105 rockets against the Merkava's APS. Another fighter erupts from a tunnel, ambushing a tank in an unusual strategy recorded during the invasion where the militants sneak up to the vehicle and place and IED on them from zero distance. A Caterpillar Caterpillar D9 bulldozer is also targeted, setting it on fire.[243]
The IDF claimed that it had completed the dismantlement of Hamas's "military framework" in the northern Gaza Strip as it moved to attack Hamas forces in Central Gaza.[244] The Institute for the Study of War warned that does not mean that Hamas forces are entirely eradicated and could reconstitute themselves.[245]
The IDF claimed that it had discovered over a thousand tunnel shafts in Gaza City alone with the majority being small sized and thus easily destroyed but larger tunnels needing complex engineering and demolition operations. Israeli security officials conceded that they had an underestimated the scale of Gaza's tunnels and that they have destroyed less than half of them so far. IDF described the change in Hamas tactics in Northern Gaza after the dismantling of its command structure as going into "guerrilla mode".[246]
The ISW reported that the Palestinian militias were likely re-entering areas of the northern Gaza Strip where Israeli forces previously operated.[247]
Under U.S. pressure Israel continued withdrawing thousands of troops from Gaza despite concerns from Israeli officials of a possible surge in militant activity. According to IDF sources, Palestinian militants began launching rocket attacks from areas where IDF forces withdrew.[248]
By 18 January, the IDF said that Hamas had begun to rebuild its armies in the occupied parts of Northern Gaza. The IDF had previously said these armies were stripped of military capabilities but by 18 January the fighting strength of many battalions had been significantly restored.[249]
Israeli shelling in Khan Younis killed ten people in the Abasan neighborhood.[250]
Since Israel announced its strategic shift under pressure of the U.S. and allies to reduce the intensity of fighting the number of deaths reported by the Gaza Health Ministry had also declined with the weekly average of daily deaths including both militants and civilians falling to 151. However it could not be established if the percentage of civilian deaths had also reduced.[251] IDF soldiers filmed themselves destroying entire residential neighborhoods in Khan Younis.[252]
Israel reported that at least 24 Israeli soldiers were killed in Gaza. 21 of which were killed while rigging a building for demolition, when a rocket-propelled grenade hit the building they were in and caused a large chain explosion.[253] This brought the IDF death toll in Gaza to 219. This makes it the deadliest day for the IDF since the ground invasion began.[254]
Israel announced that it would begin moving into Rafah, after declaring "victory" in Khan Younis.[255] On 3 February, Israeli attacks targeted eastern and central Rafah, reportedly killing at least twenty-eight people.[256] UN Human Rights High Commissioner Volker Türk said, "This sets off alarm bells for massive civilian casualties and further displacement to unknown location".[257] German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said, "Taking action now in Rafah, the last and most overcrowded place, as announced by the Israeli defence minister, would simply not be justifiable".[258]
On 4 February, the Palestinian Health Ministry reported that 92 people had been killed by Israeli attacks on Rafah.[259] At least two girls were killed on an attack at a kindergarten.[260] The intensifying Israeli attacks were reportedly centered in eastern Rafah.[261]
Axios reported that Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant told the U.S. secretary of state that Israel would soon begin expanded ground operations in Rafah.[262] In Rafah, an Israeli airstrike bombed a civilian car next to an entertainment event for displaced children, reportedly killing at least one person.[263] Eleven people were killed in overnight airstrikes.[264] Six Palestinian policemen were reportedly killed while clearing the road for an aid truck.[265][266]
The U.S. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said, "Any major military operation in Rafah at this time... would be a disaster, and we would not support it".[267] The U.S. requested Israel to create a plan and prioritise the safety of civilians which had increased due to refugees from other areas of Gaza. Kirby said that the U.S. had not observed signs of an imminent Israeli offensive into Gaza.[268]
Netanyahu ordered the IDF to prepare to invade Rafah.[269][270] An intense bombing campaign in west Rafah was reported, reportedly indicating an expanding ground invasion.[271] At least twelve people were killed in airstrikes in southern Rafah.[272]
Netanyahu ordered the IDF to plan for the "evacuation of the population" from Rafah. Israeli Prime Minister's Office claimed that elimination of Hamas remains impossible without the destruction of the four Hamas battalions in Rafah which is the last major population center in Gaza not occupied by the IDF.[273] Doctors Without Borders issued a strong warning in response, stating, "Israel's declared ground offensive on Rafah would be catastrophic and must not proceed. Today's announcement marks a dramatic escalation in this ongoing massacre."[274] EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said, "Reports of an Israeli military offensive on Rafah are alarming. It would have catastrophic consequences worsening the already dire humanitarian situation and the unbearable civilian toll."[275] Egypt sent 40 tanks to the Rafah border.[276] Eight people were killed and at least eighteen wounded in Israeli strikes on residential buildings in Rafah.[277]
Hanke Bruins Slot, the Foreign Minister of the Netherlands, said that Israel's planned assault on Rafah was "unjustifiable".[278] Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly said Canada was "deeply concerned" about an Israeli invasion of Rafah.[279] Haaretz and Channel 12 said Israel's plans for the Rafah invasion were not yet finalized.[280] Two Palestinians were killed after an Israeli strike on a police car in Rafah.[281] An unnamed Israeli official said Palestinians in Rafah would be evacuated back northward.[282] At least 28 people were killed in Rafah by overnight Israeli attacks.[283]
In a call with Benjamin Netanyahu, Biden said Israel could invade Rafah with U.S. support when they had a "credible and executable plan" in place.[284] Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the head of the World Health Organization, said reports of Israel's impending invasion were "extremely worrying".[285] The Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said there would be "dire consequences" if Israel invaded Rafah.[286] Satellite imagery indicated Egypt had strengthened the border, including building earthen berms and security checkpoints.[287] The Omani Foreign Ministry said, "We warn of the serious repercussions of the continuation of the occupation in its indiscriminate aggression in the Gaza Strip and its plans to storm Rafah."[288] At least 40 people were reported killed in east Rafah.[289] Al Jazeera journalist Hani Mahmoud described Israel's attacks on Rafah police as an intentional attempt to create civil disorder.[290] Micheál Martin, the Irish foreign minister, said an Israeli invasion of Rafah would entail "grave violations of international humanitarian law".[291] The Gulf Cooperation Council said an invasion of Rafah would be a "blatant violation of international law".[292]
Israeli airstrikes hit the area around the Kuwait Hospital.[293] During a press brief with U.S. president Joe Biden, King Abdullah II said the world "cannot afford an Israeli attack on Rafah".[294] Stéphane Dujarric criticized Israel's stated plan to evacuate people northward, saying, "You can't send people back to areas that are littered with unexploded ordnance, not to mention a lack of shelter".[295] ICC prosecutor Karim Khan said he was "deeply concerned" by Israel's bombardment of Rafah.[296][297] French Foreign Minister Stéphane Séjourné said an Israeli assault on Rafah would be unjustified.[298] At least 67 Palestinians were killed in Rafah during an Israeli operation to rescue two Israeli captives.[299]
More than 100 Palestinians were killed and 750 were wounded after Israeli forces opened fire on Palestinians southwest of Gaza City. According to the IDF, the incident began when "dozens of Gazans" were injured in a human stampede triggered by the entry of humanitarian trucks. Afterwards, the IDF opened fire on members of the crowd who approached them in a "threatening manner". The IDF released aerial footage which appeared to show hundreds of people streaming toward a convoy of aid trucks.[300][301]
Palestinian sources reported that the IDF withdrew from Hamad Town in Khan Younis.[302][unreliable source]
Media reported that Hamas executed the Doghmush clan leader for allegedly stealing food and being in contact with Israel.[303] This was later denied by the family.[304]
A deputy military commander of Hamas Marwan Issa was reportedly killed in an airstrike in mid-March.[305]
Israeli forces raided al-Shifa hospital again between 18 March and 1 April. The IDF clashed with Hamas soldiers in the area.[306] Israeli forces killed Faiq al-Mabhouh, who they said was the head of the operations directorate of Hamas' internal security service. Hamas said al-Mabhouh was in charge of the Palestinian Civil Police Force and had been engaged in "purely civil and humanitarian activity,"[307] coordinating aid deliveries to northern Gaza.[308][309] Multiple news agencies reported that the IDF assaulted and detained Al Jazzera correspondent Ismail al-Ghoul and more than 80 other people, including medical staff and other journalists, and confiscated and destroyed media equipment.[310][311] Al-Ghoul was released the following day, but could not verify the whereabouts of his colleagues.[312][313] The Committee to Protect Journalists said it was "deeply alarmed and outraged by reports of the assault on Al-Jazeera reporter Ismail Al-Ghoul from Al-Shifa hospital and other journalists while doing their jobs reporting on the Israeli offensive on the hospital".[313]
According to the IDF a number of senior Hamas leader were killed during the fighting at the hospital, including Mahmoud Khalil Zakzuk, the deputy commander of Hamas's rocket unit in Gaza City and Raad Thabet, the head of recruitment and supply acquisition.[314] The IDF said it killed 200 people inside and around al-Shifa hospital. Time Magazine said it provided "no evidence that all were militants."[315] Photos of the hospital after the withdrawal of the Israeli forces showed its "walls blown out and frame blackened" by fire.[316] Hundreds of bodies were found on the hospital grounds, and Palestinian witnesses reported massacres in and around the site.[317]
On 23 March, at least 19 Palestinians were killed by the IDF while waiting for humanitarian aid at the Kuwait roundabout in Gaza City.[318]
Seven aid workers from World Central Kitchen, including British, Polish, Australian, and Irish nationals, were killed in an Israeli airstrike south of Deir el-Balah.[319][320][321]
Four Israeli soldiers were killed in an ambush from tunnels in Khan Younis.[322]
Early in the morning of 7 April, the IDF withdrew all of its maneuvering ground forces from the Gaza Strip; notably, the 98th Division was pulled out of Khan Yunis, ending the Israeli presence in southern Gaza. The Nahal Brigade became the only Israeli military unit remaining in the Gaza Strip, with the task of holding the "Netzarim Corridor", a strip of land from Be'eri to the Mediterranean coast.[323]
IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi said the withdrawal of troops was meant to prepare for a planned assault on Rafah,[324] which remained infeasible in the absence of a large call-up of IDF reserve forces, according to The Times of Israel.[323]
Twenty-two people are killed, including 18 children, in overnight Israeli strikes in Rafah.[325]
A Hamas rocket attack from Rafah onto Kerem Shalom killed four Israeli soldiers of the Nahal Brigade and wounded ten others, raising the IDF death toll to 271.[326] Israel closed the Kerem Shalom border crossing in response.[327]
A Hamas mortar attack on Rafah killed a civilian contractor working for the Israeli Ministry of Defense and wounded another. Eight IDF soldiers were wounded as well.[328]
Five IDF soldiers from 202nd Battalion Paratrooper Brigade were killed by friendly fire in Jabaliya. Another seven were wounded. An IDF tank fired into a building housing them. A probe was carried out.[329]
The IDF captures the main roundabout of Rafah and stations tanks on Zoroub Hill, giving it a commanding view of the Philadelphi Corridor by the Gaza-Egyptian border.[330][331]
Israeli forces assaulted a Hamas compound, freeing four hostages captured during the 7 October 2023 attack. Yamam Chief Inspector Arnon Zamora, leader of the rescue special forces, died from wounds suffered in the operation.[332]
Eight Israeli soldiers were killed in Rafah after their Namer APC was destroyed by an IED or an anti-tank missile. Another Israeli soldier died that day by wounds sustained before.[326]
On 9 July, Israel attacked parts of Northern Gaza. On 12 July, Israel was forced to retreat from areas of Gaza City it had occupied, though some snipers continued to control high ground.[333]
The Israeli military recovered the bodies of six hostages Hamas kidnapped during the October 7 attack on Israel, including U.S. citizen Hersh Goldberg-Polin, from an underground tunnel near Rafah, Gaza.[334]
A kidnapped Yezidi woman who had been held in Gaza for more than 10 years was saved and returned to Iraq. According to Israeli sources this happened after her captor was killed during the war and the operation was coordinated between Israel, the U.S., and others.[335]
An Israeli UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter crashed in southern Gaza, killing two soldiers and wounding several others.[336]
According to Hamas, its fighters in Rafah targeted an armoured bulldozer and quick-reaction force with a rocket-propelled grenade, killing and wounding the entire force. The same day, the al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades launched rockets targeting IDF forces along the Netzarim Corridor.[337]
The IDF reported that four soldiers were killed upon entering a building rigged with explosives.[338]
Palestinian militias conducted two IED attacks targeting Israeli military vehicles east of Rafah.[339]
An Israeli strike in Beit Lahia killed at least 73 people.[340][341][342]
On 6 June 2024, Qassam Brigades militants attempted to infiltrate Israel near Kerem Shalom from southern Gaza under the cover of a foggy morning. Three Hamas gunmen were killed, with a fourth seemingly escaping back into Gaza. On the Israeli side, Zaid Mazarib, an Israeli Bedouin soldier, was killed in the confrontation.[343][344][345]
The Israeli Army suffered heavy casualties during the invasion. By 19 September 2024, 348 soldiers had been killed[338] and more than 2,282 were injured, per Israel. Among the deaths, 29 were due to friendly fire incidents and accidents.[346] In a single episode in November 2023, the destruction of an armoured personnel carrier with anti-tank missiles killed nine soldiers.[347] On 12 December, 10 IDF soldiers were killed in an ambush at Shuja'iyya.[231] The bloodiest day so far was 22 January, when 24 IDF soldiers were killed after a attack on a tank rigged with explosives.[348] The casualties surpass those of previous IDF invasions of the Gaza Strip, such as Operation Protective Edge and Operation Cast Lead, in which 67 and 6 people were killed, respectively.[349]
On 4 August 2024, Yedioth Ahronoth reported that at least 10,000 Israeli soldiers had been killed or wounded while fighting in Gaza and that about 1,000 more are physically or mentally wounded every month.[40]
At least five Israeli soldiers were killed in battle in Israeli territory after the Gaza invasion, four in a rocket attack on 5 May 2024 and one during an infiltration into south Israel by Hamas militants on 6 June.[350][351] The Qassam brigades also captured an Israeli soldier stationed at Juhor ad-Dik, but he was likely killed during the operation.[39]
On 13 January 2024, Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor estimated that since the beginning of the war on 7 October, over 2,500 Palestinians killed were combatants, of whom 1,542 died during the Israeli invasion.[46][352]
On 21 January 2024, U.S. officials said to The Wall Street Journal, that the IDF eliminated 20 to 30% of Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip. But that was short for their aim of eliminating the group.[353] According to IDF claims, 9,000 Hamas militants were killed, 8,000 more were wounded and unable to return to battle, and another 2,300 were arrested, removing 48-60% of Hamas's forces from the battlefield. However it also noted the rate of Hamas deaths was also falling as Hamas reduced head on assaults against the IDF and became more reliant on underground tunnels.[354]
In advance of ground operations on 7 October, Israel assassinated Hamas commanders throughout Gaza, including Ali Al Qadi and Ayman Nofal.
During the invasion of the Gaza strip, Palestinians fighting against the Israeli occupation damaged or destroyed a large number of Israeli tanks, causing a shortage of both tanks and ammunition for the IDF.[355]
The Gaza Strip has faced massive civilian casualties during the invasion. At least 31,000 Palestinians were reportedly killed between 27 October and 10 March, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.[356] Many were children; almost half of the people in Gaza are under 14 years old. In December 2023, UNICEF called Gaza "the most dangerous place to be a child".[357]
Most civilian deaths during the invasion were caused by airstrikes with many killed during the strikes on Jabalia, Fakhoora school, Maghazi. Civilians have also been killed by Israeli soldier fire or shelling by tanks, in both reported and verified incidents.[358][359][360] Though the Gaza Health Ministry does not distinguish between combatants and civilians, civilian death rates have been estimated by outside sources. A study from the Open University of Israel found that at least 61% of the Palestinians killed were civilians, and noted that the civilian to combatant death ratio was higher than the average from all wars in the second half of the 20th century.[361] Despite international skepticism, Israeli sources including IDF officials have deemed the Gaza health ministry's death toll accurate.[362]
A Doctors Without Borders video shared by Amnesty International head Agnès Callamard said, "This brutal annihilation of an entire populations health system stretches beyond what humanitarian aid can fix."[363] On 4 December, Red Cross president Mirjana Spoljaric Egger visited the Gaza Strip, stating, "The things I saw there are beyond anything that anyone should be in a position to describe."[364] On 10 December, Bushra Khalidi, an expert with Oxfam, said the situation was no longer "just a catastrophe, it's apocalyptic."[365]
The reported number of casualties from the Gaza Health Ministry have been deemed reliable by Israeli Intelligence,[366] and has been supported by independent investigation of the reporting.[367]
UNICEF spokesperson Toby Fricker said, "There is no safe place for children anywhere across the strip right now."[368] UNICEF: Children were disproportionately impacted by Israel's attack on Gaza.[369] On 13 November, UNICEF said more than 700,000 children in Gaza were displaced.[370] The Palestine Red Crescent Society said displaced children were suffering, due to power outages, lack of basic essentials, and "scenes of pain and fear."[371] The executive director of UNICEF, toured Gaza on 15 November, stating many children were buried under rubble and lacking medical care.[372] The head of pediatrics at Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis, said that due to lack of clean water, he was witnessing the "most serious epidemic of gastroenteritis" among children he had ever seen.[373]
On 29 October, Israeli defense minister Yoav Gallant said he expected the "second stage of the war" to last "months". Subsequent phases are expected to be the removal of small pockets of resistance, and, finally, withdrawal from Gaza.[374]
Even after Israeli troops entered the Gaza Strip and began to maintain a persistent physical presence in the region beginning on 27 October, Israel's military had adopted a strategy of referring to the invasion as "operations" and "raids" rather than an "invasion". According to the Associated Press, this communications strategy was undertaken to preserve operational flexibility and to keep hostile forces guessing as to Israel's military plans.[375] The United States has urged Israel to avoid a full-scale invasion and to instead conduct "surgical" operations to avoid casualties and a regional escalation.[376] Israeli military sources said there were over 20,000 IDF troops in Gaza as of 31 October.[377]
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel will have overall security responsibility over the Gaza Strip for an indefinite period following the war.[378] European Commission president Von der Leyen said there should be no long-term Israeli security presence in Gaza, and suggested a UN mandated peace force as a possibility;[379] while U.S. President Joe Biden said, "When this crisis is over, there has to be a vision of what comes next, and in our view it has to be a two-state solution."[380] On 11 November, Netanyahu widened the split with the U.S. over postwar governance, saying that he was against the Palestinian Authority having a role there.[381] On 12 November 2023, Israeli security cabinet member Avi Dichter described Israeli strategy in northern Gaza as "Nakba 2023".[382]
The military strategies employed by Hamas have historically encompassed a blend of conventional and insurgent tactics.[383] As a result of the war, the group has shifted "back into a guerrilla fighting force", employing the use of hit-and-run operations and operating in smaller cells of fighters, aiming to demonstrate that they are capable of continuing to fight a prolonged war.[384] Hamas's strategy also relies on the underground tunnel system, which can be used as shelter for Hamas militants and leaders, storing weapons, and detaining hostages.[385]
According to John Spencer of the Modern War Institute at West Point, after Israeli forces invaded Gaza, Hamas's main strategy has not been to hold the terrain or defeat the Israeli forces but rather to prolong the fighting and intentionally cause civilian Palestinian casualties until international pressure compels Israel to cease its operation.[385][386][387]
Unlike in previous wars in Gaza, in which no high-ranking officers were killed, in this war Hamas has successfully targeted and eliminated some, including senior commanders with ranks as high as Aluf.[388] High-ranking officers have been killed not in direct battle but either as a result of being lured into mass-casualty ambushes or by assassination, stealthily tracked down by Hamas militants and identified by recognising soldiers giving orders or commanding forces.[389][390]
During the Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip, numerous viral videos showed Israeli soldiers committing war crimes. A series of videos in mid-December 2023 showed IDF troops burning food, vandalizing a shop, and ransacking private homes.[391] The Euro-Med Monitor recorded instances where soldiers deliberately stole civilians' assets, including laptops, gold, and large quantities of cash.[392] Euro-Med Monitor also reported on soldiers recorded harassing corpses, dragging them, urinating on them, and amputating them.[393] In a social media post, the Council on American–Islamic Relations condemned a video of an Israeli soldier stating, "Maybe I killed a girl, she was 12, but I'm looking for a baby."[394] On 2 January 2024, Palestinian diplomat Laith Arafeh condemned reports that Israeli soldiers kidnapped a baby from Gaza.[395] On 24 February, a video went viral of an IDF soldier setting a residential neighborhood on fire while saying, "A little BBQ is great fun".[396]
On 11 February, the Saudi Foreign Ministry stated Israel's planned invasion of Rafah was part of a "continued violation of international law and international humanitarian law".[397]
During the invasion of the Gaza Strip, South Africa argued that Israel was guilty of committing a genocide in Gaza and instituted proceedings against Israel in the International Court of Justice (ICJ). South Africa's submission placed the charges in the broader context of Israel's conduct towards Palestinians, including claims of 75 years of apartheid, the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and the 16-year blockade of the Gaza Strip.[398][83] South Africa requested that the ICJ render provisional measures of protection.[399]
By early 2024, Israeli forces had destroyed more than half of Gaza's houses,[400] at least a third of its tree cover and farmland, most of its schools, all 12 of its universities, hundreds of cultural landmarks, and dozens of cemeteries.
Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip Over have destroyed or damaged 100 landmarks, according to a report by Heritage for Peace.[401] The Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict, which both Palestinians and Israelis agreed to, protects sites of cultural heritage.[402] According to the Israeli NGO Emek Shaveh, hundreds of ancient sites, historic monuments, museums and archives have been damaged or destroyed since the war started. Of the 325 registered archeological and ancient sites, 200 were destroyed by the Israeli army by January 2024, according to the Gaza Government Media office, along with an estimated 90 million shekels ($24.5 million), gold, and artifacts stolen by IDF soldiers.[403]
The Great Mosque of Gaza was left with only the minaret standing.[404] Sites that have been damaged or destroyed include Rafah Museum, Al Qarara Cultural Museum, Rashad Shawa Cultural Center, Hamam al-Sammara, and Tell el-Ajjul.[60] The Church of Saint Porphyrius, the world's third-oldest church, was damaged in an airstrike, as was the Saint Hilarion Monastery. The Byzantine Church of Jabalia, dating from the 5th century and restored in 2022, was destroyed.[60] The destruction of Gaza City's public library and central archives have been compared to the 1992 attacks on the National and University Library of Bosnia and Herzegovina.[405][402][406][407] All universities in the Gaza Strip were bombed by Israeli forces, including the destruction of Al-Israa University and its museum containing several thousand rare artifacts.[408]
It was reported in January 2024 that Israel Antiquities Authority Director Eli Askozido had shared photos on his official Instagram account of reportedly stolen artifacts from Gaza that had been stored in a warehouse. The post was later deleted and Askozido posted a statement claiming his department had been called in only to document the items, and that they had not been brought to Israel.[403]
By 7 December 2023, more than one third of homes in Gaza were destroyed by Israel, leading to charges of domicide, referring to the mass destruction of dwellings. Although the term is accepted in academia, it is yet to be defined in international law.[59] Videos posted by IDF soldiers to social media have shown them breaking into Palestinian homes that had been evacuated or destroyed and looting valuables and or daily items.[409] The Euro Med Human Rights Monitor has reported widespread looting by IDF troops in where they stole assets and money from Palestinian citizens, including items like computers and jewelry. According to a legal researcher at the Ramallah based human rights organization Al-Haq, Israeli authorities have justified the looting as that the items and money are somehow belongs to Hamas, while others have claimed it shows intentional destruction of property and collective punishment.[410]
Direct Israeli attacks on telecommunications infrastructure, electricity blockades, and fuel shortages have caused the near-total collapse of Gaza's largest cell network providers.[411][412][413] Lack of internet access has prevented Gazan citizens from communicating with loved ones, learning of IDF operations, and identifying areas most exposed to bombing and possible escape routes.[411] The blackouts have also impeded emergency services, making it more difficult to find and access the injured,[411] and have impeded humanitarian aid agencies and journalists.[411] By December 2023, 200,000 Gazans (about 10% of the population) had received internet access through an eSIM provided by Connecting Humanity.[414]
On 14 December 2023, The New York Times reported that Israeli forces had damaged or destroyed at least six cemeteries in Gaza,[415] and on 20 January 2024, CNN reported that Israeli forces had desecrated at least 16 cemeteries, turning some into military outposts.[61] Forensic Architecture reported on 19 December 2023 that Israel had destroyed one of Gaza's most important archaeological sites, near al-Shati refugee camp.[416]
According to Al Jazeera English, on 15 October, "Iran warned Israel of regional escalation if the Israeli military [entered] Gaza for a ground invasion". Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said that if efforts to stop Israeli attacks in Gaza failed, it was increasingly likely that "other fronts [would] be opened".[417]
In an interview aired on 15 October, U.S. President Joe Biden said it would be a mistake for Israel to occupy Gaza again but that eliminating Hezbollah in the north and Hamas in the south is "a necessary requirement".[418] U.S. officials said the Biden administration advised Israel to delay the ground invasion of Gaza to allow more time for hostage negotiations.[419]
Former CIA director David Petraeus warned that a ground offensive in Gaza "could be Mogadishu on steroids very quickly."[420]
On 25 October, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi warned that a ground invasion of the Gaza Strip would cause "many, many civilian casualties".[421] On 6 February, the Egyptian government expressed fears that an Israeli ground invasion of Rafah could push hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to try to flee across the border into Egypt.[422]
On 27 October, Saudi officials strongly cautioned the United States that an Israeli ground operation in Gaza could have devastating consequences for the Middle East.[423]
On 19 October, a poll by the Israeli newspaper Maariv found that 65% of Israelis supported a ground invasion and 21% opposed it.[424][425] In comparison, according to a poll conducted for Israel's Maariv newspaper on 25 and 26 October, only 29% of Israelis supported an immediate large-scale ground offensive into the Gaza Strip. Maariv said that "It is almost certain that the developments on the matter of the hostages, which is now topping the agenda, have had a great impact on this shift."[426] According to a survey carried out by the Hebrew University on 7–9 December on the post-war handling of Gaza 56% of Israelis opposed the annexation of Gaza with only 33% in favor while 11% were uncertain. When questioned on who should administer Gaza in the immediate post-war period 23% of Israelis supported a coalition of moderate Arab states, 22% for Israeli military rule, 18% for an international force take charge of the territory, 18% for Israel annexing Gaza and 11% support for the return of the Palestinian Authority.[427] (see also Proposed Israeli resettlement of the Gaza Strip)
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum, that represents the families of kidnapped Israelis, complained that no one had explained "whether the ground operation endangers the well-being of the 229 hostages".[428] MK Ahmad Tibi said Israel's invasion of Rafah would be a war crime.[429]
Palestinians in Gaza reacted most strongly to the violence they experienced at the hands of IDF soldiers during the invasion, with one man whose brother was killed by an Israel sniper stating, "This is not an occupation. This is an enemy who kills without a reason."[430] One woman who had evacuated from northern to central then southern Gaza said, "Let the Israelis kill us all; let them ethnically cleanse what remains of the Palestinians."[431] Another woman who had remained in Gaza City and was sheltering at al-Shifa Hospital, said in February 2024, "Our houses were destroyed. Our children were killed. Where should we go? The shooting must stop so we can find a place to live."[432]
On 6 February, West Bank politician Mustafa Barghouti said, "Any military operations in Rafah – with its limited space and crowdedness with over 1.5 million Palestinians displaced by the Israeli army – would lead to brutal massacres unprecedented in modern history."[433] Palestinians in Rafah feared a permanent displacement like 1948.[434] On 10 February, Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas said the impending Israeli invasion of Rafah would create "another Nakba, which will push the whole region into endless wars".[435] Hanan Ashrawi said, "We are in the midst of a genocide" in Gaza.[436]
In advance of an expected ground invasion of Rafah, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said, "Such an action would exponentially increase what is already a humanitarian nightmare with untold regional consequences."[437] The UN General Assembly President Dennis Francis said, "I am shocked and deeply dismayed by the news of an Israeli military offensive into the south of the Gaza Strip. I join the Secretary-General in pleading on behalf of the multitudes of innocent civilians with nowhere safe to go".[438]
Save the Children asked: "Where is there left for the population to go? They have been already moved from the north of Gaza, from the central areas of Gaza – moved around like pieces on a chess board to achieve military objectives. There is nowhere left for them to move."[439] The Norwegian Refugee Council said, "An expansion of hostilities could turn Rafah into a zone of bloodshed and destruction that people won't be able to escape. There is nowhere left for people to flee to."[440] Omar Shakir, the Human Rights Watch director for Israel and Palestine said, "There's nowhere safe to go in Gaza. The ICJ has ordered Israel to prevent genocide. The [international] community should act to prevent further atrocities."[441]
Al Mezan Center said, "The international community must act now to halt the ground invasion of Rafah."[442] The Carter Center said, "Ordering this new wave of displacement of Palestinians will further exacerbate the humanitarian crisis".[443] Catherine M. Russell, the president of UNICEF, said, "Some 1.3M civilians are pushed into a corner, living on streets or shelters. They must be protected. They have nowhere safe to go".[444]
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