Operation Protective Edge
Week 3 - 21-27 July 2014
Heavy fighting continued 21 July 2014 in Gaza, with Israeli war planes bombarding more than 50 Hamas targets, Hamas firing as many rockets back into the Jewish state, and the death toll topping 500. Israel reported hitting two weapons manufacturing sites and six underground rocket launchers on Monday. Hamas fired more rockets into Israel and tried to sneak fighters into the country in tunnels, but Israeli forces spotted the militants, killing 10 of them.
Four IDF soldiers were killed early in the morning of 21 July 2014 by a rocket-propelled grenade, fired by Hamas gunmen who emerged from a tunnel dug from Gaza into Israel near Kibbutz Nir Am. The Hamas cell, clad in IDF uniforms, emerged from the tunnel, and waited for an approaching IDF jeep before opening fire, killing the IDF officer and the three soldiers in the vehicle. Five more were killed fighting terrorists in Gaza. The tunnel infiltration involved two groups of Hamas gunmen. The second cell emerged near Erez, on Israeli territory. Surveillance soldiers spotted the infiltrators and summoned an aircraft to the area. The aircraft opened fire, killing the gunmen.
Israel kept up its assaults in the Gaza strip 22 July 2014, pummeling a wide range of targets. Overnight, it bombed five mosques, a sports complex and the home of the late Hamas military chief. There has been no let-up in cross-border rocket fire either, with 116 rockets hitting Israel on Monday, one striking the greater Tel Aviv area, and another 17 shot down. Israeli officials said the 15 days of rockets, missile attacks and air strikes had killed 29 Israelis, including two civilians. The Gaza Health Ministry reported at least 609 Palestinians have been killed since the offensive's July 8 launch. The UN said at least three-fourths of them were civilians, among them scores of children. Another 3,640 people had been wounded.
The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) took the rare step of banning flights to Tel Aviv for at least 24 hours. Many other foreign carriers, on heightened alert after a Malaysian airliner was shot down over a combat zone in Ukraine last week, followed suit.
The IDF stated on 23 July 2014 that Hamas had turned Wafa Hospital in Gaza into a command center and a rocket-launching site. The IDF is targeting specific sites and terrorists within the grounds of the hospital, from which Hamas continues to fire at our forces. The IDF repeatedly conveyed warnings to the hospital staff and urged civilians to leave the area in advance. Hamas is telling them to stay. IDF Spokesman Peter Lerner: "Hamas terrorists have been intentionally abusing the hospital and other international protected symbols to indiscriminately attack Israel and its civilians. The IDF is determined in preventing the ongoing aggression by Hamas that is directed by a strategy of exploitation and abuse of the civilian population and its wellbeing.” Dr. Basman Alashi, head of Wafa Hospital, reportedly said that the hospital was currently empty of staff and patients, who were transferred to a different facility in Gaza City a week ago.
By 23 July 2014 the death toll in Gaza had reached almost 700, with 693 deaths, 166 of them children as well as 37 elderly men. At least 4,519 people had been injured, including 1213 kids and 161 elderly men, according to a spokesman for the health ministry. A Thai agricultural worker was killed on 23 July 2014 by a mortar fired from Gaza while working in a greenhouse in one of the Israeli communities in the Ashkelon Coast Regional Council. Some Israeli 29 troops had been confirmed killed so far in the conflagration, and three civilians had died in rocket attacks out of Gaza.
At least 117 Palestinians died on 24 July 2014, making it one of the deadliest days since the Israeli operation began. These losses brought the total death toll to 797-- including at least 200 children, 75 women and 40 elderly. More than 5,100 people had been wounded since Israel began its campaign to halt Hamas rocket fire on July 8. Thirty-two Israeli soldiers and two Israeli citizens have died. The Israeli military reported multiple rockets fired from Gaza, including several that were said to have been intercepted by its Iron Dome missile defense system.
On 25 July, five Palestinians were killed in the West Bank as the conflict in Gaza spread. The death toll rose to more than 800 Palestinians – mostly civilians – 35 Israelis and one foreign worker in Israel.
The fighting between the IDF and Hamas and the other terrorist organizations continued at various friction points in the Gaza Strip, especially the Shejaiya neighborhood. The terrorist organizations made extensive use of anti-tank rockets, sniper fire and IEDs in order to cause the IDF the greatest number of casualties possible and to show they are standing firm. At noon on Friday 25 July 2014, terrorists fired mortars and anti-tank missiles from near an UNRWA school in Gaza, killing an IDF soldier. Another soldier was killed Friday morning during fighting in the northern Gaza Strip.
Israel and Hamas agreed a 12-hour humanitarian truce to begin at 04:00 GMT on Saturday 26 July 2014 to pause hostilities in Gaza. On 26 July 2014 the IDF Spokesman daid: "From 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM, there will be a humanitarian window in Gaza. During this time, operational activities to locate and neutralize terror tunnels will continue. The IDF will respond if terrorists exploit the lull to fire at Israeli soldiers or civilians." Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said his movement, together with all armed groups in Gaza, had agreed to the temporary ceasefire which he said was mediated by the United Nations. A US official said earlier that Israel had agreed to a 12-hour pause.
The 12-hour cease-fire went into effect in Gaza Saturday morning (05:00 UTC) in honor of Eid - the Muslim holiday marking the end of Ramadan. Medical personnel in Gaza say more than 100 bodies were pulled from homes during the truce Saturday, raising the Palestinian death toll above 1,000, including many civilians and some 5,000 had been wounded. Relief groups said three-quarters of these were civilians, and one-fourth of whom were children. Thirty-seven Israeli soldiers and two Israeli civilians have died.
Israel respected the UN-requested humanitarian ceasefire from 8 am to 8 pm and was ready to prolong it, but a few minutes after 8 pm Hamas resumed the rocket barrage at Israel's cities. Shortly after Hamas rejected Israel's proposal to extend a 12-hour truce by four hours, the Israeli military said that three mortar rounds had been fired at Israel from Gaza. A Hamas official sent a text message to reporters, saying: "No agreement to extending the calm for an additional four hours." The four-hour extension, which Israel said it would still abide by unilaterally, was scheduled to last until 12 AM local time. Israel set its own terms for the lull, saying it would continue demolishing Hamas military tunnels under the Gaza-Israel border.
Israel extended the cease-fire another 24 hours, through Sunday midnight local time (2100 GMT). An Israeli official said the United Nations asked for the extension of the 12-hour truce and the Cabinet agreed. The official said Israel would respond to Hamas rocket fire during the extension and would continue to search for and destroy tunnels Hamas uses to smuggle in weapons and fighters. Hamas rejected the extension, saying Israel first has to withdraw its forces from Gaza. Hamas militants fired several rockets into Israel shortly after the original 12-hour cease-fire ended. Israeli forces did not respond.
Despite Hamas’ fire, Israel decided to extend the humanitarian ceasefire a second time, until midnight Sunday night (27 July). In face of the continued Hamas fire at Israeli cities and civilians, the IDF resumed aerial, naval and ground activity in Gaza at 10:00 am. Hamas then asked for a ceasefire which it itself continued to violate by continuing to fire rockets at Israeli cities. The Israeli government said it was resuming military operations because Palestinian fighters had not observed previous calls for a truce. Five cease-fires had been proposed since the fighting began nearly three weeks ago. Except for a 12-hour pause on, none had been observed by both parties.
Fighting briefly subsided in Gaza on after Hamas agreed to a 24-hour humanitarian truce in the Strip. "In response to UN intervention and considering the situation of our people and the occasion of Eid, it has been agreed among resistance factions to endorse a 24-hour humanitarian calm, starting from 2 pm on Sunday," Sami Abu Zuhri, Hamas spokesman said in a statement. Israel's PM Benjamin Netanyahu, however, slammed the group for failing to accept its own ceasefire and continuing to fire.
More than 1,030 Palestinians, mostly civilians, and 43 Israeli soldiers and two Israeli civilians had been killed. A Thai national in Israel was also killed. The Gaza health ministry on revised the number of dead down by 30 after some relatives found missing family members.
A poll published by Israel's Channel 10 television on 27 July 2014 said some 87 percent of respondents wanted Israel to continue the operation until Hamas was toppled. Another poll, published in the Jerusalem Post newspaper, found that 86.5 percent of Israel's majority Jews opposed calling a truce while rocket fire continued and Gaza retained any of the cross-border tunnels.
During the 12 hour humanitarian window on Saturday, COGAT [State of Israel Ministry of Defense Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories] worked in close coordination with the IEC and Palestinian Energy Authority to repair the electrical feeder lines that had been damaged or had been overloaded. 4 of the 10 lines were functioning as of Saturday night, although 3 repairs failed to hold.
|
NEWSLETTER
|
| Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list |
|
|
|
