On December 27th 2008, Israel without warning began an intensive campaign that
would last 22 days, combined with a ground invasion which they called
'operation cast lead,' It would lead to death and destruction and
international condemnation and protests and would be met by Palestinian
resistance in Gaza.
In the aftermath of the offensive, a UN-appointed fact finding mission found strong evidence of war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by both the Israeli military and Palestinian militias. Investigations by human rights groups such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch came to the same conclusion.
In the aftermath of the offensive, a UN-appointed fact finding mission found strong evidence of war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by both the Israeli military and Palestinian militias. Investigations by human rights groups such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch came to the same conclusion.
Six months before Cast Lead, Israel negotiated a ceasefire with Hamas
and other Palestinian armed groups in Gaza. Under the agreement, which
went into effect on June 19, 2008, both sides agreed to stop hostilities
across the Green Line, the de facto border between Israel and the Gaza
Strip. Despite a number of violations by both sides, the truce was largely successful.
Hamas negotiators claim that Israel agreed to end its closure of Gaza's
border crossings as part of the ceasefire agreement, however Israeli
officials dispute this. While Israel did resume operations at one border
crossing, the overall policy of closure did not change. Two months
after the truce began, the UN reported that the number of goods allowed into Gaza actually decreased.
Nevertheless, overall, a situation of relative quiet prevailed in and around Gaza until November 4, when Israeli soldiers staged a raid
into the Strip, killing six members of Hamas. The attack, which took
place on the eve of the US presidential elections, ended the ceasefire
and led to an escalation of hostilities culminating in Cast Lead the
following month.
Despite claiming that Operation Cast Lead was a response to Hamas rockets and Hamas was refusing to negotiate another ceasefire, which was untrue, Israel later revealed it had been planning the offensive for 6 months. The reality was that Israel provoked Hamas, and then used their retaliation as an excuse to launch the offensive for two reasons to send Hamas a message and to attempt to recover the kidnapped soldier Gilad Shalit.
Operation Cast Lead proceeded in two phases: a week of intense aerial bombing
followed by two weeks of a joint air and land assault and invasion. The
surprise attack began at 11:30 a.m. on December 27, 2008, with Israeli
F-16 fighter jets, Apache helicopters, and unmanned drones striking more
than 100 locations across the tiny, crowded Gaza Strip within a matter
of minutes.
Among the targets were four Palestinian police stations, including the
central police headquarters in Gaza City, where a graduation ceremony
for new officers was underway. Ninety-nine police personnel and 9
members of the public were killed in the first minutes of the attack. By
the end of the first day at least 230 Palestinians had been killed.
The massive bombardment continued until January 3, 2009, when the
Israeli army invaded the Strip from the north and east. Israel's navy
also shelled Gaza from offshore. The ferocity of the attack was unprecedented in the more than six decade conflict. Reports of the exact number of Palestinians killed vary, but casualty
figures supplied by credible independent nongovernmental organizations
are generally consistent.
The Gaza-based Palestinian Centre for Human Rights reported
that the offensive left 1,419 Palestinians dead, including 1,167
civilians. The Centre also reported more than 5,000 Palestinians
wounded, as did the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian
Affairs.
The Israeli human rights group B'Tselem reported 1,385 Palestinians killed, including 762 noncombatants, and 318 minors under the age of 18.
Officially, local authorities in Gaza put the total Palestinian
fatalities at 1,444. For its part, the Israeli government claimed that
1,166 Palestinians were killed, including 709 combatants.According to Israeli authorities, three Israeli civilians and one
soldier were killed by rockets fired from Gaza during Cast Lead. Nine
Israeli soldiers also died in combat in Gaza, including four killed by
friendly fire. According to the UN, 518 Israelis were wounded.
On January 18, 2009, under enormous international pressure and just two
days before Barack Obama was sworn in as President of the United States,
Israel declared a unilateral ceasefire and withdrew its forces from
Gaza. Palestinian armed groups followed with a separate unilateral
ceasefire.
In April 2009, following international outrage at the carnage caused by Cast Lead, the UN Human Rights Council established a Fact Finding Mission
to investigate possible violations of international law committed
during the conflict. Leading the mission was Justice Richard Goldstone, a
former judge of the Constitutional Court of South Africa and war crimes
prosecutor for Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia.
The four members of the mission visited Gaza in late May and early June
2009, holding hearings there and in Geneva. They conducted 188
interviews and reviewed more than 10,000 pages of documents, more than
30 videos, and 1,200 photographs.Israel refused to cooperate with the inquiry, denying the mission the
opportunity to meet with Israeli officials or visit the West Bank.
As a result of its investigation, the mission issued the so-called "Goldstone Report," a 575-page document detailing alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by the Israeli military. The report also accused Palestinian armed groups of war crimes as a result of indiscriminate rockets attacks on Israeli civilians living near Gaza. an incendiary substance that is illegal when used in populated areas. Israeli forces illegally used white phosphorus (a banned chemical weapon) in attacks on at least two hospitals (Al-Quds Hospital and Al-Wafa Hospital), as well as the central UN compound in Gaza City. Numerous civilian casualties were caused by white phosphorus in the small, densely populated Strip. leading to symptoms that medical professionals had never seen before. Burning flesh to the bone. In what amounts to a war crime in violation of international law. Also there was deliberate targetting of civilians and vital infrastructure.
As a result of its investigation, the mission issued the so-called "Goldstone Report," a 575-page document detailing alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by the Israeli military. The report also accused Palestinian armed groups of war crimes as a result of indiscriminate rockets attacks on Israeli civilians living near Gaza. an incendiary substance that is illegal when used in populated areas. Israeli forces illegally used white phosphorus (a banned chemical weapon) in attacks on at least two hospitals (Al-Quds Hospital and Al-Wafa Hospital), as well as the central UN compound in Gaza City. Numerous civilian casualties were caused by white phosphorus in the small, densely populated Strip. leading to symptoms that medical professionals had never seen before. Burning flesh to the bone. In what amounts to a war crime in violation of international law. Also there was deliberate targetting of civilians and vital infrastructure.
In addition to the Goldstone Report, human rights groups such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch issued reports of their own documenting numerous allegations of war crimes being committed by Israeli forces.
The horrors inflicted remain indelibilly embedded in the minds of
all Gazans. As many as 340,000 Palestinians were displaced by Peration Cast lead and due to the blockade many of these remain homeless. Twelve years later, Gaza still relies on international aid for day to
day activities, including the most basic needs such as food and drink.
75% of homes destroyed are still waiting to be rebuilt. Leaving many
people still displaced. The people of Gaza left with a legacy of
poverty and economic injustice, 80% of the population lives under the
poverty line. 1.8 million of people in Gaza still locked in like animals
by Israels illegal blockade, that prevents them from access to
essential goods that are needed to rebuild and sustain life.
In a sense the war never ended. People still demanding an end to the occupation and justice, because without justice, peace will remain a distant illusion.as conditions for Palestinians continue to deteriorate our solidarity with the people of Gaza and Palestine is more necessary than ever.
In a sense the war never ended. People still demanding an end to the occupation and justice, because without justice, peace will remain a distant illusion.as conditions for Palestinians continue to deteriorate our solidarity with the people of Gaza and Palestine is more necessary than ever.
Further References
Amnesty International
Operation 'Cast Lead': 22 Days of Death and Destruction (July 2009)
Impunity for war crimes in Gaza and southern Israel a recipe for further civilian suffering (July 2009)
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