According to court documents , Qawasmeh stated that Hamas members in Gaza financed Supply the recruitment and arming of the killers .

This was the first major ground operation Military_operation in the Gaza Strip since Israel 's unilateral disengagement plan was implemented Action between August and September 2005 .

Israel 's stated goals in Operation `` Summer Rains '' were to suppress Control the firing of Qassam rockets from Gaza into the western Negev , and to secure the release of Corporal Gilad Shalit , who had been captured Conquering by the Palestinian militant group Hamas on June 25 .

The soldier was captured Conquering amid a background of violence between the IDF and Palestinian militant groups since the Israeli withdrawal Escaping from Gaza .

According to statistics published Publishing by the Israeli government , 757 missiles from Gaza hit Attack Israel between the withdrawal and the end of June 2006 .

It was the worst outbreak Process_start of violence Violence covered by the media in the region since the 2008–2009 Gaza War Hostile_encounter ( Operation Cast Lead ) .

The Hamas-dominated Gaza had also been considered a proxy of Iran .

Al-Mabhouh—a co-founder of the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades , the military wing of Hamas—was wanted by the Israeli government for the kidnapping Kidnapping and murder Killing of two Israeli soldiers in 1989 as well as purchasing Commerce_buy arms from Iran for use Using in Gaza ; these have been cited as a possible motive for the assassination Killing .

They had not been consulted , dismissed Response the inclusion Cause_to_be_included as a bid to improve Cause_to_make_progress Israel ’ s image , rebuffed Agree_or_refuse_to_act the idea of him being memorialized Rite among fallen Israeli soldiers who `` killed Killing his relatives in Gaza , Lebanon and the West Bank '' , stated Statement the trial Criminal_investigation of the suspects Committing_crime was being dragged out Change_event_time , and complained Judgment_communication that several months earlier , the Jerusalem council had forced Causation them to remove Removing his image from outside their home after it had hung there for four months , by threatening Warning them with a per diem $ 500 fine , on the grounds it contravened Imposing_obligation a local Israeli law .

The stated aim of the Israeli operation Military_operation was to stop Preventing_or_letting rocket fire Use_firearm from Gaza into Israel , which increased Cause_change_of_position_on_a_scale after an Israeli crackdown Attack on Hamas in the West Bank was launched Process_start following the 12 June kidnapping Kidnapping and murder Killing of three Israeli teenagers by two Hamas members .

The operation Military_operation officially began Process_start the following day , and on 17 July , the operation Military_operation was expanded Expansion to an Israeli ground invasion Military_operation of Gaza with the stated aim of destroying Destroying Gaza 's tunnel system ; Israeli ground forces withdrew Escaping on 5 August .

The operation Military_operation officially began Process_start the following day , and on 17 July , the operation Military_operation was expanded Expansion to an Israeli ground invasion Military_operation of Gaza with the stated aim of destroying Destroying Gaza 's tunnel system ; Israeli ground forces withdrew Escaping on 5 August .

By that date , the IDF reported Reporting that Hamas , Islamic Jihad and other militant groups had fired Use_firearm 4,564 rockets and mortars from Gaza into Israel , with over 735 intercepted Defending in flight Motion and shot down Use_firearm by Iron Dome .

More than 280 fell Motion_directional on areas in Gaza , and 224 struck Attack residential areas .

The IDF attacked Attack 5,263 targets in Gaza ; at least 34 known tunnels were destroyed Destroying and two-thirds of Hamas 's 10,000-rocket arsenal was used up Expend_resource or destroyed Destroying .

Gazan civilian casualty rates estimates Statement range between 70 % by the Gaza Health Ministry , 65 % by United Nations Protection Cluster by OCHA ( based in part Gaza Health Ministry reports Reporting ) , and 36 % by Israeli officials , The UN estimated Scrutiny that more than 7,000 homes for 10,000 families were razed Destroying , together with an additional 89,000 homes damaged Damaging , of which roughly 10,000 were severely affected Influence by the bombing Use_firearm .

Gazan civilian casualty rates estimates Statement range between 70 % by the Gaza Health Ministry , 65 % by United Nations Protection Cluster by OCHA ( based in part Gaza Health Ministry reports Reporting ) , and 36 % by Israeli officials , The UN estimated Scrutiny that more than 7,000 homes for 10,000 families were razed Destroying , together with an additional 89,000 homes damaged Damaging , of which roughly 10,000 were severely affected Influence by the bombing Use_firearm .

The fallout suffered Bodily_harm by the locals as a result of the insurgency in Sinai ranges from militant operations and the state of insecurity to extensive military operations and the demolishing Destroying of hundreds of homes and evacuating Removing thousands of residents as Egyptian troops pressed Self_motion on to build Building a buffer zone meant to halt the smuggling Committing_crime of weapons and militants from and to the Gaza strip .

While the core of the fighting was in the central mountain regions of Palestine ( Samaria and Judea ) , the revolt also spread Dispersal to the Galilee , Gaza and parts of Transjordan .

The Gaza War , also known as Operation Cast Lead ( ) , also known in the Muslim world as the Gaza Massacre ( ) and the Battle of al-Furqan ( ) by Hamas , was a three-week armed conflict Hostile_encounter between Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and Israel that began Process_start on 27 December 2008 and ended Process_end on 18 January 2009 in a unilateral ceasefire .

The Gaza War , also known as Operation Cast Lead ( ) , also known in the Muslim world as the Gaza Massacre ( ) and the Battle of al-Furqan ( ) by Hamas , was a three-week armed conflict Hostile_encounter between Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and Israel that began Process_start on 27 December 2008 and ended Process_end on 18 January 2009 in a unilateral ceasefire .

The Gaza War , also known as Operation Cast Lead ( ) , also known in the Muslim world as the Gaza Massacre ( ) and the Battle of al-Furqan ( ) by Hamas , was a three-week armed conflict Hostile_encounter between Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and Israel that began Process_start on 27 December 2008 and ended Process_end on 18 January 2009 in a unilateral ceasefire .

Israel 's stated goal was to stop indiscriminate Palestinian rocket fire into Israel and weapons smuggling into the Gaza strip .

Israeli forces attacked Attack police stations , military targets including weapons caches and suspected rocket firing teams , as well as political and administrative institutions in the opening assault , striking Attack in the densely populated cities of Gaza , Khan Yunis and Rafah .

On 5 January , the IDF began Process_start operating Being_in_operation in the densely populated urban centers of Gaza .

Israeli politicians ultimately decided Deciding against striking Attack deeper within Gaza amid concerns of higher casualties on both sides and rising international criticism .

In 2011 , Goldstone wrote Writing that he no longer believed that Israel intentionally targeted Aiming civilians in Gaza .

Simultaneously , the Israelis launched a ground offensive into the Gaza Strip and the Sinai , which again caught Self_motion the Egyptians by surprise , and Nasser ordered evacuation after some initial resistance .

According to the Israeli government , the operation began Process_start in response Response to the launch of over 100 rockets at Israel during a 24-hour period , an attack Attack by Gaza militants on an Israeli military patrol jeep within Israeli borders , and an explosion caused Causation by IEDs , which occurred near Israeli soldiers , on the Israeli side of a tunnel passing under the Israeli West Bank barrier .

They cited Adducing the blockade of the Gaza Strip and the occupation of West Bank , including East Jerusalem , as the reason Protest for rocket attacks Attack .

During the operation , Hamas , the al-Qassam Brigades and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad ( PIJ ) further intensified Cause_change_of_strength their rocket attacks Attack on Israeli cities and towns , in an operation code named Operation Stones of Baked Clay ( , `` ḥijārat sijīl '' ) by the al-Qassam Brigades , firing Use_firearm over 1,456 rockets into Israel , and an additional 142 which fell Motion_directional inside Gaza itself .

About 421 rockets were intercepted Preventing_or_letting by Israel 's Iron Dome missile defense Defending system , another 142 fell Motion_directional on Gaza itself , 875 fell Motion_directional in open areas , and 58 hit Attack urban areas in Israel .

Israel said Communication that it had achieved Achieve its aim of crippling Hamas 's rocket-launching ability , while Hamas stated Statement that Israel 's option of invading Attack Gaza had ended Process_end .

The Third Battle of Gaza was fought Hostile_encounter on the night of 1/2 November 1917 between British and Ottoman forces during the Sinai and Palestine Campaign of World War I , and came Self_motion after the Egyptian Expeditionary Force ( EEF ) victory at the Battle of Beersheba had ended Process_end the Stalemate in Southern Palestine .

The fighting occurred Coming_to_be at the beginning of the Southern Palestine Offensive , and together with attacks Attack on Hareira and Sheria on 6–7 November and the continuing Battle of Tel el Khuweilfe which had been launched by General Edmund Allenby on 1 November , it eventually broke Destroying the Gaza to Beersheba line defended Defending by the Yildirim Army Group .

Despite having held Defending this line since March 1917 , the Ottoman Army was forced to evacuate Escaping Gaza and Tel el Khuweilfe during the night of 6/7 November .

As the stalemate continued in terrible conditions through the summer , reinforcements began Process_start to arrive Arriving to replace Change_of_leadership the large number of casualties suffered Bodily_harm by the EEF during the previous fighting for Gaza , while several additional divisions also arrived Arriving .

Prior to the Second Battle of Gaza , the town had been developed Coming_to_be into a strong modern fortress , with entrenchments , wire entanglements and a glacis on its south and south–eastern edges .

A series of field works , mutually supported Supporting by artillery , machine guns and rifles , extended Expansion from Gaza eastwards to within of Beersheba .

Beginning Process_start on 27 October , the EEF began Process_start a heavy and almost continuous bombardment of Gaza .

During this time , the EEF 's XXI Corps , holding Defending the Gaza section of the line , had been mostly passive until the night of 1/2 November , when a series determined Deciding night-time assaults were mounted against the Gaza defences .

During this time , the EEF 's XXI Corps , holding Defending the Gaza section of the line , had been mostly passive until the night of 1/2 November , when a series determined Deciding night-time assaults were mounted against the Gaza defences .

The bombardment of Gaza intensified Cause_change_of_strength on 6 November and during the night of 6/7 November successful attacks Attack were launched on several trench systems .

On the morning of 7 November , Gaza was found Know to have been evacuated Escaping during the night .

The Gaza to Beersheba line subsequently collapsed Destroying and the Ottoman Seventh and Eighth Armies were forced Causation into retreat Escaping .

The conflict originated Coming_to_be with the election Choosing of the Islamist political party Hamas in 2005 and 2006 in the Gaza Strip and escalated Cause_change_of_position_on_a_scale with the split of the Palestinian Authority Palestinian government into the Fatah government in the West Bank and the Hamas government in Gaza and the following violent ousting of Fatah after Fatah lost Earnings_and_losses the election Choosing to Hamas .

The conflict originated Coming_to_be with the election Choosing of the Islamist political party Hamas in 2005 and 2006 in the Gaza Strip and escalated Cause_change_of_position_on_a_scale with the split of the Palestinian Authority Palestinian government into the Fatah government in the West Bank and the Hamas government in Gaza and the following violent ousting of Fatah after Fatah lost Earnings_and_losses the election Choosing to Hamas .

Palestinian rocket attacks Attack on Israel , Israeli airstrikes Attack on Gaza , and the joint Egyptian-Israeli blockade of Gaza have exacerbated the conflict .

Palestinian rocket attacks Attack on Israel , Israeli airstrikes Attack on Gaza , and the joint Egyptian-Israeli blockade of Gaza have exacerbated the conflict .

As part of its 2005 disengagement plan , Israel retained Preserving exclusive control over Gaza 's airspace and territorial waters , continued to patrol Patrolling and monitor the external land perimeter of the Gaza Strip , with the exception of its southernmost border ( where Egypt retained Preserving control of the border and border crossings were supervised Scrutiny by European monitors ) and continued to monitor and blockade Besieging Gaza 's coastline .