BICOM

What were the immediate causes of the conflict?

• In June 2014, following the abduction of three Israeli teenagers (later found murdered) by Hamas operatives, Israel arrested hundreds of Hamas operatives in the West Bank in an operation to find the missing teens; Hamas responded with increased rocket fire into Israel from the Gaza Strip from the Gaza Strip.
• On 7 July, over 100 rockets were fired into Israel from Gaza and Israeli launched Operation Protective Edge to restore quiet. Israel stated that “quiet would be answered with quiet”. It began with air operations and initiated ground operations after Hamas rejected an Egyptian proposed ceasefire and the threat from tunnels became clear.

What was the nature of the threat Hamas posed to Israel?

• Some 4,500 rockets were fired from Gaza during the conflict. With weapons and technology from Iran, the rockets held by Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad targeted every major Israeli city.
• An extensive network of underground tunnels was uncovered during the conflict filled with ammunition, weaponry, IDF uniforms to be used as disguises, tranquilizers and motorbikes. Hamas launched attacks through these tunnels, with one attack killing two IDF soldiers. Hamas also launched attacks using naval commandos and aerial drones.

How did Israel try and bring about a ceasefire?

• Israel’s central goal was to re-establish the ceasefire which had been in place since November 2012.
• On 15 July Israel agreed to an Egyptian-proposed ceasefire backed by the Arab League that called on both sides to come to Cairo for talks. Israel suspended military operations for six hours but Hamas rejected the proposal.
• Hamas systematically broke humanitarian ceasefires, including on 1, 11 and 19 August.
• On 26 August Israel and Hamas agreed an open-ended ceasefire with two stages: an initial period in which firing would stop and restrictions on crossings would be eased for humanitarian aid, with long term issues to be addressed in subsequent indirect talks between Israel and Palestinian factions in Cairo.

How did Hamas use the Gaza civilian population as human shields?

• Hamas and other Palestinians armed groups fought almost entirely from within the civilian population and infrastructure and openly called for the civilian population to ignore warnings to evacuate targeted areas.
• On three occasions UNRWA announced it had found rockets hidden in its schools.
• Between 8 July and 5 August, there were 260 rockets fired from schools, 160 from religious sites and 50 from hospitals. Mosques, schools, hospitals and homes were also used to fire at IDF soldiers.

What steps did Israel take to minimise civilian casualties?

• The IDF made phone calls and sent text messages to civilians in buildings designated for attack. Israel also warned civilians with a loud but non-lethal bomb before targeting a building where civilians were present.
• The IDF repeatedly dropped leaflets with specific instructions to evacuate areas in which areas the IDF was planning to operate. Hamas instructed civilians to ignore these instructions.
• The proportion of civilians among the approximately 2000 Palestinian fatalities is disputed. An investigation by the Terrorism Information Centre indicates that close to 50% of the killed were affiliated with terrorist organisations.
• Some 66 Israeli soldiers and six civilians were killed.
• Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has accused Hamas of killing more than 120 youths for violating “curfew and house arrest orders” and 30 to 40 Palestinians on suspicion of “collaboration” with Israel.

What is the background to the conflict?

• Israel unilaterally withdrew all settlements and military forces from the Gaza Strip in 2005 and signed an agreement with the PA which gave the Palestinians control over their own borders with Israel and Egypt.
• In 2007, Hamas violently ousted forces loyal to PA President Mahmoud Abbas and took complete control of the Gaza Strip. Israel and Egypt imposed restrictions on the borders.
• Hamas is an armed Islamist group ideologically committed to the destruction of Israel through armed struggle. It has a long records of terror attacks include suicide bombings and its 1988 founding charter is virulently anti-Semitic.

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