Gaza–Israel conflict
The Gaza–Israel conflict is a localized part of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict beginning in 1948, when 200,000 Palestinians fled or were expelled from their homes, settling in the Gaza Strip as refugees.[1] Since then, Israel has fought 15[2] wars against the Gaza Strip. The number of Gazans reportedly killed in the most recent 2023 war — 34,000 — is higher than the death toll of all other wars of the Arab-Israeli conflict.[3][4]
For the ongoing 2023–2024 war, see Israel–Hamas war.
Israel fought three wars in the Egyptian-administered Gaza Strip:[5] 1948 Palestine War, the first occupation of Gaza during the Suez Crisis, and the capture of Gaza in 1967. During the first occupation, 1% of Gaza Strip's population was either killed, tortured or imprisoned by Israel.[6] Following two periods of low-level insurgencies, a major conflict between Israelis and Palestinians erupted in the First Intifada. The 1993 Oslo Accords brought a period of calm. But, in 2000 the Second Intifada erupted. Towards the end of the Second Intifada, Israel disengaged from Gaza in 2005, Hamas won the 2006 election and seized control of Gaza in 2007.[7]
In 2007, Israel imposed a land, air and sea blockade of the Gaza Strip,[8] turning it into an "open-air prison".[9][8] The blockade was widely condemned as a form of collective punishment,[10] while Israel defended it as necessary to stop Palestinian rocket attacks.[11] Hamas considered it a declaration of war.[12] A 2008–2009 Israeli invasion of Gaza resulted in more than 1,000 deaths and widespread destruction of homes, schools and hospitals.
A 2012 Israeli operation also killed more than 100 people.
In 2014, Israel invaded Gaza in a major war that resulted in the deaths of 73 Israelis (mostly soldiers) and 2,251 Palestinians (mostly civilians). The invasion resulted in "unprecedented"[13] destruction, damaging 25% of homes in Gaza city and 70% of homes in Beit Hanoun.[13] After 2014, notable events in the conflict included the "Great March of Return" (2018-2019) and clashes in November 2018, May 2019 and November 2019. The 2021 crisis saw 256 Palestinians and 15 Israelis killed.
On October 7, 2023, Palestinian militants attacked Israel, killing 1,143 people (mostly civilians). Israel responded with bombing Gaza Strip and launching an invasion that has killed more than 34,000 Gazans as of April 2024.[14]