November 2018 Gaza–Israel clashes
Gaza-Israel clashes began on 11 November 2018, when a botched Israeli covert operation carried out in the Khan Yunis area of the southern Gaza Strip killed seven Palestinian militants and one Israeli soldier.[9] Exchanges of fire lasted for two more days, until a cease fire was achieved with Egyptian mediation. Some minor incidents and protests followed some two weeks after the cease fire, with decreasing intensity.[2]
Incidents after the cease-fire
Wednesday 14 November 2018
A Palestinian man was shot and arrested as he was throwing grenades at the security fence in northern Gaza, according to Israeli military sources.[71] Later in the day, also in northern Gaza, Nuaf Ahmad al-Attar, a 23-year-old fisherman was killed by the Israeli navy.[72] Local sources said he was working on the beach when he was shot in the stomach. Israeli military sources said he was approaching the security fence.[73]
Thursday 15 November 2018
Regional Cooperation Minister Tzachi Hanegbi was lambasted for statements he made in an interview with Israeli Army Radio: "Hamas responded [to the botched IDF mission] in a measured manner and attacked only the Gaza border area. There's a difference between the border area and Tel Aviv, the economic capital of Israel. Hamas's attack was minor, because (rocket) fire at Tel Aviv has different ramifications." Netanyahu immediately distanced himself from the comments and Hanegbi apologized for them.[74]
Friday 16 November 2018
For the 34th Friday straight, nearly 10,000 Palestinians gathered in the afternoon for the weekly March of Return demonstrations near the Gaza fence which often leads to clashes with the Israeli side and Palestinian casualties. In the protests, one Palestinian was killed and over 40 more wounded by live fire from Israeli soldiers near the refugee camps Bureij and Rafah.[75][76][77]
The day prior to the demonstrations, Kamil Abu Rukun, the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), had posted an Arabic language video on his Facebook page, warning the Palestinians that Israel's "patience has run out" and that the military would show "zero restraint."[78] Organizers of the protests had urged the people to demonstrate "to thank the resistance" but also to stay away from the fence.[75]
Saturday 17 November 2018
According to Palestinian sources, a farmer was shot in the leg by Israeli forces as he was working his land in the eastern part of the Maghazi refugee camp in Gaza.[79] In northern Gaza, bulldozers entered into Deir al-Balah and leveled land.[79]
Monday 19 November 2018
On Monday, Palestinians staged for the 16th time this year a maritime protest using 20 boats while demonstrators gathered on the beach near Beit Lahia in northern Gaza.[80] Israeli forces responded with shooting tear gas and live fire at the protesters. 25 people were wounded, among them an Associated Press cameraman who were shot in his left ankle.[81][82] According to witness reports, he was standing 600 meters from the security fence and was wearing a protective vest with the word "PRESS" written on it.[80]
International response
Condemnations from international parties were mixed, some blamed Hamas for the clashes, others Israel and yet others both sides.
Jason Greenblatt, US President Donald Trump's envoy to the Middle East put the blame for the recent spur of violence on Hamas, "Gaza terrorists are once again attacking Israel with rockets and mortars. ... Israel must once again use military force to protect its citizens. We stand with Israel in its defense against these attacks. ... This violence is preventing true assistance to the people of Gaza."[86] As did Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz who on Tuesday condemned the rocket attacks from Gaza and called for violence to stop immediately.[87]
Czech Republic President Milos Zeman said that Israel reserves the right to an "aggressive response" to the bombardment of its citizens[88] and France's foreign ministry condemned the barrage rockets fired by Hamas "in the strongest terms".[89]
Ibrahim Kalin, spokesperson to the Turkish president said "These attacks have once again shown Israel’s unlawful, tyrannical, and occupying stance."[90] Syria slammed Israeli actions.[91]
Other parties urged restraint on both sides. On Monday, the UN Mideast envoy Nickolay Mladenov tweeted that the "#UN is working closely with #Egypt and all concerned to ensure that #Gaza steps back from the brink. The escalation in the past 24hrs is EXTREMELY dangerous and reckless."[48][49]
EU ambassador to Israel Emanuele Giaufret urged everyone to "step back from the brink."[49]
On Tuesday Kuwait, Bolivia and Abbas requested an urgent meeting with the UN Security Council to discuss Gaza.[92] The request was granted and the Security Council announced that it would convene later that day. Danny Danon, Israel's envoy to the UN, cautioned that Israel would "not accept a call for 'both sides to act with restraint.'"[51] The council, however, failed to agree on any action.[93]
Economic and social impact
The rocket attacks from Gaza had some effect on businesses and restaurants in southern Israel. The finance minister announced compensation to businesses for losses and the Israel Tax Authority to parents that missed work because they had to stay at home with their children due to the school closure that the Home Front Command had imposed.[106]
On 21 November, the Tax Authority announced that these regulations would be finalized in the coming days and provide compensation to tourism operators, business owners, parents who missed work and beekeepers for losses suffered due to Gaza clashes from May 2018 to the end of the year.[107]
On the Gazan side, the financial losses incurred by the destruction of the Al Aqsa building was estimated to $2 million.[108] In total, nine buildings were destroyed by Israeli airstrikes, six of them high-rises, causing an unknown amount of financial damage and displacing 100 families.[109][110][111]
Criticism of IDF's media handling
In the hours following the botched operation in Gaza, the IDF, in contrast to Hamas, kept relatively silent about the details of it. This brought on the ire of some Israeli journalists who felt that the IDFs media handling was old-fashioned. On Monday, Israel Radio's Gal Berger tweeted that "the Israeli media ran with the Hamas version of events. And isn’t to blame for that" and that the IDF waited too long with countering the Gazan narrative "In 2018, they don’t have the luxury of waiting 10 hours before countering the claims being spread by the other side, and here as well."[112]
In an apparent jab at the Israeli Military Censor, Ramallah-based journalist Marian Houk tweeted that "It's 2018 -- and when you censor something, you're supposed to know that you can't censor; you lose control of the story and information. The details get out anyway (sometimes with extra disinformation)..."[112]
Another point of contention was that the Israeli military censor prohibited the press from publishing details about the slain soldier. He was only identified by his rank and first initial, "Lt. Col. M." But on social media, pictures of him and his family had already begun to spread. Israeli MKs Shelly Yachimovich and Ksenia Svetlova published details identifying the soldier on their Facebook pages, defying the censor's orders.[113] Judah Ari Gross of The Times of Israel, hours after the botched operation, tweeted "I know the officer's identity but cannot publish the information as it is subject to a military censor (because Israel still has one in 2018)."[112] Nachman Shai, journalist and MK of the Zionist Union, claimed that "the social media networks defeated the military censor" further urging the IDF to adapt to the new media landscape.[114]
Details of the operation remain under a strict gag order by the Israeli military censor and all articles the Israeli media writes about it must be pre-approved.[18]