I have received some emails from people about my coverage of the Israeli-Gaza Conflict and many ask me if I can break down a time line of media articles to show the history and the story behind the conflict.  Some have sent me articles, and I have them in my long blog article on the topic located here.

Here is a breakdown so far, so that many can see the story.  If you can add to this list, please email me and let me know.

The current Situation, a media source history:

It is debated who broke the truce first, however these are very important articles or videos relevant to answering that question.

CNN reported that Israel broke the truce first in Gaza:

[youtube 1URe3IdKiPY]

Also, this piece needs to have some weight:

Early in 2008, Vanity Fair Uncovered The Plot Paid For By The US State Department For Fatah To Create A Civil War In Gaza With Hamas 

http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/features/2008/04/gaza200804/?

Now, on June 17, 2008, Gaza entered a 6 month truce with Israel.

http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/meast/06/17/israel.hamas/index.html

As early as June 25, 2008, rockets were reported and confirmed to have been fired into Israel from Gaza, officially breaking the truce according to the International Herald Tribune

http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/06/25/africa/25mideast.php

The official list of rocket and mortar attacks in Israel in 2008 lists 832 rockets or mortars fired into Israel over the 6 month truce:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_rocket_and_mortar_attacks_in_Israel_in_2008

 

Now, the 6 month truce ended on December 17, 2008.  Now remember the CNN clip which talked about Israel conducting a raid on the Gaza Strip on November 4, 2008?  Here is the clip:

[youtube 1URe3IdKiPY]

Hamas claims that this was one of the reasons it resumed rocket attacks, however, documented by credible international sources, the rocket attacks were going on throughout the time of the truce.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_rocket_and_mortar_attacks_in_Israel_in_2008

Either way, when the truce ended, even more stricter restrictions were placed on Gaza.

Bush signed a law on Dec 22, 2008 banning aid to the Hamas government.  Aid contingent upon recognizing Israel, making ‘demonstrable progress’ at purging political system of ties to terror, stopping incitement

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3343245,00.html

HAMAS RESPONDED WITH CONTINUING ROCKETS AND MORTARS:

Rocket attacks plague Israeli towns

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7802276.stm

ISRAEL PREPARED ITS RESPONSE:

Israeli troops mobilize as Gaza assault widens

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081228/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_israel_palestinians

ISRAEL RESPONDED:

Massive Israeli air raids on Gaza

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7800985.stm

Nizar Raayan used the tactic of surrounding buildings with human shields to stop airstrikes.

http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/en/ArticlePrintPage.aspx?xyz=QrrxVt3TvzXUUXrd2E%2bKdQBAlgyb55/ynOLl7gNPIB7kdQan1PIPbi4Yz4qDnQsmI5mw/ZLBPwEI9e0cRV7YbMLBOBX9eObjj3nPt6F9Ns4/YdQr7pN2Vg%3d%3d

Egyptians opened fire on Palestinians fleeing Israeli bombing into Egypt

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ukpress/article/ALeqM5grmpk18UVAYzqu4fu2F0eNh8QIgA

Hamas executed 35 Fatah members in Gaza, shoots 75 in legs, breaks others’ hands

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1230733155685&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

Ground op took place: IDF troops entered Gaza on foot

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3649729,00.html

The United States blocked approval of a U.N. Security Council statement calling for an immediate cease-fire in the Gaza Strip

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gJledWNoIBc43rLj-CsczJss5dXwD95G3Q387

Israeli forces were aware of dead and wounded Palestinians left four days without attention, when human rights and international press went into Gaza after finally being allowed, they found small children clinging to their dead mother’s bodies, starving to death.

http://jta.org/news/article/2009/01/09/1002113/red-cross-israel-knew-about-emergency-situation

Red Cross: Israel breaking international law, letting children starve in Gaza

http://www.worldproutassembly.org/archives/2009/01/red_cross_israe.html

Israeli army ordered 70 persons of extended family to gather in one building. The next morning the same army bombed the building, Killing and injuring.  This was the first official confirmation of a civilian target struck

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/israel/4162193/Gaza-medics-describe-horror-of-strike-which-killed-70.html

http://www.btselem.org/english/Testimonies/20090108_Soldiers_kill_and_wound_members_of_a_Samuni_family.asp

On January 8, the UN Security Council approved Resolution 1860 calling for an immediate ceasefire and withdrawal of Israeli troops, with 14 of 15 member states supporting the resolution and one abstaining (the United States).

Israel was caught ‘using white phosphorus’  which can burn away human flesh to the bone:

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2009/01/2009110181945232797.html

Palestinian death toll in Gaza at this point exceeded 1,000 – Red Cross describes situation in Gaza as ‘shocking’ 

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/jan/14/gaza-city-fighiting-israel-un

Palestinian doctor killed by IDF while treating Gaza wounded‏

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1055233.html

UN headquarters in Gaza hit by Israeli ‘white phosphorus’ shells

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/middle_east/article5521925.ece

Unusually Large U.S. Weapons Shipment to Israel: Are the US and Israel Planning a Broader Middle East War?

http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=11743

Greece blocks US arms shipment to Israel

http://en.apa.az/news.php?id=95247

American Weapons Shipment to Israel Canceled

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/Flash.aspx/159183

Palestinian doctor provided Israeli TV viewers with regular updates on Gaza fighting’s human toll. But Friday’s report was different — with sobs he told how his three daughters and a niece were killed by an Israeli shell.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/nationworld/sns-ap-ml-gaza-doctors-grief,0,7475024.story

Patients Forced From Beds As Israel Attacked a Hospital

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/01/16/2467224.htm?section=justin

A Palestinian was shot dead and several others wounded after Israeli security forces opened fire during a protest in the West Bank against Israel’s attack on Gaza

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2009/01/2009116124347907216.html

Israel accused of using illegal weapons in its offensive on Gaza. Clouds of choking smoke, explosions like a fireworks display, bombs bursting into all-consuming flames that cannot be extinguished with water, mushroom clouds of pinkish-red smoke, suffocating gas, harsh burns on the skin, extraordinary maimed live and dead bodies

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1055927.html

Hamas chief “We will not surrender to Israeli conditions”

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5g6l-TrnBjEMU0HBCWo667sTBC8eQD95O8V1O1

Israel shows it may halt attack on Gaza:

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2009/01/2009116181426127417.html

Israel accused of ‘breaking law’ with Gaza war:

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/americas/2009/01/2009115171631306757.html

Ahmadinejad demands trial of Israeli leaders:

http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=82576&sectionid=351020101

Canada votes alone in support for Israel, 47 nations do not agree with Canada, they say Israel’s response was disproportionate and reckless:

http://www.thestar.com/article/569872

Israeli Attacks on Gaza Escape Global Media Scrutiny, No Press Allowed in Warzone or Embedded with Troops for majority of siege, very little is known of the actual facts on this war, only Israeli Military Public Relations holds official recordings

http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=45429

Condi Rice and Israel’s Livni sign a new agreement on Gaza arms:

http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=82579&sectionid=351020202

Syria: ‘Cut all ties with Israel’:

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2009/01/200911613411883638.html

Qatar suspends contacts with Israel’s attack on the people of Gaza:

http://www.kansascity.com/451/story/984527.html

China FM urges withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza:

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gzad3Ffw-z-vF6YCDsZUjWnI741w

As of January 16, 2009, 13 Israelis (including 3 civilians) and 1,132 Palestinians are estimated to have been killed in this conflict. The Palestinian fatalities include 311 children and 100 women.  More than half of all Palestinian casualties are documented as civilians.

A Basic Background and Complete Story, Based on the Sources Above

The Gaza strip is one of the most densely populated places on earth. According to the CIA Factbook as of June 2007, it holds a population of 1,482,405 on an area of only 360 square kilometers (139 sq mi). Almost half of the population are children aged 14 or younger (44.7% as of June 2007).

Following its victory in the 2006 municipal legislative elections and the military challenge by Fatah in which Hamas assumed administrative control, Israel and Egypt sealed their border crossings with Gaza and imposed a blockade on the territory, prohibiting all exports and allowing only enough goods to avert a humanitarian or health crisis.  Hamas considers Israel an illegitimate state and Israel views Hamas as a terrorist group that must be dismantled.

Hamas and other Palestinian paramilitias increased the number of Qassam rockets and mortars fired from the Gaza strip into Southern Israel. Israel conducted airstrikes on Gaza during 2007 and 2008, against Hamas and other targets.

On June 19, 2008, an Egyptian-brokered six-month Tahdia, an Arabic term for a temporary lull, “for the Gaza area” went into effect between Hamas and Israel. According to The New York Times, neither side fully respected the terms of the cease-fire. Some rockets still continued to fire from Gaza and the Israeli blockade of Gaza was loosened but not completely opened.

Hamas believed that the June 19 agreement required it to end rocket attacks upon Israel in exchange for an end of the blockade and for commerce in Gaza to be restored to the levels preceding Israel’s withdrawal in 2005 and Hamas’s electoral victory. Israeli policy tied the easing of the blockade on success in reducing rocket fire. Israel re-opened supply lines gradually, permitting a 20% increase in goods trucked into Gaza in the pre-lull period.

Israel accused Hamas of continuing the smuggling of weapons into the Gaza strip via tunnels to Egypt, pointing out that the rocket attacks had not completely ceased, and complained that Hamas would not continue negotiating the release of Israeli hostage Gilad Shalit, held by Hamas in Gaza since 2006. Hamas criticized Israel for maintaining the Blockade of the Gaza Strip. On the 18th of December, Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Palestinian Hamas, reported 185 Israeli violations in the lull period.

However, rocket fire decreased 98% in the four and a half months between June 18 and November 4 in comparison with the four and half months preceding the ceasefire. Hamas denied responsibility for the rockets that were fired and, according to The New York Times, “even imprisoned some of those who were firing rockets”. Nevertheless, Human Rights Watch complained to Hamas that some rocket firing militants were summarily released without an explanation.

On November 4, 2008, Israeli military raided a Hamas-dug tunnel between Gaza and Israel on the Gazan side of the border. The IDF claimed it was intended for the capture of Israeli soldiers, while Hamas, and one IDF source maintained it was for defensive purposes. As six members of Hamas were killed, it considered this attack a “massive breach of the truce,” and rocket attacks towards Israeli cities around Gaza increased sharply in November 2008, approaching the pre-truce levels. According to a November 17 article in The Telegraph, “since violence flared on Nov 5, Israeli forces and militants, some of them from Hamas, have engaged in almost daily tit-for-tat exchanges.”

On December 13, 2008, Israel announced that it was in favor of extending the cease-fire, provided Hamas adhered to its conditions. The conditions posed by a Hamas delegation in Cairo on December 14, were that the parties return to the original Hamas-Israel ceasefire arrangement. Hamas would undertake to stop all rocket attacks against Israel if the Israelis would agree to open up the border crossings, not to reduce commercial traffic thereafter, and not to launch attacks in Gaza. At an Israeli Cabinet meeting on December 21, Yuval Diskin, the head of Israel’s internal security agency, confirmed the seriousness of Hamas’s interest in maintaining the truce.

On December 20 Hamas officially announced that they would not be extending the cease-fire, which had expired on December 19, citing Israeli border closures as the primary reason, and resumed its shelling of the western Negev. Hamas blamed Israel for the end of the ceasefire, saying it had not respected its terms, including the lifting of the blockade, under which little more than humanitarian aid has been allowed into Gaza. Israel said it initially began easing the blockade, but resumed it when Hamas failed to fulfill the agreed conditions, including ending all rocket fire and halting weapons smuggling.

On December 23, Mahmoud al-Zahar, a senior Hamas leader, said that his group was willing to renew the hudna if Israel refrained from operating in Gaza, and lifted its blockade of the Gaza strip. The same day the IDF killed three Palestinian militants, stating that the militants were planting explosives on the Gaza border. Israel was also reluctant to open the border crossings, which had been closed since November. On December 24 the Negev was hit by more than 60 mortar shells and Katyusha and Qassam rockets, and the IDF was given a green light to operate. Hamas claimed to have fired a total of 87 rockets and mortar rounds that day at Israel, code-naming the firing “Operation Oil Stain”.

On December 25, 2008, Israeli Prime Minister, after Israel had “wrapped up preparations for a broad offensive”, Ehud Olmert delivered a ‘Last Minute’ Warning in an interview with the Arabic language satellite channel al-Arabiya. “I am telling them now, it may be the last minute, I’m telling them stop it. We are stronger,” he said.

On December 26, 2008, Israel reopened five crossings between Israel and Gaza for humanitarian supplies. Despite the movement of relief supplies, militants fired about a dozen rockets and mortar shells from Gaza at Israel on Friday. Fuel was allowed in for Gaza’s main power plant and about 100 trucks loaded with grain, humanitarian aid and other goods were expected during the day. Rocket attacks continued — about a dozen rockets and mortar bombs were fired from Gaza into Israel, one accidentally striking a northern Gaza house and killing two Palestinian sisters, aged five and thirteen, while wounding a third. According to Israeli defense officials, the subsequent Israeli offensive took Hamas by surprise, thereby increasing their casualties.

Air strikes

Israel launched its military operation at 11:30 a.m., December 27, when more than 50 fighter jets and attack helicopters entered Gazan airspace, killing 225-292 Palestinians and wounding more than 1,000. The IAF dropped more than 100 bombs on 50 targets, which included Hamas paramilitary bases, training camps, and underground Kassam launchers. It also hit Hamas headquarters, government offices and police stations.

About 140 members of Hamas security forces were killed, including police chief Tawfiq Jabber, the head of Hamas’ security and protection unit and the police commander for central Gaza, along with at least 15 civilians. Children were reported among the casualties. Attacks on police in Gaza were justified by Israel on the grounds that they are “combatants”; however, human rights groups say that police, even if affiliated with Hamas, are not combatants and do not represent legitimate targets unless they are actively engaged in hostilities.

Some Palestinians call this day Massacre of the Black Saturday because of the magnitude of casualties inflicted. The Israeli attack is considered to be the bloodiest one-day death toll in 60 years of conflict with the Palestinians.

Following the first day of air raids, the Israeli Air Force continued to inflict massive damage in the coming week to the Palestinian infrastructure. Among their targets were ministerial buildings, Hamas training camps, offices of the Popular Resistance Committees, homes of Hamas commanders, etc. A number of high-ranking Hamas commanders were killed in the attacks, including: Nizar Rayan, Abu Zakaria al-Jamal, Jamal Mamduch and others. Many of the killed Hamas leaders had died along with their families in their own homes. By January 3, 2009, the death toll among Palestinians was at 400, 25% of them civilians.

Airstrikes continued throughout the ground invasion that followed. The Independent reported that as of January 15, Israeli forces had carried out 2,360 airstrikes in the Gaza Strip.

Ground invasion

IDF infantry and armor units amassed near the Gaza border on December 28, engaging in an active blockade of the strip. On the evening of January 3, Israel launched its ground operation with troops entering Gaza for the first time since the operation began. The intention of the ground invasion, termed the ‘second stage’ of Operation Cast Lead, according to the Israeli Defense Forces website, is to secure areas within the Gaza strip from which rockets have been launched even after the previous Israeli operations.

Israeli ground troops entered Beit Lahiya and Beit Hanoun in northern Gaza in the early hours. Israeli forces reportedly bisected Gaza and surrounded Gaza City, but restricted their movements to areas that were not heavily urbanised. The Israeli military said forty sites had been targeted, including targets for weapons depots and rocket launch sites.

On January 3, the IDF attacked the Ibrahim al-Maqadna mosque in Beit Lahiya during evening prayers. Witnesses said over 200 Palestinians were praying inside at the time.Thirteen people, including six children, were killed. Many more people were wounded. Israel has accused Hamas of using mosques to hide weapons and ammunition.

Another three Hamas commanders were killed on January 4: Hussam Hamdan, Muhammad Hilou and Mohammed Shalpokh.

As Israeli tanks and troops seized control of large parts of the Gaza Strip, tens of thousands of Gazans fled their homes amidst artillery and gunfire, and flooded into the heart of Gaza city. Gun battles reportedly broke out between Israel and Hamas on the streets of Gaza, as Israel surrounded the city. On January 6, at least 125 Palestinians and 5 Israeli soldiers were killed. 42 of the Palestinians were civilians killed when an Israeli mortar struck a UN school which housed refuges.

On January 12, the IDF reported that it started deploying reserve forces in Gaza.

Despite the ground operation by the IDF rocket attacks by Hamas continued against southern Israel.

Pamphlets dropped on Gaza from Israeli planes contain a phone number (+972-2-5839749) where anyone can report Hamas “activity” for “targeting”. As this number can be dialed from everywhere, its quite dangerous and has abuse potential.

Attack on Gaza City

On the morning of January 11, the IDF started the third stage of the operation with an attack on the suburbs of Gaza City. Israeli forces pushed into the south of the city and reached a key junction to its north. During their advance Hamas and Islamic Jihad ambushed Israeli troops at several locations and heavy fighting ensued. Additionally, the IAF reported that Hamas operatives had tried to shoot down an IAF fixed wing aircraft with anti-aircraft missiles for the first time since operations in Gaza began. Heavy machine gun fire against helicopters had also been unsuccessful.

On January 13, Israeli tanks continued their advance toward the headquarters of Hamas’ preventative security building from the al-Karramah neighborhood in the northwest and the Tel al-Hawa neighborhood in the northeast. Before dawn, during the night, troops advanced 300 yards into Tel al-Hawa, a neighborhood which has several high-rise buildings. As troops entered the narrow streets heavy street fighting with militants ensued leaving three soldiers wounded and 30 militants dead or wounded, according to the IDF. By morning IDF soldiers were still advancing slowly towards the city center and several buildings were in flames in Tel al-Hawa, where most of the fighting took place.

On January 15, Israeli artillery started a bombardment of the city while fighting was still going on in the streets. Three high-rise buildings were shelled. The Israeli military reported to have killed dozens of militants, since breaching the city limits four days earlier, while they suffered 20-25 soldiers wounded. Among buildings shelled were the al-Quds hospital, Gaza’s second-largest, in the Tal El Hawa district; the Al-Shuruq Tower’s 13th floor, housing journalists: and the headquarters of the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA). Because of this, the United Nations will stop humanitarian aid in and outside the Gaza Strip.

Humanitarian ceasefires

After Israel faced mounting international pressure for a ceasefire in the wake of the UNRWA school attack, it announced the three-hour “humanitarian truce” on January 7, and opened a humanitarian corridor to allow aid supplies to reach Gazans. The Israeli army promised to refrain from attacks between 1 and 4 pm (UTC+2). Hamas responded that they would respect (this initial) ceasefire,^] 80 aid trucks entered the strip, and Israel delivered industrial fuel for Gaza’s power plant. Israel has repeated this ceasefire either daily or every other day. Fighting at large resumed immediately following the end of the truce. Aid officials and the UN welcomed the truce, praising it, but said it was not enough.

Despite the cessation of hostilities, a UN aid convoy was fired upon, and two aid workers were killed. The UN initially placed blame on Israeli tank fire, though on January 10, an Israeli investigation stated that the IDF was blameless, and the UN’s sources admitted “that they were not sure in which direction the truck was headed when it was hit, and could also not say with certainty that tank shells were responsible.” The UN said the delivery had been coordinated with Israel, and Chris Gunness, a UN spokesman, said that aid shipments were being suspended until the safety of UN staff could be guaranteed. As of January 8, four UNRWA aid workers had been killed over the course of the offensive. On January 9, the UN said its aid workers will resume movement in the Gaza strip, having received assurances from Israel that they are not being targeted.  A report in the Israeli media alleged that Hamas fired mortar shells on January 10, as supplies were crossing the Kerem Shalom border crossing.

Palestinian military activity

Rocket attacks into Israel

Hamas increased its rocket attacks on southern Israeli cities and communities during the conflict. Hamas also began to deploy improved Qassam and Grad rockets with a range of 40 kilometers.. Rockets reached major Israeli cities Ashkelon, Beersheba and Gedera for the first time, putting one-eighth of Israel’s population in rocket range and raising concerns about the safety of the Tel Aviv metropolitan area, Israel’s largest population center. As of January 13, Hamas had launched approximately 565 rockets and 200 mortars at Israel since the beginning of the conflict, according to Israeli security sources. Qassam strikes included a direct hit on an apartment building in the center of Ashkelon^], while Grad rockets struck the Makif Alef high school in Beersheba,^] and a home in Ashkelon on January 12.

Ground engagements

Hamas representatives claimed they were fighting with the aid of armored vehicles and weapons confiscated from the Palestinian National Authority, given by Israel, the United States and other countries. A Hamas fighter reported that the group has prepared a tunnel network in Gaza city that would allow Hamas to engage the IDF in urban warfare.  Israeli internal security chief, Yuval Diskin has alleged that Hamas had executed 70 Fatah supporters accused of collaborating with Israel, but the Haaretz said that it was “impossible to verify the numbers or identities of dead”. An unnamed Fatah official in Ramallah alleged that Hamas had placed members of Fatah under house arrest. Hamas has sent messages to Israeli citizens’ mobile phones, warning “rockets on all cities, shelters will not protect you.” BBC News quoted Hamas run media sources saying that Hamas captured two IDF soldiers during the ground offensive, though the Israeli army has declared this to be an attempt at spreading demoralising disinformation.

Attacks on Israel from outside Gaza

On January 8, 2009, three Katyusha type rockets were fired at the northern Israeli city of Nahariyya from Lebanon and two Israeli civilians were injured when their home for the aged was struck. While, the IDF returned fire at the launch sites, no party has claimed responsibility for this attack. While Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah made bold warnings against Israel during the commemoration of Ashura in Lebanon, the group did not claim responsibility for the attack and promised an investigation. According to the BBC, most analysts agree that Hezbollah’s involvement is unlikely, though others disagree. The attacks could have come from Lebanese-based Palestinian groups with no affiliation to Hezbollah, and were condemned by the Lebanese government, which arrested 7 individuals for the attacks on January 10. UN peacekeepers also reported that a rocket cache was found near the border, apparently dating to the 2006 Lebanon War.

On January 11, Israeli soldiers performing engineering work in the Golan Heights came under fire from unidentified assailants from the Syrian-controlled parts of the Golan. While on January 13, an Israeli army patrol on the Jordanian border was fired upon by unknown gunmen from the Jordanian side of the border. Both incidents resulted with no casualties. On January 14, 2009, at least 3 Katyusha rockets were fired at Israeli towns from within Lebanon, sending civilians in the Golan and Galilee regions into shelters, and prompting IDF artillery response aimed at the rocket launchers. No casualties were reported and no responsibilty for the attack was claimed.

Controversial incidents

Controversial incidents in the 2008–2009 Israel–Gaza conflict include the following:

• Dignity: On December 29, 2008, the Israeli navy confronted Diginity, a Free Gaza Movement sailboat carrying medical aid, and prevented it from reaching the Gaza Strip. The boat’s passengers alleged that their boat was “rammed” and shot at by Israeli vessels, while Israel, though confirming that there was “physical contact” with boat, denied the allegation.
• 2009 Ibrahim al-Maqadna Mosque strike: On January 3, 2009, the IDF attacked the Ibrahim al-Maqadna mosque holding 200 worshipers, killing 12 people, including 6 children. Israel has previously accused Hamas militants of hiding in mosques.
• al-Fakhura school incident: On January 6, 2009, Israel attacked a UNRWA run school holding 400 Palestinians, killing 40 civilians. Israel asserted that militants had fired from the school, while UN officials denied the claim.
• Zeitoun incident: According to witnesses, the UN and other news sources, on January 5, Israeli troops ordered 100 Palestinians into a building, and shelled the very building 24 hours later, killing 30 people and wounding many more. The IDF said no Israeli troops were present at the time of the event.
• UN Headquarters: On January 15, the IDF shelling of the UN headquarters in Gaza, allegedly with white phosphorus, destroyed hundreds of tons food and fuel, drawing condemnation from European countries. UNRWA dismissed the Israeli claim that Hamas fired from the site and Israel called its attack a “grave error”.

Under international law warring parties are obliged to distinguish between combatants and civilians, ensure that attacks on legitimate military targets are proportional, and guarantee that the military advantage of such attacks outweigh the possible harm done to civilians. Violations of these laws are considered war crimes.

Also under international law occupying powers have certain responsibilities to those under occupation. Israel asserts that it ended its occupation of Gaza when it disengaged from the coastal strip in 2005. However, the UNRWA and Human Rights Watch disagree and consider Israel an occupying power.  One of the reasons for this is because of the behavior of restrictions, checkpoints, raids, embargoes and overriding policies Israel demonstrates over Gaza, indicating its dominant attitude over Gaza.