Gaza Strip

2008-2009 Gaza conflict

In January 2009, Israel launched an invasion of the Gaza Strip with the stated aim of ending rocket attacks and destroying tunnels into Gaza used to smuggle weapons as well as food and fuel; this widened to the removal of Hamas. The operation led to at least 1,300 of Palestinian deaths, with limited humanitarian assistance permitted, and devastated many areas; over 50,00 people were left homeless. The Israeli civilian death toll was three, with 10 soldiers also killed (four by 'friendly fire'). With international pressure growing, the two sides agreed on a temporary daily truce on 7th January, with hopes that this would lead to a permanent ceasefire.

Major hostilities ended on 18th January, with talks opening in Cairo aimed at building a lasting truce. Israel lifted a ban on international aid agencies entering the Gaza Strip on 23rd January; the United Nations' Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Sir John Holmes, criticised Israel for the destruction in Gaza, which led to raw sewage flooding streets and buildings levelled over wide areas. Meanwhile, smugglers resumed moving supplies through tunnels from Egypt. Occasional rocket launches from Gaza, again with no injury or loss of life, continued after the end of major hostilities, and an Israeli soldier was killed by a roadside bomb; Israel issued a warning that it would use "disproportionate" force in response.

Satelite imaging allowed researchers to identify over 1,000 destroyed or damaged buildings; the United Nations Development Programme network estimated that 14,000 Gazan homes, 219 factories and 240 schools had been destroyed in the conflict. Rebuilding efforts would be made under restrictions on imports into Gaza, and an early estimate put costs at over $2 billion over up to five years.