Israel, Hamas have warred 6 times before; what's different now?

Israel and Palestine have had a long history of armed conflict. It started in the mid-20th century and has been one of the longest-continuing conflicts in human history. Tensions have periodically flared up ever since the Israeli military occupied Gaza and the West Bank in the 1967 Six-Day War, with Palestinian armed groups launching rocket and mortar attacks and Israel quashing those with its superior military might.

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Since 1987, Israel has been at war with Palestinian groups seven times. These were carried out mostly by Hamas, either solo or along with other groups. The other Palestinian groups fighting from West Bank or Gaza are the Islamic Jihad, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), the Popular Resistance Committees, Fatah, and the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP). 

The key difference between those and the current attack is not only in terms of scale but also in the fact that Israel was the agent provocateur in many of those cases but this time it has simply been caught off guard by the unprecedented level of assault by the Islamist military group-cum-political party. Here is a brief recall of the various wars fought by the two sides.

First Intifada (1987-1993)

As Israel’s military occupation of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip approached its 20-year anniversary, Palestine erupted into an uprising marked by a series of protests and violent riots in the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories as well as Israel. This uprising is known as the First Intifada or Stone Intifada.

While the Palestinian offensive was marked by strikes, protests, civil disobedience, and throwing of stones and Molotov cocktails at the Israeli forces, Israel answered with an 80,000-strong force that used disproportionately lethal force against the protesters. The uprising continued for close to six years, from December 1987 until the Madrid Conference of 1991.

It is estimated that in those six years, the IDF killed some 1,160-1,200 Palestinians. Israel suffered some 100 civilian deaths and the loss of 60 defence personnel. Hamas played a major role in the First Intifada along with the Unified National Leadership of the Uprising.

Second Intifada (2000-2005)

The Second Intifada or the Al-Aqsa Intifada was also a major Palestinian uprising in Gaza and West Bank, along with and Israel. The failure of the 2000 Camp David Summit to reach an agreement on the Israeli-Palestinian peace process played a part in provoking the violence. So did then Israeli Opposition leader Ariel Sharon’s controversial visit to the Al-Aqsa compound on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.

Israeli police initially quelled the protests with rubber bullets and tear gas and then resorted to gunfire, targeted killings, and tank and aerial attacks. Palestinians replied with stone-throwing, gunfire, suicide bombings, and rocket attacks. The violence is estimated to have claimed the lives of around 3,000 Palestinians, 1,000 Israelis, and 64 foreigners. Hamas was again a major force in the uprising along with the Palestinian National Authority.

Operation Cast Lead (December 2008-January 2009)

In the Arab world, this three-week conflict is known as the “Gaza Massacre”, while Hamas refers to it as the Battle of al-Furqan. It happened between Palestinian paramilitary groups in Gaza Strip and Israeli forces. It started on December 27, 2008, when Israel launched a surprise air strike on Gaza, apparently to stop rocket fire from there and prevent the import of arms into Gaza. Israeli forces attacked both military and civilian targets, police stations, and government buildings.

In three weeks, some 1,150-1,400 Palestinians were dead, while Israel suffered 13 casualties. Hamas replied with rocket and mortar attacks on southern Israel, including the major cities of Beersheba and Ashdod. The conflict ended on January 18, 2009, with a unilateral ceasefire.

Operation Pillar of Defense (November 14-21, 2012)

On November 14, 2012, the IDF launched Operation Pillar of Defence, an eight-day campaign in the Gaza Strip. It began with the killing of Ahmed Jabari, chief of Hamas' Gaza military wing by an Israeli airstrike. Over the weeks, the IDF said it had come across over 1,500 sites in the Gaza Strip that included rocket launchpads, weapon depots, government facilities, and apartment blocks. A UN estimate placed Palestinian casualties at 174.

On November 21, following negotiations between Hamas and Israel, Egypt managed to mediate a ceasefire.

Operation Protective Edge (July-August 2014)

Israel launched this military operation on July 8, 2014, in the Gaza Strip, after three Israeli teenagers were reportedly kidnapped and killed in the West Bank by Hamas-affiliated militants. It started with the arrests of 350 Palestinians, including nearly all active Hamas militants in the West Bank. Hamas replied by firing a large number of rockets into Israel from Gaza, sparking a seven-week violent conflict that claimed close to 2,500 lives, most of them being Gazan Palestinians.

Operation Guardian of the Walls (May 2021)

This conflict started on May 6, 2021, over the impending eviction of six Palestinian families living in what is Palestinian territory under international law but annexed by Israel in 1980. The Palestinian protesters started by stone-pelting on May 7, while Israeli police answered by storming the Al-Aqsa Mosque, using tear gas, rubber bullets, and stun grenades.

On the afternoon of May 10, Hamas issued a 6 pm deadline to Israel to withdraw its forces from the mosque complex. The ultimatum expired without any response from Israel. Next, Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad launched rockets from the Gaza Strip into Israel, prompting the later to launch a barrage of airstrikes on Gaza. By the time ceasefire came into effect on May 21, some 260 Palestinians, including 66 children, were dead, while at least 13 people, including two children, lost their lives in Israel.

Operation Iron Swords (Oct 7, 2023 - )

The ongoing one started on October 7, 2023, with Hamas-led Palestinian militant groups launching a large-scale attack on Israel. Amid what is suspected to be a massive intelligence failure, the Israelis were caught entirely by surprise. The attack involved the launch of thousands of rockets. Militants entered Israel via land, air, and sea. The Israelis launched a counteroffensive, termed Operation Iron Swords. With thousands dead, the war threatens to be a prolonged one.