2008 Hamas–Israel ceasefire

2008 Egyptian-brokered six-month temporary peace in Gaza yes June 2025 thumb|200px|Monthly rocket hits in Israel in 2008, according to Israeli military-tied Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center The 2008 Hamas–Israel ceasefire was an Egyptian-brokered six-month Tahdia (an Arabic term for a lull) "for the Gaza area", which went into effect between Hamas and Israel on 19 June 2008.https://www.theguardian.com/world/2008/jun/19/israelandthepalestinians Gaza militants and Israel begin fragile truce Peter Walker and agencies The Guardian 19 June 2008 13 December 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20161231080254/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2008/jun/19/israelandthepalestinians 31 December 2016 live According to the Egyptian-brokered agreement, Israel promised to stop air strikes and other attacks, while in return, there would not be rocket attacks on Israel from Gaza. Once the ceasefire held, Israel was to gradually begin to ease its blockade of Gaza. During the initial week of the ceasefire, Islamic Jihad militants fired rockets on Israel. Under pressure from Hamas, Islamic Jihad had agreed to abide by the temporary truce, which was meant to apply only to Gaza, but had balked at the idea of not responding to Israeli military actions in the West Bank. The New York Times reported that the Islamic Jihad action broke the Hamas-Israeli Gaza truce.Rockets hit Israel, breaking Hamas truce International Herald Tribune Isabel Kershner 25 June 2008 https://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/25/world/middleeast/25mideast.html 16 January 2009 https://web.archive.org/web/20090210013724/http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/06/25/africa/25mideast.php 10 February 2009 live During the next 5 months of the ceasefire, Gazan attacks decreased significantly for a total of 19 rocket and 18 mortar shell launchings,http://www.terrorism-info.org.il/data/pdf/PDF_19045_2.pdf Summary of rocket fire and mortar shelling in 2008 Israel Intelligence Heritage & Commemoration Center (IICC) 21 August 2014 https://web.archive.org/web/20160303215003/http://www.terrorism-info.org.il/data/pdf/PDF_19045_2.pdf 3 March 2016 live compared to 1199 rockets and 1072 mortar shells in 2008 up to 19 June, a reduction of 98%.http://sadaka.ie/Files/Gaza_Ceasefire.pdf The Israel-Hamas ceasefire of 19 June to 4 Nov. 2008 Dr. David Morrison SADAKA 2 March 2010 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20140826203113/http://sadaka.ie/Files/Gaza_Ceasefire.pdf 26 August 2014 The agreement called on Israel to increase the level of goods entering Gaza by 30 percent over the pre-lull period within 72 hours and to open all border crossings and "allow the transfer of all goods that were banned and restricted to go into Gaza" within 13 days after the beginning of the ceasefire. The increase in supplies of food, water, medicine and fuel did improve, but the increase was only to an average of about 20 percent of normal levels.https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/07/AR2009010702645.html An Unnecessary War Jimmy Carter Washington Post 8 January 2009 23 August 2017 https://web.archive.org/web/20170911052630/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/07/AR2009010702645.html 11 September 2017 live Two months later the volume of goods arriving was too low to significantly improved living conditions,https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7570605.stm Truce barely eases Gaza embargo Aleem Maqbool BBC News 19 August 2008 16 January 2009 https://web.archive.org/web/20150128115531/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7570605.stm 28 January 2015 live preventing UNRWA from replenishing its stores.https://books.google.com/books?id=xuQstngyHdEC&pg=PT175 Hopes and Prospects Noam Chomsky Hardcover Penguin Group 2011 978-0-241-14476-3 8 November 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20160123112516/https://books.google.com/books?id=xuQstngyHdEC&pg=PT175&lpg=PT175&dq 23 January 2016 live Israel told U.S. officials in 2008 it would keep Gaza's economy "on the brink of collapse".https://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/wikileaks-israel-aimed-to-keep-gaza-economy-on-brink-of-collapse-1.335354 WikiLeaks: Israel aimed to keep Gaza economy on brink of collapse Reuters 5 January 2011 26 August 2014 https://web.archive.org/web/20140827025718/http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/wikileaks-israel-aimed-to-keep-gaza-economy-on-brink-of-collapse-1.335354 27 August 2014 live registration Haaretz On 4 November 2008, Israel raided Gaza, killing six Hamas militants and effectively ending the ceasefire.The June 2008 Gaza Ceasefire Carter CenterRory McCarthy, 'Gaza truce broken as Israeli raid kills six Hamas gunmen,' The Guardian 5 November 2008 The Israeli military said the target of the raid was a tunnel that they said Hamas was planning to use to capture Israeli soldiers positioned on the border fence 250m away. Hamas officials said that the tunnel was being dug for defensive purposes. Following the Israeli raid, Hamas launched barrage of rocket fire at targets in southern Israel. On 20 December, Hamas announced it would not renew the ceasefire. Israel commenced Operation Cast Lead, an organized ground and air assault against military and police targets in Hamas-controlled Gaza, on 27 December 2008, sparking the 2008-2009 Gaza conflict. Background Israel-Gaza conflict thumb|left|325px|Number of Mortar & Rocket hits in Israel After its 2006 Palestinian legislative election victory, Hamas assumed administrative control of Gaza, consolidating its this control after a military conflict with Fatah. Israel and Egypt then partially sealed their border crossings with Gaza, on the grounds that Fatah was no longer providing security. They imposed a blockade on the territory, prohibiting many exports and allowing only enough imported goods to avert a humanitarian or health crisis.Abbas's Premier Tells Israel to Reopen Gaza The New York Times Isabel Kershner 14 December 2007 https://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/14/world/middleeast/14mideast.html 16 January 2009 https://web.archive.org/web/20111130045542/http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/14/world/middleeast/14mideast.html 30 November 2011 live After many acts of violence, foreign journalists left the Gaza strip due to the lack of security in the zone.http://www.newsgd.com/news/world1/200701040010.htm Foreigners asked to leave Gaza after AFP journalist abducted - World - News Brief - Newsgd 16 January 2009 https://web.archive.org/web/20090108205218/http://www.newsgd.com/news/world1/200701040010.htm 8 January 2009 live https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6592055.stm BBC News Reporting risks leave Gaza neglected 25 April 2007 22 April 2010 Martin Patience https://web.archive.org/web/20071008131937/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6592055.stm 8 October 2007 live As a result of the June 2007 tightening of the Israeli embargo on Gaza,http://www.cartercenter.org/peace/conflict_resolution/middle-east/index.html Hamas, the Gaza Siege, and Palestinian Unity The Carter Center 29 August 2014 https://web.archive.org/web/20140808182929/http://www.cartercenter.org/peace/conflict_resolution/middle-east/index.html 8 August 2014 dead Hamas and other Palestinian paramilitias more than doubled the monthly number of Qassam rockets and mortars fired from the Gaza strip into Southern Israel. Israel conducted airstrikes and raids against Hamas and other targets in Gaza during 2007 and 2008.http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3402910,00.html 14 January 2009 21 May 2007 Yedioth Ahronoth Airstrike targets Qassam cell https://web.archive.org/web/20090106011125/http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0%2C7340%2CL-3402910%2C00.html 6 January 2009 dead Hamas considers Israel an illegitimate state and Israel views Hamas as a terrorist group that must be dismantled.Gaza Truce May Be Revived by Necessity https://web.archive.org/web/20110501014554/http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/20/world/middleeast/20mideast.html?scp=2&sq=Ethan%20Bronner%20December%202008%20gaza&st=cse 1 May 2011 . By Ethan Bronner. The New York Times. Published 19 December 2008. There is no mutually agreed text or enforcement mechanism in the understanding brokered between the two parties, neither of which recognizes the other, that would facilitate a formal ceasefire or armistice. After visiting Israel and Palestine in April 2008, former President Jimmy Carter stated that "Palestinian leaders from Gaza were noncommittal on all issues, these leaders claimed that rockets were the only way to respond to their imprisonment and to dramatize their humanitarian plight. The top Hamas leaders in Damascus, however, agreed to consider a cease-fire in Gaza only, provided Israel would not attack Gaza and would permit normal humanitarian supplies to be delivered to Palestinian citizens." Hamas was willing to consider a cease-fire in both Gaza and the Fatah controlled West Bank, but the Israelis were only interested in a Gaza agreement. At the beginning of the cease-fire, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert stated that "We have no illusions. The calm is fragile and likely to be short-lived." He also said that "Hamas is the address in Gaza, and it carries responsibility for everything that happens in Gaza".Olmert: Gaza cease-fire is fragile, may be short lived https://web.archive.org/web/20181002020259/https://www.haaretz.com/1.4993054 2 October 2018 . By Amos Harel and Jack Khoury. Published 18 June 2009. Hamas leadership had low expectations as well. Just minutes before the start, Israeli aircraft fired on a Gazan rocket launching squad, killing one militant.Olmert: Truce with Hamas 'fragile' https://web.archive.org/web/20110124115016/http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2008/jun/20/olmert-says-truce-with-hamas-fragile/ 24 January 2011 . By Joshua Mitnick. The Washington Times. Published 20 June 2008. Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh described the proposed period in Arabic as a Tahdia, meaning a temporary moment of calm and not a formal cease-fire.Hamas offering Israel truce, not peace https://web.archive.org/web/20120105105652/http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2008-03-12-374518999_x.htm 5 January 2012 . USA Today. Published 3 December 2008. The Israeli opposition in the Knesset blasted the agreement. Likud Chairman Benjamin Netanyahu said, "This is not a relaxation, it's an Israeli agreement to the rearming of Hamas... What are we getting for this?" In Palestine, Authority President Mahmoud Abbas praised it, and he used the lull to seek reconciliation with Hamas. Ha'aretz has alleged that even at the very beginning of the cease-fire Defense Minister Ehud Barak prepared a comprehensive intelligence-gathering program setting up battle plans against Hamas. Ceasefire Terms The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) summarised the key components of the ceasefire as follows: On 19 June, at 6 am, the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas went into effect. As part of the ceasefire, Palestinian militants agreed to immediately halt their attacks on Israel and Israel agreed to cease its military operations in Gaza. Israel also agreed to ease its blockade of Gaza and to gradually lift its ban on the import of a large number of commodities. The ceasefire is supposed to be in force for six months. A report by the British House of Commons Library, published on 22 January 2009, provides Hamas' understanding of the terms of the ceasefire: Mutual agreement to cease all military activities by the start of "zero hour" on Thursday 19 June, at 6:00 AM. Duration of ceasefire is six months according to agreement concluded among the national parties under Egyptian auspices. Ceasefire will be implemented under national consensus and under Egyptian auspices. After 72 hours from the start of the ceasefire, the crossing points will be opened to allow 30 per cent more goods to enter the Gaza strip. Ten days after that (i.e. thirteen days after ceasefire begins), all crossings would be open between Gaza and Israel, and Israel will allow the transfer of all goods that were banned or restricted to go into Gaza. Egypt will work to expand the ceasefire into the West Bank later. http://www.parliament.uk/briefing-papers/SN04946.pdf Gaza: The conflict between Israel and Hamas Stephen Jones House of Commons Library 22 January 2009 SN/IA/04946 The agreement also provided for "movement toward the release of Corporal Shalit".https://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/18/world/middleeast/18mideast.html?_r=0 Israel Agrees to Truce with Hamas on Gaza Isabel Kershner The New York Times 18 June 2008 21 February 2017 https://web.archive.org/web/20170301062833/http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/18/world/middleeast/18mideast.html?_r=0 1 March 2017 live On the day of the agreement the BBC referred to the Shalit issue as "negotiations on the return of captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit were expected to resume within a few days".https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7460504.stm Israel agrees to Gaza ceasefire BBC News 18 June 2008 18 September 2014 https://web.archive.org/web/20110512032952/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7460504.stm 12 May 2011 live Instead, Shalit's release would be dependent on Israel agreeing to a prisoner swap, and be discussed separately from the truce, as Hamas wanted.http://www.imra.org.il/story.php3?id=39669 ANALYSIS: Cease-fire deal means Hamas is in charge Zvi Bar'el www.imra.org.il 18 June 2008 18 September 2014 https://web.archive.org/web/20160303231754/http://www.imra.org.il/story.php3?id=39669 3 March 2016 live Shalit's father and grandfather attacked the Israeli government for leaving the soldier out of the cease-fire agreement. http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2008/jun/20/olmert-says-truce-with-hamas-fragile/#ixzz3Dfz0Jg3y Olmert: Truce with Hamas 'fragile' Joshua Mitnick The Washington Times 20 June 2008 29 March 2009 https://web.archive.org/web/20110124115016/http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2008/jun/20/olmert-says-truce-with-hamas-fragile/#ixzz3Dfz0Jg3y 24 January 2011 live Ceasefire progress According to The New York Times, neither side fully respected the terms of the cease-fire. Hamas undertook to stop other groups from firing rockets at Israel. It took some days, but it was largely successful, with Hamas imposing its will and even imprisoning some of those who were firing rockets. Nonetheless, some rockets still continued to be fired from Gaza. On the other hand, the Israeli blockade of Gaza was loosened, but the goods shipments, while up some 25 to 30 percent and including a mix of more items, never began to approach the pre-blockade levels. Hamas hoped that the accord would lead Israel to suspend attacks on the West Bank and Gaza. Israeli forces continued to attack Hamas and other militants in the West Bank, prompting the rogue Palestinian militants in Gaza to fire rockets. The Israeli military also found several dozen improvised explosive devices and sniper fire cases on the Gaza border. Israel in turn hoped that the accord would lead to progress on negotiations for the release of Gilad Shalit; neither hope was met. USA Today stated on 1 July that it was not clear how Hamas would know definitively whether a rocket was fired. Several militant factions operate inside Gaza. But Israel had taken a zero tolerance policy towards the truce in which every rocket and/or mortar attack would be punished in some way.Talk page section July 2017 On 11 August 2008 Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak said that a military invasion of the Gaza Strip would not stop cross-border rocket attacks by Palestinian militants, but that the seven-week-old truce mediated by Egypt had halted the barrages for the first time in years. He said the numbers of short-range unguided rockets hitting Israel from Gaza had been reduced from hundreds to a handful. The same day a senior Hamas official said that the Islamic organization was not interested in renewing talks to free the abducted Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit until Israel completely lifted the siege on Gaza.https://unispal.un.org/DPA/DPR/unispal.nsf/0/A3DB135139D4C97D852574C8006C245C Chronological Review of Events Relating to the Question of Palestine, August 2008 Division for Palestinian Rights UNISPAL 2008 14 July 2017 Israeli violations of the ceasefire prior to 4 November 2008 Palestinian Center for Human Rights recorded several IDF violations in the early days of the lull. On 19 June 2008, just a few hours after the beginning of the ceasefire Israeli forces opened fire against fishermen and farmers in Gaza."IOF troops breach truce in Gaza Strip, shoot at Palestinian fishermen" Palestinian Information Center 20 June 2008 https://web.archive.org/web/20110216160632/http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/en/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k%2bcOd87MDI46m9rUxJEpMO%2bi1s7ciPmZzO4AXIIgtY58Ua0zX7qTXjkqeWIPpEpPMxmREjVvakAsy9E%2bwAURSW4noW%2fuVrjfzkM1uV7PEPACUWmnbYxwOqorrVHeqaKPJknxEk%3d 16 February 2011 On 23 June, Israeli forces opened fire against children and farmers in northern Gaza Strip, wounding one of the farmers, Jameel 'Abdul Rahman al-Ghoul, 68, in the neck. Subsequently, a mortar was fired at Israel from Gaza.https://unispal.un.org/DPA/DPR/unispal.nsf/0/B491A5E6F8D08BCB852574C800696C8D Chronological Review of Events Relating to the Question of Palestine, June 2008 Division for Palestinian Rights UNISPAL 2008 14 July 2017 https://web.archive.org/web/20180807185956/https://unispal.un.org/DPA/DPR/unispal.nsf/0/B491A5E6F8D08BCB852574C800696C8D 7 August 2018 live On 24 June 2008, Israel raided the city of Nablus on the West Bank, outside of the cease-fire area,https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna25346051 https://web.archive.org/web/20080627111738/http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25346051/ live 27 June 2008 8 January 2009 25 June 2008 MSNBC.com Israel closes Gaza crossings after rocket fire killing a commander of Islamic Jihad and one other Palestinian.https://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/7470530.stm Rockets 'violated Gaza ceasefire' 24 June 2008 7 January 2009 BBC https://web.archive.org/web/20081230111214/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7470530.stm 30 December 2008 live Before the raid, unknown militants had fired a mortar into Southern Israel.The Boston Globe Palestinian rockets threaten truce 6 June 2009 25 June 2008 http://archive.boston.com/news/world/middleeast/articles/2008/06/25/palestinian_rockets_threaten_truce/ https://web.archive.org/web/20090122093449/http://www.boston.com/news/world/middleeast/articles/2008/06/25/palestinian_rockets_threaten_truce/?rss_id=Boston+Globe+--+World+News 22 January 2009 live Josef Federman Later the same day, three Qassam rockets were fired from Gaza into Sderot, Israel, causing two minor injuries; Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility, stating the attack was in response to the Israeli raid. Israel then closed border crossings into Gaza; this was criticized by Hamas which said Israel was "backtracking on the calm".USA Today 1 July 2008 6 July 2009 https://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2008-07-01-Israel-Gaza-crossings_N.htm Israel closes Gaza crossings after rocket attack MSNBC has described the violence that day as the truce's "first serious test". Both sides continued to pursue calm afterward. On 25 June, Israeli forces opened fire against farmers in southeastern Gaza Strip, injuring Salem Ahmed Abu Raida, 82, in the hand.http://www.pchrgaza.org/files/W_report/English/2008/26-06-2008.htm PCHR weekly report No. 26/2008 19–25 June 2008 25 January 2010 https://web.archive.org/web/20090612192505/http://www.pchrgaza.org/files/W_report/English/2008/26-06-2008.htm 12 June 2009 dead Islamic Jihad threatened to renew rocket fire after the shooting. "We will respond to every Zionist violation at a suitable time," a spokesman Abu Hamza said. Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak ordered the closure of all the crossings into the Gaza Strip. In response the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade fired a Qassam rocket at the western Negev the next day.January 2026 On 28 June IDF troops killed 7-year-old Mohamed Al Allami during a military operation in the village of Beit Omer, south of Hebron. Islamic Jihad fired a rocket or mortar shell into southern Israel, threatening to resume rocket attacks if Israel continued military operations in the West Bank.January 2026 On 29 June a Hamas official in charge of agriculture in the Gaza Strip Mohammad Ramadan Al-Agha said that the IDF was shooting at Gaza's farmers whenever they went to their land near the borders. On 1 July a Palestinian woman was shot and wounded in the leg by the Israeli Army near the Sufa border crossing in the southern Gaza Strip while she was tending her sheep.January 2026 On 10 July Israeli troops killed an unarmed Palestinian near the border in the southern Gaza Strip, an IDF spokesman said. The Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades claimed the victim had been one of its members. Palestinians fired two Qassam rockets into Israel's western Negev region, hours after the killing. Hamas arrested three militants from the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades immediately after they launched the rockets at targets in Israel. On 14 July the PA Ministry of Agriculture said that 75 per cent of agricultural lands in the Gaza Strip had been razed by the IDF. On 23 July the IDF shot and wounded a Palestinian in the Gaza Strip.https://unispal.un.org/DPA/DPR/unispal.nsf/0/D33DD4A30C6FBE77852574C8006B6400 Chronological Review of Events Relating to the Question of Palestine, July 2008 Division for Palestinian Rights UNISPAL 2008 14 July 2017 https://web.archive.org/web/20180807185940/https://unispal.un.org/DPA/DPR/unispal.nsf/0/D33DD4A30C6FBE77852574C8006B6400 7 August 2018 live Hamas' observance of the ceasefire prior to 4 November 2008 Prior to the incident on 4 November, in which Israeli forces destroyed a cross-border tunnel and killed six of its operatives, Hamas had been scrupulously adhering to the ceasefire – not firing rockets itself and reining in other Palestinian groups.Mason Victoria Poynting Scott Whyte David Counter-Terrorism and State Political Violence: The 'war on Terror' as Terror 'No permission to shoot in Gaza is necessary': Israeli State terror against Palestinians in Gaza during Operation Cast Lead Routledge 2012 119–122 978-0-415-60720-9 Hamas' adherence to the ceasefire was admitted by official Israeli spokesperson, Mark Regev. In an interview with David Fuller on More4 News (a sister programme of the U.K.'s Channel 4 News) on 9 January 2009, two weeks into Israel's assault on Gaza, Regev explained that "Success is freeing the civilian population of southern Israel from the fear of an incoming Hamas rockets."http://www.david-morrison.org.uk/palestine/israel-hamas-ceasefire.htm How Israel torpedoed its ceasefire with Hamas to produce a casus belli Morrison, David 2009 13 July 2017 https://web.archive.org/web/20141231175722/http://www.david-morrison.org.uk/palestine/israel-hamas-ceasefire.htm 31 December 2014 live When Fuller put it to Regev that "there were no Hamas rockets during the ceasefire before 4 November, there were no Hamas rockets for 4 months", Regev replied: "That's correct".Who Broke The Cease Fire – Hamas or Israel 2008 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SILJxPTqjAM David Fuller More4 News 9 January 2009 0:56 14 July 2017 https://web.archive.org/web/20170727160819/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SILJxPTqjAM 27 July 2017 live Support for Regev's view is found in a document provided to journalists, published by Israel's Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Centre: "Hamas was careful to maintain the ceasefire".http://www.terrorism-info.org.il/en/article/18366 The Six Months of the Lull Arrangement The Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Centre 19 December 2008 13 July 2017 https://web.archive.org/web/20170610034007/http://www.terrorism-info.org.il/en/article/18366 10 June 2017 live Despite Israel's refusal to comply with the truce agreement to end the siege, Hamas brought rocket and mortar fire from Gaza to a virtual halt during the summer and fall of 2008. Hamas "tried to enforce the terms of the arrangement" on other Palestinian groups, taking "a number of steps against networks which violated the arrangement," including short-term detention and confiscating their weapons, but it could not completely end the rocket and mortar shell attacks by these rogue factions in Gaza. Hamas had sought support in Gazan public opinion for its policy of maintaining the ceasefire.https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/01/09/israel-rejected-hamas-cea_n_156639.html?show_comment_id=19558888 Israel Rejected Hamas Ceasefire Offer in December Gareth Porter Huffington Post 2009 21 June 2018 https://web.archive.org/web/20171012110621/https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/01/09/israel-rejected-hamas-cea_n_156639.html?show_comment_id=19558888 12 October 2017 live Violations of the Hamas–Israel agreement by other Gaza organisations A week after the cease-fire agreement was reached, Hamas called on other Palestinian factions to abide by the truce. A rocket attack on Israel by al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades was condemned by Hamas as "unpatriotic."Haniyeh: All Palestinian factions should honor truce https://web.archive.org/web/20090331212847/http://www.ynet.co.il/english/articles/0,7340,L-3561133,00.html 31 March 2009 . Yedioth Ahronoth. Published 26 Jun 2008. Hamas claimed it would imprison anyone, from its own ranks or other groups, caught firing rockets, but also explicitly stated it would not police the border with Israel.Hamas official slams factions for firing rockets into Israel https://web.archive.org/web/20090802010508/http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-06/28/content_8455326.htm 2 August 2009 . Xinhua News Agency. Published 28 Jun 2008. On 28 June, Saeb Erekat, the PLO's chief negotiator, called upon all groups to honor the lull, calling it the "supreme Palestinian interest" above all else. The three rocket attacks made from 19 to 28 June led Israel to slow down the re-opening of Gaza border areas. On 29 June, the Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center commented that Hamas preferred to exert outside pressure on the rocket attackers and refused to confront them directly. Hamas believed that 19 June agreement required it to end rocket attacks upon Israel in exchange for an end of the blockade. According to The New York Times: It took some days, but they were largely successful. Hamas imposed its will and even imprisoned some of those who were firing rockets. Israeli and United Nations figures show that while more than 300 rockets were fired into Israel in May, 10 to 20 were fired in July, depending on who was counting and whether mortar rounds were included. In August, 10 to 30 were fired, and in September, 5 to 10. On 5 July Egyptian authorities found weapons and explosives in the Sinai desert they believe were destined for the Gaza Strip. On 8 July the IDF said Gaza militants fired a mortar shell into the western Negev in another violation of the truce. On 11 July Hamas arrested another four members of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades in the village of Beit Hanoun in the northern Gaza Strip. On 12 and 13 July Gaza militants fired single rockets into Israel Rocket and mortar attacks continued at a rate of several rockets per month.Article does not support "several rockets per month July 2017July 2017 Shortly after the start of the truce, the Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center commented that "rogue terrorist organizations" opposed to Hamas continued to carry out attacks.Implementing the lull arrangement https://web.archive.org/web/20120415092721/http://www.terrorism-info.org.il/malam_multimedia/English/eng_n/html/lull_290608e.htm 15 April 2012 . Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center'. Retrieved 14 January 2009. Nevertheless, rocket fire decreased 98% in the four and a half months between 18 June and 4 November when compared to the four and a half months preceding the ceasefire, since over 1,894 rockets were fired into Israel from 1 February to 18 June and just 37 were fired between 18 June and the beginning of November.Article does not support that number July 2017Summary of Rocket Fire and Mortar Shelling in 2008 https://web.archive.org/web/20110524125511/http://www.terrorism-info.org.il/malam_multimedia/English/eng_n/pdf/ipc_e007.pdf 24 May 2011 . (pdf) Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center. Retrieved 14 January 2009. pp. 5–7. Drop in rocket fire calculated from data provided in report. However, the amount of rocket fire was only decreased by about 20% when comparing the lull in November 2008 to the time shortly before Hamas took power in Gaza.July 2017 On 20 November 2008, Human Rights Watch wrote an open letter to Ismail Haniyeh, Prime Minister of the Palestinian Authority in Gaza, and Khaled Mishaal, leader of the Islamic Resistance Movement, stating that: We recognize that until last week Hamas took efforts to halt rocket attacks by other groups as part of the 19 June ceasefire. However, throughout the ceasefire period other armed groups have continued to intermittently fire rockets from Gaza. As the governing authority in the Gaza Strip, it is your responsibility under international law to prevent such attacks, and to arrest and prosecute those who carry them out. We also urge you to take all necessary measures to curb such unlawful attacks whether or not the current ceasefire remains in place or is extended beyond its 19 December deadline. Security forces under your control in Gaza have also demonstrated an ability to curb rocket fire. On at least two occasions, Hamas security personnel arrested people accused of firing rockets. On 10 July at least three members of the Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades were detained for firing rockets. All were later released however, and no charges were brought against them.Letter to Hamas to Stop Rocket Attacks https://web.archive.org/web/20150326080817/http://www.hrw.org/en/news/2008/11/20/letter-hamas-stop-rocket-attacks 26 March 2015 . By SarahLeah Whitson. Human Rights Watch. Published 20 November 2008. Blockade agreements Blockade of the Gaza Strip The Palestinians who negotiated the cease-fire believed that the commerce in Gaza was 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.Truce barely eases Gaza embargo . By Aleem Maqbool. BBC News. Published 19 August 2008. Israel permitted a 20% increase in goods trucked into Gaza in the pre-lull period, up from 70 to 90 truckloads a day, and that included not only humanitarian supplies but also clothes, shoes, refrigerators, and construction materials.Guide: Gaza under blockade . By Heather Sharp. BBC News. Published 11 November 2008. Fuel supplies increased from 55MW worth to 65MW worth. BBC News reported on 11 November that Gaza was then receiving only 28% of the amount of goods traded before the Hamas takeover. Israel has stated that food imports into the Strip were restricted by its inability to operate at border checkpoints facing constant Palestinian attack, and not because of any Israeli-imposed limits. It has accused Hamas of exacerbating fuel shortages by leading labor union strikes by power plant workers. It has also accused Hamas of underfunding the Gaza health care system, and then blaming the situation on Israel despite its free trade of medical supplies. It maintains that some individuals claiming to require medical attention in Israel were in fact planning terrorist attacks, therefore forcing the government to impose travel restrictions. It also 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. ElKhodary, Taghreed https://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/29/world/middleeast/29mideast.html Israeli Attacks in Gaza Strip Continue for Second Day The New York Times 28 December 2008 30 December 2008 https://web.archive.org/web/20090410134613/http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/29/world/middleeast/29mideast.html live 10 April 2009 Over the one-month period from 4 November to 8 December, about 700 truckloads of goods went into Gaza, which is about the amount of material that would have gone through in a single day without a blockade.Jimmy Carter on "An Unnecessary War" https://web.archive.org/web/20090330055615/http://www.thenation.com/blogs/thebeat/395200/jimmy_carter_on_an_unnecessary_war?rel=hp_blogs_box 30 March 2009 . By John Nichols. The Nation. Published 1 August 2009.Olmert aide supports free Gaza https://web.archive.org/web/20141006090950/http://washingtonbureau.typepad.com/jerusalem/2008/12/olmert-aide-supports-free-gaza.html 6 October 2014 . By Dion Nissenbaum. McClatchy Newspapers. Published 8 December 2008 Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum said in mid-July that "easing restrictions on Gaza crossings is going very slow and the population doesn't feel that there is basically a real truce and a normal life." Jimmy Carter has stated that he believes the cease-fire could have lasted had Israel been willing to lift the blockade and allow in an "adequate" amount of humanitarian supplies. Gilad Shalit Gilad Shalit A group of Gaza militants, including Hamas' armed wing Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, captured Israeli Staff Sergeant Gilad Shalit in June 2006 and had held him as a hostage ever since, connecting his release to the Israel release of Palestinian prisoners. Israel directly tied his release to the cease-fire. However, the issue was not mentioned in the initial cease-fire itself, which led Shalit's father and grandfather to attack the Israeli government. In the early stage of the lull, Israeli officials had stated that they found "a certain sense of progress" on Shalit's release. Hamas considered Shalit's status to be entirely separate from the cease-fire negotiations themselves. It conditioned a deal about his release to the end of the Israeli blockade of Gaza. The lack of progress in the Egyptian-supervised talks about Shalit severely strained the ceasefire.Shalit's fate vague amid ongoing inter-Palestinian crisisJuly 2022 medicmedic. By Sun Yunlong. Xinhua News Agency. Published 20 July 2008. An offer by Israel in June to release 450 prisoners was rejected by Hamas, who asked for 1,000 prisoners.Report: Hamas rejects Israeli bid to free 450 prisoners for Shalit https://web.archive.org/web/20081020053315/http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/997187.html 20 October 2008 . By Amos Harel. Ha'aretz. Published 29 June 2008. The Israelis believed that the demands for Shalit's release would increase with time.Israeli security officials: Time running out on Shalit deal https://web.archive.org/web/20090403053032/http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1027044.html 3 April 2009 . By Avi Issacharoff and Amos Harel. Ha'aretz. Published 10 July 2008. They also feared a public outcry by people whose relatives died in terrorist attacks perpetrated by the prisoners.Olmert: Mistake to link Shalit release with Gaza truce https://web.archive.org/web/20090407071108/http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1027747.html 7 April 2009 . By Barak Ravid. Ha'aretz. Published 10 October 2008. Hamas' decisions also alienated it from the government of Egypt, which had linked the opening of the Gaza/Egypt border crossing with Shalit's release.Hamas says not interested in renewing Shalit negotiations https://web.archive.org/web/20090201165507/http://haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1010646.html 1 February 2009 . By Avi Issacharoff and Amos Harel. Ha'aretz. Published 12 August 2008. Hamas did not consider the Egyptians to be an honest broker during these talks and looked for another mediator. Breaking of the ceasefire On 4 November 2008, the IDF made an incursion at least 250 meters into the Gaza Strip searching for a tunnel, claiming it was intended for the capture of Israeli soldiers and that it intended to continue with the truce, calling the raid a "pinpoint operation".https://www.theguardian.com/world/2008/nov/05/israelandthepalestinians The Guardian 5 November 2008 Roy McCarthy Gaza truce broken as Israeli raid kills six Hamas gunmen 6 June 2009 London https://web.archive.org/web/20180106161636/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2008/nov/05/israelandthepalestinians 6 January 2018 live According to Dr. Robert Pastor, senior advisor to the Carter Center, who met with Khaled Meshal, chairman of the Hamas political bureau in Damascus, Hamas asserted that the tunnel was being dug for defensive purposes, not to capture IDF personnel. Pastor added that one IDF official confirmed that fact to him.http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/01/09/israel-rejected-hamas-cea_n_156639.html?show_comment_id=19558888 Gareth Porter, 'Israel Rejected Hamas Ceasefire Offer in December' The Huffington Post 9 January 2009 6 June 2009 https://web.archive.org/web/20090123062835/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/01/09/israel-rejected-hamas-cea_n_156639.html?show_comment_id=19558888 23 January 2009 live As six Hamas fighters were killed,http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/middle_east/article5089940.ece https://web.archive.org/web/20230522234036/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/middle_east/article5089940.ece dead 22 May 2023 The Times 8 January 2009 6 November 2008 Six die in Israeli attack over Hamas 'tunnel under border to kidnap soldier' Hider, James London Hamas stated that the attack was a "massive breach of the truce".Gaza truce broken as Israeli raid kills six Hamas gunmen The Guardian Rory McCarthy 5 November 2008 https://www.theguardian.com/world/2008/nov/05/israelandthepalestinians London 16 January 2009 https://web.archive.org/web/20090117092822/http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/nov/05/israelandthepalestinians 17 January 2009 live After the Israeli military attack on Hamas in Gaza on 4 November, Hamas resumed intensive rocket attacks on Israel.13 July 2017 6 August 2009 Rockets from Gaza Human Rights Watch https://www.hrw.org/report/2009/08/06/rockets-gaza/harm-civilians-palestinian-armed-groups-rocket-attacks Bill Van Esveld https://web.archive.org/web/20170618234837/https://www.hrw.org/report/2009/08/06/rockets-gaza/harm-civilians-palestinian-armed-groups-rocket-attacks 18 June 2017 live According to a 17 November article in The Telegraph, "since violence flared on 5 Nov, Israeli forces and militants, some of them from Hamas, have engaged in almost daily tit-for-tat exchanges."Israel decides to maintain Gaza blockade https://web.archive.org/web/20181106141157/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/israel/3469836/Israel-decides-to-maintain-Gaza-blockade.html 6 November 2018 The Telegraph. Published 17 November 2008. The reliability of the IDF allegation that the tunnel was intended to kidnap Israeli soldiers on the other side of the border has been challenged by various sourcesSeptember 2017. A member of the Carter Centre, involved in negotiations at the time with both Hamas and Israel, reported that Hamas had claimed that the tunnel was defensive against IDF shelling, with an anonymous IDF officer confirming that fact. Likud MK Yuval Steinitz acknowledged in an al-Jazeera interview on 4 January 2009 that Israel began actively preparing for Operation Cast Lead months beforehand, around June 2008.Institute for Palestine Studies 2009 Israeli Military Operations against Gaza, 2000–2008 Institute for Palestine Studies 38 Spring 122–138 10.1525/jps.2009.XXXVIII.3.122 http://www.palestine-studies.org/sites/default/files/uploads/files/Israeli%20Military%20Attacks%20on%20Gaza%202009.pdf 14 July 2017 https://web.archive.org/web/20150924065047/http://www.palestine-studies.org/sites/default/files/uploads/files/Israeli%20Military%20Attacks%20on%20Gaza%202009.pdf 24 September 2015 live Aftermath On 13 December 2008, Israel announced that it was in favor of extending the cease-fire, provided Hamas adhered to its conditions. Sofer Roni Israel in favor of extending Gaza lull Yedioth Ahronoth 27 December 2008 13 December 2008 http://www.ynet.co.il/english/articles/0,7340,L-3637877,00.html https://archive.today/20081230145625/http://www.ynet.co.il/english/articles/0,7340,L-3637877,00.html dead 30 December 2008 The conditions posed by a Hamas delegation in Cairo on 14 December, 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 21 December, Yuval Diskin, head of Israel's internal security agency, said he thought Hamas was "interested in continuing the truce, but wants to improve its terms... It wants us to lift the siege [of Gaza], stop attacks, and extend the truce to include [the West Bank]."https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7794577.stm Israeli leaders 'to topple Hamas' 22 December 2008 BBC News 23 January 2009 https://web.archive.org/web/20090111102212/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/7794577.stm 11 January 2009 live On 20 December, Hamas officially announced that they would not be extending the cease-fire, which had expired on 19 December, citing Israeli border closures as the primary reason, and resumed its shelling of the western Negev. Hamas continued to offer a re-establishment of the cease-fire, given the Israeli government would accept its terms. The terms were defined as the lifting of the blockade and a complete ban of military incursions into Gaza. At that time, Hamas also refused European mediation of the talks to release Gilad Shalit, citing Israel's unwillingness to cooperate on a cease-fire agreement. Harel Amos Avi Issacharoff Barak Ravid Hamas declares end to cease-fire, Israeli gov't sources fear violence is unavoidable Haaretz 27 December 2008 21 December 2008 https://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1048055.html https://web.archive.org/web/20081220235316/http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1048055.html 20 December 2008 dead On 23 December, Mahmoud al-Zahar, a senior Hamas leader, said in a newspaper interview that his group was willing to consider renewing the hudna if Israel refrained from operating in Gaza and lifted its blockade.Hamas: Willing to renew truce http://www.ynet.co.il/english/articles/0,7340,L-3642815,00.html Yedioth Ahronoth 23 December 2008 16 January 2009 https://archive.today/20120527013856/http://www.ynet.co.il/english/articles/0,7340,L-3642815,00.html 27 May 2012 dead The same day the IDF killed three Palestinian militants, stating that the militants were planting explosives on the Gaza border.https://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSTRE4BM2ZP20081224 Flare-up dims truce hopes along Israel-Gaza border Reuters 24 December 2008 3 January 2009 Nidal al-Mughrabi Gaza City, PS https://web.archive.org/web/20081226105946/https://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSTRE4BM2ZP20081224 26 December 2008 live Israel was also reluctant to open the border crossings, which had been closed since November. 2008/12/22 Lavie Mark The Associated Press: 3 Gaza militants killed in clash on Israeli border 27 December 2008 https://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5ioi_0jtO9RjMwPNRoXNCndRPRq3gD958NJFO0 https://web.archive.org/web/20090107173420/https://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5ioi_0jtO9RjMwPNRoXNCndRPRq3gD958NJFO0 7 January 2009 dead On 24 December 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.Katz Yaakov Herb Keinon IDF gets green light to strike Hamas after rocket barrage Jerusalem Post 27 December 2008 24 December 2008 http://fr.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1229868837971 https://web.archive.org/web/20081227042105/http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1229868837971&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull 27 December 2008 dead Hamas claimed to have fired a total of 87 rockets and mortar rounds that day at Israel, code-naming the firing "Operation Oil Stain".http://www.maannews.net/en/index.php?opr=ShowDetails&ID=34211 Hamas: 87 shells fired at Israeli targets in 24 hours 25 December 2008 3 January 2009 Ma'an News Bethlehem, PS https://web.archive.org/web/20090116020557/http://www.maannews.net/en/index.php?opr=ShowDetails&ID=34211 16 January 2009 dead On 25 December 2008, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert delivered 'Last Minute' Warning to Gaza in direct appeal to Gaza's people via the Arabic language satellite channel al-Arabiya, to pressure their leaders to stop the barrages. "I am telling them now, it may be the last minute, I'm telling them stop it. We are stronger," he said.Olmert Delivers 'Last Minute' Warning to Gaza 25 December 2008 https://www.foxnews.com/story/olmert-delivers-last-minute-warning-to-gaza Fox News 16 January 2009 https://web.archive.org/web/20081228040449/http://www.foxnews.com/story/0%2C2933%2C472856%2C00.html 28 December 2008 live thumb|left|The remnants of Qassam rockets that were fired from the Gaza Strip at Israel On 26 December 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.https://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/27/world/middleeast/27briefs-ISRAELREOPEN_BRF.html?_r=1 Israel Reopens Gaza Crossings The New York Times 26 December 2008 27 December 2008 https://web.archive.org/web/20181115203125/https://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/27/world/middleeast/27briefs-ISRAELREOPEN_BRF.html?_r=1 15 November 2018 live 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. https://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1050426.html Ha'aretz 16 January 2009 https://web.archive.org/web/20090115211308/http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1050426.html 15 January 2009 dead 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.http://www.itv.com/News/Articles/Dozens-killed-in-Israeli-attacks-986032139.html Israeli attacks on Gaza kill 227 Independent Television News 27 December 2008 21 August 2011 https://web.archive.org/web/20090621141235/http://www.itv.com/News/Articles/Dozens-killed-in-Israeli-attacks-986032139.html 21 June 2009 dead According to Israeli military officials, the subsequent 27 December Israeli offensive Operation Cast Lead took Hamas by surprise, thereby increasing their casualties.Barak Ravid Disinformation, secrecy, deception: How the Gaza offensive came about https://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1050426.html Haaretz 27 December 2008 27 December 2008 https://web.archive.org/web/20081228133856/http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1050426.html 28 December 2008 dead A poll conducted before the rocket attacks on 24 December indicated that 46% of Israelis did not support the invasion of the Gaza Strip, while 40% did.Poll: No wide-spread support for IDF Gaza invasion https://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1050000.html 16 January 2009 https://web.archive.org/web/20081228002656/http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1050000.html 28 December 2008 dead A poll conducted on 1 January, four days after the operation begun, demonstrated that a decisive majority of Israelis support continuing the army's air campaign against Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip without endangering the lives of Israel Defense Forces soldiers in a ground offensive.https://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1051852.html Poll: Most Israelis support continuing Gaza military op - Haaretz - Israel News 16 January 2009 https://web.archive.org/web/20090119191223/http://haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1051852.html 19 January 2009 dead On 9 January public opinion poll in Israel indicated that 76% oppose truce without Gilad Shalit.http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3653393,00.html Poll: 76% oppose truce without Shalit - Israel News, Ynetnews Ynetnews 9 January 2009 16 January 2009 https://web.archive.org/web/20090121150832/http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3653393,00.html 21 January 2009 live Fatalities According to data from B'Tselem, an Israeli human rights organization, at least nineteen Palestinians in the Strip died from Israeli fire during the ceasefire. Three of those were civilians, one of them a 15-year-old adolescent.http://www.btselem.org/English/Statistics/Casualties_Data.asp?Category=1&region=GAZA Palestinians killed by Israeli security forces in Gaza Strip B'Tselem 14 July 2010 https://web.archive.org/web/20100628142633/http://www.btselem.org/english/statistics/Casualties_Data.asp?Category=1&region=GAZA 28 June 2010 dead The group's data also states that no Israeli civilian or Israeli security force personnel were killed by Palestinian attacks from the Strip in the same period.http://www.btselem.org/English/Statistics/Casualties_Data.asp?Category=6&region=ISRAEL Israeli civilians killed by Palestinians in Israel B'Tselem 14 July 2010 https://web.archive.org/web/20100628182036/http://www.btselem.org/english/statistics/Casualties_Data.asp?Category=6&region=ISRAEL 28 June 2010 deadhttp://www.btselem.org/English/Statistics/Casualties_Data.asp?Category=8&region=ISRAEL Israeli security force personnel killed by Palestinians in Israel B'Tselem 14 July 2010 https://web.archive.org/web/20100701064218/http://www.btselem.org/english/statistics/Casualties_Data.asp?Category=8&region=ISRAEL 1 July 2010 dead See also 2007–2008 Israel–Gaza conflict Blockade of the Gaza Strip List of Middle East peace proposals Gaza War List of Palestinian rocket attacks on Israel, 2008 References External links Israel/Palestine Conflict Israeli-Hamas cease-fire criticized. Published 19 June 2008 by UPI. Ban welcomes news of Israeli-Hamas pact. Published 18 June 2008 by UPI. Category:Gaza–Israel conflict Category:Ceasefires in the Arab–Israeli conflict Category:2008 in the Gaza Strip Category:2008 in Israel Category:June 2008 in Asia Category:Hosni Mubarak Category:Egypt in the Arab–Israeli conflict