2004 Beit Hanoun raid

Israel Defense Force raid in the Gaza Strip yes Between 29 June and 5 August 2004, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) conducted a raid on Beit Hanoun, a Palestinian town in the northern Gaza Strip. The stated goal of The 37-day-long invasion and siege, called Operation Forward Shield by Israel, was to prevent future rocket attacks from Gaza following the deaths of two residents of the Israeli town of Sderot on 28 June.Preliminary Humanitarian Situation Report Operation "Forward Shield" https://web.archive.org/web/20131022072653/http://domino.un.org/unispal.nsf/0/5e4e866e111a903085256f01004f6bae 2013-10-22 . Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), 20 August 2004 Nineteen or twenty Palestinians were killed in the raid, including six children, and about 70 houses were destroyed. Background On 28 June 2004, two residents of the Israeli town of Sderot were killed in a rocket attack by Palestinian militants firing from inside the occupied Gaza Strip. Following these deaths, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) conducted a raid, which they called "Operation Forward Shield", on Beit Hanoun, a Palestinian town in the north-eastern Gaza Strip. The stated goal of the raid was to prevent future rocket attacks from the Gaza Strip. The operation, which occurred ahead of the planned unilateral withdrawal from Gaza, was preceded by Operation Rainbow and followed by Operation Days of Penitence. Raid The raid started around midnight of 28/29 June 2004 with a direct attack on the offices of local and international media. Four missiles were launched from an attack helicopter on a structure the IDF said was used by the Hamas terrorist organization in Gaza City. " It was described as a "communications center which maintained constant contact with terrorists", and distributed "incitement material" from Hamas. Human Rights Watch and Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) said it was an attempt to silence local Palestinian media.Israel: Strikes to Silence Palestinian Media. Human Rights Watch, 2 July 2004PCHR Condemns Israeli Aerial Attack on a Press Office in Gaza https://web.archive.org/web/20150924070219/http://www.pchrgaza.org/portal/en/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1882 2015-09-24 . PCHR, 29 June 2004 The Committee to Protect Journalists wrote a letter to Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, expressing concern.CPJ expresses grave concern about Gaza strike. Committee to Protect Journalists, 30 June 2004 At about 5 am on 29 June 2004, the IDF deployed its forces around Beit Hanoun, attacking it and neighbouring areas with tanks and helicopters. On 3 August, the IDF expanded the operation further west with tanks and other armoured vehicles. For 37 days, civilian movement into, out of and within the town was banned. The IDF began its redeployment on 5 August at 1 am.A paper on the IOF Invasion of the town of Beit Hanoun (29 June – 5 August 2004) https://web.archive.org/web/20131021163100/http://www.mezan.org/upload/2619.pdf 21 October 2013 . Al Mezan Center for Human Rights, 12 August 2004. On http://www.mezan.org/en/details.php?id%3D2619%26ddname%3Dcrimes%26id_dept%3D22%26id2%3D9%26p%3Dcenter Al Mezan Center for Human Rights 2013-10-21 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20131021163015/http://www.mezan.org/en/details.php?id=2619&ddname=crimes&id_dept=22&id2=9&p=center 2013-10-21 Casualties and damage During the raid, 19 or 20 Palestinians were killed, including 6 children. Damage The operation caused large-scale damage and destruction to property and infrastructure through the use of tanks and bulldozers. According to PCHR, 70 houses were destroyed. The Gaza-based Al Mezan Center for Human Rights reported 33 destroyed homes. Schools, health facilities, kindergartens, mosques, factories, workshops, sewerage pumps and security posts were also damaged, as was infrastructure, such as water supply, electricity and roads. Sixteen water-wells were destroyed.Many orchards and livestock farms were damaged, and 2,600–4,000 dunams of agricultural land was bulldozed.A special Issue at the End of 2004 https://web.archive.org/web/20151002110653/http://pchrgaza.org/portal/en/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=6424:weekly-report-on-israeli-human-rights-violations-in-the-occupied-palestinian-territories-30-december-2004&catid=76:weekly-2001&Itemid=301 2015-10-02 . PCHR, 30 December 2004 Violation of international law According to PCHR, the IDF was also accused of obstructing medical assistance, as a result of which a number of Palestinians died. A further claim is that ambulances, clinics, medical centres and medical crews were fired at and personnel threatened.PCHR, Third Report on Israeli Attacks against Palestinian Medical Personnel, 1 September 2002 – 31 December 2004, par. Beit Hanoun Al Mezan reported that the IDF occupied 36 homes. In one case, inhabitants were held inside the house and used as human shields.Al Mezan paper on the IOF Invasion, 12 August 2004 https://web.archive.org/web/20131021163100/http://www.mezan.org/upload/2619.pdf 21 October 2013 "Another 36 homes were occupied by Israeli soldiers and used as watch posts. In every case of home occupation the IOF detained the inhabitants inside one room of the house" Al Mezan claimed that this constituted collective punishment and called it a breach of international humanitarian law, especially the 1949 Fourth Geneva Convention. See also Operation Autumn Clouds, 2006 References Category:Battles of the Second Intifada Category:Beit Hanoun in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict Category:Israeli attacks against the Gaza Strip Category:June 2004 in Asia Category:July 2004 in Asia Category:August 2004 in Asia Category:2000s sieges Category:Raids of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict Category:Sieges involving Israel Category:2004 building bombings Category:Residential building bombings in the Gaza Strip Category:Attacks on mass media offices in Asia Category:Attacks on agricultural buildings Category:School bombings in the Gaza Strip Category:Wartime hospital bombings in Asia Category:Mosque bombings in Palestine Category:Attacks on schools in 2004 Category:2004 in Islam Category:Attacks on preschools Category:Attacks on hospitals during the Israeli–Palestinian conflict