Since 2005, the year of the Israeli army’s withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, the Palestinian-Israeli conflict over the lands of the coastal Strip has witnessed several stages, between what is political and what is military. The following is a chronology of the most prominent of these stations between Israel and the Palestinian groups in Gaza from 2005 until the “Al-Aqsa Flood” operation.
In an unprecedented operation, the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) carried out its largest attack on Israel in years on Saturday morning, launching a barrage of rockets from the Gaza Strip, in addition to militants crossing the border fence.
Subsequently, Israel said that it was on the brink of war and began launching strikes on Hamas targets in Gaza, and Israeli media reported that there were ongoing battles between groups of Palestinian militants and security forces in southern Israel.
The following timeline, which begins with Israel’s withdrawal from the Gaza Strip in 2005, provides an overview of the main confrontations between Israel and Palestinian groups in the crowded coastal enclave, which is home to 2.3 million people:
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- August 2005 – Israeli forces unilaterally withdraw from Gaza 38 years after seizing the Strip from Egypt in the 1967 war, abandoning settlements and leaving the densely populated Strip under the control of the Palestinian Authority.
- January 25, 2006 – The Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) wins the majority of seats in the Palestinian legislative elections. Israel and the United States cut off aid to the Palestinians because of Hamas’ refusal to renounce violence and recognize Israel.
- June 25, 2006 – Hamas militants capture Gilad Shalit, an Israeli army conscript, in a cross-border attack from Gaza, prompting Israel to launch air strikes and incursion into the Strip. Shalit was eventually released more than five years later in a prisoner exchange.
- June 14, 2007 – Hamas takes control of Gaza in a civil war that lasts for a short period and overthrows forces affiliated with the Fatah movement loyal to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
- December 27, 2008 – Israel launched a military attack on Gaza that lasted 22 days after Palestinians fired rockets at the town of Sderot in southern Israel. There were reports that 1,400 Palestinians and 13 Israelis were killed before a ceasefire was agreed upon.
- November 14, 2012 – Israel kills the military commander of Hamas, Ahmed Al-Jaabari, followed by Palestinian factions launching missiles at Israel and Israeli air strikes over the course of eight days.
- July and August 2014 – Hamas’ kidnapping and killing of three Israeli youths led to a seven-week war that reportedly resulted in the deaths of more than 2,100 Palestinians in Gaza and 73 Israelis, including 67 soldiers.
- March 2018 – Palestinian protests began on the Gaza border with Israel, and Israeli forces opened fire to push the protesters away. There were reports that more than 170 Palestinians were killed in the protests, which lasted several months and also led to the outbreak of fighting between Hamas and Israeli forces.
- May 2021 – After weeks of tension during Ramadan, hundreds of Palestinians were injured in clashes with Israeli security forces on the Al-Aqsa Mosque campus in Jerusalem.
After demanding that Israel withdraw security forces from the compound, Hamas fired a barrage of rockets from Gaza at Israel. Israel responded with air strikes on Gaza. The fighting continued for 11 days, killing at least 250 people in Gaza and 13 in Israel.
*August 2022 – At least 44 people were killed, including 15 children, in three days of violence that began when Israeli air strikes targeted a senior leader in the Islamic Jihad movement.
Israel said the strikes were a pre-emptive operation against an imminent attack by the Iranian-backed armed movement and that they targeted leaders and weapons depots. In response, Islamic Jihad fired more than a thousand rockets towards Israel. The Israeli Iron Dome air defense system prevented any serious damage or casualties.
- January 2023 – Islamic Jihad in Gaza fires two missiles towards Israel after Israeli forces raided a refugee camp and killed seven Palestinian militants and two civilians. The rockets set off sirens in Israeli residential communities near the border, but no casualties were reported. Israel responds by launching air strikes on Gaza.
- October 2023 – The Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) carried out its largest attack on Israel in years, launching a surprise barrage of rockets from the Gaza Strip, in addition to militants crossing the border fence. The Islamic Jihad movement said its fighters joined Hamas in the attack.
Israel said it was on the brink of war and had begun launching strikes on Hamas targets in Gaza and called in reserve soldiers.
