2012 Israeli operation in the Gaza Strip

For the manifestations of the presence of the God of Israel in the Torah, see Pillar of Cloud.

Operation Pillar of Defense
Part of Gaza–Israel conflict
Map of Gaza Strip and Israel border
Date 14 November 2012 – present Location Southern Israel and Gaza Strip 30°40′N 34°50′E Status Ongoing
Belligerents
Israel	Palestine Gaza Strip Hamas PIJ
Commanders and leaders
Benjamin Netanyahu Prime Minister Ehud Barak Minister of Defense Benny Gantz Chief of General Staff	Ismail Haniyeh (Prime Minister of the Hamas Authority) Ahmed Jaabari  †
Casualties and losses
3 killed, 70+ injured	16 killed, 115 injured

Operation Pillar of Cloud (Hebrew: עמוד ענן, Amúd Anán) is an ongoing Israel Defense Forces operation in the Gaza Strip, officially launched on 14 November 2012. In response to Palestinian militants firing over a hundred rockets from the Gaza Strip into southern Israel beginning on 10 November, the Israeli government launched an operation with the aims of restoring quiet to southern Israel and to strike at what it considers terror organizations. The operation officially began with the assassination of Ahmed Jabari, chief of the Gaza military wing of Hamas.

During the operation the IDF killed 15 Palestinians, including 8 civilians according to news services, while Palestinian militants fired over 250 missiles and rockets into Israel, killing three civilians. The hostilities marked the first time that rockets were launched from Gaza toward the Tel Aviv metropolitan area, Israel's largest.

The United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Canada, Netherlands and Norway condemned the Palestinian rocket attacks on Israel and/or expressed support for Israel's right to defend itself. China and France expressed concern for the possibility of civilian casualties and urged restraint while Russia, Iran, Syria, Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, Turkey, Pakistan, Morocco, Bahrain, Sudan, Lebanon, Tunisia, Venezuela and Malaysia condemned the Israeli operation. The United Nations Security Council called for the violence to stop after an emergency session on Wednesday.

Background

Main article: Gaza–Israel conflict

A truce between Gaza's Palestinian factions and Israel was interrupted in November. Persistent Palestinian rocket attacks on Israeli cities and towns, of which there were 92 in October, continued. Qassam rocket attacks took place on 4, 6 and 9 November. On 5 November, Israeli soldiers shot and killed a 20-year-old Palestinian who approached a fence near Gaza's side of the border with Israel, reportedly ignoring warning shots and instructions to leave the area. He reportedly suffered from learning difficulties. On 8 November, an Israeli short-range incursion into Gaza after finding explosive devices along border led to a gun battle with the Popular Resistance Committees. The IDF stated they had found and defused three explosive devices during a routine patrol and had returned fire into a nearby field. During the exchange a 12-year-old Palestinian was killed by Israeli fire from a helicopter during the clashes. Later the same day militants detonated an explosives-packed tunnel that they had dug on the Gaza-Israel border, wounding four Israeli soldiers.

On 10 November, Palestinian militants fired an anti-tank missile at an IDF Jeep on routine patrol near Israel's border with Gaza, injuring four soldiers, one of them critically. The IDF responded by immediately shelling the source of the fire as well as pre-selected targets in the Sa'ajiya area. Hamas spokesman Ashraf al-Qidra said that four people between 16 and 18 years old were killed. Gaza militants then fired at least 30 rockets and several mortar shells into southern Israel, causing the Color Red siren to sound in Ashdod, Ashkelon, Gan Yavne and surrounding areas causing Israelis within seven kilometers of the Gaza Strip to remain near protected areas. The Gan Yavne regional council canceled school because of the rocket barrage.

The sides continued to exchange fire for several days after the incident. Palestinian militants fired more than 100 rockets, striking homes in Israeli cities, one landing near a school. Several Israelis were wounded by shrapnel in a barrage designed to coincide with the morning commute to work, and two people were injured when their car sustained a direct hit. Schools across southern Israel were closed, the Beersheba Mayor, Ruvik Danilovich, explaining, "we have experienced hits on our education institutions in the past ... 40,000 children will remain at home today because of the attack that hit us out of the blue." Israel carried out further airstrikes in Gaza. Six Palestinian militants were killed, including one militant belonging to the Palestinian Islamic Jihad.

In the days before the operation, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak made statements that "Israel's reaction will come at the appropriate time". However following a cabinet meeting in the morning prior to the air strike, Minister Benny Begin spoke on the radio to the effect that "the current exchange of hostilities seems to be over". These mixed messages; according to one Israeli analyst, the expected diplomatic repercussions from Egypt and the risks of a war on the eve of the Israeli elections are three factors designed to foster a laissez-faire atmosphere for Gaza's Palestinian leaders.

On 12 November, Hamas and PIJ officials made public statements indicating a willingness to discuss a ceasefire. A PIJ spokesman said, "The ball is in Israel's court. The resistance factions will observe Israel's behavior on the ground and will act accordingly." Two rockets were fired into Southern Israel during the day, one of them a long-range rocket that landed near Ashdod. Israel requested that the UN Security Council condemn the Palestinian rocket attacks, with Barak saying that Israel "would not accept the harm to daily life of our civilians".

An Israeli peace activist, Gershon Baskin, who was a mediator in the negotiations that resulted in the release of Gilad Shalit, reported that hours before the strike that killed Ahmed Jabari, he received a draft of a permanent truce agreement between Israel and Hamas.

The operation

The operation began about 16h (Israel time) with an airstrike targeting Ahmed Jabari, chief of Hamas's military wing. Osama Hamdan, a Hamas representative in Lebanon, said the airstrike also killed Jabari's son. The IDF released a video of this airstrike. This was followed by Israeli strikes against 20 Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip, including underground rocket launchers and an ammunition warehouse stocking Iranian-made, long-range Fajr-5 missiles. The IDF said that many of the targeted weapon stashes were in residential areas and evidenced "the pattern of Hamas to use the population in Gaza as human shields." Israel claims to have destroyed most of this long-range capability. An IDF spokesman said that the goal of the operation is to "bring back quiet to southern Israel, and... to strike at terror organizations." At the same time, Israeli spokespersons said that it would try "to avoid civilian casualties." 13 people have been killed to date according to Gaza's health ministry, 6 militants and 7 civilians, including a pregnant woman, an 11-month-old child, a 3-year-old girl and a 65-year-old man.

Gazan militants continued to fire rockets towards the Israeli cities of Beersheba, Ashdod, Ofakim and the Shaar Hanegev and Eshkol Regional Council. The Iron Dome missile defense system made 43 interceptions. About 55 rockets were launched on the evening of 14 November, including a Grad rocket fired in the direction of the Negev Nuclear Research Center near Dimona. On the night of 14 November, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that the Israeli cabinet had authorized a partial call-up of reservists in case they were needed for a large ground-based operation.

On 15 November, all schools within 40 kilometers of the Gaza Strip were closed down. 13 Israelis were treated for injuries suffered during the night. Three Israelis, a man and two women, were killed when a rocket struck a four-storey building in Kiryat Malachi. Magen David Adom paramedics treated five wounded people at the scene, including a 11-month-old baby that was critically injured. A further five missiles were fired at the town as emergency services attempted to rescue those trapped inside the debris. A residence in Ashdod and a school in Ofakim were struck by rockets. The Israeli air force distributed leaflets over Gaza emphasising that civilians were not being targeted, and urged residents to keep clear of terrorist bases and weapons sites. 15 Palestinians were killed, including five militants and two children during the airstrikes.

Also on 15 November, at least two Fajr rockets landed in the suburbs of Tel Aviv. No injuries were reported. This was the first time that Gush Dan has been targeted by missiles since the Persian Gulf War, when Saddam Hussein launched a number of Scud missiles at Israel.

Information wars

The IDF made widespread use of Twitter and a liveblog to give an up-to-date account of its operations. The military wing of Hamas too made use of twitter, publicising its rocket and mortar attacks and tweeting when Israeli casualties were reported. Foreign Policy magazine labeled this effort a "milestone in military communications."

Hamas were accused of using pictures of children that have been injured or killed in Syria and presenting them in the social media as Palestinian dead. One of its tweets about the Israeli strikes contained a picture of a dead girl that previously been posted on the Syrians & Friends Facebook page in October. Another photo of explosions that was uploaded to the Facebook page affiliated with Hamas appeared to be digitally altered. There were suggestions that a Gazan man had feigned injury, being seen carried by Palestinians in apparent discomfort, and yet moments later walking on his own.

Reactions

International Reaction

Israel	On the first day of the operation, Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu said "Today we sent a clear message to Hamas and other terrorist organisations, and if it becomes necessary we are prepared to expand the operation." According to Haaretz, President Shimon Peres updated U.S. President Barack Obama by phone and told him "Israel does not want an escalation but for the last five days we were under nonstop bombardment, mothers and children cannot sleep in peace at night. There is a limit to what Israel can withstand. Ahmed Jabari was behind many terror activities." Most Israeli political leaders, including Tzipi Livni, Shelly Yachimovich, Shaul Mofaz, and Naftali Bennett applauded the operation. However, leaders of the left-wing Meretz party voiced opposition on the radio and online. The Israeli Foreign Ministry went into semi-emergency mode, canceling all vacations for its Jerusalem staffers.
Hamas	Fawzi Barhoum, a spokesman for Hamas, called the assassination of Ahmed Jabari an act of war. On 14 November 2012, a statement from the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades said "The occupation has opened the gates of hell on itself" and vowed that its militants would "continue the path of resistance". Similarly Abu Ahmed, a spokesman for the armed wing of Islamic Jihad, called the assassination a "declaration of war" pledging a response within hours.
Palestinian National Authority	Palestinian officials have asked the U.N. Security Council to act to halt Israel's military operation in Gaza.
United Nations	The United Nations Security Council held an emergency meeting on the situation during the night of 14–15 November and came to no decision. President Pro Tempore of the Council Hardeep Singh Puri subsequently told reporters: "In short, the message that must resonate from this meeting is 'the violence has to stop'".
Canada	Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs, John Baird, issued a statement stating, "We fundamentally believe that Israel has the right to defend itself and its citizens from terrorist threats. [...] Just last weekend, more than 100 rockets rained down on civilians in southern Israel from positions in the Gaza Strip."
Egypt	Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi sated that "The Israelis must realise that this aggression is unacceptable and would only lead to instability in the region" and expressed solidarity with the people of Gaza. The Foreign Ministry of Egypt berated the operation and called on Israel to halt its attacks. According to The Guardian, the chairman of the Freedom and Justice party, Saad El-Katatni, said: "The Egyptian people revolted against injustice and will not accept an attack on Gaza. The brutal aggression on Gaza proves that Israel has not yet learned that Egypt has changed". The recently appointed Egyptian ambassador to Israel, Yasser Reda, has been summoned back to his capital, for briefing, in reaction to the strikes. An Egyptian official reported that Egyptian hospitals are ready to receive wounded Palestinians and that the Rafah Crossing will remain open. Egyptian Prime Minister Hisham Qandil announced his plan to visit Gaza on Friday, 16 November.
France	The French Foreign Ministry released a statement saying: "France is exceedingly worried about the deteriorating situation in Gaza and the South of Israel. It is calling on the parties to refrain from any escalation of violence since the Israeli and the Palestinian civilian population would inevitably pay the price." French ambassador to Israel Christophe Bigot visited Kiryat Malachi, where three Israeli civilians were killed, and expressed his solidarity with Israeli victims of rocket attacks.
Germany	German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said: "It is obvious that Israel has a legitimate right to defend itself and protect its own citizens against rocket attacks from the Gaza Strip... Now it is necessary that everyone contributes to deescalating the situation. Everybody needs to understand that we need to prevent worse things from happening. We call upon all parties to act wisely and in a deescalating manner."
Iran	Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast berated the Israeli strikes, saying that they were a "sign of the regime's brutal nature".
Jordan	Jordanian Information Minister Sameeh Maaytah said: "Israel's aggressive policy placed the area again in a cycle of violence and instability. This additional hostility... closes all doors on negotiations and the achievement of political arrangements. Israel deprives the Palestinian people of their political and national right to create an independent state... Israel’s aggression needs to be stopped and the Palestinian people need to be protected."
Netherlands	Dutch Foreign Minister Frans Timmermans said Hamas is guilty for the escalation: "Hamas has attacked Israel by firing rockets over and over again. Doing this makes Hamas the mainactor that is guilty for the Israeli reaction". He also said: "Let it be clear that the currect created and unbelievable sorrow of the people in the Gazastrip is in first place the result of Hamas' actions". Beside that he stated: "Israel has the full right to defend itself as long as its does this in a proportional way".
Norway	Norwegian Foreign Minister said he is worried about the escalation of violence between the Palestinians and Israelis of which leader of the Hamas military Ahmed Jabar was killed. He said the rocket attacks on Israel are "clearly unacceptable" and that Israel has a right to defend itself. He added that reactions must be proportional and must distinguish between combatants and non-combatants.
Qatar	After a meeting in the Saudi capital between Gulf Cooperation Council Foreign Ministers and their Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov to discuss Syrian Civil War, Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani told journalists "I condemn in the name of Qatar... This filthy crime must not pass without a punishment. The UN Security Council must shoulder its responsibilities in preserving peace and security in the world."
Russia	Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov called for end to the violence after a meeting held with Gulf Arab foreign ministers in Riyadh. Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich said: "The attacks on southern Israel, as well as Israel’s disproportionate shelling, are entirely unacceptable. We urge all sides to end the military confrontation immediately and to prevent a new round of bloodshed in the Gaza Strip."
Syria	The Syrian Government called Israel's actions "barbaric, reprehensible crimes" and called on the international community to pressure Israel into halting its strikes.
Turkey	Foreign Ministry of Turkey condemned the Israeli strikes with a written statement. "We strongly condemn this Israeli attack and immediately demand that it be stopped," the statement said, adding that no country, Israel included, is above international law.
United Kingdom	Foreign Secretary William Hague said: "Hamas bears principal responsibility for the current crisis. I utterly condemn rocket attacks from Gaza into southern Israel by Hamas and other armed groups." He also called on all those involved "to avoid any action which risks civilian casualties or escalates the crisis."
United States	The U.S. Department of State issued a press release stating, "We strongly condemn the barrage of rocket fire from Gaza into southern Israel, and we regret the death and injury of innocent Israeli and Palestinian civilians caused by the ensuing violence." The statement offered support for Israel's right to self-defense and urged Israel to avoid civilian casualties in its military operations.

Non-governmental organizations

• Amnesty International said that both sides should stop the violence, and Ann Harrison, Deputy Director of Amnesty International’s Middle East and North Africa Programme, said "The Israeli military must not carry out further indiscriminate attacks, or attacks in densely-populated residential areas that will inevitably harm civilians." and " Palestinian armed groups in Gaza meanwhile must not fire indiscriminate rockets into Israel. The international community must put pressure on both sides to fully respect the laws of war and protect civilian lives and property."
• The Israeli human rights organization B'Tselem warned both sides about causing civilian deaths and stated: "Protection of civilians stands at the heart of international humanitarian law. They must never be targeted; all measures must be taken to protect them. B'Tselem demands that the Israeli government respect these principles at all times and under all circumstances."
• Non-Aligned Movement condemned the Israeli air strikes.
• The J Street organization said it "stands with Israel and its right to defend itself from all threats to its people and territory. Our sympathies go out to the Israeli victims and families caught in the violence. We reiterate our call on Hamas to immediately cease rocket attacks on Israel and to ensure that other groups in Gaza desist as well." It also urged Israel to avoid civilian casualties and hoped for President Obama to "mobilize international partners to broker a ceasefire quickly."

External links

• Israel launches airstrikes against Gaza Strip, kills Hamas commander at Wikinews
• IDF begins Operation Pillar of Defense by Israel Defense Forces