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MODERN ISRAELI HISTORY IN GAZA

The IDF Spokesman's Office issued a timeline of central events that took place in Gaza when it was under Israel's control from 1967 to 2005.
The press release did not discuss Jewish history in Gaza before 1946. Gaza is listed in the Bible as being part of the Promised Land inheritance in Genesis 15, Numbers 34, and Deuteronomy 7 (Rashi). Prominent Jewish communities existed in Gaza during the period of the Second Temple, and historical evidence of significant Jewish presence there exists from the 4th, 7th, and 17th centuries. The remains of a 6th-century synagogue in Gaza were unearthed by archaeologists, and remains of a Gaza synagogue existed until the 1990's. The Jewish community in Gaza was evacuated by the British in 1929, when the Jews were threatened by the Muslims who waged pogroms around the country.

The following, issued by the IDF Spokesman ("www.idf.il"), deals with the modern period:

Today, September 12, 2005, IDF forces left the Gaza Strip. The exit of the IDF from the Gaza Strip concludes a period of 38 years and three months of Israeli presence in the Gaza Strip. Following are central events which took place throughout this period:

<B>The War of Independence:</B>

Prior to the establishment of the State of Israel, the area known today as the "Gaza Strip" was part of Palestine under British Mandate rule. The U.N. General Assembly resolution regarding Palestine determined that this area would be part of the Arab state.

At this time, there was only one Jewish community in the area – Kfar Darom, established in 1946. The community, which withstood harassment by local Arabs and endured numerous attacks by the Egyptian army which invaded the area, was eventually evacuated on July 8, 1948.

Two main IDF operations were carried out in the Gaza Strip in late 1948 and early 1949: Operation "Yoav" and Operation "Horev". Both these operations were intended to prevent Egyptian forces from invading and distract them from the main war efforts that the IDF was making in other regions.

On February 24, 1949, Israel and Egypt signed an armistice in which the current borders of the Gaza Strip were determined. Following the armistice Egypt assumed control of the Strip.

<B>The 1950s through Operation "Kadesh":</B>

During the War of Independence, many of Israel's Arab residents fled to the Egyptian controlled Gaza Strip, where they were placed in refugee camps. In the 1950s, the Gaza Strip posed a serious security threat to Israel due to the great number of infiltrators who entered the country and harassed the Israeli communities with repetitive acts of theft, robbery, various terror attacks and murder; actions that strongly resembled those of the "Fadaiun" units who were operated by the Egyptian army. Subsequently the IDF acted on a number of military actions against terrorist targets in the Gaza Strip.

Operation "Kadesh":
During Operation "Kadesh" the IDF gained control of the Gaza Strip (in November 1956) and established military rule in the area. Israel left the Sinai Peninsula, and the Gaza Strip shortly thereafter, following pressure from the international community. The evacuation of the Gaza Strip was completed on March 6, 1957.

Egyptian forces returned to the Gaza Strip and established military rule in the area. An emergency UN force, created in accordance with UN General Assembly resolution 999, (November 4, 1956) was deployed along the Egyptian side of the Gaza Strip.

<B>The Six Day War and the 1970s:</B>
During the tense period preceded the Six Day War, Egypt demanded that the UN force leave the area, which it did on May 19, 1967. [ed. note: The IDF release did not mention that Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser repeatedly accompanied this demand with threats to wipe out Israel and drive it into the sea.]

Over the course of the Six Day War, the IDF regained control over the Gaza Strip following fierce battles in the areas of Rafah, Khan Yunis, and Gaza City. Israel reinstated the military rule in the area.

Terror organizations based themselves in the Gaza Strip and carried out various terrorist attacks targeted against Israelis. these included hurling hand grenades, close range shooting, laying mines and detonating various explosive devices.

The number and severity of attacks increased, and on January 2, 1971, two Israeli children were murdered and their mother was wounded from a hand grenade that was hurled at an Israeli vehicle. The IDF Southern Command increased and concentrated its efforts on preventing the attacks, and by March 1972 a relative calm was reached in the area.

<B>The 1980s:</B>
Over the course of the next several years the security situation in the Gaza Strip remained relatively calm, apart from occasional riots which were on a low enough scale so as not to jeopardize the calm. This situation changed in late 1987. In November of that same year, [Israel's intelligence force] conducted an operation in the Jabaliyah refugee camp to arrest wanted terrorists. This caused high tension amongst its residents.

On December 8, 1987, four Palestinians, all residents of Jabaliyah, were killed and several others were wounded in an automobile accident between an Israeli truck and a Palestinian vehicle. This accident led to a number of violent riots in the Gaza Strip and marked the start of the "First Intifadah" - an uprising of the Palestinian people meant to end the Israeli military rule in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. The "Intifadah" began with public disturbances and stone hurling, but soon escalated to shooting attacks, which became a dominant factor in Palestinian terror activity.

The IDF responded to this new situation and operated to restore the previous public order by reinforcing its units, creating the Gaza division headquarters and developing new combat techniques and doctrine. Despite the positive results of these operations, Palestinian terrorist activity was not eradicated. These attacks did not cease even after the signing of the Oslo Accords on September 13, 1993. Terror activity finally declined [temporarily - ed.] in 1995.

<B>Central events in the Gaza Strip since the outbreak of the first Intifadah (November 1987 – September 2005):</B>

[Excerpts:]
May 18, 1994 – The IDF exits areas of the Gaza Strip in accordance with the "Gaza and Jericho First" treaty, and transfers security responsibility to the Palestinian Authority.

July 17, 1994 – Large scale riots at the Erez security crossing - 20 Israeli security forces personnel and an Israeli civilian are wounded during the riots.

September 29, 2000 – Violent clashes erupt between Israel and the Palestinians. From this point on, the Gaza Strip becomes a central combat area and terrorists in the Gaza Strip employ any means possible in order to carry out terror attacks against Israeli targets.

November 20, 2000 - Two Israeli civilians, Miriam Amitai and Gabriel Biton, are murdered and 9 additional civilians [including the three Cohen children who lost legs - ed.] are wounded when Palestinians detonate an explosive device at an Israeli bus near the community of Kfar Darom.

January 30, 2001- Beginning of Palestinian high trajectory (artillery) fire. Palestinians fire mortar shells at the Israeli community of Netzarim for the first time.

April 16, 2001 - Palestinians fire mortar shells at the Israeli city of Sderot for the first time. In response, a decision was made stipulating the entry of IDF forces into the "A" territories (under Palestinian security responsibility) in the area of Beit Hanun, in the northern Gaza Strip, from which the mortar shells were apparently fired.

January 4, 2002 - A Palestinian arms vessel, "Karin A", is caught with large quantities of projectile rockets, anti-tank missiles, mines and explosive devices, handguns and maritime equipment on board.

March 7, 2002 - A Palestinian terrorist infiltrates a religious seminary in the community in Atzmona, murdering 5 Israeli civilians - Tal Kortzvail, Asher Markus, Ariel Za'ana, Eran Pikar, and Eric Krogliac - and wounding 44 additional Israeli civilians. 24 of the wounded sustained severe injuries.

October 24, 2003 - A Palestinian terrorist infiltrates an IDF structure in the community of Netzarim, kills three IDF soldiers - Adi Osman, Sarit Shneior-Senior, and Alon Avrahami - and wounds two additional soldiers.

January 14, 2004 - A female terrorist carries out a suicide bombing attack near the IDF "Magen 12" post (near the Erez crossing). Four Israelis - a civilian, a Border Policeman and two IDF soldiers were killed - and eight additional Israelis were wounded: five civilians and three Border Policemen.

May 2, 2004 - An Israeli woman, Tali Hatuel and her four daughters, Hila, Hadar, Roni and Meirav, are murdered and three additional Israelis- a civilian and two IDF soldiers - are wounded during a shooting attack at an Israeli vehicle traveling along the Kissufim road.

May 11, 2004 - IDF forces begin a pinpointed operation to uncover Kassam manufacturing workshops in the Zeitoun neighborhood in Gaza City. During the operation, Palestinians in a side alley launch an RPG rocket at an IDF Armored Personnel Carrier (APC) involved in the operation. The APC, which was carrying several hundred kilograms of explosives, explodes and the six IDF soldiers inside it are killed. As a result of the scale of the explosion the remains of the soldiers' bodies and vehicle parts are scattered across a large distance.

May 12, 2004 - An IDF officer and four IDF soldiers are killed and an additional three IDF soldiers are wounded during an attack on an IDF force working to uncover and detonate weaponry smuggling tunnels and explosive tunnels along the Israeli-Egyptian border, near Rafah. Palestinians fired an RPG rocket at an Armored Personnel Carrier from the force which was preparing to detonate a weaponry smuggling tunnel. As a result, the vehicle, which was carrying a ton of explosive materials exploded – killing five members of the team. Three more soldiers in a nearby D-9 and additional armored vehicle who were protecting the APC were wounded.

June 28, 2004 – Palestinians from the area of Beit Hanoun launch Kassam rockets at the Israeli city of Sderot – following one of the attacks an Israeli civilian and an Israeli child were murdered. The IDF begins to operate in the area of Beit Hanoun to prevent the launching of rockets from the area.

September 29, 2004 - Two Israeli children are murdered when Palestinians launch several Kassam rockets at the Israeli city of Sderot. Following these attacks, IDF forces begin to operate in the northern Gaza Strip to prevent the launching of Kassam rockets and mortar shell at Israeli targets.

July 24, 2005 - Two Israeli civilians, Dov and Rachel Kol, are murdered and five additional Israeli civilians are wounded in a coordinated terrorist attack carried out by the Islamic Jihad, the Fatah and the Resistance Committees [just three weeks before the scheduled disengagement - ed.].

July 2005 - Launching of Kassam rockets at the Israeli city of Sderot escalates.

Since 1967, 87 Israeli civilians and 179 members of the Israeli security forces were killed in the Gaza Strip; of these, 43 civilians and 97 members of the security forces were killed since September 2000. In addition, 1,074 civilians and 3,777 members of the security forces were wounded since 1967; of these, 749 civilians and 668 members of the security forces were wounded since September 2000.