2008

The year 2008 marked the beginning of Israel's devastating Operation Cast Lead against the Gaza Strip, a 22-day military assault that killed over 1,400 Palestinians, including hundreds of children. This operation was part of a broader pattern of escalation following the Second Intifada, Hamas's electoral victory in 2006, and the political division between Hamas in Gaza and Fatah in the West Bank. The assault represented the culmination of Israel's siege warfare tactics and systematic collective punishment of the Palestinian population in Gaza.