Palestinian History: A Comprehensive Timeline (1900-2025)

Nakba Israeli War Crimes and Crimes Against Humanity: A Chronological Recap (1948–Present)

Palestinian protest in Gaza (flag and keffiyeh symbolize enduring resistance). For 75+ years, Israeli state forces have repeatedly been accused of violations of international law against Palestinians. Human rights monitors and UN bodies document a pattern of expulsion, disproportionate force, and collective punishment. From the 1948 Nakba through recent Gaza wars, Israeli policies – from mass displacement and house demolitions to indiscriminate bombardments – have drawn accusations of war crimes and crimes against humanity by Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, UN commissions and courts, and others. The chronology below highlights key incidents by period, each supported by independent reports.

1948–1967: Nakba and Early Occupation

• 1948 (Nakba): In the war surrounding Israel’s creation, Israeli forces expelled roughly 700,000 Palestinians from their homes and destroyed over 400 villages [Source: B’Tselem](). Survivors were prevented from returning by discriminatory laws, and became refugees. Human rights analysts describe the 1948 expulsions as ethnic cleansing and note that Israel’s laws enshrined a system of racial discrimination (apartheid) against remaining Palestinians [Source: HRW]() Source: UN. These mass expulsions and destruction of civilian villages violated the Hague and Geneva Conventions (prohibiting forced transfer of protected persons) and are now widely regarded as crimes against humanity.
• 1948–1966 (within Israel): Palestinian citizens of Israel were placed under prolonged military rule and denied full rights. Many lost land and livelihoods. Rights groups note that Israeli policies during this period (land confiscation, residency revocations, oppressive military orders) were part of an overarching strategy of domination that international observers call apartheid and persecution Source: UN Source: UN.
• 1950s–1960s (continued expulsions): In the early state period, Israeli forces also carried out punitive raids and village destructions in the occupied West Bank and Gaza (held by Jordan and Egypt until 1967). For example, in 1956 Israeli commandoes attacked Palestinian villages in the Jordan Valley, killing dozens. (Israel’s 1956 Sinai War also involved heavy civilian casualties in Gaza.) These actions involved indiscriminate fire on civilians and destruction of property, violating laws of war and amounting to war crimes by today’s standards.

1967–1987: Occupation and Settlements

• 1967 (Six-Day War): Israel captured the West Bank, Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem. It immediately imposed military occupation on millions of Palestinians. Within weeks it began appropriating land and housing for new Jewish settlements, in contravention of the Fourth Geneva Convention. Amnesty International emphasizes that the very existence of these settlements “violates international humanitarian law and is a war crime” [Source: Amnesty](). Over the following decades Israel confiscated tens of thousands of hectares, demolished homes to make way for settlers, and barred Palestinians from their lands [Source: Amnesty]() [Source: Amnesty]().
• Settlement Expansion: By 1987 Israel supported over 300,000 settlers in the West Bank and Gaza [Source: Amnesty](). Human Rights Watch and others note that settlement-building – which involves transferring Israeli civilians onto occupied territory and seizing Palestinian property – meets the Rome Statute’s definition of a war crime [Source: HRW]() [Source: Amnesty](). In practice, settlers often used violence to drive out Palestinians; Israeli forces typically failed to protect civilians. (For instance, during the 1980s wave of settlement construction, entire Palestinian hamlets were uprooted.)
• Sabra-Shatila Massacre (1982): During Israel’s invasion of Lebanon, Israeli forces allowed allied Christian militias into the Sabra and Shatila refugee camps. The militias massacred an estimated 2,000–3,500 Palestinian and Lebanese civilians. Video and testimonies confirm Israeli tanks encircling the camps and shooting at civilians trying to flee Source: UN. The UN General Assembly deemed this slaughter a “massacre” and investigators found Israeli troops withheld water and light for the victims. While the direct killings were by the militia, Israel’s facilitation (blockading exits and turning flares on by night) makes this a grievous war crime for which Israeli officials bear indirect responsibility Source: UN.

1987–2000: First Intifada and Repression

• First Intifada (1987–1993): Palestinian uprising met with brutal Israeli response. Human Rights Watch documented that from late 1987 to early 1990 Israeli forces killed over 670 Palestinians (many unarmed) and wounded thousands more [Source: HRW](). IDF rules of engagement allowed live fire against stone-throwers, resulting in routine use of lethal force against non-violent demonstrators. HRW reported systematic rights violations: injuries and deaths from live ammunition, beatings, torture in detention, and punitive measures (mass curfews, home demolitions) [Source: HRW]() Source: UN. Many of these acts – deliberately targeting civilians without threat and collective punishment – flagrantly violated international humanitarian law. The brutality was widely condemned as constituting war crimes (e.g. willful killings of protesters) and crimes against humanity (persecution of a civilian population under occupation) [Source: HRW]() Source: UN.
• Civilian Killings and Demolitions: Throughout the Intifada Israel imposed harsh measures: firing on refugee camp rallies, bulldozing houses of suspected attackers, and shooting patients at checkpoints. For example, on March 31, 1988, Israeli forces surrounded the Birzeit University dormitory (defended only by unarmed students) and shot 30 Palestinians as they surrendered. Such incidents of firing on unarmed Palestinians were documented by [Source: Amnesty]() and Source: UN as grave breaches of the laws of war.

2000–2023: Gaza Wars and Ongoing Occupation

• Second Intifada (2000–2005): A renewed uprising led to intense combat. Notably, in April 2002 the IDF stormed the Jenin refugee camp in the West Bank under “Operation Defensive Shield.” Human Rights Watch and other observers found extensive evidence of war crimes in Jenin: summary executions of unarmed residents, torture of detainees, and wanton destruction of civilian infrastructure [Source: HRW]() [Source: HRW](). Over 50 Palestinians were killed there (many civilians), and hospitals, mosques, and hundreds of homes were demolished with no military necessity. HRW explicitly urged Israeli authorities to launch criminal investigations of individual commanders for these abuses [Source: HRW]().
• Gaza Blockade (2007–2023): After Hamas took Gaza in 2007, Israel imposed a land-air-sea blockade. The United Nations and ICRC call the blockade “collective punishment” of Gaza’s 2 million people Source: UN [Source: ICRC](). It has choked fuel, electricity, food and medicine into Gaza, contributing to humanitarian crisis and death. International experts argue that imposing starvation or denial of aid on civilians in an occupied territory amounts to a war crime. (Indeed, Israel’s recent ICC indictment charges its leaders with “starvation of civilians as a method of warfare” in Gaza [Source: ICC]()).
• Operation Cast Lead (2008–2009): In this 3 week Gaza war, IDF operations killed about 1,400 Palestinians (including ~300 children) [Source: Amnesty](). Amnesty documented that Israeli forces used heavy aerial bombardment and tank fire on densely populated neighborhoods. They bombed homes and UN schools without warning, even while children slept inside, violating the principles of distinction and proportionality [Source: Amnesty](). Witnesses described bombardments that flattened entire families. Analysts noted that the scale of civilian death and destruction indicated systematic disregard for civilian life. Both the UN and rights groups concluded that many attacks were indiscriminate or disproportionate, amounting to war crimes [Source: Amnesty]() Source: UN.
• Gaza War 2014 (Operation Protective Edge): Over 50 days of fighting killed more than 2,000 Palestinians (around 550 children) Source: UN and wounded over 10,000. Amnesty UK reported extensive evidence of unlawful strikes: many homes were hit directly without prior warning, and in some cases hospitals and mosques were bombed [Source: Amnesty](). Even Israel’s deputy leader Nick Clegg called the bombardment “deliberately disproportionate” and “collective punishment” Source: UN. Human Rights Watch and Amnesty found credible allegations that Israeli forces carried out airstrikes that ravaged entire civilian apartment blocks far from any military targets – acts that would constitute war crimes Source: UN [Source: Amnesty]().
• Great March of Return (2018–2019): Weekly Gaza protests demanding end to the siege were met by Israeli snipers. Human Rights Watch and Amnesty documented that at least 186 Palestinians (including over 40 children) were shot dead by Israeli forces in these demonstrations. On 14 May 2018 alone, 59 unarmed protesters were killed by live fire [Source: UN]() [Source: Amnesty](). Medics and journalists were also shot. Such use of lethal force against largely peaceful demonstrators (throwing stones or tires only) violated the rules of engagement; investigators have said many of these killings appear unlawful.
• Settler Violence and Forced Displacement: Throughout the 2000s and 2010s, Jewish settler militias (often backed by the army) attacked Palestinian villagers in the West Bank, burning homes and orchards. In several incidents (e.g. Duma, 2015), extremists murdered Palestinian children. Israel’s failure to stop or prosecute these acts (often planting soldiers nearby) effectively made the state an accomplice. Amnesty warns this violence is part of a “state-backed campaign” of dispossession under apartheid [Source: Amnesty]() [Source: HRW](). Each new settlement or eviction (like in East Jerusalem’s Sheikh Jarrah district) involves forcible transfer of Palestinians – an act international law deems a war crime. (As UN special rapporteurs have noted, the evictions violate rights to housing and could amount to forcible displacement [Source: Amnesty]() [Source: HRW]()).

2023–Present: Gaza War and Genocide Allegations

• 2023 Gaza War (Oct 2023–Jan 2025): After Hamas’s Oct. 7 attacks, Israel launched an intensive 15 month offensive on Gaza. UN monitoring groups report roughly 47,000 Palestinians killed (about 70% women and children) and 111,000 wounded, with nearly 70% of Gaza’s infrastructure destroyed [Source: UN](). The UN’s Independent Commission of Inquiry (Oct. 2024) concluded Israel has employed a “concerted policy to destroy Gaza’s healthcare system” and deliberately targeted civilians, doctors, hospitals, even UN shelters [Source: UN]() [Source: UN](). It found Israeli forces committed war crimes and the crime against humanity of “extermination” through relentless attacks on medical workers and beds [Source: UN]() [Source: UN](). The report detailed multiple strikes that killed entire families, ambulances and babies, and documented torture and killings of Palestinian detainees. Thousands of Palestinians (including children) held in Israeli custody were found to have been systematically beaten, sexualized and deprived of food – acts the Commission classifies as war crimes and crimes against humanity (torture, rape) [Source: UN](). In sum, the Inquiry determined Israeli forces committed repeated atrocities – intentional attacks on non-combatants, starvation as warfare, sexual violence, and forced transfers – that violate the Geneva Conventions.
• Accountability Efforts: International bodies have responded. In July 2023 the UN’s top court (ICJ) ordered Israel to halt actions “within the scope of genocide” – orders Israel has largely ignored. The International Criminal Court opened a full investigation in 2021 into all parties, and on 21 Nov. 2024 the ICC issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and Defense Minister Gallant, charging them with war crimes (using starvation as a method, intentionally attacking civilians) and crimes against humanity (murder, persecution, etc.) during the Gaza onslaught [Source: ICC]()). Human Rights Watch and Amnesty have repeatedly urged Israel to investigate and prosecute those responsible for the killings, instead of granting immunity [Source: HRW]() [Source: Amnesty]()).

Over decades, reports from the UN, ICC, and leading NGOs paint a consistent picture: Israeli military and state actors have carried out large-scale violations of international law against Palestinians, from the 1948 expulsion to recent Gaza campaigns. These include forcible displacement, indiscriminate bombing of civilians, torture of detainees, and other abuses that rights groups call war crimes and crimes against humanity [Source: Amnesty]() Source: UN. Despite clear documentation by independent sources, accountability has been almost entirely lacking. The ICC’s recent indictment of Israeli leaders and numerous UN resolutions underscore mounting demands for justice. In summary, the chronicle of abuses by Israeli forces reflects a sustained pattern of atrocities against Palestinians – for which activists and legal experts insist there must finally be impartial investigations and accountability Source: ICC Source: HRW.

Sources: Authoritative investigations by the UN (Special Rapporteurs, Commissions of Inquiry), Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International and other NGOs, as well as ICC and international legal analyses Source: Amnesty Source: UN Source: ICC Source: HRW. Each cited finding above is drawn directly from these primary reports.