Israel�s Military Operation in Gaza

INTRODUCTION

The ongoing military offensive between Israel and Hamas at Gaza has been one of the deadliest killing over 1800 Palestinians and 68 Israelis. Operation Protective Edge was launched by the Israeli Defence Force (IDF) on 08 July 2014 and was sparked after the kidnapping and killing of three Israeli teenagers. During the conflict, Israel conducted air operation targeting rockets launched by Hamas on Israel and led a ground invasion of Gaza to destroy Hamas’s tunnel network which are used to infiltrate Israel and target its civilians.

The conflict has been controversial particularly due to the high rate of civilian casualties incurred amongst Palestinians, targeting of United Nations schools in Gaza which were used as shelters by those fleeing rockets, attack on Gaza’s only power station and violations of ceasefire undertaken for providing humanitarian relief.

On 10 August, an Egyptian proposal for a 72-hour ceasefire was negotiated and agreed upon Israeli and Palestinian officials. The ceasefire will allow both sides to continue negotiations for a long-term solution to end the month-long fighting. Operation Protective Edge has not been declared over yet. The war on Gaza is still on.

The talk and discussion with Lt Col Tzvi Prag, Deputy Defence Attaché Israel, is focused on getting a firsthand account of events taking place on the ground during Israel’s military operation in Gaza, understanding the current situation, the challenges faced by the IDF from the operational point of view.