December 27th: Three Years to Israel’s Offensive in Gaza

Today, December 27th 2011, marks three years to the beginning of Israel’s three-week offensive in the Gaza Strip, labeled Operation Cast Lead. You might have heard about it under some other one-sided inciting (and might add super-ignorant) name, but you’ve surely heard about it. It seems almost redundant to try and make a case for it now, three years later, but having its’ echoes still feed the de-legitimacy campaign against Israel, it seems more than necessary.

Let me make one thing clear right off the bat – the result is utterly horrifying. Death, so random and so cruel, and in such quantaties is never anyone’s desire, or anyone’s hope. At least not for the majority of the people on my side of the border, especially not the left-center government at the time that conducted it. Unfortunately, a large amount of people, Gazans, were turned unwillingly to vessels, human sheilds for fanatics, for the same people that’s been holding them hostage since the Summer of 2007 where a violent and bloody coup forced them to continue living in a constant state of war.

A little background is in order – 

In August of 2005, Israel unilaterally withdrew from the Gaza Strip. Removing almost 10,000 settlers, all settlements and all soldiers from the region, the strip was given to the Palestinians for full control. In the following year, 946 rockets were fired and landed in Israel from the evacuated strip. Adding 22 mortar shells, 2006 has seen almost 1,000 bombing attacks on Israeli civilian population.

The rocket count was getting worse by the month. In the first six months of 2008 alone, 1,075 rockets and 1,204 mortar shells were fired at Israel. In six months, 2,279 bombings.

Luckily, Israel’s southern areas are mostly filled with open spaces and agricultural territories, and the casualties were relatively low. That doesn’t go as far as saying there were no tragedies. One story, out of dozens and hundreds and many more, is of 8 years old Osher Twito whose house was hit by a Qassam rocket and his leg had to be amputated. 70 years old Shuli Katz was killed when a rocket hit his backyard on May 12th. And many more horrifying stories like this happened.

8 year old Osher Twito lost his leg when a rocket hit his home in Febraury 2008. Photographed By: Naor Rahav

This is not a comic book or a Hollywood movie but a devastating reality – there are casulaties and tragedies on both sides. However, only one gets constantly criticized and delegitimized.