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There are several sources looking into lists of casualties reported by Gazan ministry of health.
They say that the ratio of young males who are most likely to be combatants is very high among the reported casualties relatively to their numbers in the general Gaza demographics, indicating that Israeli attacks are not as indiscriminate as Hamas is trying to present them.
Where do you think this information belongs ? With the casualties figures under "Impact on residents" or under "Civilian deaths" in "Violations of international humanitarian law" ? I believe it should be a new section under "Civilian death" titled "Differences in counting of civilian casualties". -
WarKosign (
talk)
11:26, 9 August 2014 (UTC)
Can someone incorporate this BBC article: If the Israeli attacks have been 'indiscriminate', as the UN Human Rights Council says, it is hard to work out why they have killed so many more civilian men than women” 5.28.159.18 ( talk) 06:09, 9 August 2014 (UTC)
Here is another source, with more details of number manipulations employed by Hamas. http://www.jewishpress.com/news/breaking-news/hamas-list-of-casualties-includes-those-who-died-twice/2014/08/07/ @ Kingsindian:, you previously reverted an addition by @ טבעת-זרם: for being too POV. How would you phrase this information, or would you argue that it's unimportant ?
@ WarKosign, Tritomex, and Knightmare72589: Please see Casualties of the Gaza War for the background. As you can see, counting civilians and militants is a highly contested business. Right now, as the BBC report,, which also referenced the NYT report, mentioned in the I reverted mentioned, there needs to be "caution" in interpreting the figures. All figures are preliminary, as has been mentioned already. After the 2008 war, there was detailed checking of background of the people killed by B'Tselem, PCHR, Al Mezan etc. This, of course takes time. I reverted a statement saying that "Credibility of parts of the data has been doubted or shown to be incorrect". Which part is doubted, who is doubting them, and which part is shown incorrect? This is no way to summarize a complicated situation like this. Final figures can only be obtained after sufficient time. Until then, we have to make do with preliminary figures, from various sources, all of which have been mentioned here. Kingsindian ( talk) 18:35, 9 August 2014 (UTC)
I recently had an edit reverted by a user who claims that since the Gaza Ministry of Health only states civilian deaths in the report that all other deaths must be combatants. He/she makes the same argument for the IDF's figures which only report "armed militants killed" but no numbers for civilians or unknown. To me this is blatant introduction of bias into the article based purely off assumption. What's even more concerning is that the editor not only reverted my edit that had said "no figure given" instead of the assumed calculation but he/she has now expanded the table to include a new column to show his/her assumed percentage figures for civilian deaths. Monopoly31121993 ( talk) 08:21, 10 August 2014 (UTC)
Monopoly31121993 First, I'm a he. Second, if you bothered to check the edit history you would see it was not me who added the civilian percentage column to the table but a totally different editor [1], which I think is totally unnecessary, but if it didn't bother the other editors so be it (it obviously bothers you). Also, if you bothered, you would see that most of the percentage figures that the other editor put in that column are sourced (far right side), guess he was not assuming. In any case, you jumping to conclusions about me and accusing me of pushing my own assumtions (POV-pushing?) by making an edit that wasn't even mine is boderline violating WP policy on Good Faith and Civility. Third, the PCHR and the IDF have consistently referred to ether civilian or combatant fatalities, never mentioning a third category (unidentified). And I would once again refer you to WP policy on this issue at WP:CALC. EkoGraf ( talk) 15:18, 10 August 2014 (UTC)
This is a war. I propose moving the article to Gaza War (2014) (in consistency with Gaza War (2008–09)).
@ FutureTrillionaire and I.am.a.qwerty: The section is supposed to be a stub for military forces and technologies required, not just Gaza rockets. This kind of section is present in pages for previous conflicts as well. The current part is no more than a start, and needs expansion. This is why I had tagged the section like this. Unfortunately FutureTrillionaire had changed the section heading making it too narrow and NPOV in scope. This section needs expansion, not removal. The current version is not supposed to be definitive or complete. Also, it is not clear to me what you refer to when you say that one source is not WP:RS. Which one? Kingsindian ( talk) 06:29, 14 August 2014 (UTC)
The current caption for the first image reads "Iron Dome shooting down a rocket from Gaza". In the image, only one rocket is visible. Any thoughts? -- Stannic tetramuon ・ Snμ4 14:22, 8 August 2014 (UTC)
The introduction to this article is either deceptively or erroneously constructed so as to portray this conflict as having been initiated by Israeli air-strikes into Gaza. It makes no mention of easily accessible information such as this : http://mfa.gov.il/mfa/foreignpolicy/terrorism/pages/palestinian_ceasefire_violations_since_end_operation_cast_lead.aspx which demonstrate that rocket fire from Gaza into Israel did not begin with the operation in the West Bank but was in fact ongoing since June of 2013 and only increased in June of 2014. Rocket fire therefore never ceased but rather increased and this is an important fact to mention. It is also worth clarifying that the rocket fire was not in response to Israeli air-strikes but was in fact an increase after the kidnapping and murder of the three Israeli teenagers. Rocket fire then increased again when Israel retaliated for the first increase in rocket fire. These facts are all easily established through careful reading of the news on the subject in a chronological fashion. In a conflict already so rife with misinformation and which generates more interest than any other in the world, it is of the utmost importance that wikipedia be as accurate and unbiased as possible. As it is written now, the narrative falsely paints Israel as the aggressor when the facts do not establish this, and in fact point in the other direction. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Alistriwen ( talk • contribs) 09:57, 12 August 2014 (UTC)
I am a little unhappy with a modification (to something I wrote!!!) but I'm not going to change anything myself. A previous version included the widely repeated report that the tunnels were intended for a massive Rosh Hashanah attack. Since the sources were unnamed (or citation needed) I added for balance the report (from an unnamed source but on Israel army radio) that all targets were military. That second bit of information stayed in without the first. In a way that unbalances things in the other direction. I don't think we know what the intention was nor how easily it might have changed depending on conditions. But with a sensational claim (September attack!) which readers might come to look for, it is worth saying "not well substantiated."
Of possibly greater concern is that the spun off section Timeline_of_the_2014_Israel–Gaza_conflict includes the September attack claim but not the second claim. Gentlemath ( talk) 09:58, 15 August 2014 (UTC)
LATER I moved the "only military" claim to keep it with the "Rosh Hashanah attack" claim. Both are from quality outlets and quote unnamed sources. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Gentlemath ( talk • contribs) 22:48, 16 August 2014 (UTC)
Not sure if it is appropriate to publicize RfCs here. But people might be interested in the the one here, an article which is linked/spun out from this page. Kingsindian ( talk) 11:10, 17 August 2014 (UTC)
http://www.memritv.org/clip/en/4422.htm
http://www.memritv.org/clip/en/0/0/0/0/0/0/4390.htm http://www.memritv.org/clip/en/0/0/0/0/0/0/4391.htm
Reality according to Hamas: Hamas fighters are civilians http://www.palwatch.org/main.aspx?fi=157&doc_id=12298
Hamas claims to have executed over 30 collaborators with Israel Source: Palestine Press news agency, July 28, 2014 http://www.palwatch.org/main.aspx?fi=1045 — Preceding unsigned comment added by 77.127.5.88 ( talk) 01:41, 18 August 2014 (UTC)
This edit is all wrong: http://en.wikipedia.org/?title=2014_Israel%E2%80%93Gaza_conflict&diff=621743183&oldid=621698099
What Ma'an calls, 'biscuit factory', we all know could be a rocket storage or worse. Ma'an has silly habits, like calling militants "resistance fighters" and repeating their text, or the text of the people they interview as facts devoid of prejudice is just as bad, if not worse, than posting an unverified image such as this one - http://en.wikipedia.org/?title=User_talk%3ANishidani&diff=620953788&oldid=620951733 77.127.5.88 ( talk) 09:48, 18 August 2014 (UTC)
Possible inaccuracy in the passage (Impact on Israeli residents) Despite Israel's use of the Iron Dome missile defense systems, 3 civilians were killed including a Jewish Israeli, an Arab Israeli and a Thai worker. - of these casualties the Thai migrant worker was killed by a mortar shell, the Jewish Israeli was also killed by a mortar shell and the Arab Israeli killed by a rocket. It is important to distinguish between these munitions because the Iron Dome cannot intercept short range mortars but has a much higher interception ration on longer range rockets towards larger population centers like Ashkelon. In the case of at least one of these casualties, the Bedouin Arab Israeli, their dwelling lay in a zone classified as an 'open area' and therefore not protected by the Iron Dome. In this sense the casualties were not killed 'despite the Iron Dome' but because they were in areas that the Iron Dome was not set up to protect. If there are no objections I will go ahead and make some minor accuracy alterations here and there and try and farm out some of the non- WP:RS that have snuck into the article (including the Daily Mail online article that was used for this passage. KingHiggins ( talk) 01:38, 19 August 2014 (UTC)
The article lead (specifically, following paragraph) is extremely POV, and also qualifies as WP:Synth and parts of it qualify as WP: OR
"The fighting followed a series of events,[38] which included the continued blockade of the Gaza Strip by the Egyptian and Israeli governments (the latter in violation of the November 2012 ceasefire),[32][39] the continued incarceration without trial of prisoners in Israeli jails,[39][40][41] continued land, sea and air attacks by Israel on Gaza,[32][42][43] continued rocket attacks from Gaza, the formation of a unity government by Fatah and Hamas, the subsequent collapse of American-sponsored peace talks, the kidnapping and murder of three Israeli teenagers (for which Israel blamed Hamas),[44] the subsequent kidnapping and murder of a Palestinian teenager, and the arrest by Israel of nearly all of Hamas's West Bank leaders.[32][38][39][45]"
Arguments:
I realize we are not going to fix these issues quickly or anytime soon. So a POV tag is needed in the lead until we can reach some consensus.
Kinetochore ( talk) 03:04, 14 August 2014 (UTC)
@ Erictheenquirer: I tried to look at the issue of having another article from your point of view. But some questions stroke my mind. I believe that the causes of the conflict must be presented in detail, but in its suitable place. Also, I believe that some parts of the background would better be moved to another broader article. But somehow direct factors such as 2nd reconciliation between Fatah-Hamas should stay as a cause for OPE. Mhhossein ( talk) 19:21, 17 August 2014 (UTC)
(numbering for convenience)
Erictheenquirer ( talk) 14:18, 18 August 2014 (UTC)
@ Erictheenquirer, Mhhossein, Hires an editor, Shrike, Kinetochore, and Tritomex: I have opened a move review for the page title here. Kingsindian ( talk) 13:36, 17 August 2014 (UTC)
Given the change of intentions for this article - being specific to Operation Protective Edge (with an appropriate title change) - I will alter the Background so as to extend through to end-June 2014. Erictheenquirer ( talk) 07:30, 19 August 2014 (UTC)
@ WarKosign: The quote "out of 710 foreign journalists, only a handful..." comes directly from the article and is not WP:OR. I have reverted the here. Kingsindian ( talk) 22:44, 9 August 2014 (UTC)
@ Knightmare72589: That is not the way it works. The weights of the different evidence is not the same.
@ WarKosign: I have removed your edit here per WP:UNDUE. The paragraph already has enough detail about intimidation, right at the first paragraph. This paragraph is an adequate summary of the situation, no need to add details from each individual case. Kingsindian ( talk) 09:37, 11 August 2014 (UTC)
The source is impeccable, and that therefore is what we say (handful/few) until reportage on the theme or meme changes.
Of the 710 foreign journalists who crossed into Gaza during Operation Protective Edge, only a handful have claimed they were intimidated by Hamas or produced hitherto unpublished footage of rockets being fired from civilian areas, such as the pictures filmed by Indian channel NDTV, which were shown at the Netanyahu briefing. Maybe such footage will still emerge — all the foreign correspondents interviewed for this piece insisted that it doesn’t exist, and not because they wouldn’t have liked to obtain such pictures. Reporter after reporter returning from Gaza has spoken of how, with the notable exception of spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri, Hamas fighters melted away during the warfare, even abandoning their regular checkpoint at the entrance to the Strip from Erez, so no one was checking the journalists’ passports. “I wasn’t intimidated at any point,” says one seasoned war reporter. “I didn’t feel Hamas were a threat to my welfare any more than Israeli bombings. I’m aware some people had problems, but nothing beyond what you would expect covering a conflict. Hamas’s levels of intimidation weren’t any worse than what you occasionally experience at the hands of the IDF, which didn’t allow access to fighting for most of the conflict either. As a rule no armed forces permit you to broadcast militarily sensitive information.”
If an advanced society ever gets into the kind of war Gaza has been through, I would expect tighter controls on information: strict censorship on what can be tweeted, partial switch-offs of the internet and restrictions on reporters' movements. The absence of these things on the Gazan side made the war reportable through social media.'
@joshmitnick Every reporter I've met who was in Gaza during war says this Israeli/now FPA narrative of Hamas harassment is nonsense 5:30 PM - 11 Aug 2014
According to the FPA, several members of the foreign media in Gaza were harassed, threatened or questioned about stories they reported.
The FPA strongly condemns deliberate official and unofficial incitement against journalists working to cover the current warfare under very difficult circumstances as well as forcible attempts to prevent journalists and TV crews from carrying out their news assignments. While we do not condone the use of invective by any side, outright attacks on journalists are absolutely unacceptable.On Tuesday, IDF forces aimed live fire at the Al Jazeera offices in Gaza City. The offices are on the 11th floor of a known commercial centre. The IDF apologised claiming it was in error and said they would investigate the incident.Also Tuesday, FPA member Firas Khatib of BBC Arabic was physically attacked and abused in the midst of a live feed on the Israeli side of the border. July 23, 2014
I'll add some fuel to your fire: http://www.terrorism-info.org.il/en/article/20699 "During the first days of Operation Protective Edge Hamas forged a policy for media reports to be implemented by local and foreign correspondents covering the fighting. Its objectives were to prevent reports that would prove Israel's claims of Hamas use of Gazan civilians as human shields, and to reinforce the propaganda theme that Israel deliberately attacked civilians and committed war crimes." "During Operation Protective Edge local journalists were careful to follow Hamas' policy guidelines, among other reasons out of the concern for their own safety" "Hamas never allowed foreign correspondents access to military sites attacked by Israel, whether they were bases, rocket launching sites or other targets. The organization's dead and wounded operatives were not photographed and therefore, from a media point of view, they do not exist" "Third, it was obvious that Hamas was firing rockets from civilian areas, but Hamas operatives forbid camera teams from filming them, because they did not want to reveal the tactic or the locations of the launch sites" - WarKosign ( talk) 13:51, 12 August 2014 (UTC)
This section is still hugely unsatisfactory. The intimidation part takes over half the section, while the killing part is only a couple of lines. It is wildly WP:UNDUE. One part needs to be drastically condensed, or the other expanded. Kingsindian ( talk) 06:42, 15 August 2014 (UTC)
Still hugely unsatisfactory, in fact worse than before. Kingsindian ( talk) 14:51, 19 August 2014 (UTC)
B'Tselem has a photo blog containing lots of photos about the conflict, all free to use under CC license. Someone can upload to commons and take from there. I have already added one from Beit Hanoun. It contains some photos of rocket attacks on Israel as well. Someone was talking about not enough photos from Israel in the casualties section. Here is an option. Kingsindian ( talk) 18:22, 19 August 2014 (UTC)
The phrase we use in this article is highly problematic and misleading. Gaza is not an independent state and does not have its own health ministry. Its eighter Palestinian health ministry if it represents the Palestinian Authority/Sate of Palestine or Hamas health ministry, eventually Hamas affiliated health ministry if it represents Hamas. The current description is misleading as no one understands whom Gaza Health ministry represents.-- Tritomex ( talk) 17:01, 19 August 2014 (UTC)
@ Monopoly31121993: Regarding your edit, I don't believe the UN schools serve as air-raid shelters, which, as the page indicates, is something completely different. They are just shelters in the sense of "people have taken shelter there". Kingsindian ( talk) 19:41, 19 August 2014 (UTC)
The 2012-13 subsection contains data relating to 2014. I will created a "2014" subsection for "Background" and move the 'offending' data there. Erictheenquirer ( talk) 09:30, 20 August 2014 (UTC)
@ Avaya1: It is extremely rude to remove a whole section with a wholly inadequate edit summary. "incomplete...clutters up" -- what kind of reasoning is this? At least have the decency to discuss on the talk page before removing stuff wholesale. Not to mention that this has already been discussed before. Kingsindian ( talk) 03:59, 21 August 2014 (UTC)
.Arguably we should have such a section, if someone actually writes it. But as it currently stands, you are cluttering the middle of the article with a couple of randomly chosen paragraphs about rockets
@ WarKosign: This . Do you really think that the sources are adequate for this extraordinary claim? The first one is an opinion by one person, based on no evidence at all, published by Breibart.com, a partisan rag. The second is a blog post. I have talked to you earlier about depite having lots of good edits, being careful about WP:NOTADVOCATE. You should also take a look at WP:OPPONENT. Is this really the sort of evidence you would accept, coming from your opponent? Kingsindian ( talk) 11:30, 21 August 2014 (UTC)
Please see this for an explanation for where the reactions section went. A very bold edit, but reasonable I think. If anyone has any issues, we can discuss them. It was a strange thing, half the reactions on this page, and half on the other page. Kingsindian ( talk) 16:25, 21 August 2014 (UTC)
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Still lots. 142.204.42.75 ( talk) 00:33, 22 August 2014 (UTC)
I think the background section is too long. Events going back to 2011 while certainly part of the over-arching conflict are not directly related to this topic. Each of those paragraphs should be condensed down to a sentence or two with the entire "old" background being one or two paragraphs. Gaijin42 ( talk) 14:29, 21 August 2014 (UTC)
Possibly the main reason for the length of the Background section is the insistence that the 2014 Conflicts all be contained within an article which, despite its name "2014 Israel-Gaza Conflict" is seen to in fact be about "Operation Protective Edge". There is a move request to rename the article. As a result, not only does the pre-2014 background have to fit in, but also all the lead-up to OPE. I too find this to be ridiculous and have long been pleading for a separate article that takes over these tasks, ironically, an article about the 2014 Israel-Palestinian conflicts. I find the current situation to be artificially restrictive, but there is a powerful lobby the make Operation Protective Edge representative of the entire 2014. Until this changes, we will have to live with a bloated Background. Erictheenquirer ( talk) 08:28, 22 August 2014 (UTC)
Citations numbers start from 35. I'm unsure why, or how to fix it. Yaakovaryeh ( talk) 01:00, 22 August 2014 (UTC)
@ Erictheenquirer: I have condensed your paragraph about "alternative version" and added a reference. It seems there is no alternative version since they both agree on the facts: the firing was in response to an incursion east of Khan Yunis. Kingsindian ( talk) 11:42, 22 August 2014 (UTC)
I have noticed in many places "members" is being used. This might of course be problematic since not all Hamas members are combatants. I am not sure what the correct usage is. I read somewhere else that "militants" is the accepted compromise. Not sure if it applies here. Kingsindian ( talk) 12:28, 22 August 2014 (UTC)
@ Spud770: Regarding your edit here. As I explained in my edit summary, this is duplication and too categorical a statement. The "human shields" claim is heavily contested and therefore has a big section just below discussing all the claims. All the points made in your references, including the Hamas leader's statement are discussed there. All such claims must be attributed and discussed, as is done in the section (Israel, Hamas, UN, EU, etc.) As to activists, that is quite a separate matter. This section is about involuntary human shielding, say by Hamas and others, which is a violation of international humanitarian law. This is totally different from voluntary acts by international activists. Kingsindian ( talk) 19:32, 18 August 2014 (UTC)
@ Spud770: B'Tselem's account is as follows: they got warning at 1:30 to evacuate, they evacuated. At 2:50, a missile was fired, hitting the solar water tank on the roof. People went up to investigate, then another missile hit at 3:00 while they were on the roof. The IDF claimed that it was too late to stop the second missile, (a claim B'Tselem rejected, but that is not relevant here). This is in no way an account of human shielding. The sources you quoted were all very close in time to the attack, when things were unclear and Israel was itself either not sure, or spinning this (take your pick based on your estimate of how nefarious they are). It is not fair to present this as uncontested fact, since this is obviously a loaded accusation. As to the voluntary human shielding by activists, that should be separated out clearly, since as far as I know, nobody has died. Kingsindian ( talk) 23:18, 18 August 2014 (UTC)
@ TheTimesAreAChanging: Can you please not change a stable lead massively like this without discussion? I would appreciate it if you restored to the previous version while we discuss.
It is immaterial to me that GGranddad agrees and TheTimesAreAChanging disagrees with me about the causes of the conflict. I am not talking about it here. I am talking about a consensus, to have in the lead only the immediate causes of the conflict and not the whole back-story, which has been disregarded by TheTimesAreAChanging in his edit. After asking 3 times already, I will not ask again to revert his edit, but only suggest to him to think about what he's doing. Kingsindian ( talk) 17:15, 22 August 2014 (UTC)
There's a silly mention in the lead about the unity gov. ploy by Hamas and Qatar as if there was a unity gov. in Gaza. This should be moved to the background section. I'm not sure if just saying 'Hamas governed' can be accepted since the situation is "murky", but using the word "unity" is down-right nonsensical. What are your thoughts/relevant sources? MarciulionisHOF ( talk) 07:39, 22 August 2014 (UTC)
Here is a link and piece from the Israeli news about the unity government and Hamas stepping down. Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh and his "cabinet" in Gaza have resigned, Hamas spokeswoman Israa al-Mudallal said, "paving the way for the new ministers of the consensus government." Haniyeh welcomed the new cabinet as "a government of one people and one political system." "We're leaving the government, but not the nation. We're leaving the ministries but not the question of the nation," Haniyeh said in a televised speech. Hamas and Fatah swore in a "unity" government earlier Monday, despite last-minute tensions which almost prevented the Palestinian Arab reconciliation. The joint government elected Palestinian Authority (PA) official Rami Hamdallah as Prime Minister. [2]
(Issue for Third opinion is the edit here)
Collapsing to prevent confusion for 3O
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@ Monopoly31121993: Regarding your edit here. The source is the first one cited, by Nathan Thrall. "Israel’s retaliation culminated in the 6 July bombings that killed seven Hamas militants, the largest number of fatalities inflicted on the group in several months. The next day Hamas began taking responsibility for the rockets. Israel then announced Operation Protective Edge." Kingsindian ( talk) 17:58, 21 August 2014 (UTC) |
3O Response: I will address the issue in a moment, but @
Kingsindian: as four editors have taken part in this discussion, please note that
MarshalN20's decline was correct and your relisting was out of process. Also please note that it is inappropriate to "Collaps[e] to prevent confusion for 3O". Do you really think that a 3O volunteer will be confused by that one post or that a 3O volunteer would fail to read the whole thread, including any collapsed part?
Now to the issue. I have only checked the Thrall source, since that is what you raised. If others sources add or clarify, please identify which sources and how they do so as you progress this discussion. The current version* of the article is clearly inconsistent with the Thrall source, since the article is currently saying "which several Hamas affiliated groups had begun launching in June", whereas Thrall calls them "non-Hamas factions".
However, about what Hamas started taking responsibility for on 7 July, Thrall is simply ambiguous, and any attempt to interpret him either way is WP:OR. Thrall says, "The next day Hamas began taking responsibility for the rockets." That's all. He doesn't say which rockets (the earlier ones or only later ones), and he doesn't say whether taking responsibility for rockets meant firing rockets. So both of you are reading more into the Thrall source than what he says. Stfg ( talk) 17:21, 22 August 2014 (UTC)
The stated aim of the operation was to stop rocket attacks from the Gaza Strip, which several non-Hamas groups had begun launching in June and which Hamas claimed responsibility for on 7 July following an Israeli crackdown on Hamas members in the West Bank.[35][36][37][38][39] The crackdown was a response to the 2014 kidnapping and murder of Israeli teenagers by Hamas members, which Hamas leadership praised but did not take responsibility for until August 20.[40][41]
As protests spread through Israel and Jerusalem, militants in Gaza from non-Hamas factions began firing rockets and mortars in solidarity. Sensing Israel’s vulnerability and the Ramallah leadership’s weakness, Hamas leaders called for the protests to grow into a third intifada. When the rocket fire increased, they found themselves drawn into a new confrontation: they couldn’t be seen suppressing the rocket attacks while calling for a mass uprising. Israel’s retaliation culminated in the 6 July bombings that killed seven Hamas militants, the largest number of fatalities inflicted on the group in several months. The next day Hamas began taking responsibility for the rockets. Israel then announced Operation Protective Edge.
(b) which Hamas leadership praised but did not take responsibility for until August 20.
An Israeli crackdown on Hamas members and institutions on the West Bank, sparked by the kidnapping of 3 Israeli teenagers by known Hamas militants led to rocket launchings in solidarity by non-Hamas factions from the Gaza Strip in June. Israel retaliated on July 6 by bombings that killed seven Hamas militants within the Strip. The following day Hamas assumed responsibility for rockets fired from that territory. Israel held Hamas responsible for the kidnappings. The Hamas leadership, while praising the act, denied knowledge of it, a position repeated by Khaled Meshal on August 22.
![]() | This is an archive of past discussions. Do not edit the contents of this page. If you wish to start a new discussion or revive an old one, please do so on the current talk page. |
Archive 1 | ← | Archive 4 | Archive 5 | Archive 6 | Archive 7 | Archive 8 | → | Archive 10 |
There are several sources looking into lists of casualties reported by Gazan ministry of health.
They say that the ratio of young males who are most likely to be combatants is very high among the reported casualties relatively to their numbers in the general Gaza demographics, indicating that Israeli attacks are not as indiscriminate as Hamas is trying to present them.
Where do you think this information belongs ? With the casualties figures under "Impact on residents" or under "Civilian deaths" in "Violations of international humanitarian law" ? I believe it should be a new section under "Civilian death" titled "Differences in counting of civilian casualties". -
WarKosign (
talk)
11:26, 9 August 2014 (UTC)
Can someone incorporate this BBC article: If the Israeli attacks have been 'indiscriminate', as the UN Human Rights Council says, it is hard to work out why they have killed so many more civilian men than women” 5.28.159.18 ( talk) 06:09, 9 August 2014 (UTC)
Here is another source, with more details of number manipulations employed by Hamas. http://www.jewishpress.com/news/breaking-news/hamas-list-of-casualties-includes-those-who-died-twice/2014/08/07/ @ Kingsindian:, you previously reverted an addition by @ טבעת-זרם: for being too POV. How would you phrase this information, or would you argue that it's unimportant ?
@ WarKosign, Tritomex, and Knightmare72589: Please see Casualties of the Gaza War for the background. As you can see, counting civilians and militants is a highly contested business. Right now, as the BBC report,, which also referenced the NYT report, mentioned in the I reverted mentioned, there needs to be "caution" in interpreting the figures. All figures are preliminary, as has been mentioned already. After the 2008 war, there was detailed checking of background of the people killed by B'Tselem, PCHR, Al Mezan etc. This, of course takes time. I reverted a statement saying that "Credibility of parts of the data has been doubted or shown to be incorrect". Which part is doubted, who is doubting them, and which part is shown incorrect? This is no way to summarize a complicated situation like this. Final figures can only be obtained after sufficient time. Until then, we have to make do with preliminary figures, from various sources, all of which have been mentioned here. Kingsindian ( talk) 18:35, 9 August 2014 (UTC)
I recently had an edit reverted by a user who claims that since the Gaza Ministry of Health only states civilian deaths in the report that all other deaths must be combatants. He/she makes the same argument for the IDF's figures which only report "armed militants killed" but no numbers for civilians or unknown. To me this is blatant introduction of bias into the article based purely off assumption. What's even more concerning is that the editor not only reverted my edit that had said "no figure given" instead of the assumed calculation but he/she has now expanded the table to include a new column to show his/her assumed percentage figures for civilian deaths. Monopoly31121993 ( talk) 08:21, 10 August 2014 (UTC)
Monopoly31121993 First, I'm a he. Second, if you bothered to check the edit history you would see it was not me who added the civilian percentage column to the table but a totally different editor [1], which I think is totally unnecessary, but if it didn't bother the other editors so be it (it obviously bothers you). Also, if you bothered, you would see that most of the percentage figures that the other editor put in that column are sourced (far right side), guess he was not assuming. In any case, you jumping to conclusions about me and accusing me of pushing my own assumtions (POV-pushing?) by making an edit that wasn't even mine is boderline violating WP policy on Good Faith and Civility. Third, the PCHR and the IDF have consistently referred to ether civilian or combatant fatalities, never mentioning a third category (unidentified). And I would once again refer you to WP policy on this issue at WP:CALC. EkoGraf ( talk) 15:18, 10 August 2014 (UTC)
This is a war. I propose moving the article to Gaza War (2014) (in consistency with Gaza War (2008–09)).
@ FutureTrillionaire and I.am.a.qwerty: The section is supposed to be a stub for military forces and technologies required, not just Gaza rockets. This kind of section is present in pages for previous conflicts as well. The current part is no more than a start, and needs expansion. This is why I had tagged the section like this. Unfortunately FutureTrillionaire had changed the section heading making it too narrow and NPOV in scope. This section needs expansion, not removal. The current version is not supposed to be definitive or complete. Also, it is not clear to me what you refer to when you say that one source is not WP:RS. Which one? Kingsindian ( talk) 06:29, 14 August 2014 (UTC)
The current caption for the first image reads "Iron Dome shooting down a rocket from Gaza". In the image, only one rocket is visible. Any thoughts? -- Stannic tetramuon ・ Snμ4 14:22, 8 August 2014 (UTC)
The introduction to this article is either deceptively or erroneously constructed so as to portray this conflict as having been initiated by Israeli air-strikes into Gaza. It makes no mention of easily accessible information such as this : http://mfa.gov.il/mfa/foreignpolicy/terrorism/pages/palestinian_ceasefire_violations_since_end_operation_cast_lead.aspx which demonstrate that rocket fire from Gaza into Israel did not begin with the operation in the West Bank but was in fact ongoing since June of 2013 and only increased in June of 2014. Rocket fire therefore never ceased but rather increased and this is an important fact to mention. It is also worth clarifying that the rocket fire was not in response to Israeli air-strikes but was in fact an increase after the kidnapping and murder of the three Israeli teenagers. Rocket fire then increased again when Israel retaliated for the first increase in rocket fire. These facts are all easily established through careful reading of the news on the subject in a chronological fashion. In a conflict already so rife with misinformation and which generates more interest than any other in the world, it is of the utmost importance that wikipedia be as accurate and unbiased as possible. As it is written now, the narrative falsely paints Israel as the aggressor when the facts do not establish this, and in fact point in the other direction. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Alistriwen ( talk • contribs) 09:57, 12 August 2014 (UTC)
I am a little unhappy with a modification (to something I wrote!!!) but I'm not going to change anything myself. A previous version included the widely repeated report that the tunnels were intended for a massive Rosh Hashanah attack. Since the sources were unnamed (or citation needed) I added for balance the report (from an unnamed source but on Israel army radio) that all targets were military. That second bit of information stayed in without the first. In a way that unbalances things in the other direction. I don't think we know what the intention was nor how easily it might have changed depending on conditions. But with a sensational claim (September attack!) which readers might come to look for, it is worth saying "not well substantiated."
Of possibly greater concern is that the spun off section Timeline_of_the_2014_Israel–Gaza_conflict includes the September attack claim but not the second claim. Gentlemath ( talk) 09:58, 15 August 2014 (UTC)
LATER I moved the "only military" claim to keep it with the "Rosh Hashanah attack" claim. Both are from quality outlets and quote unnamed sources. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Gentlemath ( talk • contribs) 22:48, 16 August 2014 (UTC)
Not sure if it is appropriate to publicize RfCs here. But people might be interested in the the one here, an article which is linked/spun out from this page. Kingsindian ( talk) 11:10, 17 August 2014 (UTC)
http://www.memritv.org/clip/en/4422.htm
http://www.memritv.org/clip/en/0/0/0/0/0/0/4390.htm http://www.memritv.org/clip/en/0/0/0/0/0/0/4391.htm
Reality according to Hamas: Hamas fighters are civilians http://www.palwatch.org/main.aspx?fi=157&doc_id=12298
Hamas claims to have executed over 30 collaborators with Israel Source: Palestine Press news agency, July 28, 2014 http://www.palwatch.org/main.aspx?fi=1045 — Preceding unsigned comment added by 77.127.5.88 ( talk) 01:41, 18 August 2014 (UTC)
This edit is all wrong: http://en.wikipedia.org/?title=2014_Israel%E2%80%93Gaza_conflict&diff=621743183&oldid=621698099
What Ma'an calls, 'biscuit factory', we all know could be a rocket storage or worse. Ma'an has silly habits, like calling militants "resistance fighters" and repeating their text, or the text of the people they interview as facts devoid of prejudice is just as bad, if not worse, than posting an unverified image such as this one - http://en.wikipedia.org/?title=User_talk%3ANishidani&diff=620953788&oldid=620951733 77.127.5.88 ( talk) 09:48, 18 August 2014 (UTC)
Possible inaccuracy in the passage (Impact on Israeli residents) Despite Israel's use of the Iron Dome missile defense systems, 3 civilians were killed including a Jewish Israeli, an Arab Israeli and a Thai worker. - of these casualties the Thai migrant worker was killed by a mortar shell, the Jewish Israeli was also killed by a mortar shell and the Arab Israeli killed by a rocket. It is important to distinguish between these munitions because the Iron Dome cannot intercept short range mortars but has a much higher interception ration on longer range rockets towards larger population centers like Ashkelon. In the case of at least one of these casualties, the Bedouin Arab Israeli, their dwelling lay in a zone classified as an 'open area' and therefore not protected by the Iron Dome. In this sense the casualties were not killed 'despite the Iron Dome' but because they were in areas that the Iron Dome was not set up to protect. If there are no objections I will go ahead and make some minor accuracy alterations here and there and try and farm out some of the non- WP:RS that have snuck into the article (including the Daily Mail online article that was used for this passage. KingHiggins ( talk) 01:38, 19 August 2014 (UTC)
The article lead (specifically, following paragraph) is extremely POV, and also qualifies as WP:Synth and parts of it qualify as WP: OR
"The fighting followed a series of events,[38] which included the continued blockade of the Gaza Strip by the Egyptian and Israeli governments (the latter in violation of the November 2012 ceasefire),[32][39] the continued incarceration without trial of prisoners in Israeli jails,[39][40][41] continued land, sea and air attacks by Israel on Gaza,[32][42][43] continued rocket attacks from Gaza, the formation of a unity government by Fatah and Hamas, the subsequent collapse of American-sponsored peace talks, the kidnapping and murder of three Israeli teenagers (for which Israel blamed Hamas),[44] the subsequent kidnapping and murder of a Palestinian teenager, and the arrest by Israel of nearly all of Hamas's West Bank leaders.[32][38][39][45]"
Arguments:
I realize we are not going to fix these issues quickly or anytime soon. So a POV tag is needed in the lead until we can reach some consensus.
Kinetochore ( talk) 03:04, 14 August 2014 (UTC)
@ Erictheenquirer: I tried to look at the issue of having another article from your point of view. But some questions stroke my mind. I believe that the causes of the conflict must be presented in detail, but in its suitable place. Also, I believe that some parts of the background would better be moved to another broader article. But somehow direct factors such as 2nd reconciliation between Fatah-Hamas should stay as a cause for OPE. Mhhossein ( talk) 19:21, 17 August 2014 (UTC)
(numbering for convenience)
Erictheenquirer ( talk) 14:18, 18 August 2014 (UTC)
@ Erictheenquirer, Mhhossein, Hires an editor, Shrike, Kinetochore, and Tritomex: I have opened a move review for the page title here. Kingsindian ( talk) 13:36, 17 August 2014 (UTC)
Given the change of intentions for this article - being specific to Operation Protective Edge (with an appropriate title change) - I will alter the Background so as to extend through to end-June 2014. Erictheenquirer ( talk) 07:30, 19 August 2014 (UTC)
@ WarKosign: The quote "out of 710 foreign journalists, only a handful..." comes directly from the article and is not WP:OR. I have reverted the here. Kingsindian ( talk) 22:44, 9 August 2014 (UTC)
@ Knightmare72589: That is not the way it works. The weights of the different evidence is not the same.
@ WarKosign: I have removed your edit here per WP:UNDUE. The paragraph already has enough detail about intimidation, right at the first paragraph. This paragraph is an adequate summary of the situation, no need to add details from each individual case. Kingsindian ( talk) 09:37, 11 August 2014 (UTC)
The source is impeccable, and that therefore is what we say (handful/few) until reportage on the theme or meme changes.
Of the 710 foreign journalists who crossed into Gaza during Operation Protective Edge, only a handful have claimed they were intimidated by Hamas or produced hitherto unpublished footage of rockets being fired from civilian areas, such as the pictures filmed by Indian channel NDTV, which were shown at the Netanyahu briefing. Maybe such footage will still emerge — all the foreign correspondents interviewed for this piece insisted that it doesn’t exist, and not because they wouldn’t have liked to obtain such pictures. Reporter after reporter returning from Gaza has spoken of how, with the notable exception of spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri, Hamas fighters melted away during the warfare, even abandoning their regular checkpoint at the entrance to the Strip from Erez, so no one was checking the journalists’ passports. “I wasn’t intimidated at any point,” says one seasoned war reporter. “I didn’t feel Hamas were a threat to my welfare any more than Israeli bombings. I’m aware some people had problems, but nothing beyond what you would expect covering a conflict. Hamas’s levels of intimidation weren’t any worse than what you occasionally experience at the hands of the IDF, which didn’t allow access to fighting for most of the conflict either. As a rule no armed forces permit you to broadcast militarily sensitive information.”
If an advanced society ever gets into the kind of war Gaza has been through, I would expect tighter controls on information: strict censorship on what can be tweeted, partial switch-offs of the internet and restrictions on reporters' movements. The absence of these things on the Gazan side made the war reportable through social media.'
@joshmitnick Every reporter I've met who was in Gaza during war says this Israeli/now FPA narrative of Hamas harassment is nonsense 5:30 PM - 11 Aug 2014
According to the FPA, several members of the foreign media in Gaza were harassed, threatened or questioned about stories they reported.
The FPA strongly condemns deliberate official and unofficial incitement against journalists working to cover the current warfare under very difficult circumstances as well as forcible attempts to prevent journalists and TV crews from carrying out their news assignments. While we do not condone the use of invective by any side, outright attacks on journalists are absolutely unacceptable.On Tuesday, IDF forces aimed live fire at the Al Jazeera offices in Gaza City. The offices are on the 11th floor of a known commercial centre. The IDF apologised claiming it was in error and said they would investigate the incident.Also Tuesday, FPA member Firas Khatib of BBC Arabic was physically attacked and abused in the midst of a live feed on the Israeli side of the border. July 23, 2014
I'll add some fuel to your fire: http://www.terrorism-info.org.il/en/article/20699 "During the first days of Operation Protective Edge Hamas forged a policy for media reports to be implemented by local and foreign correspondents covering the fighting. Its objectives were to prevent reports that would prove Israel's claims of Hamas use of Gazan civilians as human shields, and to reinforce the propaganda theme that Israel deliberately attacked civilians and committed war crimes." "During Operation Protective Edge local journalists were careful to follow Hamas' policy guidelines, among other reasons out of the concern for their own safety" "Hamas never allowed foreign correspondents access to military sites attacked by Israel, whether they were bases, rocket launching sites or other targets. The organization's dead and wounded operatives were not photographed and therefore, from a media point of view, they do not exist" "Third, it was obvious that Hamas was firing rockets from civilian areas, but Hamas operatives forbid camera teams from filming them, because they did not want to reveal the tactic or the locations of the launch sites" - WarKosign ( talk) 13:51, 12 August 2014 (UTC)
This section is still hugely unsatisfactory. The intimidation part takes over half the section, while the killing part is only a couple of lines. It is wildly WP:UNDUE. One part needs to be drastically condensed, or the other expanded. Kingsindian ( talk) 06:42, 15 August 2014 (UTC)
Still hugely unsatisfactory, in fact worse than before. Kingsindian ( talk) 14:51, 19 August 2014 (UTC)
B'Tselem has a photo blog containing lots of photos about the conflict, all free to use under CC license. Someone can upload to commons and take from there. I have already added one from Beit Hanoun. It contains some photos of rocket attacks on Israel as well. Someone was talking about not enough photos from Israel in the casualties section. Here is an option. Kingsindian ( talk) 18:22, 19 August 2014 (UTC)
The phrase we use in this article is highly problematic and misleading. Gaza is not an independent state and does not have its own health ministry. Its eighter Palestinian health ministry if it represents the Palestinian Authority/Sate of Palestine or Hamas health ministry, eventually Hamas affiliated health ministry if it represents Hamas. The current description is misleading as no one understands whom Gaza Health ministry represents.-- Tritomex ( talk) 17:01, 19 August 2014 (UTC)
@ Monopoly31121993: Regarding your edit, I don't believe the UN schools serve as air-raid shelters, which, as the page indicates, is something completely different. They are just shelters in the sense of "people have taken shelter there". Kingsindian ( talk) 19:41, 19 August 2014 (UTC)
The 2012-13 subsection contains data relating to 2014. I will created a "2014" subsection for "Background" and move the 'offending' data there. Erictheenquirer ( talk) 09:30, 20 August 2014 (UTC)
@ Avaya1: It is extremely rude to remove a whole section with a wholly inadequate edit summary. "incomplete...clutters up" -- what kind of reasoning is this? At least have the decency to discuss on the talk page before removing stuff wholesale. Not to mention that this has already been discussed before. Kingsindian ( talk) 03:59, 21 August 2014 (UTC)
.Arguably we should have such a section, if someone actually writes it. But as it currently stands, you are cluttering the middle of the article with a couple of randomly chosen paragraphs about rockets
@ WarKosign: This . Do you really think that the sources are adequate for this extraordinary claim? The first one is an opinion by one person, based on no evidence at all, published by Breibart.com, a partisan rag. The second is a blog post. I have talked to you earlier about depite having lots of good edits, being careful about WP:NOTADVOCATE. You should also take a look at WP:OPPONENT. Is this really the sort of evidence you would accept, coming from your opponent? Kingsindian ( talk) 11:30, 21 August 2014 (UTC)
Please see this for an explanation for where the reactions section went. A very bold edit, but reasonable I think. If anyone has any issues, we can discuss them. It was a strange thing, half the reactions on this page, and half on the other page. Kingsindian ( talk) 16:25, 21 August 2014 (UTC)
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Still lots. 142.204.42.75 ( talk) 00:33, 22 August 2014 (UTC)
I think the background section is too long. Events going back to 2011 while certainly part of the over-arching conflict are not directly related to this topic. Each of those paragraphs should be condensed down to a sentence or two with the entire "old" background being one or two paragraphs. Gaijin42 ( talk) 14:29, 21 August 2014 (UTC)
Possibly the main reason for the length of the Background section is the insistence that the 2014 Conflicts all be contained within an article which, despite its name "2014 Israel-Gaza Conflict" is seen to in fact be about "Operation Protective Edge". There is a move request to rename the article. As a result, not only does the pre-2014 background have to fit in, but also all the lead-up to OPE. I too find this to be ridiculous and have long been pleading for a separate article that takes over these tasks, ironically, an article about the 2014 Israel-Palestinian conflicts. I find the current situation to be artificially restrictive, but there is a powerful lobby the make Operation Protective Edge representative of the entire 2014. Until this changes, we will have to live with a bloated Background. Erictheenquirer ( talk) 08:28, 22 August 2014 (UTC)
Citations numbers start from 35. I'm unsure why, or how to fix it. Yaakovaryeh ( talk) 01:00, 22 August 2014 (UTC)
@ Erictheenquirer: I have condensed your paragraph about "alternative version" and added a reference. It seems there is no alternative version since they both agree on the facts: the firing was in response to an incursion east of Khan Yunis. Kingsindian ( talk) 11:42, 22 August 2014 (UTC)
I have noticed in many places "members" is being used. This might of course be problematic since not all Hamas members are combatants. I am not sure what the correct usage is. I read somewhere else that "militants" is the accepted compromise. Not sure if it applies here. Kingsindian ( talk) 12:28, 22 August 2014 (UTC)
@ Spud770: Regarding your edit here. As I explained in my edit summary, this is duplication and too categorical a statement. The "human shields" claim is heavily contested and therefore has a big section just below discussing all the claims. All the points made in your references, including the Hamas leader's statement are discussed there. All such claims must be attributed and discussed, as is done in the section (Israel, Hamas, UN, EU, etc.) As to activists, that is quite a separate matter. This section is about involuntary human shielding, say by Hamas and others, which is a violation of international humanitarian law. This is totally different from voluntary acts by international activists. Kingsindian ( talk) 19:32, 18 August 2014 (UTC)
@ Spud770: B'Tselem's account is as follows: they got warning at 1:30 to evacuate, they evacuated. At 2:50, a missile was fired, hitting the solar water tank on the roof. People went up to investigate, then another missile hit at 3:00 while they were on the roof. The IDF claimed that it was too late to stop the second missile, (a claim B'Tselem rejected, but that is not relevant here). This is in no way an account of human shielding. The sources you quoted were all very close in time to the attack, when things were unclear and Israel was itself either not sure, or spinning this (take your pick based on your estimate of how nefarious they are). It is not fair to present this as uncontested fact, since this is obviously a loaded accusation. As to the voluntary human shielding by activists, that should be separated out clearly, since as far as I know, nobody has died. Kingsindian ( talk) 23:18, 18 August 2014 (UTC)
@ TheTimesAreAChanging: Can you please not change a stable lead massively like this without discussion? I would appreciate it if you restored to the previous version while we discuss.
It is immaterial to me that GGranddad agrees and TheTimesAreAChanging disagrees with me about the causes of the conflict. I am not talking about it here. I am talking about a consensus, to have in the lead only the immediate causes of the conflict and not the whole back-story, which has been disregarded by TheTimesAreAChanging in his edit. After asking 3 times already, I will not ask again to revert his edit, but only suggest to him to think about what he's doing. Kingsindian ( talk) 17:15, 22 August 2014 (UTC)
There's a silly mention in the lead about the unity gov. ploy by Hamas and Qatar as if there was a unity gov. in Gaza. This should be moved to the background section. I'm not sure if just saying 'Hamas governed' can be accepted since the situation is "murky", but using the word "unity" is down-right nonsensical. What are your thoughts/relevant sources? MarciulionisHOF ( talk) 07:39, 22 August 2014 (UTC)
Here is a link and piece from the Israeli news about the unity government and Hamas stepping down. Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh and his "cabinet" in Gaza have resigned, Hamas spokeswoman Israa al-Mudallal said, "paving the way for the new ministers of the consensus government." Haniyeh welcomed the new cabinet as "a government of one people and one political system." "We're leaving the government, but not the nation. We're leaving the ministries but not the question of the nation," Haniyeh said in a televised speech. Hamas and Fatah swore in a "unity" government earlier Monday, despite last-minute tensions which almost prevented the Palestinian Arab reconciliation. The joint government elected Palestinian Authority (PA) official Rami Hamdallah as Prime Minister. [2]
(Issue for Third opinion is the edit here)
Collapsing to prevent confusion for 3O
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@ Monopoly31121993: Regarding your edit here. The source is the first one cited, by Nathan Thrall. "Israel’s retaliation culminated in the 6 July bombings that killed seven Hamas militants, the largest number of fatalities inflicted on the group in several months. The next day Hamas began taking responsibility for the rockets. Israel then announced Operation Protective Edge." Kingsindian ( talk) 17:58, 21 August 2014 (UTC) |
3O Response: I will address the issue in a moment, but @
Kingsindian: as four editors have taken part in this discussion, please note that
MarshalN20's decline was correct and your relisting was out of process. Also please note that it is inappropriate to "Collaps[e] to prevent confusion for 3O". Do you really think that a 3O volunteer will be confused by that one post or that a 3O volunteer would fail to read the whole thread, including any collapsed part?
Now to the issue. I have only checked the Thrall source, since that is what you raised. If others sources add or clarify, please identify which sources and how they do so as you progress this discussion. The current version* of the article is clearly inconsistent with the Thrall source, since the article is currently saying "which several Hamas affiliated groups had begun launching in June", whereas Thrall calls them "non-Hamas factions".
However, about what Hamas started taking responsibility for on 7 July, Thrall is simply ambiguous, and any attempt to interpret him either way is WP:OR. Thrall says, "The next day Hamas began taking responsibility for the rockets." That's all. He doesn't say which rockets (the earlier ones or only later ones), and he doesn't say whether taking responsibility for rockets meant firing rockets. So both of you are reading more into the Thrall source than what he says. Stfg ( talk) 17:21, 22 August 2014 (UTC)
The stated aim of the operation was to stop rocket attacks from the Gaza Strip, which several non-Hamas groups had begun launching in June and which Hamas claimed responsibility for on 7 July following an Israeli crackdown on Hamas members in the West Bank.[35][36][37][38][39] The crackdown was a response to the 2014 kidnapping and murder of Israeli teenagers by Hamas members, which Hamas leadership praised but did not take responsibility for until August 20.[40][41]
As protests spread through Israel and Jerusalem, militants in Gaza from non-Hamas factions began firing rockets and mortars in solidarity. Sensing Israel’s vulnerability and the Ramallah leadership’s weakness, Hamas leaders called for the protests to grow into a third intifada. When the rocket fire increased, they found themselves drawn into a new confrontation: they couldn’t be seen suppressing the rocket attacks while calling for a mass uprising. Israel’s retaliation culminated in the 6 July bombings that killed seven Hamas militants, the largest number of fatalities inflicted on the group in several months. The next day Hamas began taking responsibility for the rockets. Israel then announced Operation Protective Edge.
(b) which Hamas leadership praised but did not take responsibility for until August 20.
An Israeli crackdown on Hamas members and institutions on the West Bank, sparked by the kidnapping of 3 Israeli teenagers by known Hamas militants led to rocket launchings in solidarity by non-Hamas factions from the Gaza Strip in June. Israel retaliated on July 6 by bombings that killed seven Hamas militants within the Strip. The following day Hamas assumed responsibility for rockets fired from that territory. Israel held Hamas responsible for the kidnappings. The Hamas leadership, while praising the act, denied knowledge of it, a position repeated by Khaled Meshal on August 22.