Between 30 March 2018 until 2019, Israel has contended with ongoing violent attempts by masses of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip – civilians and operatives – to sabotage and destroy Israel's defensive security infrastructure along its border with Gaza, penetrate Israel's territory, harm Israeli security forces, and overrun Israeli civilian areas and harm Israeli civilians (the “Gaza border events”). While these events were part of a broader armed conflict with Israel, which has included  direct attacks, rockets, mortar shells and more, the following website will focus on the mass events occurring at the border during 2018-2019.

These Gaza border events were primarily organized and led by Hamas, an internationally recognized terrorist organization that controls the entirety of the Gaza Strip. Hamas has been waging an ongoing armed conflict against Israel using various means to penetrate into Israeli territory and attack both Israeli security forces and the civilian population. Over the years, these means have included suicide bombings in Israeli population centers, tens of thousands of rockets and mortars launched from Gaza into Israel, cross-border assault tunnels reaching from Gaza into Israel, and various cross-border attacks such as anti-tank fire, machine gun fire, above-ground infiltration by terrorist cells and the placing of explosives along the security infrastructure.

 

The following Questions and Answers are intended to provide information regarding the nature of the 2018-2019 Gaza border events and the IDF's response to these events. 

 

The IDF’s assessments which are stated in this publication are based, amongst other things, on intelligence and operational analysis. Naturally, intelligence information obtained by Israel prior to and during the events is mostly classified, and cannot be published for reasons of national security. This is especially considering that these events occurred within the context of an armed conflict and active hostilities waged by Hamas and other terrorist organizations in Gaza against Israel. Thus, not all of the information and knowledge that Israel possesses regarding these events appear in this publication, and the following cannot be considered as exhaustive. For the purposes of this publication, the IDF has endeavored to include public sources which give expression and support to these assessments.

 

Note: the following refers to the 'border' between Gaza and Israel for ease of reference only, and should not be taken as an expression of Israel's position regarding the location of any international boundary.

 

This website shows the following:

  • The Gaza border events were not simple civilian protests, peaceful in nature.
  • These events involved attacks on Israel's border, Israel's security forces and Israeli communities lying near the border. 70,000 Israelis lived within a few kilometres of the border during the events, including three communities which reside right on the border. National and industrial infrastructure also lies close to the Gaza border.
  • The Gaza border events involved shootings, grenades, firebombs, improvised explosive devices, and other weapons. Mines and booby-traps were placed on the border to be detonated on IDF patrols. These weapons reached IDF forces, military infrastructure and the civilian communities across the border.
  • Hamas organized, led and supported the events logistically and financially. Hamas operatives were amongst the crowds, and carried out attacks and incites the crowd to try and breach the border.
  • According to public statements by Hamas, and according to the IDF's intelligence and operational analysis, these events form a part of Hamas's ongoing armed conflict and active hostilities against Israel. In the event of successful breach of Israel's border, Hamas intended to carry out attacks inside Israeli territory against Israeli civilians and security forces.
  • Hamas had the full ability to stop people from approaching and attacking the border. When it was in Hamas's interests to do so, such as when international actors have assured concessions, Hamas restricted the level of violence on the border and certain activities such as launching incendiary and explosive balloons, and burning tires on the border.
  • In response to these events, Israel has tried a number of means to avoid having to use force against attempts to breach its border. This has included sending messages to Gaza on social and traditional media, directly calling bus companies contracted by Hamas to transport people to the border, and dropping leaflets over Gaza.
  • The IDF conducted specialized trainings for its forces, equipped them with non-lethal means, and ensured that IDF forces were well acquainted with the Standard Operating Procedures (the SOPs).
  • These SOPs dictated how IDF forces must react to threats posed by the riots, and included strict restrictions on when potentially lethal force may be used.
  • These SOPs were the subject of a petition to Israel's Supreme Court, during which Israel presented a detailed position of the legality of the SOPs and its activities during the Gaza border events. The Supreme Court rejected the petition against the SOPs, and found in favor of Israel’s factual and legal arguments.
  • Senior IDF commanders were responsible for approving the use of force, including non-lethal means, and for determining when an "imminent" threat exists which may justify the use of potentially lethal force.
  • In accordance with the SOPs, which accord with international law, potentially lethal force is only used as a means of last resort, after all other non-lethal means have been exhausted, and only where the use of such force is required to repel a clear and imminent threat.
  • The IDF used various measures to ensure the use of potentially lethal force is accurate and restrained. This included using highly-trained forces, requiring approvals by senior commanders, conducting post-action assessments, constantly developing trainings, and more.
  • Where there is an allegation of misconduct by IDF forces, Israel investigates these allegations in an effective and thorough manner.

 

The Gaza Border Events – General Background

  • What happened in 2018-2019 between the Gaza Strip and Israel?
  • What were the Gaza border events?
  • What is the Gaza-Israel border area?
  • What security infrastructure has Israel established on the border with Gaza?
  • How did Hamas organize these events?
  • When did these events occur and how long did they continue?
  • Where on the Gaza border did these events occur?


Hamas’s Aims

  • What were the publicly stated aims of the Gaza border events?
  • What were Hamas's true aims?
  • How did Hamas intend to achieve these aims?
  • Why has Hamas not stated its true aims publicly?
  • On what basis does Israel say that these were Hamas's aims?
  • Did Hamas have the necessary control over the events in order to achieve its aims?
  • Is there evidence of success by Hamas in fulfilling its aims?


Threat to Israel

  • What was the threat posed in general?
  • What was the threat to Israeli civilian communities and infrastructure in the vicinity of the Gaza border?
  • What was the threat to Israel beyond the vicinity of the Gaza border?
  • What was the threat to soldiers and military infrastructure defending the border?


How the Riots Unfolded

  • How did a day of the border events typically progress?
  • How did the nature of these events change over time?


The Connection between the Gaza Border Events and Other Events in Gaza

  • Were the actions in the vicinity of the focal sites related to actions which occurred at other points on the border?
  • Were the border events related to other attacks from Gaza, such as rocket and mortar fire? 


Israel's Preparations

  • What were Israel’s aims in the face of these events?
  • What steps did Israel take to try and prevent the threats posed by these events?
  • How did the IDF prepare for the events?


The IDF’s Operational Response

  • How does the IDF regulate the use of force?
  • Why has the IDF not published the Standard Operating Procedures?
  • What were the Standard Operating Procedures applicable in the Gaza border events?
  • Have the Standard Operating Procedures undergone legal review?
  • Have the Standard Operating Procedures been amended during the events?
  • What were some of the challenges the IDF has faced in implementing these Standard Operating Procedures?
  • Did the IDF’s change its conduct during the events?


IDF Use of Non-Lethal Means

  • How did the IDF use non-lethal means during these events?
  • Why the IDF did not only use tear gas to disperse the violent riots and contend with the threats they pose?
  • Did the IDF try other non-lethal means besides tear gas?
  • Did the IDF try to acquire or develop new non-lethal means?


IDF Use of Potentially Lethal Force

  • In what situations were IDF forces permitted resort to live ammunition?
  • How were the Standard Operating Procedures implemented in practice?
  • Who was considered a “key instigator” or a "key rioter" according to the Standard Operating Procedures?
  • In what circumstances was a threat considered real and imminent according to the Standard Operating Procedures?
  • How did the IDF regulate the use of live ammunition?
  • What ammunition did the IDF use?
  • Why Israel did not use Border or Riot Police instead of the IDF forces stationed on the Gaza border?
  • Why Israel cannot allow people to breach the security infrastructure and arrest them once inside Israeli territory?
  • Why Israel did not build a bigger and stronger fence to withstand sabotage and attacks?

 

Investigation of Allegations of Misconduct

  • Are allegations or suspicions of misconduct investigated?
  • What is the mechanism for investigation such allegations or suspicions?
  • How does the FFA Mechanism conduct its examinations into the Gaza border events?
  • What challenges has the FFA Mechanism faced in its examinations of the Gaza border events?
  • What happens to the FFA Mechanism’s findings and materials?
  • Is the Military Advocate General’s decision final?


Outcomes of the Gaza Border Events

  • What has been the outcome of these events in Israel?
  • How many Palestinians have been harmed as a result of the events?
  • Why on some dates there appear to be many wounded by live ammunition, and on other days less?
  • Why are amongst the harmed some journalists, medical personnel, first aid volunteers, women and minors?