Gaza: Disengagement to Operations
The 2005 disengagement and the Israel-Hamas rounds of fighting to 2021.
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The 2005 Gaza Disengagement
The Gaza disengagement was Israel's unilateral removal of all its settlements and military forces from the Gaza Strip in 2005. Four small settlements in the northern West Bank were also removed. Prime Minister Ariel Sharon proposed the plan in December 2003. The cabinet approved it on 6 June 2004. The Knesset endorsed it on 26 October 2004 by 67 votes to 45 and passed the implementing law on 16 February 2005. Eviction notices were served on 15 August 2005, forced removals began after the deadline of midnight on 16 August, and the last Gaza settlement, Netzarim, was emptied on 22 August. The last soldiers left on 12 September 2005. Between 8,000 and 9,000 residents were moved, depending on the count used. Israel kept control of Gaza's airspace, sea and most crossings. Hamas won Palestinian elections in January 2006 and seized Gaza by force in June 2007. Whether the withdrawal ended the occupation, and whether it served Israel's security, remain disputed.
Gaza Operations, 2006 to 2021
Between 2006 and 2021, Israel fought one war in Lebanon and four large operations in the Gaza Strip. The Lebanon war against Hezbollah lasted from 12 July to 14 August 2006 and ended under UN Security Council Resolution 1701. Lebanese authorities counted 1,191 people killed in Lebanon. Israel counted 44 civilians and 119 soldiers killed. The Gaza operations were Cast Lead (27 December 2008 to 18 January 2009), Pillar of Defence (14 to 21 November 2012), Protective Edge (7 July to 26 August 2014) and Guardian of the Walls (10 to 21 May 2021). All four followed rocket fire from Gaza and opened with Israeli air strikes. Ground forces entered Gaza only in 2009 and 2014. Each operation ended in a ceasefire with no political agreement. After each one, UN bodies and the Israeli government published different counts of the Palestinian dead. For 2014 the UN count was 2,251 and the Israeli count was about 2,125.
