Gaza by the Numbers: One Year After Operation Cast Lead

This information was compiled by the Israel Project.

www.theisraelproject.org

On Dec. 27, 2008, Israel Defense Forces began a defensive operation in Gaza—Operation Cast Lead—to stop Iran-backed Hamas and other terrorist groups from their years-long campaign of firing thousands of rockets, mortars and missiles at Israel.[1] [2] During Operation Cast Lead, Israel focused on dismantling Hamas’ terrorist infrastructure while minimizing civilian casualties.[3] The operation, which ended Jan. 18[4] , was made more difficult – and dangerous – because of Hamas’s widespread use of civilians as human shields.[5] The defensive operation has reduced by 90 percent the number of rocket, missile and mortar attacks on Israel from Gaza.[6]

Following are facts and figures about the conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza:

Key Statistics

• 1 million: Israeli civilians under threat from Hamas rocket fire.[7]
• 15: Seconds Israelis have to get to a bomb shelter once a warning siren has sounded.[8]
• 2 million: Leaflets the Israel Air Force dropped on Gaza during Operation Cast Lead, warning civilians to stay clear of Hamas fighters.[9]
• 200,000: Phone calls made by the Israeli army to civilians in Gaza warning of an impending strike near their residences.[10]
• 8: Years Israel has endured rocket, missile and mortar fire from Gaza.[11]
• 1: Israeli left in Gaza – Staff Sgt. Gilad Shalit,[12] kidnapped by Hamas from Israel on June 25, 2006.[13]
• 3,200+: Rockets and mortar fired from Gaza in 2008.[14]
• 6,500+: Rockets and mortars fired from Gaza since Israel withdrew from Gaza in 2005.[15]
• 10,389: Rockets and mortars fired from Gaza 2001-2008.[16]
• 1,000+: People in Israel injured from rockets and mortars fired from Gaza since 2001.[17]
• 27: Number of people killed by Palestinian rocket and mortar attacks since 2001.[18]
• 242: Rockets, missiles and mortars fired at Israel from Gaza since the end of Operation Cast Lead.[19]

Iran-Backed Hamas Terrorism

• 727: Rockets and mortars fired from Gaza, January – September 2009.[20]
• 17: Attacks on Gaza goods crossings by Palestinian terrorist groups in 2008.[21]
• 80: Percent of mosques in Gaza which Hamas reportedly controls, some of which are used for weapons storage, command and communications headquarters.[22]
• 37 mi (60km): Range of Hamas rockets in Gaza acquired after Operation Cast Lead.[23]
• 2.5 mi (4 km): Range of Hamas’s anti-tank missiles, smuggled into Gaza since the end of Operation Cast Lead.[24]
• 1,500: Number of smuggling tunnels between Gaza and Egypt (estimate)[25]
• 59 ft (18 m)/6.8 mi (11 km): Length and depth of metal fence Egypt is building on Sinai-Gaza border to prevent tunnel smuggling operations.[26]
• 22 mi (35 km): Distance between Gaza and Yavneh - the northernmost Israeli city hit by Gaza rockets on Dec. 28, 2009.[27]
• 900: Hamas operatives trained by Iran.[28]
• $20 million - $30 million: Funding Iran provides annually to Hamas. Iran gave Hamas another $50 million following Hamas’s victory in the 2006 Palestinian elections.[29]

Israel’s Humanitarian Aid to Gaza

• 900: Percent increase in humanitarian aid delivered to Gaza in 2009, compared to 2008.[30]
• 630,253: Tons of humanitarian aid delivered to the Gaza Strip, Jan. 19 – Dec. 13, 2009.[31]
• 24.5 million gallons (92.7 million liters): Heavy-duty diesel fuel delivered to the Gaza Strip, Jan. 19 – Oct. 31, 2009.[32]
• 10,346: Gaza residents who entered Israel for medical and humanitarian reasons, Jan.19 – Nov. 7, 2009.[33]
• 57,295 tons: Monthly average of humanitarian aid entering Gaza since Operation Cast Lead, Jan. 19 – Dec. 5, 2009.[34]
• 11,508: Monthly average (in tons) of humanitarian aid entering Gaza from February – June 2008, a period of intense rocket fire.[35]
• 34,253 tons: Monthly average of humanitarian aid entering Gaza during period of calm, July - December 2008.[36]
• 18,500: Permits Israel issued to Gaza residents to enter Israel or travel overseas in 2009.[37]
• 28,400: Flowers from Gaza scheduled for export to Europe on Dec. 10, 2009.[38]
• 250,000: Flowers from Gaza scheduled for export beginning Dec. 13, 2009.[39]

Footnotes: 

[1] IDF Spokesperson’s Unit communiqué, Jan. 3, 2009

[2] “IDF Operation in Gaza: Cast Lead,” Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Jan. 21, 2009, http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/
Terrorism-+Obstacle+to+Peace/Terrorism+and+Islamic+Fundamentalism-/Aerial_strike_weapon_development_center+_Gaza_28-Dec-2008.htm, accessed Dec. 15, 2009

[3] “IDF Operation in Gaza: Cast Lead,” Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Jan. 21, 2009, http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/
Terrorism-+Obstacle+to+Peace/Terrorism+and+Islamic+Fundamentalism-/Aerial_strike_weapon_development_center+_Gaza_28-Dec-2008.htm, accessed Dec. 15, 2009

[4] Ravid, Barak, “Cabinet meets on unilateral truce,” Haaretz, Jan. 17, 2009, http://haaretz.com/hasen/
spages/1056178.html

[5] Hamas exploitation of civilians as human shields: Photographic evidence, Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs, March 6, 2008, http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/Terrorism-+Obstacle+to+Peace/Hamas+war+against+Israel/Hamas+exploitation+of+civilians+as+human+
shields+-+Photographic+evidence.htm, accessed Dec. 15, 2009

[6] Greenberg, Hanan, “90% drop in rocket attacks since Cast Lead,” YnetNews, Dec. 9, 2009, http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3817828,00.html

[7] “Summary of Rocket Fire and Mortar Shelling in 2008,” Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center, Jan. 1, 2009, http://www.terrorism-info.org.il/malam_multimedia/English/eng_n/pdf/ipc_e007.pdf 

[8] “IDF Operation in the Gaza Strip,” The Military-Strategic Information Section Daily Update – Day 4, Dec. 30, 2008.

[9] “IDF Releases Information on Military Investigations,” website of the IDF, April 22, 2009, http://dover.idf.il/IDF/English/News/today/09/4/2201.htm; Greenberg, Hanan, “IDF to give better warnings before attacks,” YnetNews, July 29, 2009, http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3753851,00.html

[10] “IDF Releases Information on Military Investigations,” website of the IDF, April 22, 2009, http://dover.idf.il/IDF/English/News/today/09/4/2201.htm; Greenberg, Hanan, “IDF to give better warnings before attacks,” YnetNews, July 29, 2009, http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3753851,00.html

[11] “Israeli Injuries and Fatalities Due to Rocket and Mortar Fire,” The Israel Project, http://www.theisraelproject.org/site/c.hsJPK0PIJpH/b.4277777/k.3E99/Injuries_and_Fatalities_Graph.
htm

[12] Nahmias, Roee, “Report: French doctors examined Gilad Shalit,” YnetNews, Dec. 6, 2009, http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3815500,00.html  

[13] Gilad Shalit: In terrorist captivity since 25 June 2006, Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Oct. 2, 2009, http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/About+the+Ministry/Behind+the+Headlines/Behind+the+Headlines-+Six+
months+in+terrorist+captivity+11-Jan-2007.htm, accessed Dec. 15, 2009

[14] IDF Spokesperson’s Unit communiqué, Jan. 3, 2009

[15] IDF Spokesperson’s Unit communiqué, Jan. 3, 2009

[16] IDF Spokesperson’s Unit communiqué, Jan. 3, 2009

[17] “Israeli Injuries and Fatalities Due to Rocket and Mortar Fire,” http://www.theisraelproject.org/site/c.hsJPK0PIJpH/b.4277777/k.3E99/Injuries_and_Fatalities_Graph.
htm; Kershner, Isabel, “Despite Strikes, Israelis Vow to Soldier On,” The New York Times, Dec. 30, 2008, http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/31/world/middleeast/31israel.html?em; “Iran-backed Terrorists in Gaza Kill 3, Wound Others in Continuing Rocket Attacks on Israel,” The Israel Project press release, Dec. 29, 2008, http://www.theisraelproject.org/site/apps/nlnet/content2.aspx?c=hsJPK0PIJpH&b=689705&ct=
6476363#contactinfo

[18] “Total Deaths from Qassams and Mortars,” The Israel Project, http://www.theisraelproject.org/site/c.hsJPK0PIJpH/b.3906189/k.EDAC/Rocket_and_Mortar_Fatalities_in
_Israel.htm, accessed Dec. 14, 2009

[19] Greenberg, Hanan, “90% drop in rocket attacks since Cast Lead,” YnetNews, Sept. 12, 2009, http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3817828,00.html

[20] IDF Spokesperson’s Unit communiqué, Oct. 4, 2009

[21] “Palestinian Gunmen, Suicide Bombers, Attempt Attack on Israel-Gaza Border,” The Israel Project, June 8, 2009, http://www.theisraelproject.org/site/apps/nlnet/content2.aspx?c=hsJPK0PIJpH&b=689705&ct=7065815&printmode=1

[22] Katz, Yaakov, “Hamas preparing 'offensive' tunnels,” The Jerusalem Post, Dec. 10, 2009, http://www.jpost.com
/servlet/Satellite?cid=1260181035814&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

[23] Katz, Yaakov; Stoil, Rebecca Anna, “Yadlin: ‘Hamas has many 60-km range missiles’,” The Jerusalem Post, Nov. 4, 2009, http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1256799085218&pagename=JPArticle%2FShowFull

[24] Katz, Yaakov, “Hamas preparing 'offensive' tunnels,” The Jerusalem Post, Dec. 10, 2009, http://www.jpost.com
/servlet/Satellite?cid=1260181035814&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

[25] El-Khodary, Taghreed, “Goods Flood Gaza’s Tunnels, Turning Border Area Into a Shopping Mecca,” The New York Times, Oct. 21, 2009, http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/22/world/middleeast/22rafah.html

[26] Bradley, Matt, “Egypt to build tunnel barrier at Gaza border,” The National, Dec. 10, 2009, http://www.thenational.ae/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20091211/FOREIGN/712109838/1138

[27] Harel, Amos; Yagna, Yanir, "Rockets fired from Gaza kill 2 Israelis within hour," Haaretz, Dec. 29, 2008, http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1050925.html

[28] “Hamas,” Council on Foreign Relations, http://www.cfr.org/publication/8968/, accessed July 7, 2008



[29] “Hamas," Council on Foreign Relations Web site, http://www.cfr.org/publication/8968/, accessed July 2, 2007; “Iran pledges $50m Palestinian aid,” BBC, April 16, 2006, http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4914334.stm 



[30] “Increased humanitarian aid to Gaza after IDF operation,” Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dec. 4, 2009, http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/Government/Communiques/2009/Increased_humanitarian_aid_Gaza_after_IDF_
operation_Jan_2009.htm

[31] “Increased humanitarian aid to Gaza after IDF operation,” Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dec. 4, 2009, http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/Government/Communiques/2009/Increased_humanitarian_aid_Gaza_after_IDF_
operation_Jan_2009.htm

[32] “Increased humanitarian aid to Gaza after IDF operation,” Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dec 4, 2009, http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/Government/Communiques/2009/Increased_humanitarian_aid_Gaza_after_IDF_
operation_Jan_2009.htm

[33] “Increased humanitarian aid to Gaza after IDF operation,” Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dec 4, 2009, http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/Government/Communiques/2009/Increased_humanitarian_aid_Gaza_after_IDF_
operation_Jan_2009.htm

[34] “Increased humanitarian aid to Gaza after IDF operation,” Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dec 4, 2009, http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/Government/Communiques/2009/Increased_humanitarian_aid_Gaza_after_IDF_
operation_Jan_2009.htm

[35] “Increased humanitarian aid to Gaza after IDF operation,” Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dec 4, 2009, http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/Government/Communiques/2009/Increased_humanitarian_aid_Gaza_after_IDF_
operation_Jan_2009.htm

[36] “Increased humanitarian aid to Gaza after IDF operation,” Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dec 4, 2009, http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/Government/Communiques/2009/Increased_humanitarian_aid_Gaza_after_IDF_
operation_Jan_2009.htm

[37] “Increased humanitarian aid to Gaza after IDF operation,” Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dec. 4, 2009, http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/Government/Communiques/2009/Increased_humanitarian_aid_Gaza_after_IDF_
operation_Jan_2009.htm

[38] “Israel allows flower shipments from Gaza to Europe,” Xinhua, Dec. 10, 2009, http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-12/10/content_12625757.htm

[39] Cunningham, Erin, “Roses for Europe: Israel eases Gaza blockade to allow flower exports,” The Christian Science Monitor, Dec. 10, 2009, http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Global-News/2009/1210/roses-for-europe-israel-eases-gaza-blockade-to-allow-flower-exports