Between 29 June and 5 August 2004, theIsrael Defense Forces (IDF) conducted a raid onBeit Hanoun, aPalestinian town in the northernGaza Strip. The stated goal of The 37-day-longinvasion andsiege, calledOperation Forward Shield byIsrael, was to prevent future rocket attacks from Gaza following the deaths of two residents of the Israeli town ofSderot on 28 June.[1]
Nineteen or twenty Palestinians were killed in the raid, including six children, and about 70 houses were destroyed.
On 28 June 2004, two residents of the Israeli town ofSderot were killed in a rocket attack byPalestinian militants firing from inside theoccupied Gaza Strip. Following these deaths, theIsrael Defense Forces (IDF) conducted a raid, which they called "Operation Forward Shield", onBeit Hanoun, a Palestinian town in the north-eastern Gaza Strip. The stated goal of the raid was to prevent future rocket attacks from the Gaza Strip.[1] The operation, which occurred ahead of the plannedunilateral withdrawal from Gaza, was preceded byOperation Rainbow and followed byOperation Days of Penitence.
The raid started around midnight of 28/29 June 2004 with a direct attack on the offices of local and international media. Fourmissiles were launched from anattack helicopter on a structure the IDF said was used by theHamas terrorist organization inGaza City. " It was described as a "communications center which maintained constant contact with terrorists", and distributed "incitement material" from Hamas.Human Rights Watch andPalestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) said it was an attempt to silence local Palestinian media.[2][3] TheCommittee to Protect Journalists wrote a letter to Prime MinisterAriel Sharon, expressing concern.[4]
At about 5 am on 29 June 2004, the IDF deployed its forces around Beit Hanoun, attacking it and neighbouring areas with tanks and helicopters. On 3 August, the IDF expanded the operation further west with tanks and other armoured vehicles. For 37 days, civilian movement into, out of and within the town was banned. The IDF began its redeployment on 5 August at 1 am.[1][5]
During the raid, 19 or 20 Palestinians were killed, including 6 children.[1]
The operation caused large-scale damage and destruction to property and infrastructure through the use of tanks and bulldozers. According to PCHR, 70 houses were destroyed.[6] The Gaza-basedAl Mezan Center for Human Rights reported 33 destroyed homes.[5] Schools, health facilities, kindergartens, mosques, factories, workshops, sewerage pumps and security posts were also damaged, as was infrastructure, such as water supply, electricity and roads. Sixteen water-wells were destroyed.[1][5][6]Many orchards and livestock farms were damaged,[1] and 2,600–4,000dunams of agricultural land was bulldozed.[1][5][6]
According to PCHR, the IDF was also accused of obstructing medical assistance, as a result of which a number of Palestinians died. A futher claim is that ambulances, clinics, medical centres and medical crews were fired at and personnel threatened.[5][7]
Al Mezan reported that the IDF occupied 36 homes. In one case, inhabitants were held inside the house and used ashuman shields.[8]
Al Mezan claimed that this constituted collective punishment and called it a breach ofinternational humanitarian law, especially the 1949Fourth Geneva Convention.[5]