WHAT THE 2008-09 GAZA WAR CAN TELL US ABOUT TODAY

Known alternatively as Operation Cast Lead, the Battle of al-Furqan, and the Gaza Massacre, the three week conflict between the IDF and Hamas is extremely relevant today.

By Jake

24 May 2024

The 2008-2009 war left infrastructure destroyed that remains unrepaired today. (Credit to Naaman Omar/Bloomberg News)

On the night of November 4, 2008, the IDF took action into Gaza, shattering the fragile six-month peace to kill Hamas militants gathering in an underground tunnel for an accused strike into Israel. The confusing nature of the preemptive strike claim gave both sides the ability to accuse the other of breaking the peace. Within hours, rockets were streaking across the dark sky into Israel, and the war-shaped region would never be the same.

The 2008-2009 war is the backdrop for the current 2023-2024 conflict, both parallel and predecessor to the current conflict. I thought it would be worthy to review key events of the past war, compare its violent three weeks to the last seven months, and determine whether there is any lesson to be learned about how to successfully resolve the current conflict.

Many of the material facts of the war are similar: the IDF waited weeks before launching a ground invasion into Gaza with the purpose of destroying all rocket-launching units, but global concerns were quickly raised for the purported targeting of Palestinian civilians and humanitarian conditions created by the war. As international pressure mounted, the Israeli authorities decided against further invasion and declared a ceasefire on January 18, 2009, which was matched by a Hamas ceasefire announcement the same day. In the later investigations, the United Nations concluded that more than 1,400 Palestinians had been killed, while the number of armed militants within that figure was disputed, with IGOs claiming more than 900 and the IDF claiming 295. Three Israeli citizens were killed by rocket fire, and ten IDF soldiers were killed in combat during the three weeks.

The peace clearly didn’t last. Intermittent rockets from Gaza continued to strike at civilian centers and post-electoral victory Hamas’ refusal to comply with the Quartet of the US, EU, UN, and Russia led to the current blockade of Gaza enforced by Israel and Egypt. Was it ever peace, or just a break for those communities suffering from continued targeting by those who do not value innocent life?

It must be concluded that the previous imperfect peace agreements make current peace more difficult. The blockade of Gaza did not remove Hamas from power, but instead created obstacles for an entire new generation of Gazans, some of which became radicalized. UN investigations into Israel’s use of white phosphorus and Hamas’ use of human shields generated complex reports, but little political action. It’s difficult not to feel cynical, but the failures of past efforts present more lessons than past success. The diplomats in the Palestinian Authority, Israel, Egypt, Qatar, and the US are all navigating around the rubble of the 2008-2009 war. A peace agreement will happen, it just needs to occur before more innocents die and starve. We can hope that leaders and civilians use those lessons to make the next peace durable and effective for all.

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