Operation Cast Lead

On December 27th, 2008, Operation Cast Lead broke out in Israel. It was a long operation that took place in the Gaza Strip and lasted three weeks and two days.

The operation began during the Hanukkah holiday after Hamas fired dozens of missiles towards Sderot, Ashkelon, and the Otef Aza area.

During the first week of the operation, mainly the Air Force planes attacked Hamas targets, and after a week, on January 3, the infantry forces went in. The battles were hard, and the forces moved slowly from house to house. The main IDF infantry units that participated were Golani, Paratroopers, Givati, and Haruv.

The fighting lasted over three weeks, and on January 18, 2009, Israel declared a one-sided truce and began taking out the troops. By January 21, all of the IDF forces exited the Gaza Strip and the operation officially ended.

Israel lost 10 soldiers and three civilians in the operation, and hundreds of civilians and soldiers were injured. On the Palestinian side, the estimated death tolls are between 1,100-1,413, and over 5,000 injured.