Israel continues its attacks against Palestinians this Ramadan as well

By Ahmet Dursun

Tel Aviv continues to assault the Gaza Strip, disrupting peace and causing suffering, including hunger, despite it being the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Hopes for a cease-fire during Ramadan in Gaza were dashed when Israel rejected a comprehensive cease-fire proposal.

But the situation was not unexpected, considering Israel's almost routine attacks on Gaza during nearly every Ramadan since 2007, amid an Israeli ongoing siege and assaults on the territory.

Israel has either launched attacks on Gaza, incited unrest by obstructing worshippers at the Al-Aqsa Mosque or targeted Palestinians in the West Bank every Ramadan.

Israel has maintained its attacking tradition for the past 18 years which has resulted in the deaths of tens of thousands of Palestinians during the holy month.

Anadolu gathered data on Israel's Ramadan attacks against Palestinians.

The bloodiest attacks occurred in Gaza in 2014.

After Hamas won elections in Palestine in 2006, Gaza, oppressed under Tel Aviv's illegitimate blockade, has been repeatedly targeted by Israel's prolonged attacks during the past 18 years.

The attack, "Operation Protective Edge" by Israel, which started July 7, 2014, and lasted for 53 days, stands out.

During the seven-week assault, 2,310 Palestinians were killed, and 10,626 injured.

According to UN data, 89,000 homes were damaged, with 7,000 destroyed during the attacks.

The assault labeled the "longest and most severe" by international reports, devastated Gaza's industrial facilities, causing thousands to lose their jobs and the economy to collapse.

The Israeli military accused Hamas of rocket attacks on Israeli cities and initially targeted with airstrikes the city of Gaza -- a densely populated area of more than 1 million people in 360 square kilometers (139 square miles).

Afterward, intense fighting erupted between the military, which launched a ground offensive with 8,000 troops, and Palestinian groups.

Israel did not hesitate to target hospitals, schools and media centers during the attacks, similar to the ones that began after Oct. 7.

Despite calls for a cease-fire from the majority of the international community and efforts at the UN Security Council to halt Israel's actions, as seen today, they were thwarted by the US.

- Great March of Return protests by Palestinians in 2018

Palestinians in the besieged Gaza Strip initiated peaceful demonstrations March 30, 2018, named the "Great March of Return" at the Israeli border, for the 42nd anniversary of Land Day.

During Ramadan that year, Israeli soldiers fired live ammunition at civilian protesters who were demanding a return to their exiled lands and the lifting of the unlawful blockade imposed on Gaza since 2006.

Israeli soldiers killed 223 Palestinians, including 46 children, and injured 14,000 during the Great March of Return protests, according to Gaza's Palestinian Health Ministry.

- Ramadan 2019, attacks on Gaza

On May 4, 2019, one day before the start of Ramadan, the Israeli army attacked a peaceful demonstration in southern Gaza, resulting in the martyrdom of a young Palestinian and injuries to four others.

Tel Aviv cited Palestinian resistance rocket fire as a pretext and initiated heavy airstrikes on the city.

During attacks lasting one week at the beginning of Ramadan, 25 Palestinians were killed, with 154 injured.

Anadolu’s building in Gaza was also struck in airstrikes.

- In 2021 attacks, 256 Palestinians killed

Israeli forces began bombing the city again on the fifth day of Ramadan, citing rocket fire from Gaza.

Israel initiated heavy attacks on Gaza in response to Palestinian resistance, continuing even after Ramadan, resulting in the deaths of 256 Palestinians and more than 2,000 injuries.

During Ramadan, attacks extended to Al-Aqsa Mosque, Damascus Gate and Sheikh Jarrah in occupied East Jerusalem. Outside Gaza, 205 Palestinians were injured in Israeli assaults.

- Israel's unprecedented war crimes in attacks after Oct. 7

Despite cease-fire talks in Gaza during Ramadan, 2.3 million Gazans entered the holy month under the threat of hunger and famine from Israel's intense bombardments and refusal to allow access to aid.

The number of Palestinians killed by Israel in Gaza in the more than five months of the current onslaught is 31,184, including 13,500 children and 9,000 women. Additionally, 72,889 were injured in attacks.