In 2008 the Israel Defense Forces launched Operation Hot Winter ( he, מבצע חורף חם, ''Mivtza Horef Ham''), also called Operation Warm Winter, in the

Gaza Strip The Gaza Strip (;The New Oxford Dictionary of English (1998) – p.761 "Gaza Strip /'gɑːzə/ a strip of territory under the control of the Palestinian National Authority and Hamas, on the SE Mediterranean coast including the town of Gaza.. ...

, starting on February 29, 2008 in response to

Qassam rocket The Qassam rocket ( ar, صاروخ القسام ''Ṣārūkh al-Qassām''; also ''Kassam'') is a simple, steel artillery rocket developed and deployed by the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the military arm of Hamas. These rockets cannot be fired ...

s fired from the Strip by

Hamas Hamas (, ; , ; an acronym of , "Islamic Resistance Movement") is a Palestinian Sunni-Islamic fundamentalist, militant, and nationalist organization. It has a social service wing, Dawah, and a military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam ...

onto Israeli civilians. At least 112

Palestinian militants Palestinian political violence refers to acts of violence perpetrated for political ends in relation to the State of Palestine or in connection with Palestinian nationalism. Common political objectives include self-determination in and sovere ...

and civilians, along with three

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

is, were killed, and more than 150 Palestinians and seven Israelis were injured. There was some international concern over the scale of the operation, with the

United States Department of State The United States Department of State (DOS), or State Department, is an United States federal executive departments, executive department of the Federal government of the United States, U.S. federal government responsible for the country's fore ...

encouraging Israel to exercise caution to avoid the loss of innocent life, and the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoniz ...

criticising Israel's "disproportionate use of force". The

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been de ...

demanded an immediate end to

Palestinian militant Palestinian fedayeen (from the Arabic ''fidā'ī'', plural ''fidā'iyūn'', فدائيون) are militants or guerrillas of a nationalist orientation from among the Palestinian people. Most Palestinians consider the fedayeen to be " freedom fig ...

rocket attacks on Israel and also Israel's "disproportionate use of force".

Background

After the Gaza-Egypt border breach by Hamas during an Israeli blockade of Gaza,

Shin Bet The Israel Security Agency (ISA; he, שֵׁירוּת הַבִּיטָּחוֹן הַכְּלָלִי; ''Sherut ha-Bitaẖon haKlali''; "the General Security Service"; ar, جهاز الأمن العام), better known by the acronym Shabak ( he, ...

officials concluded the Palestinian militant groups had smuggled large numbers of longer-ranged missiles, such as Katyushas and

Grads The Grid Analysis and Display System (GrADS) is an interactive desktop tool that is used for easy access, manipulation, and visualization of earth science data. The format of the data may be either binary, GRIB, NetCDF, or HDF-SDS (Scientific Da ...

into the strip that were capable of reaching

Ashkelon Ashkelon or Ashqelon (; Hebrew: , , ; Philistine: ), also known as Ascalon (; Ancient Greek: , ; Arabic: , ), is a coastal city in the Southern District of Israel on the Mediterranean coast, south of Tel Aviv, and north of the border wit ...

, a city six times as large as the rocket-battered town of

Sderot Sderot ( he, שְׂדֵרוֹת, , lit. ''Boulevards'', ar, سديروت) is a western Negev city and former development town in the Southern District of Israel. In it had a population of . Sderot is located less than a mile from Gaza (the ...

. On February 27, 2008, Hamas, the

Popular Resistance Committees The Popular Resistance Committees (PRC) ( ar, لجان المقاومة الشعبية, ''Lijān al-Muqāwama al-Shaʿbiyya'') is a coalition of a number of armed Palestinian groups opposed to what they regard as the conciliatory approach of t ...

and the

Palestinian Islamic Jihad The Islamic Jihad Movement in Palestine ( ar, حركة الجهاد الإسلامي في فلسطين, ''Harakat al-Jihād al-Islāmi fi Filastīn''), known in the West simply as Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), is a Palestinian Islamist pa ...

fired a rocket barrage, in which they fired for the first time six Grad missiles at the industrial city of Ashkelon. While only a few people were lightly injured, the attack had a profound psychological impact. The Israeli Prime Minister and several other minister vowed a tough response. The next day, the IDF started an operation to halt, or at least decrease the rocket fire.

Operation

According to the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF), the operation was aimed at disrupting terrorist infrastructure in the Gaza Strip. One of the targets was Hamas prime minister

Ismail Haniyeh Ismail Abdel Salam Ahmed Haniyeh; sometimes transliterated as Haniya, Haniyah, or Hanieh (born 29 January 1962) is a senior political leader of Hamas and formerly one of two disputed Prime Ministers of the Palestinian National Authority. Hani ...

's office. Troops from the Givati Brigade, Combat Engineering forces and the Armor Corps are also known to have been involved in the ground operation. The

Israeli Air Force The Israeli Air Force (IAF; he, זְרוֹעַ הָאֲוִיר וְהֶחָלָל, Zroa HaAvir VeHahalal, tl, "Air and Space Arm", commonly known as , ''Kheil HaAvir'', "Air Corps") operates as the aerial warfare branch of the Israel Defens ...

was also involved, carrying out airstrikes and providing tactical support for the ground troops. A source in the IDF said that the cooperation between ground and air forces was satisfactory. From February 29 to March 1, Israel mostly carried out airstrikes at ammo warehouses, rocket factories, rocket warehouses and launching cells, combined with small incursions close to the border. Despite the IAF presence in the whole Gaza Strip and the IDF presence in the border areas, the Palestinian militants managed to fire more than 200 rockets during the operation, most of them at Sderot, but at least 20 at Ashkelon and 1 at Netivot. After a day in which 50 rockets were fired, IDF decided to change its strategy on March 2 and sent a whole regiment (about 2,000 men) into northern Gaza Strip to occupy

Jabalia Jabalia also Jabalya ( ar, جباليا) is a Palestinian city located north of Gaza City. It is under the jurisdiction of the North Gaza Governorate, in the Gaza Strip. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, Jabalia had a pop ...

and

Shuja'iyya Shuja'iyya ( ar, الشجاعية), also ''Shejaiya'', ''Shijaiyeh'', ''Shujayya'', ''Shuja'ia'', ''Shuja'iya'', is a neighborhood district of the Palestinian city of Gaza and one of the largest neighborhoods in Gaza with 92,000 On March 3, 2008 Israel, according to the IDF, was free to search for factories, terrorist infrastructure, Qassam warehouses and rocket launchers in the two towns. In the evening, Israel pulled out its troops from the Gaza Strip, but

Israeli Prime Minister The prime minister of Israel ( he, רֹאשׁ הַמֶּמְשָׁלָה, Rosh HaMemshala, Head of the Government, Hebrew acronym: he2, רה״מ; ar, رئيس الحكومة, ''Ra'īs al-Ḥukūma'') is the head of government and chief exe ...

Ehud Olmert said the operation ended but Israel would soon return to counter the rocket firing and said the airstrikes "would continue".

Casualties

As of March 4, 2008, 110 Palestinian fatalities have been reported. While Israel claims that most casualties were militants, Palestinians say more than half of the killed were civilians.Kershner, Isabel.
Abbas suspends contacts with Israel
" March 2, 2008, International Herald Tribune. March 1 has been noted as "the bloodiest day for Palestinians" since the Second Intifada began in 2000, when almost half the dead were civilians including children. Israeli

human rights Human rights are moral principles or normsJames Nickel, with assistance from Thomas Pogge, M.B.E. Smith, and Leif Wenar, 13 December 2013, Stanford Encyclopedia of PhilosophyHuman Rights Retrieved 14 August 2014 for certain standards of hu ...

movement

B'Tselem B'Tselem ( he, בצלם, , " in the image of od) is a Jerusalem-based non-profit organization whose stated goals are to document human rights violations in the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories, combat any denial of the existence of su ...

expressed its grave concern at "the large number of children and other uninvolved (Palestinian) civilians among those killed and wounded in the Gaza Strip". According to B'Tselem, there were 54 civilian casualties. Civilian casualties included children, women and even infants. A 13-year-old Palestinian youth was also killed in the

West Bank The West Bank ( ar, الضفة الغربية, translit=aḍ-Ḍiffah al-Ġarbiyyah; he, הגדה המערבית, translit=HaGadah HaMaʽaravit, also referred to by some Israelis as ) is a landlocked territory near the coast of the Mediter ...

in the demonstrations staged by West Bank Palestinians in support of Hamas in Gaza. Militant deaths were mostly Hamas members, as well as some Islamic Jihad members, and one member of the PRC. The

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. ne ...

and other news outlets did not report that civilians accounted for the majority of Palestinian casualties, but that they accounted for "dozens". Israel's attacks in Gaza aired prominently on Arab TV news channels. While expressing regret for civilian casualties, Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak blamed "Hamas and those firing rockets at Israel," his office said in a statement, pledging to continue the offensive to protect Israeli towns and cities. The Israeli army said it was targeting rocket squads, and blamed militants for operating in populated areas.

photos showed rockets being launched from densely populated areas in northern Gaza. On 5 March 2008, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's office announced that Israel would maintain its pressure on Hamas. Olmert did leave the door open to an unofficial truce with Hamas. "If there is no rocket fire at Israel, there won't be Israeli attacks on Gaza," he told reporters. Israeli government spokesman David Baker said Israel was "compelled to continue to take these defensive measures" to protect more than 200,000 Israelis living under the threat of Palestinian rocket barrages.Militants "hide behind their own civilians, using them as human shields, while actively targeting Israeli population centers," Baker said. "They bear the responsibility for the results." Israeli military spokeswoman Maj.

Avital Leibovich Avital Leibovich (Hebrew: אביטל ליבוביץ) is the Director of the American Jewish Committee (AJC) in Israel. Education Leibovich graduated with a BA in English Literature and Political Science from Bar Ilan University in 1992, and recei ...

called Saturday's action a "pinpoint operation" provoked by the rocket attack on Ashkelon earlier in the week. She blamed the high civilian toll on Hamas' practice of using homes to store and produce projectiles. "We are not targeting homes and we have no intentions of targeting uninvolved civilians," she said. "We will target launchers and Hamas militants, and bunkers." In Washington, National Security Council spokesman Gordon Johndroe expressed regret for loss of civilian life on both sides but put most of the blame on the Palestinians. "There is a clear distinction between terrorist rocket attacks that target civilians and action in self-defense," he said in a statement. One Israeli 8 year-old had his leg amputated in a rocket attack. One Israeli civilian was killed in a rocket attack in Sderot. Two Israeli soldiers were also killed by Hamas forces during an incursion into the Gaza Strip. Soldiers from the Givati infantry brigade were wounded. A much larger number of civilians have been wounded or treated for shock. The rocket attacks have caused widespread fear and hardship in Israeli border towns and have damaged millions of dollars worth of property, including schools.

Reactions

Involved parties

Ehud Olmert slammed criticism of Israel for the operation, and stated that Israel had no intention to stop it. He added that critics of Israel were not heard when Israeli civilians were being hurt. Israel has denied that it has committed war crimes. * Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas temporarily suspended contacts with Israel, with "Israeli aggression" as the stated reason. Palestinian observer to the United Nations referred to Israeli military actions as "war crimes". ** Hamas flag2

A Hamas official declared that Israel had "crossed the line" by attacking Ismail Haniyeh's office building.

Mahmoud al-Zahar Mahmoud al-Zahar ( ar, محمود الزهار ') (born 6 May 1945) is a Palestinian politician. He is a co-founder of Hamas and a member of the Hamas leadership in the Gaza Strip. Al-Zahar served as foreign minister in the Hamas-dominated Pa ...

, a prominent Hamas leader, claimed that Israel lost in Operation Hot Winter, and that these were five black days for

Barak Barak ( or ; he, בָּרָק; Tiberian Hebrew: '' Bārāq''; ar, البُراق ''al-Burāq'' "lightning") was a ruler of Ancient Israel. As military commander in the biblical Book of Judges, Barak, with Deborah, from the Tribe of Ephrai ...

and Olmert.

International

* –

UN Secretary-General The secretary-general of the United Nations (UNSG or SG) is the chief administrative officer of the United Nations and head of the United Nations Secretariat, one of the six principal organs of the United Nations. The role of the secretary- ...

Ban Ki-Moon said "While recognizing Israel's right to defend itself, I condemn the disproportionate and excessive use of force that has killed and injured so many civilians, including children. I call on Israel to cease such attacks." Ban also pointed out that there had been 26 Palestinian rocket attacks against Israel on that Saturday alone. "I condemn Palestinian rocket attacks and call for the immediate cessation of such acts of terrorism," he said. **

United Nations Human Rights Council The United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), CDH is a United Nations body whose mission is to promote and protect human rights around the world. The Council has 47 members elected for staggered three-year terms on a regional group basis. ...

, in a resolution sponsored by

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...

and Muslim countries, condemned Israeli military actions, expressing "shock at the bombardment of civilian homes in Gaza." The resolution also urged all concerned parties, including Palestinian militants, to respect international human rights and humanitarian law and refrain from violence against civilian populations. To some, the resolution is testimony to the argument that the Council has been biased against Israel.

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

and

countries found the resolution imbalanced. **The UN delegations of the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

, the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

, and several

West West or Occident is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sun sets on the Earth. Etymology The word "west" is a Germanic word passed into some ...

ern countries rejected a draft resolution circulated by Libya (on behalf of Arab countries) for failing to point out that Israeli military attacks were launched in response to militants firing missiles. **In a rare protest by members of the UN's most powerful body against one of their own members, several UN members walked out of a closed meeting of the Security Council after Libya compared the situation in Gaza to

Nazi concentration camps From 1933 to 1945, Nazi Germany operated more than a thousand concentration camps, (officially) or (more commonly). The Nazi concentration camps are distinguished from other types of Nazi camps such as forced-labor camps, as well as con ...

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. After the Libyan envoy made the comments,

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

's ambassador walked out, immediately followed by the

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

, and Costa Rica.

Dumisani Kumalo Dumisani Shadrack Kumalo (16 September 1947 – 20 January 2019) was a South African anti-apartheid activist and diplomat, who served as the Permanent Representative of South Africa to the United Nations.South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...

's UN ambassador and the current council president, then ended the meeting. * – EU president

Slovenia Slovenia ( ; sl, Slovenija ), officially the Republic of Slovenia (Slovene: , abbr.: ''RS''), is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the southeast, an ...

condemned both belligerents.EU presidency condemns attacks on Gaza
,

Reuters Reuters ( ) is a news agency owned by Thomson Reuters Corporation. It employs around 2,500 journalists and 600 photojournalists in about 200 locations worldwide. Reuters is one of the largest news agencies in the world. The agency was esta ...

, Mar 2, 2008. Later, in an address to 27 EU leaders, Hans-Gert Poettering declared: "Only last Monday, at its plenary sitting, the European Parliament condemned in the strongest possible terms the appalling murderous attack on a school in Jerusalem and the latest acts of violence perpetrated by

and other Palestinian extremists. The bombardment of Israel from the Gaza Strip must stop. This kind of resistance is terrorism and cannot, therefore, be the subject of negotiations. At the same time, ignoring the population of Gaza and supplying them with only the barest humanitarian necessities cannot be part of a workable, long-term solution." *

Non-Aligned Movement The Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) is a forum of 120 countries that are not formally aligned with or against any major power bloc. After the United Nations, it is the largest grouping of states worldwide. The movement originated in the aftermath o ...

– non-aligned movement passed a resolution condemning Israeli violence as "aggressive escalation". * – Slovenia, which then held the Presidency of the

, called Israeli attacks disproportionate and a violation of international law, and condemned the firing of rockets into Israel. * – Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman

Qin Gang Qin Gang (; born 19 March 1966) is a Chinese diplomat and politician who has been serving as Minister of Foreign Affairs since 2022, making him China's second highest ranked diplomat after CCP Politburo member Wang Yi. He previously served as V ...

said his country urged restraint. China also expressed "grave" concern over Palestinian casualties and called for an immediate end to the Israeli operation against the Palestinians. * – Egyptian head of intelligence Omar Suleiman put off a trip to Israel because of the latter's "onslaught on the Gaza Strip". Another date for the visit, he said, would depend on "Israel's commitment to international resolutions". * – condemned the use of "disproportionate force" by Israel and called for an "immediate end to this cycle of violence." India also began making preparations to ensure the safety of its 21 citizens living in Gaza. * – The Italian foreign minister asked both sides to stop the violence. He also urged Israel to negotiate with Hamas, in reference to a truce offered by Hamas but refused by Israel. * – Libya, representing Arab nations at the

United Nations Security Council The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN) and is charged with ensuring international peace and security, recommending the admission of new UN members to the General Assembly, an ...

, called for "an immediate cessation of all acts of violence, including military attacks and the firing of rockets, and calls upon all parties to respect uch aceasefire." It also objected to the categorization of Palestinian attacks as "terrorism". * – Kuwait called the attacks "senseless" and "unjust". * – Mauritania, one of only three Arab League nations to keep relations with Israel, called on Israel to end the "collective punishment" and the "bloodbath"of Gaza. In the capital,

Nouakchott , image_skyline = Nouakchott.jpg , image_caption = City view of Nouakchott , pushpin_map = Mauritania#Arab world#Africa , pushpin_relief = 1 , mapsize = , map_caption ...

, an estimated 3,000 students marched in protest denouncing "The Massacre of the Israeli Army". * – Pakistan condemned the loss of life as result of Israeli attacks in Gaza, and urged restraint and respect for the right of self-determination of the Palestinians. * – The

Saudi Press Agency The Saudi Press Agency (SPA; ar, وكالة الأنباء السعودية) is the official news agency of Saudi Arabia. History and profile The agency was established in 1970 as the first national news agency in Saudi Arabia. The agency is a ...

called upon the international community to stop the "mass killings" that go against

international law International law (also known as public international law and the law of nations) is the set of rules, norms, and standards generally recognized as binding between states. It establishes normative guidelines and a common conceptual framework for ...

and humanitarian norms. * – Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said "the attacks are killing children and civilians and that the attacks can have no humanitarian justification". Turkey also offered to mediate for Middle East peace, but the Erdogan said that Israel had rejected a diplomatic solution. Turkey is Israel's closest ally in the

Muslim world The terms Muslim world and Islamic world commonly refer to the Islamic community, which is also known as the Ummah. This consists of all those who adhere to the religious beliefs and laws of Islam or to societies in which Islam is practiced. I ...

. * – The US delegation at the UN described Palestinian attacks on Israel as "acts of terrorism", in line with Mr Ban's statement to the council. The US, meanwhile, rejected a reference to the council's concern that Israel's response is "excessive". * Al-Qaeda – Osama bin Laden called for a holy war on behalf of the Palestinians and warned of a "severe" reaction against Europe over the republishing of newspaper cartoons seen as insulting Islam's prophet Muhammed.

Ayman al-Zawahri Ayman Mohammed Rabie al-Zawahiri (June 19, 1951 – July 31, 2022) was an Egyptian-born Islamic terrorism, terrorist and physician who served as the second emir of al-Qaeda from June 16, 2011, until his death. Al-Zawahiri graduated from Cair ...

released a tape calling on Muslims to "strike the interests of the Jews, the Americans, and all those who participated in the attack on Muslims", and not to limit attacks in Israel, but "everywhere". Al-Zawahri also denounced Arab leaders he accused of supporting Israel - pointing to Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Jordan, suggesting they too could be targets.

"Shoah" controversy

On 29 February, Israel's Deputy Defense Minister,

Matan Vilnai Matan Vilnai ( he, מַתָּן וִילְנָאִי; born 20 May 1944) is an Israeli politician and a former major general in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). A former Knesset member and government minister, he was appointed ambassador to Chi ...

, said

"As the rocket fire grows, and the range increases... they alestiniansare bringing upon themselves a greater 'Shoah' because we will use all our strength in every way we deem appropriate..."

The term "

shoah The Holocaust, also known as the Shoah, was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews across German-occupied Europe; ar ...

" in

Hebrew Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...

means "disaster"; but Ha-Shoah (The Holocaust) is primarily used in Israel to refer to

the Holocaust The Holocaust, also known as the Shoah, was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews across German-occupied Europe; ...

. As a result, the wire service put out a story "Israel minister warns Palestinians of 'Holocaust'", provoking a controversy.Israel warns of invasion of Gaza
"

BBC News BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broad ...

29 February 2008. Vilnai's spokesman later insisted that he meant only meant "disaster, ruin or destruction" and not "genocide".

Palestinian president The president of the State of Palestine is the head of state of Palestine. Yasser Arafat became the first titular president of the State of Palestine in 1989, one year after proclamation of independence. The title was originally titular, in par ...

Mahmoud Abbas responded to Vilinai's comments by stating that Israel's attacks were "more than a holocaust", while Hamas leader

Khaled Mashal Khaled Mashal ( ar, خالد مشعل, Khālid Mashʿal, Levantine Arabic: , born 28 May 1956) is a former leader of the Palestinian organization Hamas. After the founding of Hamas in 1987, Mashal became the leader of the Kuwaiti branch of t ...

also claimed that they were "the real holocaust". Vilnai's comments were reported by several news agencies: ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'' ran it under the headline "Israeli minister warns of Palestinian 'Holocaust'", ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper '' The Sunday Times'' (f ...

'' stated "Israel threatens to unleash 'Holocaust' in Gaza". The

compared Israel's actions to "

Nazi war crimes The governments of the German Empire and Nazi Germany (under Adolf Hitler) ordered, organized and condoned a substantial number of war crimes, first in the Herero and Namaqua genocide and then in the First and Second World Wars. The most notabl ...

References

{{Arab–Israeli armed engagements Gaza–Israel conflict February 2008 events in Asia March 2008 events in Asia 2008 in Israel 2008 in the Gaza Strip Counterterrorism in Israel Israeli attacks against the Gaza Strip