The Gaza War was a three-week military conflict that took place in the Gaza Strip during the winter of 2008–2009. It was dubbed Operation Cast Lead (Hebrew: מבצע עופרת יצוקה Mivtza Oferet Yetzuka) and defined as a military operation against Hamas by the Israeli government. The conflict has been called the Gaza massacre (Arabic: مجزرة غزة) in the Arab world. It was referred to as the War in the South in Israeli media coverage while the Arab world's Al Jazeera called it the war on Gaza.
December 20 - December 27
Throughout December 20, at least 15 Qassams and 26 mortars were fired toward the western Negev region. The Israeli air force attacked several targets in the Gaza Strip, including a weapons storehouse in the Jabalya refugee camp, a rocket factory in Khan Yunis and a Hamas border police post, wounding two Hamas members.
On December 23, senior Hamas leader Mahmoud al-Zahar said that Hamas was willing to renew the cease-fire under the original terms, demanding an Israeli commitment to refrain from any military operation in the Strip and to keep the border crossings open. Speaking with Egyptian newspaper al-Ahram, al-Zahar said that the movement would reassess the situation in Gaza once the 24 hours during which Hamas vowed to halt rocket fire had come to an end. Despite the temporary ceasefire declared by the armed Palestinian factions, eight Qassam rockets and 8 mortar shells hit Israeli Negev on that day. On December 23 night Israeli soldiers killed three Hamas gunmen. The army said the men were preparing to plant explosives along the border.
On December 24, Israel hit a group of militants in Gaza Strip. An Israeli military spokesman said that an air strike hit a group who had fired mortars at Israel. Palestinian medical workers said one Hamas militant was killed in the strike and two other Palestinians were wounded, including a cameraman from Hamas's television station. On that day, Hamas military wing issued a statement saying that it commenced an operation code-named "Oil Stain". 87 Palestinian mortar shells, Katyusha and Qassam rockets hit the Negev.
On December 25, after Israel had "wrapped up preparations for a broad offensive," Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert delivered a final warning in an interview with the Arabic language satellite channel al-Arabiya. He said "I am telling them now, it may be the last minute, I'm telling them stop it. We are stronger." 6 Qassams landed in southern Israel.
On December 26, Israel reopened five border crossings between Israel and Gaza, after an eight-day closure, to supply fuel for Gaza's main power plant and to provide about 100 truck loads of humanitarian aid, including grain and other goods. On that day, militants fired approximately a dozen rockets and mortar shells from Gaza at Israel; one accidentally struck a northern Gaza house, killing two Palestinian sisters and wounding a third. According to Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs (IMFA), the commercial crossings into Gaza Strip were mostly closed since November 6, due to the barrage of approximately 230 rockets and mortar that were launched at Israel. IMFA stated that the Erez crossing has continued to be open to international and medical traffic