2010 Palestinian Terrorist Attacks Against Israel

Operation Cast Lead, conducted in late 2008 and early 2009, profoundly altered the security landscape in and around Gaza. In the months that followed, Israeli assessments described Hamas as pursuing a general policy of restraint, using its security forces to limit rocket fire and discourage large-scale attacks by other Palestinian organizations. The reports attributed this posture to several factors: the deterrent effect of Operation Cast Lead, Hamas's recognition that it needed time to rebuild its military and civilian infrastructure, and its desire to avoid a premature confrontation that could result in another major Israeli operation.[1]

To enforce this policy, Hamas reportedly employed patrols, detentions, raids on weapons caches, confiscations, and direct warnings to affiliated and rival groups.[1] The practical result was a significant decline in rocket and mortar fire compared with the peak years of 2007 and 2008. Using figures current through December 25, the Israel Security Agency recorded 150 rockets launched toward Israel in 2010 and 215 mortar shells, compared with 569 rockets and 289 mortar shells in 2009.[2] Non-projectile attacks near the Gaza security fence — including light-arms fire, anti-tank attacks, and improvised explosive device detonations — numbered 107 in 2009, compared with 429 in 2008 and 683 in 2007.[1]

In Judea and Samaria, Palestinian Authority security apparatuses and Israeli security forces were conducting significant operations against Hamas infrastructure, particularly in the Hebron-Yatir area. Yet the Shin Bet identified a troubling trend: even as the total number of attacks declined, those that did occur were becoming more lethal. Sixteen shooting attacks were recorded in Judea and Samaria in 2010, four fewer than in 2009, but they resulted in five deaths. The Shin Bet associated this lethality in part with Hamas's efforts to restore operational infrastructure in the Hebron-Yatir area.[2] Against this backdrop, the relaunch of direct Israeli-Palestinian negotiations in Washington in September 2010 emerged as an immediate flashpoint.

The most lethal West Bank terrorist attacks of 2010 unfolded from August 31 through September 2 as Israeli and Palestinian negotiators gathered in Washington for renewed direct talks. On the evening of August 31, Hamas gunmen opened fire on a vehicle traveling on Route 60 near Kiryat Arba, southeast of Hebron. Four residents of the nearby settlement of Beit Haggai were killed: married couple Yitzak and Talia Ames — who was pregnant — Avishai Shindler, and Kochba Even-Chaim.[3][4] Hamas claimed responsibility for the attack.[5] Hamas spokesman Musheir al-Masri publicly described the assault as an "extremely strong" response to the ongoing peace talks.[6]

The following day, September 1, Hamas's Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades claimed a second shooting near Kokhav Hashahar, northeast of Ramallah, which wounded two civilians, one seriously.[7] On September 2, a third shooting near Ofra was claimed by the same organization, though it caused no casualties.[6] The Palestinian Authority responded swiftly: President Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Salam Fayyad condemned the attacks, and Palestinian security forces mounted large-scale detention operations. By noon on September 1, the Authority had arrested 283 Hamas supporters for questioning; the figure reached approximately 600 by September 3.[7] One week later, the Palestinian Authority announced the arrest of six men in connection with the first two attacks, reporting that a cell of two shooters and an accomplice had carried out the Kiryat Arba killing and that a similarly composed cell had carried out the second shooting.[8]

A Congressional Research Service report grouped the incidents as Hamas attacks coinciding with the relaunch of direct Israel-PLO negotiations and described them as expressions of Hamas's opposition to the renewed process.[4] Abbas said the August 31 attack was intended to "impede the diplomatic process," while reaffirming the Palestinian Authority's opposition to attacks on civilians.[5] A Jerusalem Post analysis argued that, beyond disrupting the talks, the West Bank location served a secondary purpose: embarrassing the Palestinian Authority by demonstrating that its security forces could not prevent Hamas from operating in territories under its administration, particularly in the Hebron area, where Hamas retained a substantial presence.[9]

A September 2010 Washington Institute analysis offered a more qualified framing, noting that Hamas's public statements portrayed the shootings as an expression of its standing "resistance doctrine" rather than explicitly as an attempt to derail negotiations. The analysis assessed that Hamas believed successful attacks could strain Israel-Palestinian Authority relations and cast a shadow over the talks. It also treated the shootings as evidence of an effort to resume significant West Bank operations after roughly three years without major attacks there by encouraging dormant cells and rebuilding terrorist infrastructure.[10]

The August–September shootings were the most lethal West Bank incidents of the year, but they were not isolated events. On June 14, unknown gunmen shot at an Israeli police patrol car near Beit Haggai, killing officer Yehushua Sofer and wounding two colleagues. Israeli authorities arrested suspects with Hamas affiliations on July 22, though no further legal update was recorded by year's end.[3][11] On September 26, a Syria-based group calling itself Abu Musa claimed responsibility for shooting two Israelis south of Hebron; the report did not specify whether they were killed or wounded.[3]

According to Israeli government statistics cited in the U.S. State Department's human-rights report, Palestinian terrorist acts emanating from the West Bank killed six Israelis during 2010, including four civilians.[11] The Israel Security Agency counted 455 attacks in Judea, Samaria, and Jerusalem in 2010, down from 636 in 2009 and from highs of 946 in 2007 and 1,309 in 2006.[2] Of those 455 attacks, 402 — 88 percent — involved firebomb throwing.[2] Ynet's account of the Shin Bet figures described this category as "popular terrorism."[12] Attacks in Jerusalem increased during the year and included shootings alongside stone-throwing and firebomb throwing.[13]

A Jerusalem Post analysis examining monthly attack data through August 2010 found 17 attacks in the West Bank in May, 21 in June, 22 in July, and 20 in August. Each of those months included one shooting. The analysis noted that the fatal August 31 attack occurred in a month that had otherwise seen only a single shooting incident, consistent with the pattern of the preceding months, and cautioned that it was too early to characterize the figures as a heightened wave comparable to the surge of violence following the collapse of the 2000 Camp David talks.[14]

Rocket and mortar fire from Gaza continued throughout 2010, though at substantially reduced levels compared with the years before Operation Cast Lead. The Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center counted 103 rocket hits and 53 mortar-shell hits in Israeli territory during 2010, compared with 158 rocket hits and 108 mortar-shell hits in 2009.[1] The Israel Security Agency, using a launch-count methodology and figures current through December 25, recorded 150 rockets and 215 mortar shells launched toward Israel, noting that one attack could include multiple launches.[2]

Monthly rocket-hit figures varied considerably: January recorded 11 hits, February 4, March 15, April 3, May 11, June 9, July 7, August 5, September 11, October 3, November 13, and December 11.[1] Mortar-shell hits were more concentrated in time: June recorded 6, August 4, September 8, October 5, and December 28. December alone therefore accounted for more than half of the annual total of 53.[1] Rocket and mortar fire increased markedly in December alongside an escalation in Israeli airstrikes against training and weapons facilities, tunnels, and launch teams.[7]

The U.S. State Department's Country Reports on Terrorism estimated that between 102 and 200 projectiles launched from Gaza landed in Israeli territory during 2010, characterizing rocket and mortar fire as the most prevalent form of attack by Palestinian terrorist organizations.[7] A separate State Department human-rights report, citing Israeli government data, gave a figure of approximately 235 rockets and mortar shells fired from Gaza — a count of projectiles launched rather than those confirmed to have landed in Israel.[3] The Israeli government held Hamas responsible for all rocket and mortar attacks originating in Gaza because Hamas exercised effective control there, while attributing the majority of the actual attacks to Palestinian Islamic Jihad and the Popular Resistance Committees.[7]

Several specific incidents stand out. Sources date a fatal rocket strike on a greenhouse in the western Negev to March 18 or March 19; the attack killed a Thai agricultural worker.[1][3] On June 24, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and Palestinian Islamic Jihad jointly claimed a mortar attack from Beit Hanoun in which 12 shells were fired at an Israeli military force. Six landed in Israeli territory, and small-arms fire accompanied the barrage, though no Israeli casualties were reported.[1] Palestinian Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility for rockets and mortar shells fired into the Negev on December 7.[15] On December 6, a Kornet anti-tank missile struck an IDF tank, although its warhead did not detonate.[1]

The Shin Bet also reported that Hamas was engaged in a major weapons buildup. Many hundreds of rockets — predominantly with ranges of 20 and 40 kilometers — approximately 1,000 mortar shells, dozens of anti-tank missiles and anti-aircraft weapons, and tons of explosives and explosives-production materials were reportedly smuggled into Gaza during 2010. Israeli intelligence assessed that a principal smuggling route originated in Iran and ran through Sudan, Egypt, and the Sinai Peninsula.[2][12]

A distinct feature of 2010 was a series of rocket attacks directed at the Israeli city of Eilat and Jordan's port city of Aqaba, fired from the Sinai Peninsula rather than Gaza. An Israeli report counted about nine rockets originating in Gaza that were launched from Sinai during the year.[1]

On April 22, three 122-millimeter Grad rockets were fired toward Eilat and Aqaba. One fell into the sea south of Eilat, another landed in Aqaba, and divers recovered remains of the third approximately 70 meters offshore near Eilat's Princess Beach at a depth of 30 meters on April 24.[16] Israeli reports attributed the launches to Hamas Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades operatives from Gaza while noting that Hamas did not publicly claim responsibility.[1]

The more damaging incident occurred on August 2, when six Grad rockets were fired from Sinai. Three landed in Eilat, including one that fell into a drainage pool in the town's north without causing casualties. Two rockets landed near the Intercontinental Hotel in Aqaba, killing one Jordanian civilian and wounding five, one seriously. The sixth rocket fell into the sea.[16][1] Israeli assessments again attributed the operation to al-Qassam Brigades operatives. Hamas did not claim responsibility and denied that the August attack had occurred.[16][1] The Israel Security Agency described both Sinai incidents as having been directed by Hamas operatives based in Gaza.[2]

Throughout most of 2010, Hamas maintained what Israeli analysts described as a deliberate policy of calibrated restraint in Gaza. The organization used its internal security apparatus — including patrols, arrests, weapons confiscations, and warnings — to discourage attacks by other Gaza-based organizations, seeking to avoid the kind of large-scale escalation that might invite another Israeli military operation while it rebuilt its capabilities.[1] Hamas military commander Ahmed Jabari nonetheless signaled the organization's underlying orientation in a Ramadan message, declaring: "the enemy does not lower its head except to the sword and bullets."[10]

A later Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs analysis characterized Hamas's operational guidelines as distinguishing between lower-level attacks and larger barrages. It said occasional rocket fire, small-arms attacks, and explosives near the border were generally carried out by other Palestinian organizations with Hamas coordination, while the al-Qassam Brigades took an active role in major barrages and strategic operations.[16] The Popular Resistance Committees, for example, claimed a May 21 sniper attack near the southern security fence that seriously wounded an IDF tracker.[1]

By the end of 2010 and into early 2011, Israeli reports observed that willingness among some organizations to follow Hamas's restraint policy was eroding. The sharp spike in mortar fire in December — 28 of the year's 53 mortar-shell hits in Israeli territory — was a concrete indicator of this trend.[1] The State Department's Foreign Terrorist Organizations chapter described Hamas as "relatively inactive" in 2010 compared with earlier periods, while also noting its claim of the September drive-by shootings.[15]

Taken together, the year's attacks were fewer and less deadly than those of preceding years by most measures. The Israel Security Agency recorded 798 terrorist attacks across Israel and the territories in 2010, compared with 1,354 in 2009, and described the overall trend as continuing to decline. Nine people were killed and 28 were wounded in hostile attacks during the year, compared with 15 killed and 234 wounded in 2009.[2] Ynet's year-end accounts, drawing on Shin Bet figures, described 2010 as the quietest year of the decade and noted that the casualty total was the decade's lowest.[17][12]

No suicide bombing attacks against Israeli targets were carried out in 2010 — the second consecutive year without a suicide bombing — and no suicide bombing originated from Gaza during the two years following Operation Cast Lead.[2][1] The State Department's Country Reports on Terrorism similarly confirmed the absence of suicide bombings against Israeli targets during the year.[7]

Beyond projectile attacks and the West Bank shootings, the State Department relayed the IDF's estimate of approximately 100 terrorist-related incidents near the Gaza security fence during 2010. Those incidents encompassed attempted bomb and IED placements, attempted infiltrations, exchanges of fire, and rocket-propelled grenade attacks.[7] The Meir Amit Center separately catalogued 115 attacks originating in Gaza that excluded rockets and mortar shells: 89 involving light-arms fire, 15 anti-tank attacks, and 11 IED detonations, alongside attempted attacks on Israeli navy vessels.[1]

Multiple Palestinian organizations participated in the year's violence. Palestinian Islamic Jihad claimed rockets and mortars in December; the PFLP claimed numerous Gaza rocket and mortar attacks and a February attack on Israeli citizens; and the PFLP-GC's Jihad Jibril Brigades claimed two rockets fired at an Israeli military base in the Negev on March 20–21, which caused no injuries or damage.[15] The breadth of participation showed that Hamas did not carry out every attack documented during the year.

Israel's military response to rocket and mortar fire from Gaza consisted primarily of airstrikes against training and weapons facilities, tunnel infrastructure, and launch teams identified after specific attacks.[7] The IDF and Shin Bet continued operations against terrorist organizations and their supporters in Judea and Samaria, while Palestinian Authority security forces conducted their own campaigns against Hamas infrastructure, particularly after the August–September shootings.[7][2]

The Palestinian Authority's response to the shootings was swift and public. Abbas and Fayyad condemned the attacks, and the PA's security services launched mass arrest operations, detaining 283 Hamas supporters for questioning by noon on September 1 and approximately 600 by September 3.[7] The PA subsequently announced that it had arrested six men connected to the first two shootings, described the composition of the operational cells, and stated that all those responsible were in custody.[8] On December 9, PA authorities arrested 28 more suspected Hamas supporters within 24 hours across Hebron, Nablus, Bethlehem, Tulkarem, Qalqilya, Salfit, and Jenin.[11]

The State Department's human-rights report described security conditions in the West Bank as improved during 2010, while acknowledging that armed militias and terrorist organizations remained active.[11] The Israel Security Agency associated the severity of the year's lethal shootings with the restoration of Hamas infrastructure in the Hebron-Yatir area and reported that both Palestinian and Israeli security forces conducted significant operations against those networks.[2]

Official and analytical sources document the 2010 attacks using different methodologies, geographic scopes, and cut-off dates. The most significant variations concern rocket and mortar counts and casualty totals, and the figures are therefore not always directly comparable.

For projectile fire, the Meir Amit Center's annual report gives 103 rocket hits and 53 mortar-shell hits in Israeli territory. The Israel Security Agency counts 150 rockets and 215 mortar shells launched, using figures current through December 25 and counting individual projectiles rather than confirmed hits.[1][2] The State Department's Country Reports on Terrorism estimated that 102 to 200 projectiles landed in Israel, while the department's human-rights report cited Israeli government data of approximately 235 rockets and mortar shells fired.[7][3] Two Jerusalem Center analyses give different rocket figures: one cites 103 attacks, and another cites 129 launches without fully explaining the difference in methodology.[18][19]

The Meir Amit report also presents an internal numerical discrepancy. Its text and detailed annual figures give 161 mortar-shell hits for the combined 2009–2010 period, while one chart caption states that the combined total of 422 rocket and mortar hits included only 61 mortar-shell hits. The detailed figures — 261 rocket hits and 161 mortar-shell hits — sum to 422, indicating that the chart caption likely contains a typographical error.[20]

Fatality figures also vary by geographic scope and categorization. The Israel Security Agency reported nine fatalities across the areas covered by its annual summary.[2] The State Department's human-rights report separately cited six Israelis killed by attacks emanating from the West Bank and discussed a Thai worker killed by a rocket launched from Gaza.[3] Those figures describe different categories and cannot be directly reconciled without fuller definitions from the reporting agencies.