A least 48% of the fatalities in Gaza during Operation Guardian of the Walls have been identified as members of terrorist organizations, according to a report by the Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center. According to the report, which was first obtained by the Jerusalem Post, 112 out of the 234 people who have been confirmed to have been killed during the 11-day conflict last month were members of terrorist organizations. 63 were members of the Hamas terrorist organization, 25 were members of militant parts of the Fatah factions, and 20 were members of Islamic Jihad. The remainder were members of smaller terrorist groups. Another 11 young men could have been members of terrorist organizations according to the report, but no definitive information could be obtained. The report identified 52 children, 38 women, and five elderly people who were killed in the fighting, noting that many of these civilians were family members of terrorists who were killed in air strikes. The report noted that many civilian casualties resulted from the Hamas and Islamic Jihad tactic of embedding their fighters among civilians. In one airstrike, a high number of civilians died when the IDF underestimated the extent to which the Hamas tunnel network had weakened the surrounding structures and so a larger than intended area of tunnels under civilian buildings collapsed. The report found that 21 civilians were killed by rockets fired by terrorist organizations in Gaza which misfired or fell short and landed in Gaza instead of Israel. Israel launched Operation Guardian of the Walls on May 10 after Hamas fired seven rockets at Jerusalem and larger volleys at the Negev. During the 11-day conflict, Hamas and other terrorist organizations launched over 4,300 rockets at Israel, over 600 of which fell short and landed in Gaza. The Iron Dome missile defense system intercepted 90% of the rockets which were fired at civilian population centers in Israel. 13 people were killed in Israel during the conflict, including one IDF soldier and 12 civilians.
