In June 2008, Israel reached a partial ceasefire (tahadiya or "calm") with the Hamas leadership in Gaza, which was mostly respected until November 4, 2008. In exchange for a cessation of armed activity by both sides (not including activities in the West Bank), Israel permitted an approximately 25% increase in the scope of goods permitted to enter Gaza, limited to "humanitarian" goods (food, medicine, some spare parts for infrastructure and generators, animal feed, grocery items, etc.).8 Other harsh restrictions continued, including a total ban on exports and on the movement of people, apart from exceptional humanitarian cases (which themselves have also been restricted).9
The tahadiya brought a more direct admission by Israel of the nature of its closure of Gaza's borders. Whereas the state had previously made nominal claims that its restrictions stemmed from threats to Gaza's crossings10 or fears that goods entering Gaza could be used for military purposes,11 beginning in the summer of 2008 the State of Israel openly created a direct link between political goals vis-à-vis Hamas and rocket fire by militants on the one hand – and blocking the entrance of even basic humanitarian goods for the civilian population on the other. In response to violations of the ceasefire agreement in the form of rocket fire, Israel regularly closes Gaza's crossings, even to the trickle of humanitarian goods that had been permitted to pass. For example, in late September, Israel blocked the passage of humanitarian goods in response to rocket fire and openly cited the closure as a means of pressuring with Hamas leadership, with whom it is negotiating indirectly for the release of captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit:
“We are examining the issue, and apparently we will need to reduce the
scope of goods and thus create pressure on the Hamas organization,
which is deliberately failing to take steps to advance the negotiations …"
said
Deputy Defense Minister M.K. Matan Vilnai”
More recently, beginning with the collapse of a ceasefire agreement on November 4, 2008, Israel closed Gaza's borders almost entirely and even to humanitarian goods, preventing the passage of fuel, food, and other basic items. Public declarations in the media by military officials note an "equation" of closing crossings in direct response to rocket fire. As articulated by Defense Ministry Spokesman Peter Lerner:
"The opening of the crossings will be reviewed on a daily basis and
will be subject to Palestinian militants halting their rocket fire against
southern Israel”
