Second Intifada
| Second Intifada | |||||||||
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| Part of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict | |||||||||
Clockwise from top-left:
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| Belligerents | |||||||||
| Israel | |||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
| Units involved | |||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
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29 September 2000 – 1 January 2005: ~1,010 Israelis total:• 644–773 Israeli civilians killed by Palestinians; • 215–301 Israeli troops killed by Palestinians |
29 September 2000 – 1 January 2005: 3,179–3,354 Palestinians total:• 2,739–3,168 Palestinians killed by Israeli troops;* • 152–406 Palestinians killed by Palestinians; • 34 Palestinians killed by Israeli civilians | ||||||||
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55 foreign nationals/citizens total: • 45 foreigners killed by Palestinians; • 10 foreigners killed by Israeli troops | |||||||||
| *For the controversial issue of distinguishing Palestinian civilian/combatant casualties, see § Casualties. | |||||||||
The Second Intifada (Arabic: الانتفاضة الثانية, romanized: al-Intifāḍa aṯ-Ṯāniya, lit. 'The Second Uprising'; Hebrew: האינתיפאדה השנייה, romanized: ha-Intifada ha-Shniya), also known as the Al-Aqsa Intifada, was a major uprising by Palestinians against Israel and its occupation from 2000. Initially sparked by civilian protests in Jerusalem and areas within Israel proper, the uprising escalated into a prolonged period of heightened violence in Israel, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. This violence, which included shootings, suicide bombings, and military operations, continued until the Sharm el-Sheikh Summit of 2005, which ended hostilities.
The general triggers for the unrest are speculated to have been centered on the failure of the 2000 Camp David Summit, which was expected to reach a final agreement on the Israeli–Palestinian peace process in July 2000. An uptick in violent incidents started in September 2000, after Israeli politician Ariel Sharon made a provocative visit to the Temple Mount; the visit itself was peaceful, but, as anticipated, sparked protests and riots that Israeli police put down with rubber bullets, live ammunition, and tear gas. Israeli security responded with extreme violence, killing over 100 Palestinian protesters within the first few weeks. Within the first few days of the uprising, the Israeli military fired one million rounds of ammunition.
A prominent feature of the Second Intifada was a series of suicide bombings carried out by Palestinian militant groups. After March 2001, approximately 138 suicide bombings were conducted by these factions, primarily targeting Israeli civilians. Israeli security forces engaged in gunfights, targeted killings, tank attacks, and airstrikes; Palestinians engaged in gunfights, stone-throwing, and rocket attacks. With a combined casualty figure for combatants and civilians, the violence is estimated to have resulted in the deaths of approximately 3,000 Palestinians and 1,000 Israelis, as well as 64 foreign nationals.
The Second Intifada ended with the Sharm el-Sheikh Summit of 2005, as Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas and Sharon, by then Israel's prime minister, agreed to take definitive steps to de-escalate the hostilities. They also reaffirmed their commitment to the "roadmap for peace" that had been proposed by the Quartet on the Middle East in 2003. Additionally, Sharon agreed to release 900 Palestinian prisoners and further stated that Israeli troops would withdraw from those parts of the West Bank that they had re-occupied while fighting Palestinian militants during the uprising.