Key Facts
- Duration
- 12–24 May 2004 (13 days)
- Palestinian deaths
- 59 (per Human Rights Watch)
- Homes razed
- ~300
- Agricultural land destroyed
- 700+ dunams (70 ha)
- Israeli soldiers killed (trigger)
- 11 in two prior attacks
Strategic Narrative Overview
IDF ground forces invaded and besieged Rafah from 12 to 24 May 2004. Troops demolished approximately 300 homes to widen the buffer zone well inside the Gaza Strip. A local zoo and over 700 dunams of agricultural land were also destroyed. Human Rights Watch documented 59 Palestinian fatalities during the operation, among them 11 minors and 18 armed men.
01 / The Origins
Operation Rainbow was triggered by two Palestinian attacks on Israeli M113 armored personnel carriers in the southern Gaza Strip that killed eleven IDF soldiers. Israel launched the operation on 12 May 2004 with the stated objectives of locating and destroying weapons-smuggling tunnels beneath the Philadelphi Route, targeting militants, and expanding the buffer zone along the Egypt–Gaza border near Rafah.
03 / The Outcome
The operation concluded on 24 May 2004. Israel reported progress in disrupting tunnel networks and securing the Philadelphi Route corridor. The mass demolitions drew international condemnation. No formal settlement or ceasefire agreement was attached to the operation's end, and the broader Israeli–Palestinian conflict continued, leaving the region's status unresolved.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Side B
1 belligerent
Kinetic Engagement Axis
Scroll horizontally to view full axis. Events plotted relatively.