LOHare

There has been so much raw information, misrepresented information, and sheer deliberate misinformation that it is becoming increasingly difficult to separate facts from propaganda. OP is correct in saying that Hamas didn't fire any rockets and even sent active patrols to prevent others from launching rockets (and Israeli news sources even corroborate this) since the 2012 truce. They didn't start firing rockets until the Israeli bombing of Palestinians and Hamas began anew - which began prior to Protective Edge. The prisoners freed as part of the truce were rearrested, several homes (residential, not military targets, even by Israel's admission) were demolished based on suspicion alone.

You may call bias into this, so I will use only Israeli sources here:

Since the 2012 ceasefire Hamas has refrained from rocket attacks on Israel. I know what you're thinking - rockets were coming out of Gaza and landing in Israel between November 2012 and now, and that's definitely true. But these rockets didn't come from Hamas and more importantly, Hamas was trying to stop them.

>Hamas deploys 600-strong force to prevent rocket fire at Israel

http://www.timesofisrael.com/hamas-establishes-special-force-to-prevent-rocket-fire/#ixzz37MFA5sKO

>Hamas arrests terror cell responsible for rocket fire on Israel

http://www.timesofisrael.com/hamas-arrests-terror-cell-responsible-for-rocket-fire-on-israel/#ixzz37MFLhn3Q

>An Israeli army general says Hamas is stopping attacks against Israel and even ‘keeps the peace’ when the IDF operates along the border.

http://972mag.com/head-of-idfs-gaza-command-hamas-is-the-new-policeman-in-gaza/82895/

So now that is out of the way let's look at this conflict from where it started (some will say it started with the death of 2 Palestinian teens who were shot during a protest) but I'll say it started with the kidnapping of 3 Israeli teens in the West Bank.

After those teens were kidnapped the Israeli government started rounding up Palestinians and arresting them, many of those arrested are still being held without charge. At the time Israel was saying that the operation was under way in order to find the kidnapped teens. Later on it was revealed that the Israeli government knew that the teens were dead but issued a gag order as to the evidence that would suggest that while at the same time insisting they were alive and maintaining that the operation in the West Bank was to find the kidnapped teens.

>Details of the ’100′ call (the local equivalent of 911) and what investigators discovered in the car used for the kidnapping of three Israeli teens earlier this month were well known by security service heads, top ministers — and even journalists — early on in the affair; but not by the public because it was all placed and kept under a tightly held gag order. The blood found in the car, the sound of gun shots in the emergency call, evidence of live ammunition and the fact that there hasn’t been a single instance of two or more people being held hostage in the West Bank in decades – all that led to a single logical assumption: the teens were no longer alive. Yet at the same time, the Israeli public was told the teens were being held by Hamas, and a public campaign calling for their return was launched.

http://972mag.com/how-the-public-was-manipulated-into-believing-the-teens-were-alive/92865/

As this all happened, Israel's government was blaming Hamas for the kidnapping of the teens - despite showing no evidence to support that claim.

>As far as is known, the Hamas leadership in Gaza was not part of the chain of command behind the abduction, carried out by a Hamas cell from Hebron on July 12.

http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/.premium-1.603889

But despite all of this, Hamas didn't react. They continued trying to stop the rocket attacks on Israel and were hoping that the unity government that was just set up would give them a diplomatic way to deal with the prisoners.

Keep in mind that while these attacks didn't come from Hamas (Hamas takes responsibility for their attacks, they denied involvement in the ones preceding the Israeli retaliation) Israel would always strike Hamas targets in retaliation.

Then came the straw that broke the camel's back, at least for Hamas:

>Hamas has had no interest in a major escalation, and had not been directly attacking Israel until the last few days. But ever since one of its members, Mohammed Obeid, was killed in an Israeli border attack at the end of last month — an apparent error: the IDF thought it was firing at a rocket-launch cell, but actually struck Hamas members deployed to prevent rocket fire — it has changed its approach.

http://www.timesofisrael.com/hamas-smells-israels-fear-of-escalation-and-so-the-rockets-keep-coming/

One of their members was killed by Israel while trying to stop rocket attacks on Israel. For the first time, Hamas started firing rockets back at Israel and took full responsibility for firing those rockets.

Say what you will about Hamas, but they fully admit when they are launching rockets and when they abduct Israelis - and their operations have been focused on military targets.

Edit: Most of the info in this comment comes from /u/moeloubani 's comment in /r/Canada a few days ago. He deserves full credit for the research and sources.

What kind of internet do you have there? Back in February about 300 of us from Southern Ontario came to visit you guys. We had a blast!! We love your culture and your food. However the lack of internet and cell phone service was a bit different from living in Ontario.

The biggest hope for peace is informed and active citizens on both sides. I am glad to have helped in that endeavor. You have my best wishes to go on and make a difference, and I pray that you stay safe from the rockets.

You should know, most of it is yours :)

Thanks for doing the research and leg work for the rest of us to spread it further.

Why is this marked as invalid? Is the OP not legit?