Key Events
Post-'disengagement' sonic booms over Gaza (24 September 2005)
During the early hours of 24 September 2005, Gazans awoke to the deafening sonic booms created by Israeli jetfighters soaring above the Strip. This form of collective punishment and intimidation of the Gaza population has continued, causing one Gaza resident to question, "Suppose the Israeli settlers were not evacuated. Would Israeli warplanes rip through the Gazan airspace so repeatedly and at the most sensitive times, when every man, women and child happens to be sleeping deeply?" Such Israeli measures violate Article 33 of the Geneva Convention which states, "No protected person may be punished for an offence he or she has not personally committed. Collective penalties and likewise all measures of intimidation or of terrorism are prohibited ... Reprisals against protected persons and their property are prohibited." (Added 3 October 2005)