Hamburg - Israel has repeatedly sent ground troops into the Gaza Strip and the West Bank in reaction to attacks on by Palestinian extremists. Recent major offensives have included:29 March 2002: After a suicide attack on an hotel in Netanya, which killed 30 people, the Israeli army sends tanks into Ramallah and attacks the official residence of then Palestinian president Yassir Arafat, and within a week occupies most West Bank towns.
19 July 2002: Tanks roll into the West Bank towns of Jenin, Nablus and Khalkhilia after a suicide bomber's attack at a bus stop in Jerusalem.
25 October 2002: Israel sends troops into Jenin after a suicide attack on a bus near Hebron.
22 November 2002: Operation "Chain Reaction" sees Israeli troops occupy areas including Bethlehem, controlling all autonomous towns except Jericho, following an attack on a bus in Jerusalem.
6 March 2003: Israel sends tanks into the Jabalia refugee camp in the Gaza Strip and also into the West Bank after a suicide attack on a bus in Haifa.
6 July 2006: In the heaviest fighting since the start of the "Summer Rain" offensive in the northern Gaza Strip, 15 Palestinians and one Israeli soldier are killed.
12 July 2006: At least six Palestinians are killed when the Israeli army widens its operation by sending troops into the central Gaza Strip in order to stop rocket attacks on Israeli border areas.
1 November 2006: At least 34 Palestinians are killed in fighting that lasts until November 7 involving helicopter-backed Israeli troops in Bet Hanun in the northern Gaza Strip.
5 July 2007: The Israeli army advances on two refugee camps in the central Gaza Strip, killing at least 11 Palestinians.
15 January 2008: Air force-backed ground troops kill at least 19 Palestinians in the bloodiest military incursion in over a year in the Gaza Strip.
5 March 2008: The Israeli army begins operation "Hot Winter" in reaction to a constant rocket bombardment of Israeli border areas. More than 100 Palestinians are killed in the two-day operation described by Israeli media as "just a dress rehearsal".
