Sunday marks the first anniversary of Israeli military offensive on the Gaza Strip which Israel code-named Operation Cast Lead.

The 22-day Israeli offensive left behind bloody memories for the 1.5 million people living in the coastal strip as rebuilding takes time due to continued blockade.

Local and international rights group put the death toll of the operation at 1,387 to 1,420 Palestinians, more than two-thirds of whom were civilians. More than 5,500 people had been injured.

Israel said the operation was meant to deter armed groups in Gaza from firing rockets into its southern communities and towns.

The following are some major developments after the war on Gaza:

On March 4, international donors pledged more than US$4 billion at a meeting in Sharm el-Sheikh to help rebuilding the 3,530 houses that were completely destroyed and the 8,000 homes that sustained various degrees of damage. However, the reconstruction process did not start due to the continuation of Israel's blockade on Gaza and the failure of Egyptian efforts to reconcile Gaza's Hamas rulers with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas who holds sway in the West Bank.

On October 2, Israel started to free 20 Palestinian women as part of a deal with Hamas. In exchange of the 20 prisoners, Israel got, through a German mediator, a short video tape showing its soldier Gilad Shalit, held hostage in Gaza since 2006.

On October 16, a the Geneva-based UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) approved a report presented by South African judge Richard Goldstone condemning Israel and Hamas for war crimes in the hostilities.

On November 3, Israeli military intelligence chief Amos Yadlin revealed that Hamas had fired what it seemed to be an Iranian-made rocket to the sea in a test. Later that month, an Israeli newspaper reported that Hamas has test-fired another long-range missile that could fly for 75 km, putting farther Israeli communities at risk.

On December 23, Hamas announced it studies an Israeli offer to exchange prisoners and will respond when the German mediator, Ernst Uhrlau, returns to the region after Christmas holidays. Alsoon that day, President Mahmoud Abbas said peace talks with Israel can resume only when settlements building in the West Bank and East Jerusalem stops.

On December 26, Israel killed six Palestinians in Gaza and West Bank, including three civilians who approached the security fence in northern Gaza Strip. Hamas has promised to retaliate the killing of the six.

(Xinhua News Agency December 28, 2009)