2014 Gaza War, Alleged violations of international humanitarian law, Alleged violations by Hamas, Endangerment of Civilians
The statements fall into two categories: using civilian structures like homes, mosques and hospitals to store munitions in or launch rockets from, and urging or forcing civilian population to stay in their homes, to shield militants. Israeli soldiers have also said Hamas operatives directly employed women and children as involuntary human shields to evade pursuit, while Hamas and others have said such accusations are false. Asa Kasher, who helped to write the Israel Defense Forces's Code of Conduct, argued that "Israel cannot forfeit its ability to protect its citizens against attacks simply because terrorists hide behind non-combatants. If it did so, it would be giving up any right to self-defense."


2014 Gaza War, Alleged violations of international humanitarian law, Alleged violations by Hamas, Endangerment of Civilians
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCHR) Navi Pillay accused Hamas militants of violating international humanitarian law by "locating rockets within schools and hospitals, or even launching these rockets from densely populated areas." But she added that this did not absolve Israel from disregarding the same law. The UNHCHR report recognised that "the obligation to avoid locating military objectives within densely populated areas is not absolute. The small size of Gaza and its population density make it difficult for armed groups to always comply with this requirement."


2014 Gaza War, Alleged violations of international humanitarian law, Alleged violations by Hamas, Endangerment of Civilians
In a 2015 report, Amnesty International states that "There are credible reports that, in certain cases, Palestinian armed groups launched rockets or mortars from within civilian facilities or compounds, including schools, at least one hospital and a Greek Orthodox church in Gaza City. In at least two cases, accounts indicate that attacks were launched in spite of the fact that displaced Gazan civilians were sheltering in the compounds or in neighbouring buildings. ".


2014 Gaza War, Alleged violations of international humanitarian law, Alleged violations by Hamas, Endangerment of Civilians
Israel has stated that many mosques, schools and hospitals were used to store weapons. The IDF spokesman said that mortar shells were fired from a boys' school that served as a shelter for refugees. There were reports of the use of mosques to store weapons, and having launch sites very close to civilian structures. Gaza's Greek Orthodox archbishop has said that Hamas used the church compound, which sheltered 2000 Muslim civilians, to launch rockets into Israel.


2014 Gaza War, Alleged violations of international humanitarian law, Alleged violations by Hamas, Endangerment of Civilians
France 24 correspondent Gallagher Fenwick reported that a Hamas rocket-launching pad was placed in densely populated neighborhood of Gaza City, about 50 meters from the hotel where the majority of international media were staying and 100 meters from a UN building. Fenwick said that "children can be seen playing on and near the rocket launcher".


2014 Gaza War, Alleged violations of international humanitarian law, Alleged violations by Hamas, Endangerment of Civilians
Israel released footage of Palestinian militants launching rockets from a school and a cemetery. In at least one case a cemetery was targeted by an Israeli airstrike.


2014 Gaza War, Alleged violations of international humanitarian law, Alleged violations by Hamas, Endangerment of Civilians
According to Shabak, the Israeli internal security service, some militants, when interrogated, admitted using civilian buildings for military purposes. The admissions included more than ten mosques that were used for gatherings, training, storage of weapons, tunnel activities and military observations. During interrogations, one militant said that he was instructed in case of successful abduction using a tunnel to take the victim to a kindergarten located near its opening.


2014 Gaza War, Alleged violations of international humanitarian law, Alleged violations by Hamas, Endangerment of Civilians
On 24 August, Israel released part of what it says is a Hamas training manual on urban warfare, which states "the process of hiding ammunition inside buildings is intended for ambushes in residential areas and to move the campaign from open areas into built up and closed areas" and "residents of the area should be used to bring in the equipment...take advantage of this to avoid [Israeli] spy planes and attack drones." The manual also explains how fighting from within civilian population makes IDF operations difficult and what the benefits of civilian deaths are. Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri dismissed the document as a "forgery...aimed at justifying the mass killings of Palestinian civilians."


2014 Gaza War, Alleged violations of international humanitarian law, Alleged violations by Hamas, Endangerment of Civilians
On 12 September, Ghazi Hamad, a senior Hamas official, acknowledged for the first time that Hamas did fire rockets from civilian areas and said "some mistakes were made".


2014 Gaza War, Alleged violations of international humanitarian law, Alleged violations by Hamas, Endangerment of Civilians
Israeli and Jewish critics of the war, including Uri Avnery and Gideon Levy wrote that in their own war of independence in 1948 (and earlier), Jews hid weapons in synagogues, kindergartens and schools as well. Other critics have noted that the headquarters of the IDF and Shin Bet, as well as an Israeli military training facility, are also located near civilian centers.


2014 Gaza War, Alleged violations of international humanitarian law, Alleged violations by Hamas, Endangerment of Civilians
Correctness of such comparison is denied by Ross Singer, who notes that "the legacy of both the Irgun and Lehi was and to a large degree still is a matter of public debate", while Zionist paramilitary groups "rarely if ever" fired weapons "from within civilian population centers" and routinely evacuated civilians from areas of conflict. Commentators brought up the current high population density of Gaza in conjunction with Palestinian military activities and installations being in or near civilian structures.


2014 Gaza War, Alleged violations of international humanitarian law, Alleged violations by Hamas, Endangerment of Civilians
Using civilian structures to store munitions and launch attacks from is unlawful, and the Fourth Geneva Convention states that "The presence of a protected person may not be used to render certain points or areas immune from military operations." On the other hand, another convention says that "Any violation of these prohibitions shall not release the parties to the conflict from their legal obligations with respect to the civilian population and civilians, including the obligation to take the precautionary measures."


2014 Gaza War, Alleged violations of international humanitarian law, Alleged violations by Hamas, Endangerment of Civilians
According to Harriet Sherwood, writer for the Guardian, even if Hamas were violating the law on this matter, it would not legally justify Israel's bombing of areas where civilians are known to be. Amnesty International stated that "Indiscriminate and disproportionate attacks (where the likely number of civilian casualties or damage to civilian property outweighs the anticipated military advantage to be gained) are … prohibited." It said that "Israel's relentless air assault on Gaza has seen its forces flagrantly disregard civilian life and property".


2014 Gaza War, Alleged violations of international humanitarian law, Alleged violations by Hamas, Endangerment of Civilians
Human Rights Watch has said that in many cases "the Israeli military has presented no information to show that it was attacking lawful military objectives or acted to minimize civilian casualties." An investigation by Human Rights Watch found that "in most of the sites we investigated so far (in this conflict) we found no valid military targets". A high-level group of former diplomats and military experts concluded that "the IDF acted within the bounds of international law during the war."


2014 Gaza War, Alleged violations of international humanitarian law, Alleged violations by Hamas, Endangerment of Civilians
The Israeli government issued a report saying that its military actions were "lawful and legitimate" and that "Israel made substantial efforts to avoid civilian deaths." The High Level Military Group, composed of military experts from Australia, Colombia, France, Germany, India, Italy, Britain, the United States, and Spain, released an assessment on Operation Protective Edge acknowledging Israel made "unprecedented efforts" to avoid civilian casualties exceeding international standards.


2014 Gaza War, Alleged violations of international humanitarian law, Alleged violations by Hamas, Endangerment of Civilians
Medical units including hospitals and medical personnel have special protections under international humanitarian law. They lose their protection only if they commit, outside their humanitarian function, "acts harmful to the enemy." More than 25 medical facilities were damaged in the conflict; one attack on Al-Aqsa hospital killed 5 people. In many cases, ambulances and other medical personnel were hit. Amnesty International has condemned the attacks and said that there is "mounting evidence" that Israel deliberately targeted hospitals and medical personnel; Israel said it had not.


2014 Gaza War, Alleged violations of international humanitarian law, Alleged violations by Hamas, Endangerment of Civilians
A Finnish reporter from Helsingin Sanomat reported seeing rockets fired from near the Gaza Al-Shifa hospital. The IDF said that in several cases Hamas used Wafa hospital as a military base and used ambulances to transport its fighters. According to the Israeli Shabak, many of the militants it interrogated said that "everyone knew" that Hamas leaders were using hospitals for hiding. Hamas security reportedly wore police uniforms and blocked access to certain parts of the hospitals. One of the interrogated militants reportedly said that civilians seeking medical attention usually were thrown out by the security.


2014 Gaza War, Alleged violations of international humanitarian law, Alleged violations by Hamas, Endangerment of Civilians
The Washington Post described Al-Shifa hospital as a "de facto headquarters for Hamas leaders, who can be seen in the hallways and offices." Amnesty International reported that: "Hamas forces used the abandoned areas of al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City, including the outpatients' clinic area, to detain, interrogate, torture and otherwise ill-treat suspects, even as other parts of the hospital continued to function as a medical centre".


2014 Gaza War, Alleged violations of international humanitarian law, Alleged violations by Hamas, Endangerment of Civilians
French-Palestinian journalist Radjaa Abu Dagga reported that Hamas militants interrogated him in Gaza's main hospital (Al-Shifa); his report was later removed from his paper's website at his request.


2014 Gaza War, Alleged violations of international humanitarian law, Alleged violations by Hamas, Endangerment of Civilians
Mohammed Al Falahi, Secretary General of Red Crescent, UAE said that Hamas militants fired on Israeli planes from Red Crescent's field hospital in order to provoke retaliation, attacked Red Crescent team on their way back and planted land mines on their path.


2014 Gaza War, Alleged violations of international humanitarian law, Alleged violations by Hamas, Endangerment of Civilians
The IDF has released photographs which it says show civilians on rooftops, and a video of Hamas spokesperson Sami Abu Zuhri saying "the fact that people are willing to sacrifice themselves against Israeli warplanes in order to protect their homes […] is proving itself". The EU has strongly condemned "calls on the civilian population of Gaza to provide themselves as human shields" and US Congress-members introduced bills condemning Hamas for using human shields. Civilians and activists in Gaza used themselves as 'human shields' in attempts to prevent Israeli attacks.


2014 Gaza War, Alleged violations of international humanitarian law, Alleged violations by Hamas, Endangerment of Civilians
Hamas officials said human shields were not used. One Gazan stated that "nobody is safe and nobody can flee anywhere because everywhere is targeted." Many reporters, including from the BBC, the Independent and the Guardian said that they found no evidence of Hamas forcing Palestinians to stay and become unwilling human shields.


2014 Gaza War, Alleged violations of international humanitarian law, Alleged violations by Hamas, Endangerment of Civilians
Fatah officials said that Hamas placed over 250 Fatah members under house arrest or in jail, putting them under threat of being killed by Israeli strikes and shooting them in the legs or breaking their limbs if they tried to leave. According to Abbas, more than 300 Fatah members were placed under house arrest and 120 were executed for fleeing.


2014 Gaza War, Alleged violations of international humanitarian law, Alleged violations by Hamas, Endangerment of Civilians
Amnesty International reported that it did "not have evidence at this point" that Palestinian civilians were intentionally used by Hamas or Palestinian armed groups during the current hostilities to "shield" specific locations or military personnel or equipment from Israeli attacks".


2014 Gaza War, Alleged violations of international humanitarian law, Alleged violations by Hamas, Endangerment of Civilians
It additionally said that "public statements referring to entire areas are not the same as directing specific civilians to remain in their homes as "human shields" for fighters, munitions, or military equipment" and that "even if officials or fighters from Hamas or Palestinian armed groups … did in fact direct civilians to remain in a specific location in order to shield military objectives …, all of Israel's obligations to protect these civilians would still apply." Human Rights Watch said many of the attacks on targets appeared to be "disproportionate" and "indiscriminate".


2014 Gaza War, Alleged violations of international humanitarian law, Alleged violations by Hamas, Endangerment of Civilians
Human Rights Watch attributed many civilian deaths to the lack of safe places to flee to, and accused Israel of firing at fleeing civilians. It stated that there are many reasons that prevent civilians from abiding by warnings, and that the failure to abide by warnings does not make civilians lawful targets.


2014 Gaza War, Alleged violations of international humanitarian law, Alleged violations by Hamas, Rocket attacks on Israeli civilians
Human rights organizations, including Amnesty International, pointed to Hamas's rocket attacks on Israeli cities as violations of international law and war crimes. Palestinian ambassador to the UN Human Rights Council, Ibrahim Khraishi stated in a 9 July interview on PA TV that the "missiles that are now being launched against Israel – each and every missile constitutes a crime against humanity, whether it hits or misses, because it is directed at civilian targets".


2014 Gaza War, Alleged violations of international humanitarian law, Alleged violations by Hamas, Rocket attacks on Israeli civilians
Hamas political figure Khaled Mashaal has defended the firing of rockets into Israel, saying that "our victims are civilians and theirs are soldiers". According to one report, "nearly all the 2,500–3,000 rockets and mortars Hamas has fired at Israel since the start of the war seem to have been aimed at towns", including an attack on "a kibbutz collective farm close to the Gaza border", in which an Israeli child was killed. Former Israeli Lt. Col. Jonathan D. Halevi stated that "Hamas has expressed pride in aiming long-range rockets at strategic targets in Israel including the nuclear reactor in Dimona, the chemical plants in Haifa, and Ben-Gurion Airport", which "could have caused thousands" of Israeli casualties "if successful".


2014 Gaza War, Alleged violations of international humanitarian law, Alleged violations by Hamas, Rocket attacks on Israeli civilians
According to Israel, Hamas continued to fire rockets at the Erez border crossing while sick and wounded Gazans tried to enter Israel for treatment. The Erez border crossing is the only legal border crossing between Gaza and Israel. Other people affected by this included journalists, UN workers, and volunteers.


2014 Gaza War, Alleged violations of international humanitarian law, Alleged violations by Hamas, Military use of UN facilities
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) has a number of institutions and schools in the Gaza region, and, as of 24 July 23 had been closed. Hamas took advantage of the closures to employ some of these vacant UNRWA buildings as weapon storage sites. UNRWA officials, on discovering that three such vacated schools had been employed for storing rockets, condemned Hamas's actions, calling it a "flagrant violation of the neutrality of our premises."


2014 Gaza War, Alleged violations of international humanitarian law, Alleged violations by Hamas, Military use of UN facilities
On 16 July, 22 July, and on 29 July, UNRWA announced that rockets had been found in their schools. Israel's foreign minister Avigdor Lieberman stated that UNRWA had turned over some discovered rockets to Hamas. Israel Democracy Institute Vice President, Mordechai Kremnitzer, accused the UNRWA of war crimes for handing over the rockets, while Hebrew University Professor Robbie Sabel stated that the UNRWA "had no legal obligation to hand the rockets over to Israel" and had little other choice in the matter. UNRWA states the armouries had been transferred to local police authorities under the Ramallah national unity government's authority, in accordance with "longstanding UN practice in UN humanitarian operations worldwide". UN Secretary Ban Ki-moon ordered an investigation.


2014 Gaza War, Alleged violations of international humanitarian law, Alleged violations by Hamas, Military use of UN facilities
On 30 July, the IDF said that they had discovered the entrance to a tunnel concealed inside a UNRWA medical clinic in Khan Yunis. The clinic was rigged with explosives, which then exploded and killed three Israeli soldiers. This report was later corrected by the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories, the military unit that implements government policies in the Palestinian areas, who later that day stated that despite its UNRWA sign, the site was not registered as belonging to UNRWA.


2014 Gaza War, Alleged violations of international humanitarian law, Alleged violations by Hamas, Intimidation of journalists
Israeli officials said Hamas intimidates journalists in Gaza. A French reporter said that he was "detained and interrogated by members of Hamas's al-Qassam Brigade" in Gaza's Al-Shifa hospital, and forced to leave Gaza; he later asked the newspaper to remove his article from their site. Some journalists reported threats on social media against those who tweet about rocket launch sites. John Reed of The Financial Times was threatened after he tweeted about rockets being fired from near Al-Shifa Hospital, and RT correspondent Harry Fear was told to leave Gaza after he tweeted that Hamas fired rockets from near his hotel.


2014 Gaza War, Alleged violations of international humanitarian law, Alleged violations by Hamas, Intimidation of journalists
Isra al-Modallal, head of foreign relations for the Hamas Information Ministry, said Hamas did deport foreign journalists who filmed Hamas rocket launches, stating that by filming the launch sites the journalists were collaborating with Israel. The Foreign Press Association (FPA) in Israel and the Palestinian territories protested what it called "blatant, incessant, forceful and unorthodox methods employed by the Hamas authorities … against visiting international journalists in Gaza", saying several had been harassed or questioned over information they reported.


2014 Gaza War, Alleged violations of international humanitarian law, Alleged violations by Hamas, Intimidation of journalists
It also said that Hamas was trying to "put in place a 'vetting' procedure" that would allow the blacklisting of specific journalists. The Jerusalem Post said UNRWA workers were threatened by Hamas at gun-point during the war, but Christopher Gunness, UNRWA spokesman, said "I have checked and double checked with sources in Gaza and there is no evidence of death threats made to UNRWA personnel."


2014 Gaza War, Alleged violations of international humanitarian law, Alleged violations by Hamas, Intimidation of journalists
Some FPA members disputed the FPA's comments, including New York Times Jerusalem bureau chief Jodi Rudoren, who wrote "every reporter I've met who was in Gaza during [the] war says this Israeli/now FPA narrative of Hamas harassment is nonsense." Haaretz interviewed many foreign journalists and found "all but a few of the journalists deny any such pressure".


2014 Gaza War, Alleged violations of international humanitarian law, Alleged violations by Hamas, Intimidation of journalists
They said Hamas's intimidation was no worse than what they got from the IDF, and said no armed forces would permit reporters to broadcast militarily sensitive information; and that, furthermore, most reporters seldom saw Hamas fighters, because they fought from concealed locations and in places that were too dangerous to approach.


2014 Gaza War, Alleged violations of international humanitarian law, Alleged violations by Israel
Israel received some 500 complaints concerning 360 alleged violations. 80 were closed without criminal charges, 6 cases were opened on incidents allegedly involving criminal conduct, and in one case regarding 3 IDF soldiers in the aftermath of the Battle of Shuja'iyya, a charge of looting was laid. Most cases were closed for what the military magistrates considered to be lack of evidence to sustain a charge of misconduct. No mention was made of incidents during the "Black Friday" events at Rafah.


2014 Gaza War, Alleged violations of international humanitarian law, Alleged violations by Israel
According to Assaf Sharon of Tel Aviv University, the IDF was pressured by politicians to unleash unnecessary violence whose basic purpose was 'to satisfy a need for vengeance,' which the politicians themselves tried to whip up in Israel's population. Asa Kasher wrote that the IDF was pulled into fighting "that is both strategically and morally asymmetric" and that like any other army it made mistakes, but the charges it faces are "grossly unfair".


2014 Gaza War, Alleged violations of international humanitarian law, Alleged violations by Israel
The Israeli NGO Breaking the Silence, reporting on its analysis of 111 testimonies concerning the war by some 70 IDF soldiers and officers, cited one veteran's remark that "Anyone found in an IDF area, which the IDF had occupied, was not a civilian," to argue that this was the basic rule of engagement. Soldiers were briefed to regard everything inside the Strip as a threat. The report cites several examples of civilians, including women, being shot dead and defined as "terrorists" in later reports.


2014 Gaza War, Alleged violations of international humanitarian law, Alleged violations by Israel
Since leaflets were dropped telling civilians to leave areas to be bombed, soldiers could assume any movement in a bombed area entitled them to shoot. In one case that came under investigation, Lt Col Neria Yeshurun ordered a Palestinian medical centre to be shelled to avenge the killing of one of his officers by a sniper.


2014 Gaza War, Alleged violations of international humanitarian law, Alleged violations by Israel, Civilian deaths
Many of those killed were civilians, prompting concern from many humanitarian organisations. An investigation by Human Rights Watch concluded that Israel had probably committed war crimes on three specific incidents involving strikes on UNWRA schools. Amnesty International stated that: "Israeli forces have carried out attacks that have killed hundreds of civilians, including through the use of precision weaponry such as drone-fired missiles, and attacks using munitions such as artillery, which cannot be precisely targeted, on very densely populated residential areas, such as Shuja'iyya. They have also directly attacked civilian objects." B'tselem has compiled an infogram listing families killed at home in 72 incidents of bombing or shelling, comprising 547 people killed, of whom 125 were women under 60, 250 were minors, and 29 were over 60. On 24 August, Palestinian health officials said that 89 families had been killed.


2014 Gaza War, Alleged violations of international humanitarian law, Alleged violations by Israel, Civilian deaths
Nine people were killed while watching the World Cup in a cafe, and 8 members of a family died that Israel has said were inadvertently killed. A Golani soldier interviewed about his operations inside Gaza said they often could not distinguish between civilians and Hamas fighters because some Hamas operatives dressed in plainclothes and the night vision goggles made everything look green. An IDF spokesperson said that Hamas "deploys in residential areas, creating rocket launch sites, command and control centers, and other positions deep in the heart of urban areas.


2014 Gaza War, Alleged violations of international humanitarian law, Alleged violations by Israel, Civilian deaths
By doing so, Hamas chooses the battleground where the IDF is forced to operate." The highest-ranking U.S. military officer, Army General Martin Dempsey, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said that "Israel went to extraordinary lengths to limit collateral damage and civilian casualties". Later in his speech he said, "the Pentagon three months ago sent a 'lessons-learned team' of senior officers and non-commissioned officers to work with the IDF to see what could be learned from the Gaza operation, to include the measures they took to prevent civilian casualties and what they did with tunneling." Col. Richard Kemp told The Observer, "IDF has taken greater steps than any other army in the history of warfare to minimise harm to civilians in a combat zone"


2014 Gaza War, Alleged violations of international humanitarian law, Alleged violations by Israel, Civilian deaths
In many cases the IDF warned civilians prior to targeting militants in highly populated areas in order to comply with international law. Human rights organizations including Amnesty International, confirmed that in many cases, Palestinians received warnings prior to evacuation, including flyers, phone calls and roof knocking. A report by Jaffa based NGO Physicians for Human Rights, released in January 2015, said that Israel's alert system had failed, and that the roof-knock system was ineffective. The IDF was criticized for not giving civilians enough time to evacuate. In one case, the warning came less than one minute before the bombing.


2014 Gaza War, Alleged violations of international humanitarian law, Alleged violations by Israel, Civilian deaths
Hamas has told civilians to return to their homes or stay put following Israeli warnings to leave. In many cases, Palestinians evacuated; in others, they have stayed in their homes. Israel condemned Hamas's encouragement of Palestinians to remain in their homes despite warnings in advance of airstrikes. Hamas stated that the warnings were a form of psychological warfare and that people would be equally or more unsafe in the rest of Gaza.


2014 Gaza War, Alleged violations of international humanitarian law, Alleged violations by Israel, Civilian deaths
Amnesty International said that "although the Israeli authorities claim to be warning civilians in Gaza, a consistent pattern has emerged that their actions do not constitute an "effective warning" under international humanitarian law." Human Rights Watch concurred. Many Gazans, when asked, told journalists that they remained in their houses simply because they had nowhere else to go. OCHA's spokesman has said "there is literally no safe place for civilians" in Gaza. Roof knocking has been condemned as unlawful by Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch as well as the United Nations Fact Finding Mission in the 2008 war.


2014 Gaza War, Alleged violations of international humanitarian law, Alleged violations by Israel, Destruction of homes
Israel targeted many homes in this conflict. UNWRA official Robert Turner estimated that 7,000 homes were demolished and 89,000 were damaged, some 10,000 of them severely. This has led to many members of the same family being killed. B'Tselem documented 59 incidents of bombing and shelling, in which 458 people were killed. In some cases, Israel has stated that these homes were of suspected militants and were used for military purposes.


2014 Gaza War, Alleged violations of international humanitarian law, Alleged violations by Israel, Destruction of homes
The New York Times noted that the damage in this operation was higher than in the previous two wars and stated that 60,000 people had been left homeless as a result. The destruction of homes has been condemned by B'Tselem, Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International as unlawful, amounting to collective punishment and war crimes.


2014 Gaza War, Alleged violations of international humanitarian law, Alleged violations by Israel, Destruction of homes
Israel destroyed the homes of two suspects in the case of the abduction and killing of the three teenagers. The house demolition has been condemned by B'Tselem as unlawful.


2014 Gaza War, Alleged violations of international humanitarian law, Alleged violations by Israel, Destruction of homes
Palestinians returning to their homes during the ceasefire reported that IDF soldiers had trashed their homes, destroyed home electronics such as TV sets, spread feces in their homes, and carved slogans such as "Burn Gaza down" and "Good Arab = dead Arab" in walls and furniture. The IDF did not respond to a request by The Guardian for comment.


2014 Gaza War, Alleged violations of international humanitarian law, Alleged violations by Israel, Destruction of homes
On 5 November 2014, Amnesty International published a report examining eight cases where the IDF targeted homes, resulting in the deaths of 111 people, of whom 104 were civilians. Barred from access to Gaza by Israel since 2012, it conducted its research remotely, supported by two contracted Gaza-based fieldworkers who conducted multiple visits of each site to interview survivors, and consulted with military experts to evaluate photographic and video material.


2014 Gaza War, Alleged violations of international humanitarian law, Alleged violations by Israel, Destruction of homes
It concludes, in every case, that  "there was a failure to take necessary precautions to avoid excessive harm to civilians and civilian property, as required by international humanitarian law" and "no prior warning was given to the civilian residents to allow them to escape."


2014 Gaza War, Alleged violations of international humanitarian law, Alleged violations by Israel, Destruction of homes
As Israel did not disclose any information regarding the incidents, the report said it was not possible for Amnesty International to be certain of what Israel was targeting; it also said that if there were no valid military objectives, international humanitarian law may have been violated, as attacks directed at civilians and civilian objects, or attacks which are otherwise disproportionate relative to the anticipated military advantage of carrying them out, constitute war crimes.


2014 Gaza War, Alleged violations of international humanitarian law, Alleged violations by Israel, Destruction of homes
The report was dismissed by the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs as "narrow", "decontextualized", and disattentive of alleged war crimes perpetrated by Hamas. Amnesty, it asserted, was serving as "a propaganda tool for Hamas and other terror groups." Anne Herzberg, legal adviser for NGO Monitor, questioned the accuracy of the UN numbers used in the report, saying that they "essentially come from Hamas."


2014 Gaza War, Alleged violations of international humanitarian law, Alleged violations by Israel, Shelling of UNRWA schools
There were seven shellings at UNRWA facilities in the Gaza Strip which took place between 21 July and 3 August 2014. The incidents were the result of artillery, mortar or aerial missile fire which struck on or near the UNRWA facilities being used as shelters for Palestinians, and as a result at least 44 civilians, including 10 UN staff, died. During the 2014 Israel-Gaza conflict, many Palestinians fled their homes after warnings by Israel or due to air strikes or fighting in the area. An estimated 290,000 people (15% of Gaza's population) took shelter in UNRWA schools.


2014 Gaza War, Alleged violations of international humanitarian law, Alleged violations by Israel, Shelling of UNRWA schools
On three separate occasions, on 16 July, 22 July and on 29 July, UNRWA announced that rockets had been found in their schools. UNRWA denounced the groups responsible for "flagrant violations of the neutrality of its premises". All of these schools were vacant at the time when rockets were discovered; no rockets were found in any shelters which were shelled. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) stated that "Hamas chooses where these battles are conducted and, despite Israel's best efforts to prevent civilian casualties, Hamas is ultimately responsible for the tragic loss of civilian life. Specifically in the case of UN facilities, it is important to note the repeated abuse of UN facilities by Hamas, namely with at least three cases of munitions storage within such facilities."


2014 Gaza War, Alleged violations of international humanitarian law, Alleged violations by Israel, Shelling of UNRWA schools
The attacks were condemned by members of the UN (UNRWA's parent organization) and other governments, such as the U.S., have expressed "extreme concern" over the safety of Palestinian civilians who "are not safe in UN-designated shelters." The Rafah shelling in particular was widely criticized, with Ban Ki-moon calling it a "moral outrage and a criminal act" and US State Department calling it "appalling" and "disgraceful". UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay said that both Hamas militants and Israel might have committed war crimes.


2014 Gaza War, Alleged violations of international humanitarian law, Alleged violations by Israel, Shelling of UNRWA schools
A Human Rights Watch investigation into three of the incidents concluded that Israel committed war crimes because two of the shellings "did not appear to target a military objective or were otherwise indiscriminate", while the third Rafah shelling was "unlawfully disproportionate". On 27 April 2015, the United Nations released an inquiry which concluded that Israel was responsible for the deaths of at least 44 Palestinians who died in the shelling and 227 were injured.


2014 Gaza War, Alleged violations of international humanitarian law, Alleged violations by Israel, Infrastructure
On 23 July, twelve human rights organizations in Israel released a letter to Israeli government warning that "Gaza Strip's civilian infrastructure is collapsing". They wrote that "due to Israel's ongoing control over significant aspects of life in Gaza, Israel has a legal obligation to ensure that the humanitarian needs of the people of Gaza are met and that they have access to adequate supplies of water and electricity." They note that many water and electricity systems were damaged during the conflict, which has led to a "pending humanitarian and environmental catastrophe". The Sydney Morning Herald reported that "almost every piece of critical infrastructure, from electricity to water to sewage, has been seriously compromised by either direct hits from Israeli air strikes and shelling or collateral damage."


2014 Gaza War, Alleged violations of international humanitarian law, Alleged violations by Israel, Infrastructure
Between five and eight of the 10 power lines that bring electricity from Israel were disabled, at least three by Hamas rocket fire. On 29 July, Israel was reported to bomb Gaza's only power plant, which was estimated to take a year to repair. Amnesty International said the crippling of the power station amounted to "collective punishment of Palestinians". Human Rights Watch has stated that "[d]amaging or destroying a power plant, even if it also served a military purpose, would be an unlawful disproportionate attack under the laws of war".


2014 Gaza War, Alleged violations of international humanitarian law, Alleged violations by Israel, Infrastructure
Israel immediately denied damaging the power plant, stating there was "no indication that [IDF] were involved in the strike … The area surrounding the plant was also not struck in recent days." Contradicting initial reports that it would take a year to repair, the power plant resumed operation on 27 October.


2014 Gaza War, Alleged violations of international humanitarian law, Alleged violations by Israel, Attacks on journalists
17 journalists were killed in the conflict, of which five were off-duty and two (from Associated Press) were covering a bomb disposal team's efforts to defuse an unexploded Israeli artillery shell when it exploded. In several cases, the journalists were killed while having markings distinguishing them as press on their vehicles or clothing. IDF stated that in one case it had precise information that a vehicle marked "TV" that was hit killing one alleged journalist was in military use. Several media outlets, including the offices of Al-Jazeera, were hit.


2014 Gaza War, Alleged violations of international humanitarian law, Alleged violations by Israel, Attacks on journalists
The International Federation of Journalists has condemned the attacks as "appalling murders and attacks". Journalists are considered civilians and should not be targeted under international humanitarian law. The Israeli army said it does not target journalists, and that it contacts news media "in order to advise them which areas to avoid during the conflict". Israel has made foreign journalists sign a waiver stating that it is not responsible for their safety in Gaza, which Reporters Without Borders calls contrary to international law.


2014 Gaza War, Alleged violations of international humanitarian law, Alleged violations by Israel, Attacks on journalists
The Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, who in August 2014 condemned the killing of Al Aqsa TV journalist Abdullah Murtaja, withdrew her comments after it was revealed that Murtaja was also a combatant in Hamas's Al Qassam Brigade, and said she "deplore[d] attempts to instrumentalize the profession of journalists by combatants"


2014 Gaza War, Alleged violations of international humanitarian law, Alleged violations by Israel, Attacks on journalists
ITIC published a report analyzing a list of 17 names published by Wafa News Agency based on information originating from Hamas-controlled Gaza office of the ministry of information that supposedly belong to journalists killed in the operation. The report says that 8 of the names belong to Hamas or Islamic Jihad operatives, or employees of the Hamas media.


2014 Gaza War, Alleged violations of international humanitarian law, Alleged violations by Israel, Attacks on journalists
Israel bombed Hamas's Al-Aqsa radio and TV stations because of their "propaganda dissemination capabilities used to broadcast the messages of (Hamas's) military wing." Reporters Without Borders and Al-Haq condemned the attacks, saying "an expert committee formed by the International Criminal Court's prosecutor for the former Yugoslavia, to assess the NATO bombing campaign of 1999, specified that a journalist or media organization is not a legitimate target merely because it broadcasts or disseminates propaganda." The U.S. government classifies Al-Aqsa TV as being controlled by Hamas, a "Specially Designated Global Terrorist," and states that it "will not distinguish between a business financed and controlled by a terrorist group, such as Al-Aqsa Television, and the terrorist group itself."


2014 Gaza War, Alleged violations of international humanitarian law, Alleged violations by Israel, Human shields
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay accused Israel of having "defied international law by attacking civilian areas of Gaza such as schools, hospitals, homes and U.N. facilities. "None of this appears to me to be accidental," Pillay said. "They appear to be defying – deliberate defiance of – obligations that international law imposes on Israel."" The Jaffa based NGO Physicians for Human Rights stated in a report in January 2015 that the IDF had used human shields during the war. IDF criticized the report's conclusions and methodology which "cast a heavy shadow over its content and credibility".


2014 Gaza War, Alleged violations of international humanitarian law, Alleged violations by Israel, Human shields
Defense for Children International-Palestine reported that 17-year-old Ahmad Abu Raida was kidnapped by Israeli soldiers who, after beating him up, used him as a human shield for five days, forcing him to walk in front of them with police dogs at gunpoint, search houses and dig in places soldiers suspected there might be tunnels. Several of the key claims could not be verified because his Hamas-employed father said he forgot to take photographs of the alleged abuse marks and discarded all the clothing IDF soldiers supposedly provided Abu Raida when he was freed.


2014 Gaza War, Alleged violations of international humanitarian law, Alleged violations by Israel, Human shields
The IDF confirmed that the troops suspected Ahmad of being a militant based on the affiliation of his father (a senior official in Gaza's Tourism Ministry) with Hamas and so detained him during the ground operation. The IDF and Israeli authorities challenged the credibility of DCI-P noting their "scant regard for truth". The IDF Military Advocate General opened criminal investigation into the event.


2014 Gaza War, Military operations, weaponry and techniques, Gaza, Rockets
The Gazan militants used different kinds of rockets, including the Syrian-made (Chinese-designed) M-302 and the locally-made M-75, which had the range to hit Tel-Aviv. Other rockets include the Soviet Katyushas and Qassams. The Israeli Defense Force reported that at the beginning of the 2014 conflict, Hamas had close to 6,000 rockets in its possession. This included 1,000 self-produced short range rockets (15–20 km range), 2,500 smuggled short range rockets, 200 self-made Grad rockets, and 200 smuggled Grad rockets. In addition, to these short range rockets, Hamas held an assortment of mid and long range rockets, both self-made and smuggled, that totaled over several thousand.


2014 Gaza War, Military operations, weaponry and techniques, Gaza, Rockets
According to the Fars News Agency, Fajr-5 (long range Iranian) rockets had a warhead of 150–200 kg. According to Theodore Postol, the vast majority of Gazan artillery rocket warheads contained 10- to 20-pound explosive loads. Postol stated that this fact made bomb shelters more effective for protection. Mark Perry stated that the "vast majority of the rockets are unsophisticated Qassams, with a 10–20 kg warhead and no guidance system" and that "Hamas' arsenal is considerably weaker today than it was in 2012". Regarding the Fajr-5, he stated that Iran had not transferred full-fledged rockets to Hamas, it has only transferred technology to manufacture them. He also stated that "its guidance system was crude, at best, and its warhead nearly non-existent."


2014 Gaza War, Military operations, weaponry and techniques, Gaza, Rockets
The UNHRC, quoting Amnesty International, stated that armed groups in Gaza have used BM-21 Grad rockets with ranges varying from 20 km to 48 km, in addition to locally produced rockets reaching as far as 80 km, such as the M-75 and J-80. The majority of the rockets had no guidance system. Mortars having a range of up to 8 km, have been actively used along the Green Line. Other weapons included rocket-propelled grenades, home-made drones, SA 7 Grail anti-aircraft missiles, Kornet 9M133 anti-tank guided missiles, and a wide array of small arms, rifles, machine guns and hand grenades.


2014 Gaza War, Military operations, weaponry and techniques, Gaza, Rockets
According to the IDF, of all the 4,564 projectiles fired at Israel, 224 hit built-up areas, 735 were intercepted by the Iron Dome, 875 fell inside Gaza and the rest fell in open territory or failed to launch.


2014 Gaza War, Military operations, weaponry and techniques, Gaza, Rockets
According to OCHA, Palestinian militants fired 4,844 rockets and 1,734 mortar shells towards Israel. 25% of Gazan rockets had sufficient effectiveness to threaten to reach populated areas.


2014 Gaza War, Military operations, weaponry and techniques, Gaza, Gazan tunnels
Hamas, the governing authority in the Gaza Strip, has constructed a sophisticated network of military tunnels since it seized control of the Strip in 2007. The tunnel system branches beneath many Gazan towns and cities, such as Khan Yunis, Jabalia and the Shati refugee camp. The internal tunnels, running some dozens of kilometres within the Gaza Strip, have several functions. Hamas uses the tunnels to hide its arsenal of rocketry underground, to facilitate communication, to permit munition stocks to be hidden, and to conceal militants, making detection from the air difficult.


2014 Gaza War, Military operations, weaponry and techniques, Gaza, Gazan tunnels
Hamas leader Khalid Meshal said in an interview with Vanity Fair that the tunnel system is a defensive structure, designed to place obstacles against Israel's powerful military arsenal and engage in counter-strikes behind the lines of the IDF. He admitted that the tunnels are used for infiltration of Israel, but said that offensive operations have never caused the death of civilians in Israel, and denied allegations of planned mass attacks on Israeli civilians.


2014 Gaza War, Military operations, weaponry and techniques, Gaza, Gazan tunnels
The cross-border tunnels were used in the capture of Gilad Shalit in 2006, and multiple times during the 2014 conflict. Destroying the tunnels was a primary objective of Israeli forces in the 2014 conflict. The IDF reported that it "neutralized" 32 tunnels, fourteen of which crossed into Israel. On at least four occasions during the conflict, Palestinian militants crossing the border through the tunnels engaged in combat with Israeli soldiers. In practice, only Israeli military targets have successfully been attacked through them. The UNHRC Commission of Inquiry on the Gaza Conflict found "the tunnels were only used to conduct attacks directed at IDF positions in Israel in the vicinity of the Green Line, which are legitimate military targets." Israeli officials condemned the UNHRC report.


2014 Gaza War, Military operations, weaponry and techniques, Gaza, Gazan tunnels
The UN Commission of Inquiry found the tunnels "caused great anxiety among Israelis that the tunnels might be used to attack civilians." Ihab al-Ghussein, spokesman for the Hamas-run interior ministry, describes the tunnels as an exercise of Gaza's "right to protect itself."


2014 Gaza War, Military operations, weaponry and techniques, Gaza, Gazan tunnels
Israeli officials reported four "incidents in which members of Palestinian armed groups emerged from tunnel exits located between 1.1 and 4.7 km from civilian homes." The Israeli government refers to cross-border tunnels as "attack tunnels" or "terror tunnels." According to Israel, the tunnels enabled the launch of rockets by remote control, and were intended to facilitate hostage-taking and mass-casualty attacks.


2014 Gaza War, Military operations, weaponry and techniques, Gaza, Other weaponry
Hamas has also used a "crude, tactical" drone, reported to be Iranian-made and named "Ababil-1".


2014 Gaza War, Military operations, weaponry and techniques, Gaza, Other weaponry
Palestinian militant groups have also used anti-tank rockets against armoured vehicles, as well as against groups of Israeli soldiers. Some armored personnel carriers were hit by missiles, and the Israeli Trophy system reportedly intercepted at least 15 anti-tank missiles shot at Merkava IV tanks. Anti -tank mines had also been used against armored vehicles.


2014 Gaza War, Military operations, weaponry and techniques, Israel
Israel used air, land and naval weaponry. The artillery includes Soltam M71 guns and US-manufactured Paladin M109s (155-mm howitzers). The aerial weaponry includes drones and F-16 fighter jets. Drones are used to constantly monitor the Gaza strip. The IDF fired 14,500 tank shells and 35,000 other artillery shells during the conflict.


2014 Gaza War, Military operations, weaponry and techniques, Israel
The IDF stated that it attacked 5,263 targets in Gaza, including:


2014 Gaza War, Military operations, weaponry and techniques, Israel
According to OCHA figures, Israel fired 5,830 missiles in 4,028 IAF air raids, the IDF's ground forces shot off 16,507 artillery and tank projectiles, and the Israeli navy's off-shore fleet fired 3,494 naval shells, into the Gaza Strip.


2014 Gaza War, Military operations, weaponry and techniques, Israel
Overall, Israel fired 34,000 unguided shells into Gaza. Of these 19,000 were high-explosive artillery shells, marking a 533% rise in the launching of artillery ordnance compared to Operation Cast Lead. Shelling of civilian areas with 155 mm (6.1 in) shells using Doher howitzers, with a kill radius of 150 yards (140 m), also increased.


2014 Gaza War, Military operations, weaponry and techniques, Israel
According to Palestinian authorities, 8,000 bombs and 70,000 artillery shells, or 20,000 tons of explosives (the equivalent of two low-yield tactical nuclear weapons), had been dropped on Gaza. The Sydney Morning Herald quoted an anonymous expert who estimated that 10,000 tonnes of explosives were dropped from the air alone, which does not include tank and artillery shells.


2014 Gaza War, Military operations, weaponry and techniques, Israel
Between 32 and 34 known tunnels were destroyed or neutralized, 13 of them destroyed completely.


2014 Gaza War, Military operations, weaponry and techniques, Israel
The performance of the Iron Dome defense system was considered effective, achieving an almost 90% success rate. Israel's early warning sirens and extensive shelters have been an effective defense against Gazan rocketry. They are less effective against short-range mortars because the residents have less time to react.


2014 Gaza War, Media coverage
Portrayals of the conflict in different media outlets varied. U.S. news sources were often more sympathetic to Israel while British news sources featured more criticism of Israel. Commentators on both sides claimed that the media was biased either for or against Israel. According to an article by Subrata Ghoshroy published in the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, most United States media focused on Hamas rockets, of which only 3% actually strike populated areas (causing little damage), with less attention paid to Palestinian casualties, or to why Gazans back Hamas's rocket campaign.


2014 Gaza War, Media coverage
As the conflict progressed and Palestinian deaths increased, British media became somewhat more critical of Israel. Within Israel, the newspaper Haaretz issued an editorial stating that the "soft Gaza sand... could turn into quicksand" for the Israeli military and also warned about the "wholesale killing" of Palestinian civilians; the article declared: "There can be no victory here". The Sydney Morning Herald apologised for running an allegedly antisemitic cartoon after Australian Attorney-General George Brandis denounced it as "deplorable." Israel was accused of waging a propaganda war, and on both sides, sympathetic authors released video games relating to the conflict.


2014 Gaza War, Media coverage
In Israel, according to Naomi Chazan, the Gaza war sparked "an equally momentous conflagration at the heart of Israeli society": attempts to question government policy were met with severe verbal and physical harassment, incidents of Arab-bashing occurred daily, and 90% of internet posts on the war were found to be racist or to constitute incitement.


2014 Gaza War, Diplomatic efforts
A number of diplomatic efforts were made to resolve the conflict. These attempts included efforts by United States Secretary of State John Kerry to broker a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, like the meeting in Paris with European G4 foreign ministers and his counterparts of Qatar and Turkey. Egypt brokered a number of ceasefires between Hamas and Israel.


2014 Gaza War, Efforts to reconstruct Gaza
An international conference took place on 12 October 2014 in Cairo, where donors pledged US$5.4 billion to the Palestinians with half of that sum being "dedicated" to the reconstruction of Gaza, which was more than the US$4 billion Abbas first sought. Japan pledged US$100 million in January 2015. The EU pledged €450 million to rebuilding Gaza.


2014 Gaza War, Efforts to reconstruct Gaza
As of 1 February 2015, only US$125 million of the $2.7 billion for reconstruction had been paid out, while tens of thousands of Gazans were still homeless. In February 2015, 30 international aid organizations including UNRWA, the World Health Organization as well as NGOs such as Oxfam, ActionAid and Save the Children International released a statement saying that: "we are alarmed by the limited progress in rebuilding the lives of those affected and tackling the root causes of the conflict."


2014 Gaza War, Efforts to reconstruct Gaza
They stated that "Israel, as the occupying power, is the main duty bearer and must comply with its obligations under international law. In particular, it must fully lift the blockade within the framework of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1860 (2009)". Catherine Weibel, UNICEF's Communication Chief in Jerusalem said: "Four infants died from complications caused by the bitter cold in Gaza in January... All were from families whose houses were destroyed during the last conflict and were living in extremely dire conditions."


2014 Gaza War, Efforts to reconstruct Gaza
Only one percent of the needed building material had been delivered. The mechanism agreed between Hamas and the Palestinian Authority, meant to allow delivery of such material, have not worked.


2014 Gaza War, Efforts to reconstruct Gaza
Hamas spokesman blamed Israel for causing an electricity crisis. Israel provided 50,000 liters of fuel for generators running during blackouts and repaired three power lines damaged during storms within a week.


2014 Gaza War, Efforts to reconstruct Gaza
On 15 September 2014, a Fatah spokesperson accused Hamas of misappropriating US$700 million of funds intended to rebuild Gaza. On 6 January Hamas spokesperson said that Palestinian national consensus government ministers admitted redirecting rebuilding funds to PNA budget. Israel's military estimated that 20% of cement and steel allowed by Israel to be delivered to Gaza for the reconstruction efforts were taken by Hamas. Arne Gericke, a member of the European Parliament said "It would sicken most [European] taxpayers to know that the EU itself could be directly contributing to the tragic cycle of violence".


2014 Gaza war beach bombing incidents
The 2014 Gaza war beach bombing incidents refers to two incidents that took place during the 2014 Gaza War on 9 and 16 July. In the first incident, Israeli missiles killed 9 youths while they were following the 2014 World Cup series on TV; in the second, 4 boys were killed by Israeli naval fire while playing on a beach. According to an Israeli investigation, the second was a 'tragic mistake'.


2014 Gaza war beach bombing incidents
The latter attack was conducted in front of hotels that sheltered western journalists, several of whom witnessed the Israeli shelling, and at least one of whom described the targeting of the children as intentional. Several eyewitnesses have remarked that, even at a distance, it was clear that the targets of the Israeli attack were children. The United Nations Fact Finding Mission on the 2014 Israel–Gaza conflict, reviewing the evidence, found that the IDF had failed in its obligations to adopt feasible measures to avoid or minimize incidental harm to civilians.


2014 Gaza war beach bombing incidents, 9 July
On 9 July, a semi final match between Argentina and the Netherlands was broadcast as part of the 2014 FIFA World Cup knockout stage. In the 48 hours since the outbreak of hostilities, Israel had launched an aerial blitz that struck over 750 locations in the Gaza Strip. On a beach in the al-'Izbeh area of Khan Younis, roughly 30 metres from the shoreline and 200 metres from housing, around a dozen Palestinians had gathered at the Fun Time Beach café (Waqt al-Marah) to watch a broadcast of the game.


2014 Gaza war beach bombing incidents, 9 July
The café, owned by the al-Sawalli family, and, according to a local PNA-employed policeman, Wael Soboh, not a military area, was a makeshift arrangement covered by cloth, umbrellas and palm leaves, furnished with plastic chairs and a converted container which served as the kitchen. The portable television was powered by a generator. All of the victims were avid soccer fans. It was customary for the two Sawalli brothers, who would be killed in the strike, to break the Ramadan fast at the café, which was also considered a safe place.


2014 Gaza war beach bombing incidents, 9 July
The other victims also used the café's services for the Iftar meal, to break their Ramadan fast, though a survivor said that youths had also come to the Café because it had a generator for its television, and there had been an electrical outage earlier in Khan Yunis. Palestinians like many in the Arab world, it was reported, could follow the games by courtesy of the Israeli broadcast service. The youths were aware that the Gaza Strip was being bombed, but heard no aircraft in their vicinity, and were relaxed.


2014 Gaza war beach bombing incidents, 9 July
Half an hour into the match, at 11.30 p.m., an Israeli missile blasted the flimsy roof of the improvised cafe cratering the site and killing 3 sets of brothers and a cousin, Two 15-year-olds were killed, and 3 wounded, including a 13-year-old boy. The missile's impact was such that it left a hole so deep seawater seeped in from underground to fill it. The body of Salim Sawalli could not be found immediately, but later the following day bulldozers managed to find his remains, bringing the tally to 9. Gaza's emergency services spokesman Ashraf al-Qudra commented: "Israel won 9-0". A bystander Ahmed al-Aqad made a similar quip: "And the result from this match here? The Jews won 9-0,". Another 15 people were wounded.


2014 Gaza war beach bombing incidents, 9 July
Those killed were: Ahmed Astal (18), Suleiman Astal (16), Musa (16, a cousin of the Astals), Mohammed Ganan (24), Ibrahim Ganan (25), Hamdi Sawalli (20), Ibrahim Sawalli (28), Salim Sawalli (23, body not recovered) and Mohammed Fawana (18).


2014 Gaza war beach bombing incidents, 9 July, IDF investigation
The IDF said it was investigating this incident and another bombing with substantial civilian casualties on the same night roughly three hours later in Khan Younis Refugee Camp which killed 8 members of the Al Haj family. Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor stated that Hamas was exposing Palestinians to Israeli attacks by operating "within houses and streets and neighborhoods which are populated with civilians,... exposing these civilians to retaliation and to backfire."


2014 Gaza war beach bombing incidents, 9 July, IDF investigation
Israel said the incident was designed as a precision strike with the missile aimed at a single terrorist, and Peter Lerner, the IDF spokesman, said that in such operations, no warning is given. No information was forthcoming as to the identity of the putative terrorist in their midst.


2014 Gaza war beach bombing incidents, 9 July, Responses to Israel's preliminary investigation
Human Rights Watch, after an investigation, cited the case as an apparent example of Israel targeting civilian structures and people in violation of the laws of war. No evidence had been provided that civilians watching a soccer match had been engaged in terrorist activities.


2014 Gaza war beach bombing incidents, 16 July
Just after 4 p.m. an offshore Israeli naval vessel fired two rounds into a beachfront area in Gaza City's harbour. The port was closed that day, after Israel had prohibited fisherman from venturing out to sea. The four close-knit friends had gone to the beach to play in a cooler area; they met some journalists there, one of whom played some football with them. One journalist also told them the area was dangerous. The first shell hit a fishermen's jetty. Several boys were playing in the area at the time.


2014 Gaza war beach bombing incidents, 16 July
On the explosion at the jetty, they all fled but were unable to outrun the second shell, which landed in their midst and 4 boys aged between 9 and 11 and, all cousins in a family group forming part of the extensive Bakr clan, were killed, bringing the Palestinian death toll through a week of hostilities to 213, among whom 43 were children, according to Hamas; 1,600 had been wounded. Israel in the same period suffered one fatality, Dror Hanin, killed by a mortar shell near the Erez Crossing.


2014 Gaza war beach bombing incidents, 16 July
According to one survivor Hamad Bakr, the boys were playing hide-and-seek at the time. NBC News Foreign Correspondent Ayman Mohyeldin testified on his Twitter account that just a few minutes before the shelling, he came across the boys while returning to his hotel from the office, playing in a sidestreet and kicked a football with the children, who then went down to the beach to continue playing.


2014 Gaza war beach bombing incidents, 16 July
Several journalists were present during the incident, and some directly observed it at approximately 200 metres distance from the Al-Deira hotel. After the jetty explosion, the four, 3 of whom were visibly children at that distance, jumped from the harbour wall and ran frantically across the open space towards the safety of the hotel, waving and shouting as they raced past beach tents, in the direction of the journalists in the hotel. Within 40 seconds, according to Peter Beaumont of The Guardian, a second shell, lobbed after the aim was apparently adjusted to target the fleeing survivors, exploded in their midst.


2014 Gaza war beach bombing incidents, 16 July
Mark Regev, spokesman for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, commented: "The story with these four boys is a tragedy (...). Let's be clear, the Israeli military does not target civilians".


2014 Gaza war beach bombing incidents, 16 July
At the funeral soon afterwards, Abdel Kareem Bakr, an uncle of the victims, said: "It's a cold-blooded massacre. It's a shame they didn't identify them as kids with all of the advanced technology they claim they're using." An IDF comment stated that while it was investigating the incident, a preliminary analysis indicated that Hamas terrorist operatives had been targeted, and that the civilians were victims of "a tragic accident." NBC almost immediately ordered its reporter Ayman Mohyeldin to leave Gaza, citing security concerns given the imminence of an Israel ground invasion. He was replaced by another NBC foreign correspondent, Richard Engel.


2014 Gaza war beach bombing incidents, 16 July
The Bakr clan descends from Gazans who are not refugees, but trace their descent to Arabian fisherman immigrants who settled in the area centuries ago.


2014 Gaza war beach bombing incidents, 16 July, Israeli internal investigation and the UN Commission response
The Israeli internal investigation into the incident was concluded 11 months later in June 2015. After a thorough review, involving extensive interviews with IDF soldiers and officers who planned and executed the operation, analysis of many documents, video footage, and attempts to interview Gazans allegedly witnesses to the incident (who refused to be interviewed but three supplied affidavits) the official IDF result cleared itself of culpability. According to Peter Lerner, the firing targeted a Hamas Naval Police and Naval Force "compound", used exclusively by militants, and closed off from the rest of the area by a fence.


2014 Gaza war beach bombing incidents, 16 July, Israeli internal investigation and the UN Commission response
It added that it had attacked a weapon-storage 'container' inside the compound a day earlier. From aerial observation operational staff had concluded Hamas figures were entering the area to conduct a military action, and authorization was given to fire a missile after one of the identified figures entered the container and after 'a civilian presence in the area' had been ruled out. The missile struck the target, and a second was fired at the fleeing figures.


2014 Gaza war beach bombing incidents, 16 July, Israeli internal investigation and the UN Commission response
It concluded that, 'It should be stressed that the figures were not identified at any point during the incident, as children' The credibility of its own internal investigations, Israel maintains, renders any International Criminal Court review, as the Palestinian Authority is seeking, unnecessary. The reason why children were there was, it stated, 'unclear'.


2014 Gaza war beach bombing incidents, 16 July, Israeli internal investigation and the UN Commission response
The United Nations Commission into the 2014 conflict examined the evidence, from the IDF's own documents and independent analysis of field reports, and concluded that the IDF had failed to take the appropriate precautions stipulated by the rules of protecting civilians in a conflict. The stature of the boys was small compared to adults; no IDF soldiers, potentially exposed to danger, were in the area as the ground invasion had not yet got underway; no other persons were in imminent danger, and therefore there was no urgency in launching a strike.


2014 Gaza war beach bombing incidents, 16 July, Israeli internal investigation and the UN Commission response
The IDF, it concluded, could therefore have taken more exhaustive measures to verify whether or not the targeted people were militants. Lastly, the compound was located in the centre of a city with a half a million residents, between a public beach and a fisherman's area, close to international hotels lodging journalists, facts that would not rule out the possibility civilians might in the area. The assumption was made that the targets were militants based on their presence in a particular area, a premise that 'reversed the presumption of civilian status'. The internal IDF investigation did not appear to have questioned many people who were direct witnesses to the incident.


2014 Gaza war beach bombing incidents, 16 July, Response by western journalists present in Gaza during the war
Journalists said what had been struck by the shelling was a small dilapidated fisherman's hut. Peter Beaumont, who was present, said the investigators made no attempt to take a statement from him personally, that no one had observed militants in the area at the time. Further, the breakwater was readily accessible through a side lane, is located on one of the busiest sectors of a public beach, and used regularly by both fishermen and sunbathers. The container did not appear to have military supplies.


2014 Gaza war beach bombing incidents, 16 July, Response by western journalists present in Gaza during the war
What is not clear, Beaumont said, is why the IDF failed to identify the figures as children playing on a beach. Writing for The Globe and Mail, Patrick Martin, who was also present that day, said the report's description did not tally with the fact that the "compound" described as spanning "the length of the breakwater of the Gaza City seashore" was mainly used by fishermen: fishing boats, not Hamas naval vessels, are tethered all along it, as satellite images reveal. People in the area would have most likely been fishermen, or children, not militants, he concluded. Paul Mason, who was present in the area some days later, asked why with overhead drone footage and high-resolution optical devices from ships off-shore, the IDF was unable to distinguish 10-year-olds from physically fit scuba-diving commandos preparing an attack. Why should such an attack take place in broad daylight?


2014 Gaza war beach bombing incidents, 16 July, Aftermath
Photojournalist Dan Cohen paid a follow-up visit in June 2015 to the Bakr clan, descendants from Gazans who are not refugees, but trace their descent to Arabian fisherman immigrants who settled in the area centuries ago.


2014 Gaza war beach bombing incidents, 16 July, Aftermath
They now live on the edges of the Shati Refugee Camp, The surviving son, Muntasir, regarded by his family as a "living martyr", bears shrapnel in his head, suffers severe trauma, as yet untreated, requiring treatment not available in Gaza, and is prone to violence, having attempted suicide and attacked his siblings. The family cannot afford the medicines Muntasir's disturbed mental conditions require. The clan is affiliated politically with Fatah, and the family says Hamas has done nothing to help them out since the incident. According to the boy's account:


2014 Gaza war beach bombing incidents, 16 July, Aftermath
"We barely started playing when the first missile exploded right next to my cousin Ismael," he said. "We started running away and then I told them 'lets go back and get Ismael then we'll run away again.' When we did that another missile exploded right next to us. My brother and my nephew died because they let go of my hand. Two missiles exploded around me. It was foggy when we were running, I turned around and saw my nephew and brother lying on the ground."


2014 Gaza war beach bombing incidents, 16 July, Aftermath
Before the war, he intended following his father's footsteps, to become a fisherman, but now wishes to become a fighter. Eight other members of the family died six months later, in an attempt to escape from the Gaza Strip and reach Europe. A cousin, Mowfaq, decided after the boys' funeral to lead his family out, since though unscathed by the conflict so far, he considered that the future held no guarantees for their safety. He and 8 of his family, mostly children, escaped via Egypt, took a boat from Dalmietta and, close to Malta, drowned along with 500 others, when the vessel was rammed by another smuggler's launch.


2014 Geelong Football Club season
The 2014 Geelong Football Club season is currently the club's 115th season of senior competition in the Australian Football League (AFL). The club also fielded its reserves team in the Victorian Football League (VFL) for the 15th season.


2014 Gemdale ATP Challenger
The 2014 Gemdale ATP Challenger was a professional tennis tournament played on hard courts. It was the first edition of the tournament which was part of the 2014 ATP Challenger Tour. It took place in Shenzhen, China between 21 and 27 April 2014.


2014 Gemdale ATP Challenger, Singles main draw entrants, Other entrants
The following players received wildcards into the singles main draw:


2014 Gemdale ATP Challenger, Doubles main draw entrants, Other entrants
The following pairs received wildcards into the doubles main draw:


2014 Gemdale ATP Challenger – Doubles
Groth and Guccione won the title, defeating Dominik Meffert and Tim Puetz in the final, 6–3, 7–6(7–5).


2014 Gemdale ATP Challenger – Singles
Gilles Müller won the title, defeating Lukáš Lacko in the final, 7-6(7–4), 6–3.


2014 General Cup
The 2014 General Cup was a professional non-ranking snooker tournament that took place between 12 and 18 October 2014 at the General Snooker Club in Hong Kong.


2014 General Cup
Barry Hawkins was to take part in the tournament, but he was replaced by Liang Wenbo due to a neck injury.


2014 General Cup
The General Cup marked the return of Ali Carter, who was playing in his first event since his chemotherapy treatment, having been diagnosed with testicular cancer that had spread to his lungs in May. Carter intended to take part in the Bulgarian Open, but he was forced to withdraw.


2014 General Cup
Mark Davis was the defending champion, but he lost 2–6 against Ali Carter in the semi-final.


2014 General Cup
Carter won his sixth professional title by defeating Shaun Murphy 7–6 in the final.


2014 General Cup, Prize fund
The breakdown of prize money for this year is shown below:


2014 General Cup, Wildcard round
The wildcard match was played on 12 October, was the best of 11 frames and decided the fourth player in group B.


2014 General Cup, Round robin stage
The top two players from both groups qualified for the knock-out stage. All group matches were held between 13 and 16 October and were the best of 7 frames.


2014 Generali Ladies Linz
The 2014 Generali Ladies Linz was a tennis tournament played on indoor hard courts. It was the 28th edition of the Generali Ladies Linz, and part of the WTA International tournaments-category of the 2014 WTA Tour. It was held at the TipsArena Linz in Linz, Austria, on 6–12 October 2014.


2014 Generali Ladies Linz, Points and prize money, Prize money
1 Qualifiers prize money is also the Round of 32 prize money* per team


2014 Generali Ladies Linz, Singles entrants, Other entrants
The following players received wildcards into the singles main draw:


2014 Generali Ladies Linz, Doubles entrants, Other entrants
The following pairs received wildcards into the doubles main draw:


2014 Generali Ladies Linz – Doubles
Karolína Plíšková and Kristýna Plíšková were the defending champions, but lost in the first round to Annika Beck and Caroline Garcia. Raluca Olaru and Anna Tatishvili won the title, defeating Beck and Garcia in the final, 6–2, 6–1.


2014 Generali Ladies Linz – Singles
Angelique Kerber was the defending champion, but she chose not to participate this year.


2014 Generali Ladies Linz – Singles
Karolína Plíšková won the title, defeating Camila Giorgi in the final, 6–7(4–7), 6–3, 7–6(7–4), despite being a match point down in the third set.


2014 Geneva Open Challenger
The 2014 Geneva Open Challenger was a professional tennis tournament played on indoor hard courts. It was the 27th edition of the tournament which was part of the 2014 ATP Challenger Tour. It took place in Geneva, Switzerland between 27 October and 2 November 2014.


2014 Geneva Open Challenger, Singles main draw entrants, Other entrants
The following players received wildcards into the singles main draw:


2014 Geneva Open Challenger – Doubles
Oliver Marach and Florin Mergea were the defending champions. Mergea did not participate this year, Marach partnered fellow Austrian Philipp Oswald.


2014 Geneva Open Challenger – Doubles
Johan Brunström and Nicholas Monroe won the title, defeating Marach and Oswald in the final.


2014 Geneva Open Challenger – Singles
Malek Jaziri was the defending champion, but he did not compete that year. Marcos Baghdatis won the title, beating Michał Przysiężny in the final, 6–1, 4–6, 6–3.


2014 Gent–Wevelgem
The 2014 Gent–Wevelgem was the 76th running of the Gent–Wevelgem single-day cycling race. It was held on 30 March 2014, over a distance of 233 kilometres (144.8 miles) and was the seventh race of the 2014 UCI World Tour season. It was won by John Degenkolb in the sprint ahead of Arnaud Démare and Peter Sagan.


2014 Gent–Wevelgem, Teams
As Gent–Wevelgem was a UCI World Tour event, all 18 UCI ProTeams were invited automatically and obligated to send a squad. Seven other squads were given wildcard places, thus completing the 25-team peloton.


2014 Gent–Wevelgem (women's race)
The third women's race of Gent–Wevelgem was a one-day women's cycle race held in Belgium on 30 March 2014. The race was rated as an UCI rating of 1.2. The race was won by the American rider, Lauren Hall.


2014 Georgetown Hoyas football team
The 2014 Georgetown Hoyas football team represented Georgetown University in the 2014 NCAA Division I FCS football season. They were led by first-year head coach Rob Sgarlata and played their home games at Multi-Sport Field. They were a member of the Patriot League. They finished the season 3–8, 1–5 in Patriot League play to finish in last place.


2014 Georgia Bulldogs football team
The 2014 Georgia Bulldogs football team represented the University of Georgia in the 2014 NCAA Division I FBS football season. They were led by head coach Mark Richt, who was in his 14th year as head coach. The Bulldogs played their home games at Sanford Stadium. They were a member of the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). Georgia finished the season with a 10–3 overall record, 6–2 in SEC play placing second place in the East Division. They earned an invitation to play in the Belk Bowl against the Louisville Cardinals, which they won, 37–14.


2014 Georgia Bulldogs football team, Rivalry Games
Georgia finished the year 1–2 in rivalry games, losing to Florida 38–20 in the Florida–Georgia football rivalry on November 1, 2014. They beat the Auburn Tigers 34–7. Georgia lost to in-state rival Georgia Tech in Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate on November 29, 2014 by a score of 30–24 in overtime.


2014 Georgia Bulldogs football team, Coaching changes
On January 12 defensive coordinator Todd Grantham left to take the same position at Louisville under Bobby Petrino. On January 14, Georgia hired Jeremy Pruitt as their new defensive coordinator. Pruitt came from Florida State where they were the national champions in 2013. Pruitt had been a part of the previous three national championships as a coach: 2013 at Florida State and 2011 and 2012 at Alabama as secondary coach. Georgia also added three other coaches to their defensive staff: Tracy Rocker, Mike Ekeler, and Kevin Sherrer.


2014 Georgia Fire season
The 2014 Georgia Fire season was the first season as a professional indoor football franchise and their first in the Professional Indoor Football League. One of 8 teams that competed in the PIFL for the 2014 season.


2014 Georgia Fire season
With complications surrounding the Albany Panthers franchise for the 2014 season, the Professional Indoor Football League (PIFL) introduced the Fire to replace the Panthers for the 2014 season. With the league running the team, PIFL Executive Director, Jeff Ganos was named the franchise's general manager and Cosmo DeMatteo was named the team's innaurgal head coach on February 27, 2014. With the season starting on April 5, 2014, the Fire were given the Panthers roster, where players who didn't wish to play for the new franchise, refused to report. In the first game in franchise history, the Fire knocked off defending PIFL Champions, the Alabama Hammers by a score of 57–55. The Fire finished the season 4–8, failing to make the playoffs.


2014 Georgia Fire season, Roster
Rookies in italics updated June 5, 201426 Active, 9 Inactive


2014 Georgia Southern Eagles football team
The 2014 Georgia Southern Eagles football team represented Georgia Southern University in the 2014 NCAA Division I FBS football season. They were led by first-year head coach Willie Fritz and played their home games at Paulson Stadium. They were first year members of the Sun Belt Conference. In their second year of the FCS to FBS transition, the Eagles were eligible for the conference championship; however, they were not bowl-eligible.


2014 Georgia Southern Eagles football team
The Eagles finished their inaugural FBS season 9–3 and were undefeated in Sun Belt Conference play at 8–0, clinching the conference championship outright. Additionally, with their victory over Georgia State, the Eagles posted their 300th win in the modern era of Georgia Southern football. The Eagles became only the third team ever to win a conference title in its first FBS season, after Nevada in 1992 (Big West Conference) and Marshall in 1997 (Mid-American Conference). They were also the first team ever to go unbeaten in conference play in their first FBS season. Georgia Southern athletic director Tom Kleinlein filed for a postseason waiver to allow the Eagles to play in a bowl game; however, the NCAA denied Georgia Southern's waiver request and a subsequent appeal due to a sufficient number of "full FBS members" becoming bowl-eligible during the season.


2014 Georgia Southern Eagles football team
On July 22, 2016, the university announced that it was ordered by the NCAA to vacate two wins from the 2013 season and one win from the 2014 season, due to academically ineligible student-athletes participating in those games. The win affected in the 2014 season was against the Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks; despite vacating this win, the ruling does not affect Georgia Southern's status as the 2014 Sun Belt Conference Football champions.


2014 Georgia State Panthers baseball team
The 2014 Georgia State Panthers baseball team represented Georgia State University in the 2014 NCAA Division I baseball season. The Panthers played their home games at the GSU Baseball Complex. 2014 represents the first year of GSU playing back in the Sun Belt Conference. The Panthers finished the season with a 25-31, going 11-19 in the Sun Belt Conference, going 19-14 at home vs 6-17 away. The Panthers finished 9th in the Sun Belt.


2014 Georgia State Panthers football team
The 2014 Georgia State Panthers football team represented Georgia State University (GSU) in the 2014 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Panthers were led by second year head coach Trent Miles and played their home games at the Georgia Dome. The 2014 season was the Panthers' second in the Sun Belt Conference and the first season they were eligible to compete for the Sun Belt title and post season play at the FBS level. They finished the season 1–11, 0–8 in Sun Belt play to finish in last place.


2014 Georgia State Panthers sand volleyball team
The 2014 Georgia State sand volleyball team represented Georgia State University during the college sand volleyball season of 2014. The team's head coach was Beth Van Fleet in her first season at GSU. They played their home games at the GSU Sand Volleyball Complex and competed as Division I independents under the AVCA.


2014 Georgia State Panthers softball team
The 2014 Georgia State Panthers softball team represented Georgia State University in the 2014 NCAA Division I softball season. The Panthers competed in the Sun Belt Conference and were led by four-year head coach Roger Kincaid. Georgia State played its home games at the Robert E. Heck Softball Complex in Panthersville, Georgia. This represented the first season of softball competition in the Sun Belt Conference.


2014 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team
The 2014 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team represented the Georgia Institute of Technology in the 2014 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Yellow Jackets were led by seventh-year head coach Paul Johnson and played their home games at Bobby Dodd Stadium. They were a member of the Coastal Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference.


2014 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team
After going 7–6 in 2013, the Yellow Jackets entered 2014 unranked. Georgia Tech won its first five games of the season, which included comeback victories over Georgia Southern and Virginia Tech, and end a five-game losing streak to Miami (FL). After losing back-to-back games to Duke and North Carolina, the Yellow Jackets won out the rest of its regular season, which was capped off with a 30–24 overtime victory over Georgia. The Yellow Jackets represented the Coastal Division in the ACC Championship Game, where they were defeated by Atlantic Division champions Florida State. The Yellow Jackets were invited to the Orange Bowl, where they defeated Mississippi State 49–34. Georgia Tech ended the season with an 11–3 record and a #8 ranking in the final AP Poll.


2014 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team, Before the season, Previous season
The Yellow Jackets were members of the Coastal Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference, finishing the season 7–5 (5–3 in ACC play). They were invited to the Music City Bowl where they were defeated by Ole Miss. Three players from the 2013 team were taken in the 2014 NFL Draft.


2014 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team, Before the season, Preseason
Head coach Paul Johnson returned for his seventh year at the helm of the program. Vad Lee, who was Georgia Tech's starter in 2013, was replaced by Justin Thomas after Lee transferred to James Madison. The Yellow Jackets were picked to finish fifth in the Coastal Division in the ACC preseason media poll.


2014 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team, Before the season, Spring game
Georgia Tech's spring game was held on April 14 at Bobby Dodd Stadium. In a rain-soaked game, the White team, led by quarterback Tim Byerly, defeated the Gold team 20–12.


2014 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team, Game summaries, Wofford
Near the end of the first half, Wofford took a 9–7 lead on a 92-yard touchdown run from Ray Smith. However, the Yellow Jackets were able to take a 10–9 lead into halftime with a 30-yard field goal from Harrison Butker. The Yellow Jackets expanded their lead in the third quarter 24–12 thanks to two touchdowns to wide receiver DeAndre Smelter.


2014 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team, Game summaries, Wofford
The Terriers closed gap 24–19 in the middle of the fourth quarter thanks to a 4-yard touchdown run from Octavius Harden, but the Yellow Jackets were able to score two more touchdowns towards the end of the game to win the matchup 38–19. In his first start as Georgia Tech's quarterback, Justin Thomas had 353 total yards of offense, including 282 passing yards.


2014 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team, Game summaries, Tulane
In the first game at Yulman Stadium, Georgia Tech defeated Tulane, 38–21. Tulane took a 14–7 lead going into the second quarter. Georgia Tech tied the game, 14–14, on a 10-yard interception return from linebacker Quayshawn Nealy. Tulane took a 21–14 lead with 9:38 left in the half on a 61-yard touchdown pass from Tanner Lee to Xavier Rush. An interception of Tanner Lee helped set up a 19-yard touchdown run from Tony Zenon to tie the game, 21–21. A 46-yard field goal from Harrison Butker gave Georgia Tech a 24–21 lead at halftime. Tulane was shut out in the second half, as Georgia Tech scored two more touchdowns to give the Yellow Jackets a 38–21 victory.


2014 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team, Game summaries, Georgia Southern
Georgia Tech dominated the first half, going into half with a 35–10 lead. However, Georgia Southern scored 28 unanswered points to give the Eagles a 38–35 lead in the middle of the fourth quarter. Recovering a Georgia Southern fumble with 4:12 remaining in the game, Georgia Tech were able to take a 42–38 lead with 23 seconds remaining on a 13-yard touchdown pass from Justin Thomas to Deon Hill to avoid a huge upset.


2014 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team, Game summaries, Virginia Tech
Virginia Tech led 13–3 in the middle of the second quarter. However, Georgia Tech was able to make it a 13–10 game on a 2-yard touchdown run from Justin Thomas. Georgia Tech took a 17–16 lead in the fourth quarter on a 41-yard interception return by Paul Davis. The Hokies then took a 24–17 when quarterback Michael Brewer recovered a fumble and ran 21 yards for a touchdown. Georgia Tech tied the game 24–24 on a nine-play, 67-yard drive that included a 4th-and-15 conversion and a 31-yard touchdown pass to DeAndre Smelter.


2014 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team, Game summaries, Virginia Tech
Michael Brewer was intercepted on the ensuing Hokies drive. Taking advantage of the interception, Georgia Tech won the game 27–24 on a 24-yard field goal from Harrison Butker as time expired. The game not only marked Georgia Tech's first victory over Virginia Tech since 2009, but also at Blacksburg since 2006.


2014 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team, Game summaries, Miami
The Hurricanes scored first on a 21-yard touchdown pass from Brad Kaaya to Braxton Berrios. Georgia Tech tied the game 7–7 on a 1-yard touchdown run from Justin Thomas. At the end of the first quarter, Miami took a 14–7 lead on a 24-yard touchdown run from Duke Johnson. The Yellow Jackets would control the rest of the game, as Georgia Tech outscored Miami 21–3 to give the Yellow Jackets a 28–17 victory. The game marked Georgia Tech's first victory over Miami since 2008.


2014 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team, Game summaries, Duke
Georgia Tech entered the game ranked in the AP Poll for the first time since week 13 of the 2011 season. Duke took a 31–12 lead in the middle of the fourth quarter on a 1-yard touchdown run from Thomas Sirk. Georgia Tech was able to close the gap 31–25 thanks to two Tim Byerly rushing touchdowns. However, Georgia Tech was unable to recover their onside kick with 1:27 remaining in the game, giving the Blue Devils the victory. Georgia Tech turned the ball over three times and quarterback Justin Thomas was benched in favor of Tim Byerly the fourth quarter after Thomas threw his second interception. The game not only marked Georgia Tech's first loss to Duke since 2003, but also at home since 1994.


2014 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team, Game summaries, North Carolina
Georgia Tech trailed 42–31 in the fourth quarter after a 36-yard touchdown pass from Marquise Williams to Mack Hollins. The Yellow Jackets then scored two unanswered touchdowns, the latter being a 75-yard touchdown run off a reverse from wide receiver DeAndre Smelter, to give Georgia Tech a 43–42 lead with 3:07 remaining in the game. However, North Carolina scored on a 2-yard touchdown run from T. J. Logan with 11 seconds remaining to give the Tar Heels a 48–43 victory. The game marked Georgia Tech's first loss to UNC since 2008.


2014 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team, Game summaries, Pittsburgh
Taking advantage of four Pittsburgh turnovers, Georgia Tech took a 28–0 lead early in the game. Pittsburgh closed the gap 28–14 in the second quarter with two rushing touchdown from James Conner. After trading touchdowns the third quarter, Georgia Tech pulled away from the Panthers with three more rushing touchdowns to give Georgia Tech a 56–28 victory.


2014 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team, Game summaries, Virginia
At Georgia Tech's Homecoming game, the Yellow Jackets defeated the Cavaliers 35–10. Quarterback Justin Thomas threw three touchdowns and running back Synjyn Days ran for 147 yards while the Georgia Tech defense held Virginia to only 22 rushing yards.


2014 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team, Game summaries, North Carolina State
Georgia Tech trailed 13–7 near the end of the first quarter, but the Yellow Jackets outscored the Wolfpack 49–10 the rest of the game to win 56–23. Georgia Tech's offense rushed for 479 yards while the defense scored two defensive touchdowns.


2014 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team, Game summaries, Clemson
Georgia Tech took a 6–3 lead in the first quarter on an 85-yard interception return from Jamal Golden. In the third quarter, Chris Milton returned an interception 62 yards for a touchdown to give Georgia Tech a 25–6 lead. Georgia Tech won the game 28–6. Georgia Tech's defense limited Clemson's offense to only 190 yards.


2014 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team, Game summaries, Clemson
In the following bye week, Georgia Tech clinched the ACC Coastal Division title when North Carolina defeated Duke 45–20.


2014 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team, Game summaries, Georgia
Georgia took a 7–0 lead early in the first quarter on a 1-yard touchdown run from Nick Chubb. Towards the end of the first quarter, Georgia drove deep into Georgia Tech's territory, hoping to expand their lead. However, Nick Chubb lost a fumble at Georgia Tech's 1-yard line.


2014 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team, Game summaries, Georgia
Taking advantage of Chubb's fumble, Georgia Tech drove to Georgia's 20-yard line. However, Georgia Tech came up empty when Harrison Butker's kick was blocked. On the ensuing Georgia drive, UGA drove once again drove deep Georgia Tech territory. However, Georgia once again lost a fumble at Georgia Tech's 1-yard line, this time a fumble by Sony Michel. Taking advantage of the fumble, Georgia Tech was able to tie the game 7–7 near the end of the second quarter on a 7-yard touchdown pass from Justin Thomas to Darren Waller. In the third quarter, Georgia took a 14–7 lead after UGA's Damian Swann returned a Justin Thomas fumble 99-yards for a touchdown. After blocking a Georgia field goal, Georgia Tech tied the game 14–14 on a 4-yard touchdown run from Zach Laskey.


2014 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team, Game summaries, Georgia
Early in the fourth quarter, Georgia took a 17–14 lead on a 19-yard field goal from Marshall Morgan. Georgia Tech responded with an 8-yard touchdown run from Zach Laskey to give the Yellow Jackets a 21–17 lead. Georgia Tech was then able to recover their own kickoff at Georgia's 27-yard line. However, Justin Thomas fumbled with 2:41 remaining in the game. Taking advantage of the fumble, UGA took a 24–21 lead with 18 seconds remaining on a 3-yard passing touchdown from Hutson Mason to Malcolm Mitchell. A squib kickoff gave Georgia Tech good field possession. After Justin Thomas scrambled 21 yards, Harrison Butker kicked a 53-yard field goal to tie the game 24–24 and send the game into overtime.


2014 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team, Game summaries, Georgia
Georgia Tech received the ball first in overtime and took a 30–24 lead on a 2-yard touchdown run from Zach Laskey. However, the extra point was blocked and the game remained 30–24. On the ensuing UGA possession, Georgia was able to drive to Georgia Tech's 9-yard line, needing a touchdown and extra point to win. However, on a 2nd and goal play, Georgia Tech cornerback D.J. White intercepted a Hutson Mason pass intended for Malcolm Mitchell, sealing a victory for Georgia Tech. The game was Georgia Tech's first win over Georgia since 2008.


2014 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team, Game summaries, Florida State (ACC Championship Game)
In the ACC Championship Game, Georgia Tech took on Florida State, the defending national champions. Georgia Tech's offense scored on their first three possessions to give Georgia Tech a 21–14 lead in the middle of the second quarter. However, FSU scored two unanswered touchdowns to give FSU a 28–21 lead into halftime.


2014 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team, Game summaries, Florida State (ACC Championship Game)
Georgia Tech was able to tie the game 28–28 on the opening drive in the third quarter. However, Florida State scored three field goals from Roberto Aguayo as the Seminoles were able to limit Georgia Tech's offense and pull ahead 37–28. Georgia Tech was able to cut Florida States' lead to two on a 25-yard touchdown pass from Justin Thomas to Darren Waller to make it a 37–35 game with 1:47 remaining. However, Georgia Tech was unable to recover their onside kick and Florida State was able to run out the clock, giving FSU the ACC Championship.


2014 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team, Game summaries, Mississippi State (Orange Bowl)
Appearing in their seventh Orange Bowl, Georgia Tech defeated Mississippi State 49–34. The Yellow Jackets went up 14–0 before Mississippi State scored 13 straight points to make it a 14–13 game. Georgia Tech was able to extend their lead 21–13 on a 13-yard touchdown run from Justin Thomas. On the final play of the first half, Mississippi State's Dak Prescott completed a 42-yard Hail Mary pass to make it a 21–20 lead going into halftime. On the second play of the second half, Georgia Tech went up 28–20 on a 69-yard touchdown run from Synjyn Days.


2014 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team, Game summaries, Mississippi State (Orange Bowl)
Two more rushing touchdowns from Justin Thomas helped expand Georgia Tech's lead 42–20. In the first play of the fourth quarter, Mississippi State cut into Georgia Tech's lead on a 7-yard touchdown pass from Dak Prescott to De'Runnya Wilson to make it a 42–27 game. Georgia Tech was able to respond with a 4-yard touchdown run from Synjyn Days to give Georgia Tech a 49–27 lead. The Bulldogs were able to cut into Georgia Tech's lead with a 12-yard touchdown pass from Dak Prescott to De'Runnya Wilson with 2:20 remaining in the game to make it a 49–34 game. However, the Bulldogs were unable to recover their onside kick, and Georgia Tech was able to seal the win after running out the clock.


2014 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team, Game summaries, Mississippi State (Orange Bowl)
Georgia Tech rushed for 452 yards and Justin Thomas, the game's MVP, accounted for four total touchdowns. The game also marked Georgia Tech's first Orange Bowl victory in 63 years.


2014 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team, Awards, NFL Draft
The following Georgia Tech players were selected in the 2015 NFL Draft:


2014 Georgia gubernatorial election
The 2014 Georgia gubernatorial election took place on November 4, 2014, to elect the Governor of Georgia, concurrently with the election to Georgia's Class II U.S. Senate seat, as well as other elections to the United States Senate in other states and elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections.


2014 Georgia gubernatorial election
Incumbent Republican Governor Nathan Deal was re-elected to serve a second term in office by a margin of 7.8%. He turned back two primary challengers and in the general election, defeated Democratic State Senator Jason Carter and Libertarian nominee businessman and engineer Andrew Hunt, who were unopposed in their respective primaries.


2014 Georgia state elections
A general election was held in the U.S. state of Georgia on November 4, 2014. All of Georgia's executive officers were up for election as well as a United States Senate seat, all of Georgia's fourteen seats in the United States House of Representatives and all seats in both houses of the Georgia General Assembly. Primary elections were held on May 20, 2014. Primary runoffs, necessary if no candidate wins a majority of the vote, were held on July 22, 2014.


2014 Georgia state elections, United States Senate
Incumbent Republican Senator Saxby Chambliss chose to retire rather than run for re-election to a third term in office.