Operation Defensive Shield

High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! Operation Defensive Shield (Hebrew: מבצע חומת מגן, Mivtza Homat Magen, lit. Operation Defensive Wall) was a large-scale military operation conducted by the Israel Defense Forces in 2002, during the course of the Second Intifada. It was the largest military operation in the West Bank since the 1967 Six-Day War. The operation was an attempt by the Israeli army to stop the increasing deaths from terrorist attacks, especially in suicide bombings. The spark that gave rise to the action was the March 27 suicide bombing at a hotel in the Israeli resort city of Netanya. A Palestinian suicide bomber detonated himself amongst a crowd during Passover seder at the Park Hotel, killing 30 mostly elderly vacationers. The attack became known as the Passover Massacre.