On 14 November 2012 Israeli forces launched a major military operation on Gaza, code-named “Pillar of Defense”. In the following eight days before a ceasefire was reached, some 150 Palestinians were killed. In the same period, the military wing of Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups fired over 1,500 indiscriminate rockets and mortar shells into Israel. Amnesty International urges this Council to address the human rights violations, including crimes under international law, committed by both parties during this military escalation of the conflict.