The Gaza War , also known as Operation Cast Lead ( מבצע עופרת יצוקה ) and Gaza Massacre ( مجزرة غزة ) or the Battle of al-Furqan ( the criterion ) ( معركة الفرقان ) was a three-week armed conflict in the Gaza Strip between Israel and Palestinian militants that began on 27 December 2008 and ended on 18 January 2009 in a unilateral ceasefire .
The Gaza War was a three-week armed conflict that took place in the Gaza Strip during the winter of 2008-2009 .