The First Intifada was a significant series of Palestinian protests and violent riots^[219] that occurred in the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories and Israel. It began in December 1987, fueled by Palestinian frustration with the Israeli military occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip, which had been ongoing since the 1967 Arab–Israeli War. The uprising lasted until the Madrid Conference of 1991, though some consider its conclusion to be the signing of the Oslo Accords in 1993.^[220]

The Intifada started on 9 December 1987,^[221] in the Jabalia refugee camp,^[222] after a collision between an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) truck and a civilian car killed four Palestinian workers. Palestinians believed the incident, which happened during a period of high tension, was intentional, a claim Israel denied.^[223] The Palestinian response involved protests, civil disobedience, and violence,^[224] including graffiti, barricades, and throwing stones and Molotov cocktails at the IDF and its infrastructure. Alongside these actions were civil efforts such as general strikes, boycotts of Israeli institutions, economic boycotts, refusal to pay taxes, and refusal to use Israeli licenses on Palestinian cars.

Israel deployed some 80,000 soldiers in response. Israeli countermeasures, which initially included the use of live rounds frequently in cases of riots, were criticized by Human Rights Watch as disproportionate, in addition to Israel's liberal use of lethal force.^[225] In the first 13 months, 332 Palestinians and 12 Israelis were killed.^[226] In the first year, Israeli security forces killed 311 Palestinians, including 53 minors. Over the six years, an estimated 1,162–1,204 Palestinians were killed by the IDF.^[227]

The conflict also impacted Israelis, with 100 civilians and 60 IDF personnel killed,^[228] often by militants outside the control of the Intifada's Unified National Leadership of the Uprising (UNLU). Additionally, more than 1,400 Israeli civilians and 1,700 soldiers were injured.^[229] Another aspect of the Intifada was intra-Palestinian violence, which led to the execution of approximately 822 Palestinians accused of collaborating with Israel between 1988 and April 1994.^[230] It is reported that Israel obtained information from about 18,000 Palestinians,^[231] though less than half had proven contacts with Israeli authorities.^[231]