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LIVE UPDATES Kerry arrives in Israel to meet with Netanyahu, Abbas
UN human rights chief: Israel may be committing war crimes in Gaza; two Israeli officers killed in Gaza on Tuesday evening; IDF death toll rises to 29; Palestinian death toll reaches 650; American, European airlines suspend Israel flights.Israel's Operation Protective Edge entered its 16th day on Wednesday, marking the 6th day of the IDF's ground incursion into the Gaza Strip.
Eleven IDF soldiers were killed on Monday, raising the number of Israeli military fatalities since the operation commenced to 29.
At least 130 Palestinians have been killed since Israel began its ground operation, raising the recent escalation's death toll in Gaza to 604, with 3,700 wounded.
International efforts to stop the fighting between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip have resumed Tuesday, following Monday’s arrival in the region of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the expected arrival of U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/1.606735
69 replies
= new reply since forum marked as read
= new reply since forum marked as read
GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- Israel has destroyed or severely damaged over 50 mosques since its assault on Gaza began, a Hamas official said Tuesday.
Undersecretary of the Ministry of Endowments in Gaza, Hassan al-Saifi, said over 50 mosques have been targeted.
Israel does not distinguish between targeting militants, civilians, hospitals, mosques, and cemeteries, al-Saifi told Ma'an, adding that he is afraid that schools may be targeted in the coming days.
"People are buried in mass graves or in used family graves," he said, adding that hospital morgues can no longer accommodate the growing number of casualties.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=715465
"Now, during the operation, I stay at home with my four kids, day and night. When the siren goes off, we leave our apartment and gather in the staircase. We hear and see rockets being diverted [by Israel's "Iron Dome" defense system] or hitting targets very close to us. Every explosion makes the whole building shake." – Ety Levy, a single mother from Ashkelon
"Even though the village was recognized by the state a few years ago, there is nothing here to protect us. There are no security rooms and no bomb shelter… When I leave for work in the morning, my children beg me to stay with them. They say they’re afraid I won’t come back." – Yusra Abu Kaf from the Beduin community of Um Betin
Millions of Israeli citizens, many of whom are children, have been living under the threat of rocket fire for more than two weeks. For hundreds of thousands of Israelis living in the south of the country, this terrible situation is part of an ongoing routine. The unrelenting attacks have disrupted their lives, denied their right to live in security and hurt their ability to make a living. Every venture outside – to work, school, or a recreational activity – is attended by a sense of danger. Some residents have even decided to relocate for fear they or their loved ones would get hurt.
The following photographs were taken by Dudu Greenspan from Be'er Sheva, by Activestills, and by Reuters photographers.
Deliberate targeting of civilians by Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups defies humanity and is morally and legally reprehensible.
The rocket firing at civilians must stop.
http://www.btselem.org/photoblog/201407_southern_israel
The home of Marina Rachmilov, 86, from Be'er Sheva, after it was hit by a rocket. Photo: Dudu Greenspan, Be'er Sheva
"Even though the village was recognized by the state a few years ago, there is nothing here to protect us. There are no security rooms and no bomb shelter… When I leave for work in the morning, my children beg me to stay with them. They say they’re afraid I won’t come back." – Yusra Abu Kaf from the Beduin community of Um Betin
Millions of Israeli citizens, many of whom are children, have been living under the threat of rocket fire for more than two weeks. For hundreds of thousands of Israelis living in the south of the country, this terrible situation is part of an ongoing routine. The unrelenting attacks have disrupted their lives, denied their right to live in security and hurt their ability to make a living. Every venture outside – to work, school, or a recreational activity – is attended by a sense of danger. Some residents have even decided to relocate for fear they or their loved ones would get hurt.
The following photographs were taken by Dudu Greenspan from Be'er Sheva, by Activestills, and by Reuters photographers.
Deliberate targeting of civilians by Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups defies humanity and is morally and legally reprehensible.
The rocket firing at civilians must stop.
http://www.btselem.org/photoblog/201407_southern_israel
The home of Marina Rachmilov, 86, from Be'er Sheva, after it was hit by a rocket. Photo: Dudu Greenspan, Be'er Sheva
Support for Hamas is growing in Gaza after weeks of Israeli bombardment. Secretary of State John Kerry said Tuesday that the US supports an Egyptian cease-fire proposal rejected by Hamas.
By Kristen Chick, Correspondent July 22, 2014
Khan Younis, Gaza — Abed Akara fled his house near Gaza's southeastern border with Israel on Friday, the morning after Israel launched a ground operation here. When he saw the tanks advancing and shelling homes, he gathered his wife and eight children and they ran for their lives.
He can't go home, nor does he know if he will have a home left to return to. Yet Mr. Akara says that if he could choose between an immediate stop to the killing and continued resistance by Hamas in order to wring cease-fire concessions from Israel, the choice is simple: “war.”
Many Palestinians in Gaza appear to agree with Akara. That apparent willingness to endure a longer war as Hamas battles a much stronger enemy is a powerful indication of how desperate many have become over the past year in this coastal enclave, particularly after Egypt closed its border with Gaza.
http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Middle-East/2014/0722/Pulverized-by-Israel-Palestinians-hold-out-for-favorable-cease-fire-in-Gaza-video
By Kristen Chick, Correspondent July 22, 2014
Khan Younis, Gaza — Abed Akara fled his house near Gaza's southeastern border with Israel on Friday, the morning after Israel launched a ground operation here. When he saw the tanks advancing and shelling homes, he gathered his wife and eight children and they ran for their lives.
He can't go home, nor does he know if he will have a home left to return to. Yet Mr. Akara says that if he could choose between an immediate stop to the killing and continued resistance by Hamas in order to wring cease-fire concessions from Israel, the choice is simple: “war.”
Many Palestinians in Gaza appear to agree with Akara. That apparent willingness to endure a longer war as Hamas battles a much stronger enemy is a powerful indication of how desperate many have become over the past year in this coastal enclave, particularly after Egypt closed its border with Gaza.
http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Middle-East/2014/0722/Pulverized-by-Israel-Palestinians-hold-out-for-favorable-cease-fire-in-Gaza-video
You remember the original conversation we had about the objectives of both parties ("deterrence"
and "theatrical micro-militarism", well that war, the PR war, Hamas already won.
At least 15 people have been killed and more than 200 injured when a UN-run school used as a shelter in Gaza was shelled, the Gaza health ministry says.
Hundreds of Palestinians were in the school in Beit Hanoun, fleeing heavy fighting in the area.
It is the fourth time that a UN school has been hit in Israel's offensive against Hamas militants.
In the past 16 days of fighting, more than 750 Palestinians and 33 Israelis have been killed, officials say.
Pools of blood
Earlier on Thursday, UN humanitarian chief Valerie Amos said that it was "vital" to have a ceasefire as more than 118,000 people were now sheltering in UN schools and people were running out of food.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-28468526
Hundreds of Palestinians were in the school in Beit Hanoun, fleeing heavy fighting in the area.
It is the fourth time that a UN school has been hit in Israel's offensive against Hamas militants.
In the past 16 days of fighting, more than 750 Palestinians and 33 Israelis have been killed, officials say.
Pools of blood
Earlier on Thursday, UN humanitarian chief Valerie Amos said that it was "vital" to have a ceasefire as more than 118,000 people were now sheltering in UN schools and people were running out of food.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-28468526
