13 nov 2012
On Tuesday morning 13th November, Israeli media sources reported that despite talk of a ceasefire, a rocket fired from the Gaza Strip exploded in an open area in Ashdod. No injuries or damage were reported.
Palestinian militant groups in the Gaza Strip said in a statement came at the end of a meeting held by Hamas on Monday 12th November, that they agree on holding their fire and expect Israel to do the same.
According to Israeli media sources, Palestinians broke the agreement and two minutes later, two rockets were fired at open fields near Sedrot.
Yediot Ahranot Israeli newspaper revealed that the Israeli Air Force hit two rockets launching sites and an arms storage facility in the northern Gaza Strip overnight. Israeli occupation forces said that it holds Hamas accountable for the escalation.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said in a statement that he "Strongly condemns indiscriminate rocket attacks toward Israeli territory by Palestinian militants." And said that, "Both sides should do everything to avoid further escalation and must respect their obligations under international humanitarian law to ensure the protection of civilians at all times," Haaretz Israeli newspaper reported.
Foreign Secretary Calls for Restraint in Southern Israel and Gaza
Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, William Hague, issued a statement commenting on rocket attacks by Palestinian militant groups on Israel and Israeli air-strikes on Gaza.
He said, "I am very concerned by the violence in Gaza and southern Israel, and the reported death of a number of civilians, including a child, in Gaza."
"I condemn the indiscriminate firing of over 100 rockets into Israel by Gaza-based militants," he added
Hague went further, "The UK supports the Egyptian Government in its efforts to achieve a ceasefire. All sides need to demonstrate restraint to prevent a dangerous escalation that would be in no one's interests."
Palestinian militant groups in the Gaza Strip said in a statement came at the end of a meeting held by Hamas on Monday 12th November, that they agree on holding their fire and expect Israel to do the same.
According to Israeli media sources, Palestinians broke the agreement and two minutes later, two rockets were fired at open fields near Sedrot.
Yediot Ahranot Israeli newspaper revealed that the Israeli Air Force hit two rockets launching sites and an arms storage facility in the northern Gaza Strip overnight. Israeli occupation forces said that it holds Hamas accountable for the escalation.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said in a statement that he "Strongly condemns indiscriminate rocket attacks toward Israeli territory by Palestinian militants." And said that, "Both sides should do everything to avoid further escalation and must respect their obligations under international humanitarian law to ensure the protection of civilians at all times," Haaretz Israeli newspaper reported.
Foreign Secretary Calls for Restraint in Southern Israel and Gaza
Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, William Hague, issued a statement commenting on rocket attacks by Palestinian militant groups on Israel and Israeli air-strikes on Gaza.
He said, "I am very concerned by the violence in Gaza and southern Israel, and the reported death of a number of civilians, including a child, in Gaza."
"I condemn the indiscriminate firing of over 100 rockets into Israel by Gaza-based militants," he added
Hague went further, "The UK supports the Egyptian Government in its efforts to achieve a ceasefire. All sides need to demonstrate restraint to prevent a dangerous escalation that would be in no one's interests."
Israel launched three airstrikes on the Gaza Strip overnight Monday, Israel's army said, as border violence continued for a fourth day.
Israeli warplanes fired at a site belonging to the al-Qassam brigades in the northern Gaza Strip, and targeted an open area in the northwest of Gaza, Ma'an's correspondent said.
Strikes also targeted the al-Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza. No injuries were reported.
Israel's army said it "targeted a weapon storage facility in the central Gaza Strip, as well as two launching sites in the northern Gaza Strip," a statement said.
One rocket was fired from the Gaza Strip at around 6 a.m., an Israeli army spokesman said.
The latest violence comes as fears grow about a major Israeli operation in the Gaza Strip.
Palestinian factions met on Monday in Gaza City to discuss Israeli attacks and threats of a wider operation in the enclave.
"If (Israel) is interested in calm they should stop the aggression," Sami Abu Zuhri of Hamas told Reuters.
The Palestinian people were acting in self-defense, he said.
"The ball is in Israel's court. The resistance factions will observe Israel's behavior on the ground and will act accordingly," said Khaled Al-Batsh of the Islamic Jihad group.
Major escalation
Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak told reporters the government was not prepared to forgive and forget following four days of violence, which saw Gaza's Islamist Hamas rulers join smaller factions in firing more than 115 missiles into Israel.
"The matter has definitely not ended and we will decide how and when to act at the time when there will be a need," he said after meeting regional military commanders.
"I do not want to talk about the time or the means because it would not be right to allow the other side to have this information," he added.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was to convene a forum of nine senior ministers later on Tuesday to decide a course of action.
He discussed possible attack scenarios with Barak and military chief Lieutenant General Benny Gantz on Monday night and some ministers have said the airforce may return to a policy of targeted killings of senior Islamist leaders in Gaza.
Top-selling Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth said Monday that the United States had given a green light for an Israeli operation in Gaza.
Israeli tanks shelled Gaza City on Saturday killing four civilians and injuring at least 25. Israel's army said it was responding to a missile attack on an Israeli military jeep which injured four soldiers.
Gaza factions fired dozens of rockets into Israel in response to the deaths, and Israel launched an airstrike early Sunday which killed two members of Islamic Jihad's military wing.
Israel launched multiple airstrikes on the Gaza Strip overnight Sunday, with no injuries reported, and 11 rockets have been fired from Gaza since Monday morning.
Egypt mediation
A Palestinian official, who declined to be named, said Egypt had been trying to broker a ceasefire and although no formal truce was in place, Hamas understood the need for calm.
Israel has shown little appetite for a new Gaza war, which could strain relations with the new Islamist-rooted government in neighboring Egypt. The countries made peace in 1979.
But Netanyahu may be reluctant to seem weak ahead of a Jan. 22 election that opinion polls currently predict he will win.
The political adviser to Ismail Haniyeh, Gaza's prime minister, said he believed Egypt's new president, Mohammad Mursi, provided "a safety net" for the Palestinians.
"The president of the biggest neighboring Arab country (has) said: We will not allow a new war on Gaza, and Palestinian blood is our blood," Youssef Rizqa wrote in the pro-Hamas daily Felesteen.
Israeli warplanes fired at a site belonging to the al-Qassam brigades in the northern Gaza Strip, and targeted an open area in the northwest of Gaza, Ma'an's correspondent said.
Strikes also targeted the al-Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza. No injuries were reported.
Israel's army said it "targeted a weapon storage facility in the central Gaza Strip, as well as two launching sites in the northern Gaza Strip," a statement said.
One rocket was fired from the Gaza Strip at around 6 a.m., an Israeli army spokesman said.
The latest violence comes as fears grow about a major Israeli operation in the Gaza Strip.
Palestinian factions met on Monday in Gaza City to discuss Israeli attacks and threats of a wider operation in the enclave.
"If (Israel) is interested in calm they should stop the aggression," Sami Abu Zuhri of Hamas told Reuters.
The Palestinian people were acting in self-defense, he said.
"The ball is in Israel's court. The resistance factions will observe Israel's behavior on the ground and will act accordingly," said Khaled Al-Batsh of the Islamic Jihad group.
Major escalation
Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak told reporters the government was not prepared to forgive and forget following four days of violence, which saw Gaza's Islamist Hamas rulers join smaller factions in firing more than 115 missiles into Israel.
"The matter has definitely not ended and we will decide how and when to act at the time when there will be a need," he said after meeting regional military commanders.
"I do not want to talk about the time or the means because it would not be right to allow the other side to have this information," he added.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was to convene a forum of nine senior ministers later on Tuesday to decide a course of action.
He discussed possible attack scenarios with Barak and military chief Lieutenant General Benny Gantz on Monday night and some ministers have said the airforce may return to a policy of targeted killings of senior Islamist leaders in Gaza.
Top-selling Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth said Monday that the United States had given a green light for an Israeli operation in Gaza.
Israeli tanks shelled Gaza City on Saturday killing four civilians and injuring at least 25. Israel's army said it was responding to a missile attack on an Israeli military jeep which injured four soldiers.
Gaza factions fired dozens of rockets into Israel in response to the deaths, and Israel launched an airstrike early Sunday which killed two members of Islamic Jihad's military wing.
Israel launched multiple airstrikes on the Gaza Strip overnight Sunday, with no injuries reported, and 11 rockets have been fired from Gaza since Monday morning.
Egypt mediation
A Palestinian official, who declined to be named, said Egypt had been trying to broker a ceasefire and although no formal truce was in place, Hamas understood the need for calm.
Israel has shown little appetite for a new Gaza war, which could strain relations with the new Islamist-rooted government in neighboring Egypt. The countries made peace in 1979.
But Netanyahu may be reluctant to seem weak ahead of a Jan. 22 election that opinion polls currently predict he will win.
The political adviser to Ismail Haniyeh, Gaza's prime minister, said he believed Egypt's new president, Mohammad Mursi, provided "a safety net" for the Palestinians.
"The president of the biggest neighboring Arab country (has) said: We will not allow a new war on Gaza, and Palestinian blood is our blood," Youssef Rizqa wrote in the pro-Hamas daily Felesteen.
Muhammad Zeyad Abdullah Quno, 20
A man died on Tuesday from injuries sustained in an Israeli attack on Gaza days earlier, a medical official said.
Muhammad Zeyad Abdullah Quno, 20, was wounded when Israeli tanks fired shells at Gaza City on Saturday, killing four and injuring at least 25 people.
He passed away on Tuesday from his injuries, Ashraf al-Qidra, spokesman of Gaza's health ministry, told Ma'an.
Quno's death brings the total number of people killed in Gaza to seven since Saturday.
After Israel's shelling on Gaza City, factions fired dozens of rockets into Israel in response and Israel launched an airstrike early Sunday which killed two members of Islamic Jihad's military wing.
Israel launched multiple airstrikes on the Gaza Strip overnight Sunday, with no injuries reported, and 11 rockets have been fired from Gaza since Monday morning.
Warplanes struck three sites in Gaza overnight Monday in the fourth day of cross border violence. One rocket was fired overnight, an Israeli army spokesman said.
A man died on Tuesday from injuries sustained in an Israeli attack on Gaza days earlier, a medical official said.
Muhammad Zeyad Abdullah Quno, 20, was wounded when Israeli tanks fired shells at Gaza City on Saturday, killing four and injuring at least 25 people.
He passed away on Tuesday from his injuries, Ashraf al-Qidra, spokesman of Gaza's health ministry, told Ma'an.
Quno's death brings the total number of people killed in Gaza to seven since Saturday.
After Israel's shelling on Gaza City, factions fired dozens of rockets into Israel in response and Israel launched an airstrike early Sunday which killed two members of Islamic Jihad's military wing.
Israel launched multiple airstrikes on the Gaza Strip overnight Sunday, with no injuries reported, and 11 rockets have been fired from Gaza since Monday morning.
Warplanes struck three sites in Gaza overnight Monday in the fourth day of cross border violence. One rocket was fired overnight, an Israeli army spokesman said.
Hameed Younis Abu Doqqa 11
by Adam Keller
A bit more than a week ago, people from communities in southern Israel wrote a letter to Prime Minister Netanyahu and Defense Minister Barak:
"We, members of 'The Other Voice' from the communities near the Gaza Strip, urge the Government of Israel to stop playing with our lives, and immediately open diplomatic contacts with the Hamas government! We are tired of being sitting ducks in a shooting range serving political interests. Missiles from there and bombing from here do not protect us. This country has tried long enough, over years, the games of war and of brute force. Both sides have paid, and are still paying, a high price of suffering and loss. It's time to talk and strive for long-term understandings which will enable citizens on both sides of the border to live a normal life".
'The Other Voice' is a group of residents of Sderot and Gaza Vicinity communities, who maintain an ongoing contact with residents of the Gaza Strip, and promote neighborly relations and dialogue, in the south and throughout the country.
http://www.othervoice.org/welcome-eng.htm
At the time when this letter was written, there was no escalation cycle going on at the Gaza border, and the issue was not really in the headlines. But there was no need to be much of a prophet to realize that it would get back into the spotlight, sooner rather than later. Especially when you live in that area.
On Thursday last week, Gaza was still not in the news. The headlines dealt mainly with the results of the U.S. elections and their implications for Israeli politics. And a smaller news item told of the collapse of a shopping mall in Accra, capital of Ghana, and of many people being trapped in the rubble, and of the Israeli Defense Forces mounting quick and efficient mobilization to get a rescue mission on its way there within hours, and of three Ghanaians saved by our soldiers from the rubble. Indeed, a model humanitarian act, which could well warm the heart of an Israeli citizen, fill it with joy and pride.
Gaza was not on the news last Thursday - but the Israeli Defense Forces are busy with Gaza every day, headlines or no headlines. At the same time that the IDF rescue mission to Ghana went on the plane, Israeli tanks and bulldozers were crossing the Gaza Strip border fence into the Palestinian side, and above them flew helicopter gunships. There was a lot of shooting and counter-shooting and counter-counter-shooting, and during this shooting the bullets from an Israeli machine gun hit a piece of land east of Khan Younis, where boys were at that time playing football.
The machine gun of a tank, or one mounted on a helicopter? We will probably never know and it does not really matter. The important thing is that one of the bullets hit the head of a thirteen year old boy named Hamid Abu Daqqa, and a few hours later he died of his wounds in hospital.
The office of the IDF Spokesman told inquiring foreign journalists that the soldiers had not deliberately aimed their weapons at the boy. And indeed, It is not likely that any Israeli soldier would consciously and deliberately shoot a boy playing football. But still, the boy is dead and buried.
What did the citizens of Israel have to say about this tragic case? The truth is that most citizens of Israel had simply not heard about it at all. Their mass media forgot to tell them, news editors just did not really feel that a dead Arab boy was news. Then came the harsh surprise. On the day after the boy's funeral some Palestinian faction fired a missile at an IDF jeep which was going about its ordinary business of driving along on the patrol road. Four soldiers were wounded and taken to hospital, and full-page articles in the media described the incident in great detail and also provided medical bulletins on the condition of each one of the soldiers. As is right and proper in a country which cares greatly about soldiers who are sent into battle.
The IDF responded immediately and furiously to the wounding of the four soldiers, and in the massive artillery shelling were killed four civilians while sitting in a mourning tent on the east side of Gaza City, and whose families now are even deeper in mourning. This was reported in the Israeli media tersely and with little detail. Without mentioning, for example, that three of those killed were teenage boys. Certainly no editor in Israel considered it worthwhile to mention the 17-year old Mohammed Hararah, who was not hit by the first shell, but ran to help the wounded when another Israeli shell landed and killed him instantly. That's not really news.
And yesterday there was already a heavy barrage of rockets falling down on the Israeli communities around Gaza and the air raid alarms sounded again and again, and residents ran for cover, and luckily no one was killed. In the media there was much furious talk about the intolerable situation in the communities of the South and of the children growing up in a terrible state of daily anxiety. No one spoke of the conditions under which children grow up in Gaza, and of those who had the day before yesterday witnessed the death of their brothers. Which is not surprising because a country at war rarely spares a thought for the children of the enemy. (Tomorrow night an activist group plans to meet in front of the Prime Minister and hold a candlelight vigil, holding signs with the names of the people killed in Gaza, the names which the media did not publish. It will probably not be popular.)
http://www.kibush.co.il/show_file.asp?num=55487
And this morning on the radio morning news bulletin there was a whole string of senior politicians from all the mainstream parties, and they all said that we must strike a painful blow and teach Hamas a lesson and destroy the terrorist infrastructure and more of the usual clichés. And Minister Avi Dichter, the ex-director of Shabak security service, made use of software terminology "reformat the Gaza Strip." But in the meantime, the same government also continues its intensive media campaign calling upon Israeli citizens to convince their friends and acquaintances abroad to come as tourists to Israel. "Every tourist who comes here spends money, creates jobs and improves the image of Israel in the world," stated the special website opened by the Ministry of Tourism. Is this government going to start a big war in Gaza? To fill the television screens around the world with images of blood and fire and pillars of smoke, and after the war, maybe have a new Goldstone Commission investigate and ask uncomfortable questions? Not so likely.
http://www.mako.co.il/travel-visit-israel
So what is going to happen? Probably the shooting will continue for some more days, and perhaps some people who are still now living and breathing will already lie in their graves. And then a shaky cease-fire will be set up and life will return to normal and Gaza will disappear from the news pages and we will go back into the confused hubbub of the elections campaign. Like in the previous round on the Gaza border and the one before and probably the next one, too.
Adam Keller is the Spokesperson of Gush Shalom, an Israeli peace activism group.
by Adam Keller
A bit more than a week ago, people from communities in southern Israel wrote a letter to Prime Minister Netanyahu and Defense Minister Barak:
"We, members of 'The Other Voice' from the communities near the Gaza Strip, urge the Government of Israel to stop playing with our lives, and immediately open diplomatic contacts with the Hamas government! We are tired of being sitting ducks in a shooting range serving political interests. Missiles from there and bombing from here do not protect us. This country has tried long enough, over years, the games of war and of brute force. Both sides have paid, and are still paying, a high price of suffering and loss. It's time to talk and strive for long-term understandings which will enable citizens on both sides of the border to live a normal life".
'The Other Voice' is a group of residents of Sderot and Gaza Vicinity communities, who maintain an ongoing contact with residents of the Gaza Strip, and promote neighborly relations and dialogue, in the south and throughout the country.
http://www.othervoice.org/welcome-eng.htm
At the time when this letter was written, there was no escalation cycle going on at the Gaza border, and the issue was not really in the headlines. But there was no need to be much of a prophet to realize that it would get back into the spotlight, sooner rather than later. Especially when you live in that area.
On Thursday last week, Gaza was still not in the news. The headlines dealt mainly with the results of the U.S. elections and their implications for Israeli politics. And a smaller news item told of the collapse of a shopping mall in Accra, capital of Ghana, and of many people being trapped in the rubble, and of the Israeli Defense Forces mounting quick and efficient mobilization to get a rescue mission on its way there within hours, and of three Ghanaians saved by our soldiers from the rubble. Indeed, a model humanitarian act, which could well warm the heart of an Israeli citizen, fill it with joy and pride.
Gaza was not on the news last Thursday - but the Israeli Defense Forces are busy with Gaza every day, headlines or no headlines. At the same time that the IDF rescue mission to Ghana went on the plane, Israeli tanks and bulldozers were crossing the Gaza Strip border fence into the Palestinian side, and above them flew helicopter gunships. There was a lot of shooting and counter-shooting and counter-counter-shooting, and during this shooting the bullets from an Israeli machine gun hit a piece of land east of Khan Younis, where boys were at that time playing football.
The machine gun of a tank, or one mounted on a helicopter? We will probably never know and it does not really matter. The important thing is that one of the bullets hit the head of a thirteen year old boy named Hamid Abu Daqqa, and a few hours later he died of his wounds in hospital.
The office of the IDF Spokesman told inquiring foreign journalists that the soldiers had not deliberately aimed their weapons at the boy. And indeed, It is not likely that any Israeli soldier would consciously and deliberately shoot a boy playing football. But still, the boy is dead and buried.
What did the citizens of Israel have to say about this tragic case? The truth is that most citizens of Israel had simply not heard about it at all. Their mass media forgot to tell them, news editors just did not really feel that a dead Arab boy was news. Then came the harsh surprise. On the day after the boy's funeral some Palestinian faction fired a missile at an IDF jeep which was going about its ordinary business of driving along on the patrol road. Four soldiers were wounded and taken to hospital, and full-page articles in the media described the incident in great detail and also provided medical bulletins on the condition of each one of the soldiers. As is right and proper in a country which cares greatly about soldiers who are sent into battle.
The IDF responded immediately and furiously to the wounding of the four soldiers, and in the massive artillery shelling were killed four civilians while sitting in a mourning tent on the east side of Gaza City, and whose families now are even deeper in mourning. This was reported in the Israeli media tersely and with little detail. Without mentioning, for example, that three of those killed were teenage boys. Certainly no editor in Israel considered it worthwhile to mention the 17-year old Mohammed Hararah, who was not hit by the first shell, but ran to help the wounded when another Israeli shell landed and killed him instantly. That's not really news.
And yesterday there was already a heavy barrage of rockets falling down on the Israeli communities around Gaza and the air raid alarms sounded again and again, and residents ran for cover, and luckily no one was killed. In the media there was much furious talk about the intolerable situation in the communities of the South and of the children growing up in a terrible state of daily anxiety. No one spoke of the conditions under which children grow up in Gaza, and of those who had the day before yesterday witnessed the death of their brothers. Which is not surprising because a country at war rarely spares a thought for the children of the enemy. (Tomorrow night an activist group plans to meet in front of the Prime Minister and hold a candlelight vigil, holding signs with the names of the people killed in Gaza, the names which the media did not publish. It will probably not be popular.)
http://www.kibush.co.il/show_file.asp?num=55487
And this morning on the radio morning news bulletin there was a whole string of senior politicians from all the mainstream parties, and they all said that we must strike a painful blow and teach Hamas a lesson and destroy the terrorist infrastructure and more of the usual clichés. And Minister Avi Dichter, the ex-director of Shabak security service, made use of software terminology "reformat the Gaza Strip." But in the meantime, the same government also continues its intensive media campaign calling upon Israeli citizens to convince their friends and acquaintances abroad to come as tourists to Israel. "Every tourist who comes here spends money, creates jobs and improves the image of Israel in the world," stated the special website opened by the Ministry of Tourism. Is this government going to start a big war in Gaza? To fill the television screens around the world with images of blood and fire and pillars of smoke, and after the war, maybe have a new Goldstone Commission investigate and ask uncomfortable questions? Not so likely.
http://www.mako.co.il/travel-visit-israel
So what is going to happen? Probably the shooting will continue for some more days, and perhaps some people who are still now living and breathing will already lie in their graves. And then a shaky cease-fire will be set up and life will return to normal and Gaza will disappear from the news pages and we will go back into the confused hubbub of the elections campaign. Like in the previous round on the Gaza border and the one before and probably the next one, too.
Adam Keller is the Spokesperson of Gush Shalom, an Israeli peace activism group.
Israeli occupation forces (IOF) continued on Tuesday evening its military escalation against the Gaza Strip but with no casualties reported.
Local sources told the PIC reporter that Israeli warplanes fired a missile at Ghul area to the north of Gaza causing big material damage to the agriculture land but no casualties.
They said that at the same time Israeli navy gunboats fired a shell at an area to the west of Beit Lahia, also north of the Strip. They said that the shell exploded in a deserted land lot and none was injured.
Abu Mujahid: there is no truce under aggression
Mohammed Breem, Abu Mujahid, a spokesman for the Resistance Committees, stated that it is unacceptable to talk about truce under the brutal Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people, stressing that no truce in the light of the Israeli aggression.
Abu Mujahid added, after the meeting of Palestinian factions in Gaza, that the Israeli occupation "bears all consequences of its brutal aggression, insisting that resistance is found only to defend our people in the face of Israeli aggression.
The Resistance Committees' spokesman warned the occupation of committing any folly against the Gaza Strip, "The Israeli threat does not scare our resistance and any Israeli escalation will be addressed by more steadfastness", he said.
Abu Mujahid stressed on the readiness of the resistance, particularly Nasser Saladin Brigades, to face any Israeli aggression, calling for more "unity and cohesion of the resistance to face all risks that threaten our cause, our resistance and our steadfast people."
He praised the Palestinian factions' fighters, "who humiliated the occupation by their heroic operations and blessed missiles and their defense of our people in the face of Israeli aggression."
Palestinian medical sources in the Gaza Strip reported, Tuesday, that a resistance fighter died of wounds sustained last Saturday during the latest wave of Israeli military escalation against the coastal region.
Dr. Ashraf Al-Qudra, spokesperson of the Ministry of Health in Gaza, told PIC reporter that Mohammad Ziyad Qanoa’, 20, succumbed to serious wounds suffered during an Israeli bombardment targeting Tallet Al-Mintar area, in Gaza.
The death of Qanoa’ brings the number of Palestinians killed by the Israeli army since Saturday to eight, including a 15 and 17 year-old brother, while the occupation still threatens more massacres against the population of the besieged coastal strip
Local sources told the PIC reporter that Israeli warplanes fired a missile at Ghul area to the north of Gaza causing big material damage to the agriculture land but no casualties.
They said that at the same time Israeli navy gunboats fired a shell at an area to the west of Beit Lahia, also north of the Strip. They said that the shell exploded in a deserted land lot and none was injured.
Abu Mujahid: there is no truce under aggression
Mohammed Breem, Abu Mujahid, a spokesman for the Resistance Committees, stated that it is unacceptable to talk about truce under the brutal Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people, stressing that no truce in the light of the Israeli aggression.
Abu Mujahid added, after the meeting of Palestinian factions in Gaza, that the Israeli occupation "bears all consequences of its brutal aggression, insisting that resistance is found only to defend our people in the face of Israeli aggression.
The Resistance Committees' spokesman warned the occupation of committing any folly against the Gaza Strip, "The Israeli threat does not scare our resistance and any Israeli escalation will be addressed by more steadfastness", he said.
Abu Mujahid stressed on the readiness of the resistance, particularly Nasser Saladin Brigades, to face any Israeli aggression, calling for more "unity and cohesion of the resistance to face all risks that threaten our cause, our resistance and our steadfast people."
He praised the Palestinian factions' fighters, "who humiliated the occupation by their heroic operations and blessed missiles and their defense of our people in the face of Israeli aggression."
Palestinian medical sources in the Gaza Strip reported, Tuesday, that a resistance fighter died of wounds sustained last Saturday during the latest wave of Israeli military escalation against the coastal region.
Dr. Ashraf Al-Qudra, spokesperson of the Ministry of Health in Gaza, told PIC reporter that Mohammad Ziyad Qanoa’, 20, succumbed to serious wounds suffered during an Israeli bombardment targeting Tallet Al-Mintar area, in Gaza.
The death of Qanoa’ brings the number of Palestinians killed by the Israeli army since Saturday to eight, including a 15 and 17 year-old brother, while the occupation still threatens more massacres against the population of the besieged coastal strip
A Palestinian family miraculously escaped death on Tuesday after an Israeli artillery shell blasted on the roof of their house to the north of Gaza Strip.
Eyewitnesses told the PIC reporter that an Israeli army tank fired a shell at the house of Tatari family to the east of Jabaliya, north of Gaza, at noon Tuesday.
They said that the bomb exploded on the roof of the house but no member of the family was injured in the blast.
Eyewitnesses told the PIC reporter that an Israeli army tank fired a shell at the house of Tatari family to the east of Jabaliya, north of Gaza, at noon Tuesday.
They said that the bomb exploded on the roof of the house but no member of the family was injured in the blast.
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Above is video of Benjamin Netanyahu addressing around 50 foreign ambassadors yesterday in Ashkelon as part of his effort to "shore up international support for a possible military ground operation into Gaza."
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (center) with EU diplomats in Jerusalem, October 16
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday started taking steps to shore up international support for a possible military ground operation into Gaza that would aim to quell the ongoing rocket fire from the strip.
“The world must understand that Israel has the right and obligation to defend its citizens,” he told some 50 ambassadors in Ashkelon.
“We will not sit idly in front of recurrent attacks that occur almost daily, against our citizens and our children. “More than one million citizens have to live in a reality where within 15 or 30 seconds they need to find shelter against terrorists who shoot at civilians, while the terrorists themselves hide behind civilians. That’s a double war crime. None of your governments would accept such a situation. We do not accept such a situation,and I as prime minister of Israel am not prepared to accept this situation, and we will act to stop it.”
The rocket fire continued for a third day Monday, albeit initially at a slower pace; as of early Monday afternoon, some 150 rockets and mortar shells had hit Israel since Saturday. Twenty-six people were treated for shock after a direct hit on a home in Netivot on Monday morning.
“Netanyahu wants to make sure that the international community will understand the reasons if Israel is forced to act,” a government official said Monday ahead of the prime minister’s meeting with the senior diplomats.
The government official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, neither denied nor confirmed reports that Israel was planning a ground invasion into Gaza. “Different options are being looked at,” he told The Times of Israel. “It’s more than possible that there will be a need to reassert Israeli deterrence,” the official said.
Education Minister Gideon Sa’ar said Sunday that an extensive ground operation for Gaza was being planned.
Meanwhile, European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said she condemned the firing of rockets and mortars into Israel and called on both sides “to refrain from exacerbating the situation.”
“Further regrettable loss of life and injury must be avoided. I support the mediation efforts by Egypt and reiterate that there is no place for violence in the Middle East. It is only through resumed negotiations that the legitimate aspirations of both Palestinians and Israelis will be met, through a two-state solution,” Ashton said in a statement.
The French Foreign Ministry similarly condemned the rocket fire into Israel and called, asking both sides to exercise ” great restraint to avoid any additional escalation.”
During Sunday’s weekly cabinet meeting, Netanyahu said Israel was prepared to “intensify” its response to the ongoing rocket fire. “The IDF is operating, and will operate, aggressively against the terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip, which are taking heavy blows from the IDF. The world needs to understand that Israel will not sit idly by in the face of attempts to attack us. We are prepared to intensify the response
Defense Minister Ehud Barak said Israel would not hesitate to reenter Gaza: “If we are forced to go back into Gaza in order to deal Hamas a [serious] blow and restore security for all of Israel’s citizens, then we will not hesitate to do so.”
War on Gaza is an option, Israel officials say
Israel has threatened to escalate its deadly air and ground attacks against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, which has been under an Israeli blockade for the past five years.
On Monday, Israeli officials said that they were mulling over various options to punish the Palestinians of the territory and had not ruled out the possibility of launching a new war on Gaza.
"These are very important days… in light of the ongoing activity against Hamas and… organizations in Gaza, which is likely to intensify and expand," Israeli Minister for Military Affairs Ehud Barak said.
According to Barak, "Hamas is responsible for the shooting at Israeli communities and attempts to harm Israeli soldiers. Under my guidance, the IDF (Israeli military) is currently examining all possibilities in the event of further Hamas violations."
He added that Israel's "upcoming elections will not be a source of immunity for Hamas and… if we have to reenter Gaza to strike at Hamas, we will not hesitate to do so."
On Monday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, told foreign diplomats touring southern Israel, “We shall not sit with our arms folded in the face of repeated, almost daily, attacks on our citizens… We shall act to stop it."
Meanwhile, Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and other Palestinian resistance groups in the Gaza Strip met earlier in the day and said they were ready for a ceasefire if Tel Aviv "stops its aggression" against the besieged territory.
"The Islamic and nationalist movements confirm that the response of the resistance depends on whether the Zionist aggression against our people is continued," they said in a statement read out during a press conference in Gaza City.
Israeli airstrikes, shelling, and artillery fire have left six Palestinians dead and over 40 others injured since Saturday. Some of the injured are in critical condition.
The Israeli military frequently carries out airstrikes and other attacks on the Gaza Strip, saying the actions are being conducted for defensive purposes. However, disproportionate force is always used, in violation of international law, and civilians are often killed or injured.
Gaza has been blockaded since June 2007, a situation that has caused a decline in the standard of living, unprecedented levels of unemployment, and unrelenting poverty.
The apartheid regime of Israel denies about 1.7 million people in Gaza their basic rights, such as freedom of movement, jobs that pay proper wages, and adequate healthcare and education.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday started taking steps to shore up international support for a possible military ground operation into Gaza that would aim to quell the ongoing rocket fire from the strip.
“The world must understand that Israel has the right and obligation to defend its citizens,” he told some 50 ambassadors in Ashkelon.
“We will not sit idly in front of recurrent attacks that occur almost daily, against our citizens and our children. “More than one million citizens have to live in a reality where within 15 or 30 seconds they need to find shelter against terrorists who shoot at civilians, while the terrorists themselves hide behind civilians. That’s a double war crime. None of your governments would accept such a situation. We do not accept such a situation,and I as prime minister of Israel am not prepared to accept this situation, and we will act to stop it.”
The rocket fire continued for a third day Monday, albeit initially at a slower pace; as of early Monday afternoon, some 150 rockets and mortar shells had hit Israel since Saturday. Twenty-six people were treated for shock after a direct hit on a home in Netivot on Monday morning.
“Netanyahu wants to make sure that the international community will understand the reasons if Israel is forced to act,” a government official said Monday ahead of the prime minister’s meeting with the senior diplomats.
The government official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, neither denied nor confirmed reports that Israel was planning a ground invasion into Gaza. “Different options are being looked at,” he told The Times of Israel. “It’s more than possible that there will be a need to reassert Israeli deterrence,” the official said.
Education Minister Gideon Sa’ar said Sunday that an extensive ground operation for Gaza was being planned.
Meanwhile, European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said she condemned the firing of rockets and mortars into Israel and called on both sides “to refrain from exacerbating the situation.”
“Further regrettable loss of life and injury must be avoided. I support the mediation efforts by Egypt and reiterate that there is no place for violence in the Middle East. It is only through resumed negotiations that the legitimate aspirations of both Palestinians and Israelis will be met, through a two-state solution,” Ashton said in a statement.
The French Foreign Ministry similarly condemned the rocket fire into Israel and called, asking both sides to exercise ” great restraint to avoid any additional escalation.”
During Sunday’s weekly cabinet meeting, Netanyahu said Israel was prepared to “intensify” its response to the ongoing rocket fire. “The IDF is operating, and will operate, aggressively against the terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip, which are taking heavy blows from the IDF. The world needs to understand that Israel will not sit idly by in the face of attempts to attack us. We are prepared to intensify the response
Defense Minister Ehud Barak said Israel would not hesitate to reenter Gaza: “If we are forced to go back into Gaza in order to deal Hamas a [serious] blow and restore security for all of Israel’s citizens, then we will not hesitate to do so.”
War on Gaza is an option, Israel officials say
Israel has threatened to escalate its deadly air and ground attacks against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, which has been under an Israeli blockade for the past five years.
On Monday, Israeli officials said that they were mulling over various options to punish the Palestinians of the territory and had not ruled out the possibility of launching a new war on Gaza.
"These are very important days… in light of the ongoing activity against Hamas and… organizations in Gaza, which is likely to intensify and expand," Israeli Minister for Military Affairs Ehud Barak said.
According to Barak, "Hamas is responsible for the shooting at Israeli communities and attempts to harm Israeli soldiers. Under my guidance, the IDF (Israeli military) is currently examining all possibilities in the event of further Hamas violations."
He added that Israel's "upcoming elections will not be a source of immunity for Hamas and… if we have to reenter Gaza to strike at Hamas, we will not hesitate to do so."
On Monday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, told foreign diplomats touring southern Israel, “We shall not sit with our arms folded in the face of repeated, almost daily, attacks on our citizens… We shall act to stop it."
Meanwhile, Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and other Palestinian resistance groups in the Gaza Strip met earlier in the day and said they were ready for a ceasefire if Tel Aviv "stops its aggression" against the besieged territory.
"The Islamic and nationalist movements confirm that the response of the resistance depends on whether the Zionist aggression against our people is continued," they said in a statement read out during a press conference in Gaza City.
Israeli airstrikes, shelling, and artillery fire have left six Palestinians dead and over 40 others injured since Saturday. Some of the injured are in critical condition.
The Israeli military frequently carries out airstrikes and other attacks on the Gaza Strip, saying the actions are being conducted for defensive purposes. However, disproportionate force is always used, in violation of international law, and civilians are often killed or injured.
Gaza has been blockaded since June 2007, a situation that has caused a decline in the standard of living, unprecedented levels of unemployment, and unrelenting poverty.
The apartheid regime of Israel denies about 1.7 million people in Gaza their basic rights, such as freedom of movement, jobs that pay proper wages, and adequate healthcare and education.
12 nov 2012
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A hard-hitting, comprehensive documentary report on Israel's Armistice weekend attacks on the Gaza Strip, by Harry Fear - http://fb.com/harryfear - © http://GazaReport.com
Other attacks today IOA confiscates 200 dunums of Bethlehem land Netanyahu's government has quietly doubled funding for settlements, says finance minister Settlers Attempt to Burn a House in al-Manshiyah Village, South of Bethlehem IOF soldiers storm house of MP Racist Russian doctor says prisoner Abu Sisi should be killed, not treated |
Israeli Occupation Raid Hebron, Search Stores and Houses
IOF breaks into Negev village, arrest dozens of its residents Israel To Build 538 Units In Itamar Settlement
Confrontations launched between Israeli Police and Palestinian Villagers in Negev
IOF breaks into Negev village, arrest dozens of its residents Israel To Build 538 Units In Itamar Settlement
Confrontations launched between Israeli Police and Palestinian Villagers in Negev
Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrives for a meeting with ambassadors in Ashkelon on Nov. 12
Palestinian factions met on Monday in Gaza City to discuss Israeli attacks and threats of a wider operation in the enclave.
Hamas called the meeting to try and avoid further casualties after Israeli forces killed six Palestinians in Gaza since Saturday, said Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine leader Talal Abu Tharefa.
Abu Tharefa told Ma'an any truce with Israel must include an end to Israeli airstrikes and attacks, adding that the Palestinian resistance would retain the right to respond to Israeli aggression.
Top-selling Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth said Monday that the United States had given a green light for an Israeli operation in Gaza.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened foreign ambassadors in what appeared to be an attempt to pre-empt international censure should Israel, whose 2008-2009 Gaza offensive exacted a costly civilian toll, again go in hard.
Netanyahu briefed the envoys in Ashkelon, a port city within range of some Palestinian rockets. "None of their governments would accept a situation like this," he said.
Major escalation 'within hours'
Environment Minister Gilad Erdan, an influential member of Netanyahu's Likud party, said the briefing was meant to prepare world opinion for "what is about to happen," adding there might be a major Israeli escalation within a few hours.
"Hamas bears responsibility. The heads of Hamas should pay the price and not sleep at night. I expect to see not just a return to targeted killings, but also to very wide activity by (the army)," he told Israel Radio.
Netanyahu said a million Israelis - around one-eighth of the population - were in danger from rocket attacks.
Israeli tanks shelled Gaza City on Saturday killing four civilians and injuring at least 25. Israel's army said it was responding to a missile attack on an Israeli military jeep which injured four soldiers.
Gaza factions fired dozens of rockets into Israel in response to the deaths, and Israel launched an airstrike early Sunday which killed two members of Islamic Jihad's military wing.
Israel launched multiple airstrikes on the Gaza Strip overnight Sunday, with no injuries reported, and 11 rockets have been fired from Gaza since Monday morning. One rocket struck a home in the city of Netivot at around 7 a.m., causing material damage.
Hamas took part in missile launches over the weekend but Monday's attack was claimed by the Shura Council of the Mujahedeen, a Salafi organization that rejects Hamas's authority.
Israel has been deploying its Iron Dome rocket interceptor, air raid sirens and blast shelters, but eight people have still been wounded by the salvos.
Egypt in the picture
A Palestinian official who declined to be named said Egypt had been trying to broker a ceasefire between Israel and Palestinian militants and that, although no formal truce was in place, Hamas understood the need for calm.
Israel has shown little appetite for a new Gaza war, which could strain relations with the new Islamist-rooted government in neighboring Egypt. The countries made peace in 1979.
But Netanyahu may be reluctant to seem weak ahead of a Jan. 22 election that opinion polls currently predict he will win.
The political adviser to Ismail Haniyeh, Gaza's prime minister, said he believed Egypt's new president, Mohammad Mursi, provided "a safety net" for the Palestinians.
"The president of the biggest neighboring Arab country (has) said: We will not allow a new war on Gaza, and Palestinian blood is our blood," Youssef Rizqa wrote in the pro-Hamas daily Felesteen.
Palestinian factions met on Monday in Gaza City to discuss Israeli attacks and threats of a wider operation in the enclave.
Hamas called the meeting to try and avoid further casualties after Israeli forces killed six Palestinians in Gaza since Saturday, said Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine leader Talal Abu Tharefa.
Abu Tharefa told Ma'an any truce with Israel must include an end to Israeli airstrikes and attacks, adding that the Palestinian resistance would retain the right to respond to Israeli aggression.
Top-selling Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth said Monday that the United States had given a green light for an Israeli operation in Gaza.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened foreign ambassadors in what appeared to be an attempt to pre-empt international censure should Israel, whose 2008-2009 Gaza offensive exacted a costly civilian toll, again go in hard.
Netanyahu briefed the envoys in Ashkelon, a port city within range of some Palestinian rockets. "None of their governments would accept a situation like this," he said.
Major escalation 'within hours'
Environment Minister Gilad Erdan, an influential member of Netanyahu's Likud party, said the briefing was meant to prepare world opinion for "what is about to happen," adding there might be a major Israeli escalation within a few hours.
"Hamas bears responsibility. The heads of Hamas should pay the price and not sleep at night. I expect to see not just a return to targeted killings, but also to very wide activity by (the army)," he told Israel Radio.
Netanyahu said a million Israelis - around one-eighth of the population - were in danger from rocket attacks.
Israeli tanks shelled Gaza City on Saturday killing four civilians and injuring at least 25. Israel's army said it was responding to a missile attack on an Israeli military jeep which injured four soldiers.
Gaza factions fired dozens of rockets into Israel in response to the deaths, and Israel launched an airstrike early Sunday which killed two members of Islamic Jihad's military wing.
Israel launched multiple airstrikes on the Gaza Strip overnight Sunday, with no injuries reported, and 11 rockets have been fired from Gaza since Monday morning. One rocket struck a home in the city of Netivot at around 7 a.m., causing material damage.
Hamas took part in missile launches over the weekend but Monday's attack was claimed by the Shura Council of the Mujahedeen, a Salafi organization that rejects Hamas's authority.
Israel has been deploying its Iron Dome rocket interceptor, air raid sirens and blast shelters, but eight people have still been wounded by the salvos.
Egypt in the picture
A Palestinian official who declined to be named said Egypt had been trying to broker a ceasefire between Israel and Palestinian militants and that, although no formal truce was in place, Hamas understood the need for calm.
Israel has shown little appetite for a new Gaza war, which could strain relations with the new Islamist-rooted government in neighboring Egypt. The countries made peace in 1979.
But Netanyahu may be reluctant to seem weak ahead of a Jan. 22 election that opinion polls currently predict he will win.
The political adviser to Ismail Haniyeh, Gaza's prime minister, said he believed Egypt's new president, Mohammad Mursi, provided "a safety net" for the Palestinians.
"The president of the biggest neighboring Arab country (has) said: We will not allow a new war on Gaza, and Palestinian blood is our blood," Youssef Rizqa wrote in the pro-Hamas daily Felesteen.
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Smoke rises from an elementary school in the Bedouin village of Bir Hadaj after police forces shot tear gas at students
With all eyes on Gaza, Israeli police forces shoot tear gas into an elementary school, wounding 29 and arresting 19 others after attempting to place eviction notices on several buildings in the Bir Hadaj village in the Negev.
Sometimes all a schoolteacher can do is hold up his cellphone and film children fleeing the playground, or being carried off by other teachers. Sleman Abu Laqia, of the village Bir Hadaj in southern Israel, found himself in this situation Monday morning. The schoolyard was supposed to serve as a safe zone for the children, while police stormed the village, giving out house demolition notices. It proved inadequate.
As things quieted down, Sleman collected the empty canisters, assembled them on a table beneath the sign reading “Bir Hadaj Elementary School” in Hebrew and Arabic, and took one more shot. It is this picture that appeared in my Facebook feed this morning, with a caption explaining that over twenty children were rushed to the hospital. I looked the story up in the Hebrew news sites. Haaretz – nothing. Ynet – nothing, NRG –zilch.
This only left one option: to travel down south and see for myself. Having boarded the train, I contacted Nadia Ben-Youssef of Adalah, The Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel, and was literally relieved to discover that she knew what I was talking about. A story this intense, which goes completely ignored by the media, can make one fear delusion.
With all eyes on Gaza, Israeli police forces shoot tear gas into an elementary school, wounding 29 and arresting 19 others after attempting to place eviction notices on several buildings in the Bir Hadaj village in the Negev.
Sometimes all a schoolteacher can do is hold up his cellphone and film children fleeing the playground, or being carried off by other teachers. Sleman Abu Laqia, of the village Bir Hadaj in southern Israel, found himself in this situation Monday morning. The schoolyard was supposed to serve as a safe zone for the children, while police stormed the village, giving out house demolition notices. It proved inadequate.
As things quieted down, Sleman collected the empty canisters, assembled them on a table beneath the sign reading “Bir Hadaj Elementary School” in Hebrew and Arabic, and took one more shot. It is this picture that appeared in my Facebook feed this morning, with a caption explaining that over twenty children were rushed to the hospital. I looked the story up in the Hebrew news sites. Haaretz – nothing. Ynet – nothing, NRG –zilch.
This only left one option: to travel down south and see for myself. Having boarded the train, I contacted Nadia Ben-Youssef of Adalah, The Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel, and was literally relieved to discover that she knew what I was talking about. A story this intense, which goes completely ignored by the media, can make one fear delusion.
Shells of tear gas and sound grenades that were gathered after being used against Bedouin school children in the Negev
Nadia gave me some background. Unlike most Bedouin communities around Be’er Sheva, Bir Hadaj is recognized by the state. It is nearly impossible, however, for residents to receive building permits, and natural growth of many families forces the residents to build illegally. Representatives of the Israel Land Authority came to the village on October 10 with eviction notices, preceding house demolition, and were chased away by a local mob. They returned the following day, reinforced by police, and posted the notices.
On October 18, the villagers declared a strike and demonstrated peacefully. Ten individuals were detained the day before, and later released without charge.
I arrived at the grand atrium of Be’er Sheva’s District Court, and met Salman Abu-Hammed, the head of the village’s council, with a few of its elders. Abu-Hammed told me that early in the morning, a large number of policemen surrounded the village, supported by two crowd dispersal trucks, a helicopter and between 20 and 30 vehicles. He claimed that eviction notices were posted at random, on houses built several decades ago, and said he suspects the entire event to be a provocation. “They came prepared to beat people up, to punish people for the previous confrontations. They also brought mista’arvim [policemen disguised as Bedouin] to cause provocation and stir the situation out of control.”
The forces moved into the town down its only paved road, the one that leads to the school, with the villagers attempting to block their stride along the way. “I hear the police saying that they stood 300 meters from the school,” says Sleman the teacher. “That is ridiculous. It is much more dangerous to shoot into a school yard from a distance, when you can’t see who’s there.” Fortunately, no child was hurt directly, but several were moved to Be’er Sheva’s Soroka Hospital following the incident in a state of shock, as were three adults allegedly hurt by rubber bullets.
The villagers told me that among the wounded was a pregnant woman.
Islamic Movement condemn the Israeli attack on Bir Hadaj
The Islamic Movement in the Negev, south of the occupied Palestinian territories, denounced the attack by the Israeli occupation authorities on Monday morning on the residents of the village of "Bir Hadaj" and considered it a violation that cannot be tolerated.
The Islamic movement called on "all the local and national frameworks to support the residents of Bir Hadaj, and take the necessary steps to respond to this criminal act, carried out by the Israeli establishment", pointing to the demolition of houses, the confiscation of lands and properties, the confrontations with the civilians and the intimidation and abuse of children."
The movement called for the formation of a neutral investigation Committee to investigate the injury of 30 students from a school in the targeted village, who were transferred to the hospital to receive treatment after they had suffered from suffocation during a police raid of their school.
It also demanded the release of detainees in Israeli jails.
Muslim worshippers run as tear gas fired by Israeli policemen
Nineteen of the village’s residents were taken into custody, and the village’s elders were waiting in the court for them to be brought before a judge. When a judge did arrive, I made a mistake, taking a photo with my iPhone, and was instantly taken outside.
This was of course my bad. I am not used to courtrooms and forgot about the restriction. Standing outside, I understood the absurdity of the situation: where were the journalists who typically cover such cases and are versed with the legal issues? Why was it left for an ignorant travel blogger like myself to cover this story alone? Where was the mainstream media?
I phoned a major media personality and asked him whether he had heard of the events. He did, and promised me he would look further into it. Later on, he texted me the following message: “29 children arrived at the (Soroka) hospital with concerns related to gas inhalation, they were examined and released. No pregnant woman was hurt or sent to the hospital. Masked youth attacked officials who brought eviction notices, burned a silo at Kibbutz Revivim and threw stones at moving vehicles. They were arrested.”
This was, of course, an abbreviation of the police spokesperson’s press release. The manner in which it was repeated attests in my eyes both to the laziness of the Israeli media in matters relating to the Arabic speaking public, and to our need to justify an unjust system. I was later told that the media was too busy covering the mounting tension in and around Gaza (which is likely why the operation took place specifically today), and found my train halted on the way back due to missile threats, but the problem seems to run far deeper. The official version calms us, and so we cling to it. It is also correct, in most cases, but leaves out much of the story. Just picture the press release and headline had this school been full of Jewish children – you get a much different picture.
UPDATE: As of 10:30 p.m., 5 members of the village, including one minor, were brought before a Be’er Sheva judge.
Nadia gave me some background. Unlike most Bedouin communities around Be’er Sheva, Bir Hadaj is recognized by the state. It is nearly impossible, however, for residents to receive building permits, and natural growth of many families forces the residents to build illegally. Representatives of the Israel Land Authority came to the village on October 10 with eviction notices, preceding house demolition, and were chased away by a local mob. They returned the following day, reinforced by police, and posted the notices.
On October 18, the villagers declared a strike and demonstrated peacefully. Ten individuals were detained the day before, and later released without charge.
I arrived at the grand atrium of Be’er Sheva’s District Court, and met Salman Abu-Hammed, the head of the village’s council, with a few of its elders. Abu-Hammed told me that early in the morning, a large number of policemen surrounded the village, supported by two crowd dispersal trucks, a helicopter and between 20 and 30 vehicles. He claimed that eviction notices were posted at random, on houses built several decades ago, and said he suspects the entire event to be a provocation. “They came prepared to beat people up, to punish people for the previous confrontations. They also brought mista’arvim [policemen disguised as Bedouin] to cause provocation and stir the situation out of control.”
The forces moved into the town down its only paved road, the one that leads to the school, with the villagers attempting to block their stride along the way. “I hear the police saying that they stood 300 meters from the school,” says Sleman the teacher. “That is ridiculous. It is much more dangerous to shoot into a school yard from a distance, when you can’t see who’s there.” Fortunately, no child was hurt directly, but several were moved to Be’er Sheva’s Soroka Hospital following the incident in a state of shock, as were three adults allegedly hurt by rubber bullets.
The villagers told me that among the wounded was a pregnant woman.
Islamic Movement condemn the Israeli attack on Bir Hadaj
The Islamic Movement in the Negev, south of the occupied Palestinian territories, denounced the attack by the Israeli occupation authorities on Monday morning on the residents of the village of "Bir Hadaj" and considered it a violation that cannot be tolerated.
The Islamic movement called on "all the local and national frameworks to support the residents of Bir Hadaj, and take the necessary steps to respond to this criminal act, carried out by the Israeli establishment", pointing to the demolition of houses, the confiscation of lands and properties, the confrontations with the civilians and the intimidation and abuse of children."
The movement called for the formation of a neutral investigation Committee to investigate the injury of 30 students from a school in the targeted village, who were transferred to the hospital to receive treatment after they had suffered from suffocation during a police raid of their school.
It also demanded the release of detainees in Israeli jails.
Muslim worshippers run as tear gas fired by Israeli policemen
Nineteen of the village’s residents were taken into custody, and the village’s elders were waiting in the court for them to be brought before a judge. When a judge did arrive, I made a mistake, taking a photo with my iPhone, and was instantly taken outside.
This was of course my bad. I am not used to courtrooms and forgot about the restriction. Standing outside, I understood the absurdity of the situation: where were the journalists who typically cover such cases and are versed with the legal issues? Why was it left for an ignorant travel blogger like myself to cover this story alone? Where was the mainstream media?
I phoned a major media personality and asked him whether he had heard of the events. He did, and promised me he would look further into it. Later on, he texted me the following message: “29 children arrived at the (Soroka) hospital with concerns related to gas inhalation, they were examined and released. No pregnant woman was hurt or sent to the hospital. Masked youth attacked officials who brought eviction notices, burned a silo at Kibbutz Revivim and threw stones at moving vehicles. They were arrested.”
This was, of course, an abbreviation of the police spokesperson’s press release. The manner in which it was repeated attests in my eyes both to the laziness of the Israeli media in matters relating to the Arabic speaking public, and to our need to justify an unjust system. I was later told that the media was too busy covering the mounting tension in and around Gaza (which is likely why the operation took place specifically today), and found my train halted on the way back due to missile threats, but the problem seems to run far deeper. The official version calms us, and so we cling to it. It is also correct, in most cases, but leaves out much of the story. Just picture the press release and headline had this school been full of Jewish children – you get a much different picture.
UPDATE: As of 10:30 p.m., 5 members of the village, including one minor, were brought before a Be’er Sheva judge.
An IDF soldier tripped on Monday evening during a patrol that took place near the community of Negohot, not far from Hevron.
The Ichud Hatzalah organization said that the soldier suffered an injury to his shoulder as a result of the fall and was taken to receive primary care in a nearby town. From there he will be taken to hospital.
sara_HR4All RT Reports of Israeli jets and Apache helicopters carrying out series of attacks
The whole Gaza Strip (from north down to the south) is getting bombed at the moment
The Ichud Hatzalah organization said that the soldier suffered an injury to his shoulder as a result of the fall and was taken to receive primary care in a nearby town. From there he will be taken to hospital.
sara_HR4All RT Reports of Israeli jets and Apache helicopters carrying out series of attacks
The whole Gaza Strip (from north down to the south) is getting bombed at the moment
The Palestinian ministry of foreign affairs sent an urgent appeal to some international organizations, most importantly, the UN, the organization of Islamic cooperation and the Arab League urging them to intervene to stop Israel's military aggression against Gaza people.
The foreign ministry briefed the different organizations in letters addressed to them on Israel's military escalation that has claimed the lives of more than 10 Palestinians so far.
It urged them to condemn Israel's attacks on Gaza and hold it accountable for its persistent violation of the international humanitarian law.
For their part, Palestinian lawmakers Yaser Mansour and Ahmed Attoun urged the Arab and Muslim peoples to assume their role in defending the Palestinians in Gaza against Israel's military aggression.
In a press statement, Mansour said the international community is an accomplice in Israel's crimes in Gaza as long as it does not move to save its people.
For his part, MP Attoun told Quds Press that the Israeli occupation regime wants to invest the Palestinian blood in Gaza for the sake of its internal electoral battles.
He added that senior Israeli leaders use the killing of civilians in Gaza as cheap electoral campaining for their upcoming Knesset election in the presence of international silence.
Ashton Concerned About the Latest Violence between Gaza and Israel
On Monday 12th November, the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the Commission, Catherine Ashton said in a statement, "I am very concerned by the latest escalation of violence between Gaza and Israel."
"I condemn the firing of rockets and mortars into Israel, and call on both sides to refrain from exacerbating the situation. Further regrettable loss of life and injury must be avoided," added Ashton
Ashton concluded, "I support the mediation efforts by Egypt and reiterate that there is no place for violence in the Middle East. It is only through resumed negotiations that the legitimate aspirations of both Palestinians and Israelis will be met, through a two-state solution."
Abu Zuhri: No agreement on calm
Dr. Sami Abu Zuhri, a Hamas spokesman, has said that there is no agreement on calm with the Israeli occupation forces in Gaza.
Abu Zuhri said in press statement on Monday that Palestinian resistance factions were committed to protecting their people and are monitoring Israeli actions and will act accordingly.
The spokesman said that the Arab follow up committee meeting in Cairo on Monday night should discuss means of checking the Israeli aggression on Gaza instead of the UN step of Mahmoud Abbas, the Fatah leader and PA chief.
He described Abbas’s step as unilateral, and added that no Palestinian faction was consulted beforehand.
Abbas plans to ask the UN to accept Palestine as a non-member state.
Abu Zuhri regretted at conclusion of his statement that Fatah was the only faction not in the field in Gaza to confront the Israeli aggression.
The foreign ministry briefed the different organizations in letters addressed to them on Israel's military escalation that has claimed the lives of more than 10 Palestinians so far.
It urged them to condemn Israel's attacks on Gaza and hold it accountable for its persistent violation of the international humanitarian law.
For their part, Palestinian lawmakers Yaser Mansour and Ahmed Attoun urged the Arab and Muslim peoples to assume their role in defending the Palestinians in Gaza against Israel's military aggression.
In a press statement, Mansour said the international community is an accomplice in Israel's crimes in Gaza as long as it does not move to save its people.
For his part, MP Attoun told Quds Press that the Israeli occupation regime wants to invest the Palestinian blood in Gaza for the sake of its internal electoral battles.
He added that senior Israeli leaders use the killing of civilians in Gaza as cheap electoral campaining for their upcoming Knesset election in the presence of international silence.
Ashton Concerned About the Latest Violence between Gaza and Israel
On Monday 12th November, the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the Commission, Catherine Ashton said in a statement, "I am very concerned by the latest escalation of violence between Gaza and Israel."
"I condemn the firing of rockets and mortars into Israel, and call on both sides to refrain from exacerbating the situation. Further regrettable loss of life and injury must be avoided," added Ashton
Ashton concluded, "I support the mediation efforts by Egypt and reiterate that there is no place for violence in the Middle East. It is only through resumed negotiations that the legitimate aspirations of both Palestinians and Israelis will be met, through a two-state solution."
Abu Zuhri: No agreement on calm
Dr. Sami Abu Zuhri, a Hamas spokesman, has said that there is no agreement on calm with the Israeli occupation forces in Gaza.
Abu Zuhri said in press statement on Monday that Palestinian resistance factions were committed to protecting their people and are monitoring Israeli actions and will act accordingly.
The spokesman said that the Arab follow up committee meeting in Cairo on Monday night should discuss means of checking the Israeli aggression on Gaza instead of the UN step of Mahmoud Abbas, the Fatah leader and PA chief.
He described Abbas’s step as unilateral, and added that no Palestinian faction was consulted beforehand.
Abbas plans to ask the UN to accept Palestine as a non-member state.
Abu Zuhri regretted at conclusion of his statement that Fatah was the only faction not in the field in Gaza to confront the Israeli aggression.
Israeli tanks struck a Syrian artillery launcher Monday after a stray mortar shell flew into Israel-held territory, the first direct clash between the neighbours since the Syrian uprising began nearly two years ago.
The confrontation fueled new fears that the Syrian civil war could drag Israel into the violence, a scenario with grave consequences for the region. The fighting has already spilled into Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey.
"We are closely monitoring what is happening and will respond appropriately. We will not allow our borders to be violated or our citizens to be fired upon," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday in a speech to foreign ambassadors.
While officials believe President Bashar Assad has no interest in picking a fight with Israel, they fear the embattled Syrian leader may try to draw Israel into the fighting in a bout of desperation. Israeli officials believe it is only a matter of time before Syrian rebels topple the longtime leader.
The conflict has already spilled over into several of Syria's other neighbours — whether in direct violence or in the flood of refugees fleeing the bloodshed. More than 36,000 Syrians have been killed in the fighting, according to estimates by anti-Assad activists.
On Monday, a Syrian fighter jet bombed a rebel-held area hugging the border with Turkey three times, killing 15 to 20 people, according to a Turkish official. Separately, eight wounded Syrians died in Turkey, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to brief the media.
Potential Israeli involvement in Syria could be far more explosive. The bitter enemies both possess air forces, tanks and significant arsenals of missiles and other weapons.
Although the Israeli military is more modern and powerful, Syria has a collection of chemical weapons that could wreak havoc if deployed. Fighting between the countries could also drag in Syria's close ally, the Lebanese guerrilla group Hezbollah, or Islamic militant groups in the Gaza Strip on Israel's southern flank.
Israeli political scientist Dore Gold, an informal adviser to Netanyahu, said neither Israel nor Syria has any interest in escalating the fighting.
"I see no indication of Assad wanting to draw Israel in. But if violence comes from the Syrian army, or even forces operating in Syria that are affiliated with al-Qaida, Israel has to do what is necessary to make sure there's no spillover into Israeli territory," he said.
He described Israel's reaction Monday as a "carefully calibrated response."
"On the one hand, it shows Israel's determination to protect its civilians, and at the same time, it indicates it doesn't want to get drawn in," he said.
Israel has warily watched the fighting in Syria for months, carefully trying to avoid any involvement. It has found itself in a difficult position as the fighting rages near the frontier with the Golan Heights, a strategic plateau it captured from Syria in 1967 and later annexed.
A number of mortar shells have landed in the Golan in the past week. Early this month, Syrian tanks accidentally crossed into a buffer zone along the frontier for the first time in nearly 40 years.
Israel responded for the first time Sunday, firing what it called a "warning shot" into Syria after a mortar shell landed near an Israeli military post. Israel also warned of a tougher response if the attacks persisted.
In Monday's incident, the military said it reported "direct hits" on a mobile artillery launcher after another shell struck the Golan. It would not say whether the launcher belonged to the Syrian army, saying only it had targeted the "source of fire."
The Israeli military believes the mortar fire is spillover from internal fighting in Syria and not aimed at Israel. But officials say they are beginning to question that assessment after repeated breaches of the frontier.
The incident began when Syrian military units were shelling gunmen in the twin Syrian villages of Bariqa and Bir Ajam, only several hundred meters (yards) from Israeli-held territory. An Associated Press photographer on the Golan side saw gunmen, presumably rebels, running as explosions shook the village from the shelling by Syrian army mobile artillery visible about a mile away (2 kilometres).
The rebels fired back with automatic weapons and then fled, running toward the Golan border and taking refuge under some trees. A few minutes later, the rebels made their way back to the village.
Bursts of artillery fire from the Syrian forces could be heard every few minutes, and about a half-hour later, the Syrian shell struck the Golan, making a loud whistling sound before impact less than 100 metres (yards) from an Israeli position. Israeli forces quickly opened fire, and a plume of smoke billowed from one of the tanks' guns.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based, anti-Assad group that relies on a network of activists on the ground in Syria, confirmed fighting in the area. It said three rebel fighters were killed Monday in clashes with the Syrian army in Bir Ajam.
The state-run news agency SANA has not reported on the fighting in the area or the clash with Israel.
Israel has little love for Assad, who has provided refuge and support to Israel's bitterest enemies through the years. But he and his father before him have kept the frontier quiet for nearly four decades, providing a rare source of stability in the volatile region.
Israel fears Assad may stage an attack if he fears his days are numbered. It also worries that Syria's chemical weapons could fall into the hands of Hezbollah or other anti-Israel militants. There also are concerns that al-Qaida-linked groups battling Assad could turn their focus toward Israel, or sectarian warfare might send refugees streaming into Israel.
The aftermath of Egypt's revolution has provided Israel with reason to worry about its frontier region with Syria: Egypt's Sinai desert on Israel's southern border has turned even more lawless since longtime Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak was ousted in February 2011. Islamic militants have frequently exploited the situation there to attack Israel.
The Golan frictions were a potent reminder of how easily the Syrian civil war could explode into a wider regional conflagration.
Syrian airstrikes on Ras al-Ayn, on the country's northern border, once again raised tensions with Turkey. Regime forces and rebels have been battling for days over the town, which is practically adjacent to the border.
Last week, Syrian rebels overran three security compounds in Ras al-Ayn and took control of the town, located in Syria's predominantly Kurdish, oil-producing northeastern province of al-Hasaka. A surge of 11,000 Syrians escaped into Turkey on Friday following the fighting at Ras al-Ayn.
Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, speaking to reporters in Rome, said Ankara had formally protested the bombings near the border, saying the attacks were endangering Turkey's security, state-run TRT television reported. He said Turkey had also reported the incident to NATO allies and to the U.N. Security Council.
Davutoglu said the bombings showed that the Syrian regime was attacking its people without making a distinction between "civilians or military units," according to TRT.
Israel returns fire as Syria shell lands in Golan Heights
A Syrian mortar shell landed in the Golan Heights on Monday as fighting from Syria spilled into the Israeli-occupied territory for the third time in five days, Israel's army said.
An Israeli army spokesman said Israeli forces fired tank shells after the mortar bomb exploded in a central area of the Golan Heights. Israeli military sources said Syrian mobile artillery was directly hit in the incident.
Military sources would not say if the mortar bomb was fired by Syrian army forces or by the rebels they are battling in and around the UN-patrolled area of separation.
On Sunday, Israel fired a guided missile into Syria in a potent "warning shot" after mortar fire from fighting between Syrian troops and rebels hit the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.
Israel Radio said it was the first direct engagement of the Syrian military on the Golan since the countries' 1973 war. It highlighted international fears that Syria's civil war could ignite wider regional conflict.
"The IDF has filed a complaint through the UN forces operating in the area, stating that fire emanating from Syria into Israel will not be tolerated and shall be responded to with severity," an army statement said.
Earlier Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak threatened to respond should stray Syrian ordnance continue to strike the Israeli-occupied Golan.
"The message has certainly been relayed. To tell you confidently that no shell will fall? I cannot. If a shell falls, we will respond," Barak told Israel's Army Radio, without elaborating.
A Syrian mortar bomb, one of a salvo, hit an Israeli settlement on the Golan on Thursday but did not explode.
Earlier this month, Israel complained to the United Nations after three Syrian tanks entered a Golan demilitarized zone. Israel also said a stray Syrian bullet hit one its army jeeps on patrol.
Syrian rebels fighting to topple President Bashar Assad have been fighting his army for months in towns inside and adjacent to the area of separation between Israel and Syria, along the disengagement line drawn at the end of their 1973 war.
Technically the countries are still at war, but the Golan, a strategic plateau Israel captured in 1967, has been largely quiet for decades.
The confrontation fueled new fears that the Syrian civil war could drag Israel into the violence, a scenario with grave consequences for the region. The fighting has already spilled into Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey.
"We are closely monitoring what is happening and will respond appropriately. We will not allow our borders to be violated or our citizens to be fired upon," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday in a speech to foreign ambassadors.
While officials believe President Bashar Assad has no interest in picking a fight with Israel, they fear the embattled Syrian leader may try to draw Israel into the fighting in a bout of desperation. Israeli officials believe it is only a matter of time before Syrian rebels topple the longtime leader.
The conflict has already spilled over into several of Syria's other neighbours — whether in direct violence or in the flood of refugees fleeing the bloodshed. More than 36,000 Syrians have been killed in the fighting, according to estimates by anti-Assad activists.
On Monday, a Syrian fighter jet bombed a rebel-held area hugging the border with Turkey three times, killing 15 to 20 people, according to a Turkish official. Separately, eight wounded Syrians died in Turkey, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to brief the media.
Potential Israeli involvement in Syria could be far more explosive. The bitter enemies both possess air forces, tanks and significant arsenals of missiles and other weapons.
Although the Israeli military is more modern and powerful, Syria has a collection of chemical weapons that could wreak havoc if deployed. Fighting between the countries could also drag in Syria's close ally, the Lebanese guerrilla group Hezbollah, or Islamic militant groups in the Gaza Strip on Israel's southern flank.
Israeli political scientist Dore Gold, an informal adviser to Netanyahu, said neither Israel nor Syria has any interest in escalating the fighting.
"I see no indication of Assad wanting to draw Israel in. But if violence comes from the Syrian army, or even forces operating in Syria that are affiliated with al-Qaida, Israel has to do what is necessary to make sure there's no spillover into Israeli territory," he said.
He described Israel's reaction Monday as a "carefully calibrated response."
"On the one hand, it shows Israel's determination to protect its civilians, and at the same time, it indicates it doesn't want to get drawn in," he said.
Israel has warily watched the fighting in Syria for months, carefully trying to avoid any involvement. It has found itself in a difficult position as the fighting rages near the frontier with the Golan Heights, a strategic plateau it captured from Syria in 1967 and later annexed.
A number of mortar shells have landed in the Golan in the past week. Early this month, Syrian tanks accidentally crossed into a buffer zone along the frontier for the first time in nearly 40 years.
Israel responded for the first time Sunday, firing what it called a "warning shot" into Syria after a mortar shell landed near an Israeli military post. Israel also warned of a tougher response if the attacks persisted.
In Monday's incident, the military said it reported "direct hits" on a mobile artillery launcher after another shell struck the Golan. It would not say whether the launcher belonged to the Syrian army, saying only it had targeted the "source of fire."
The Israeli military believes the mortar fire is spillover from internal fighting in Syria and not aimed at Israel. But officials say they are beginning to question that assessment after repeated breaches of the frontier.
The incident began when Syrian military units were shelling gunmen in the twin Syrian villages of Bariqa and Bir Ajam, only several hundred meters (yards) from Israeli-held territory. An Associated Press photographer on the Golan side saw gunmen, presumably rebels, running as explosions shook the village from the shelling by Syrian army mobile artillery visible about a mile away (2 kilometres).
The rebels fired back with automatic weapons and then fled, running toward the Golan border and taking refuge under some trees. A few minutes later, the rebels made their way back to the village.
Bursts of artillery fire from the Syrian forces could be heard every few minutes, and about a half-hour later, the Syrian shell struck the Golan, making a loud whistling sound before impact less than 100 metres (yards) from an Israeli position. Israeli forces quickly opened fire, and a plume of smoke billowed from one of the tanks' guns.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based, anti-Assad group that relies on a network of activists on the ground in Syria, confirmed fighting in the area. It said three rebel fighters were killed Monday in clashes with the Syrian army in Bir Ajam.
The state-run news agency SANA has not reported on the fighting in the area or the clash with Israel.
Israel has little love for Assad, who has provided refuge and support to Israel's bitterest enemies through the years. But he and his father before him have kept the frontier quiet for nearly four decades, providing a rare source of stability in the volatile region.
Israel fears Assad may stage an attack if he fears his days are numbered. It also worries that Syria's chemical weapons could fall into the hands of Hezbollah or other anti-Israel militants. There also are concerns that al-Qaida-linked groups battling Assad could turn their focus toward Israel, or sectarian warfare might send refugees streaming into Israel.
The aftermath of Egypt's revolution has provided Israel with reason to worry about its frontier region with Syria: Egypt's Sinai desert on Israel's southern border has turned even more lawless since longtime Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak was ousted in February 2011. Islamic militants have frequently exploited the situation there to attack Israel.
The Golan frictions were a potent reminder of how easily the Syrian civil war could explode into a wider regional conflagration.
Syrian airstrikes on Ras al-Ayn, on the country's northern border, once again raised tensions with Turkey. Regime forces and rebels have been battling for days over the town, which is practically adjacent to the border.
Last week, Syrian rebels overran three security compounds in Ras al-Ayn and took control of the town, located in Syria's predominantly Kurdish, oil-producing northeastern province of al-Hasaka. A surge of 11,000 Syrians escaped into Turkey on Friday following the fighting at Ras al-Ayn.
Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, speaking to reporters in Rome, said Ankara had formally protested the bombings near the border, saying the attacks were endangering Turkey's security, state-run TRT television reported. He said Turkey had also reported the incident to NATO allies and to the U.N. Security Council.
Davutoglu said the bombings showed that the Syrian regime was attacking its people without making a distinction between "civilians or military units," according to TRT.
Israel returns fire as Syria shell lands in Golan Heights
A Syrian mortar shell landed in the Golan Heights on Monday as fighting from Syria spilled into the Israeli-occupied territory for the third time in five days, Israel's army said.
An Israeli army spokesman said Israeli forces fired tank shells after the mortar bomb exploded in a central area of the Golan Heights. Israeli military sources said Syrian mobile artillery was directly hit in the incident.
Military sources would not say if the mortar bomb was fired by Syrian army forces or by the rebels they are battling in and around the UN-patrolled area of separation.
On Sunday, Israel fired a guided missile into Syria in a potent "warning shot" after mortar fire from fighting between Syrian troops and rebels hit the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.
Israel Radio said it was the first direct engagement of the Syrian military on the Golan since the countries' 1973 war. It highlighted international fears that Syria's civil war could ignite wider regional conflict.
"The IDF has filed a complaint through the UN forces operating in the area, stating that fire emanating from Syria into Israel will not be tolerated and shall be responded to with severity," an army statement said.
Earlier Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak threatened to respond should stray Syrian ordnance continue to strike the Israeli-occupied Golan.
"The message has certainly been relayed. To tell you confidently that no shell will fall? I cannot. If a shell falls, we will respond," Barak told Israel's Army Radio, without elaborating.
A Syrian mortar bomb, one of a salvo, hit an Israeli settlement on the Golan on Thursday but did not explode.
Earlier this month, Israel complained to the United Nations after three Syrian tanks entered a Golan demilitarized zone. Israel also said a stray Syrian bullet hit one its army jeeps on patrol.
Syrian rebels fighting to topple President Bashar Assad have been fighting his army for months in towns inside and adjacent to the area of separation between Israel and Syria, along the disengagement line drawn at the end of their 1973 war.
Technically the countries are still at war, but the Golan, a strategic plateau Israel captured in 1967, has been largely quiet for decades.
Israel has again attacked Gaza. In its aerial and ground assault that began on Saturday, November 10th, at least 7 Palestinians have been killed, 5 of them civilians, 3 of whom were children. Up to 52 others, including 6 women and 12 children, have been wounded.
As in every vicious military offensive Israel carries out in Gaza, the dominant narrative is that it is a response to rocket fire from Gaza into southern Israel. This is how it’s being reported in the US, and this is how virtually every American understands it.
And it’s a lie.
It’s true that on Saturday, prior to the expanded Israeli bombardment, the military wing of the Popular Front For the Liberation of Palestine shot an anti-tank missile at an Israeli Defense Forces vehicle near the Gaza border, wounding four Israeli soldiers. But what prompted the firing of the anti-tank missile?
First, on Monday, November 5th, Israeli forces shot and killed 23 year old Ahmad Nabhani when he “approached the border fence with Israel.” According to at least one account, Nabhani was mentally challenged.
Then, on Thursday, November 8th, the Israeli Occupation Forces – eight tanks and four bulldozers, to be exact – invaded southern Gaza, shooting and killing a 13-year old boy. Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (via):
According to investigations conducted by PCHR, at approximately 16:30 on Thursday, as a result of the indiscriminate shooting by IOF military vehicles that had moved into the ‘Abassan village, 13-year-old Ahmed Younis Khader Abu Daqqa was seriously wounded by a bullet to the abdomen. At the time he was shot, Ahmed had been playing football with his friends in front of his family’s house, located nearly 1,200 meters away from the area where the IOF were present.
So, even if honest observers brush to the side the cruel and inhumane Israeli blockade on Gaza and refuse to let it influence the equation of exactly which side started this flare up of violence, it is clear Israel started this latest clash. And in response to the response, Israel has waged a harsh, disproportionate military assault.
This would be a simple thing to understand if, for example, Western media bothered to ask the other side what happened. Palestinian news media immediately reported that the anti-tank missile Israel was supposedly responding to was admitted to by the Popular Resistance Committees, who described it as “revenge” for preceding Israeli violence on Gaza. But that basic task of honest journalism is apparently out of the question.
Every single Israeli incursion or attack on Gaza is accompanied by the same narrative: Israel fairly responded to unprovoked Palestinian rocket fire. The last major war on Gaza, Operation Cast Lead in December ’08-January ’09, also carried this narrative. Israel committed war crimes in that one-sided conflict, targeting and killing hundreds of civilians, using indiscriminate weapons, and intentionally destroying civilian infrastructure. It has become an accepted fact – even among critics of Israel – that the offensive was a response to Hamas rocket fire. The rocket fire did indeed occur immediately before the assault, but it was in response to Israel’s breaking of the six-month cease-fire, which even Israeli officials in WikiLeaks cables admitted Hamas had kept to.
As in every vicious military offensive Israel carries out in Gaza, the dominant narrative is that it is a response to rocket fire from Gaza into southern Israel. This is how it’s being reported in the US, and this is how virtually every American understands it.
And it’s a lie.
It’s true that on Saturday, prior to the expanded Israeli bombardment, the military wing of the Popular Front For the Liberation of Palestine shot an anti-tank missile at an Israeli Defense Forces vehicle near the Gaza border, wounding four Israeli soldiers. But what prompted the firing of the anti-tank missile?
First, on Monday, November 5th, Israeli forces shot and killed 23 year old Ahmad Nabhani when he “approached the border fence with Israel.” According to at least one account, Nabhani was mentally challenged.
Then, on Thursday, November 8th, the Israeli Occupation Forces – eight tanks and four bulldozers, to be exact – invaded southern Gaza, shooting and killing a 13-year old boy. Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (via):
According to investigations conducted by PCHR, at approximately 16:30 on Thursday, as a result of the indiscriminate shooting by IOF military vehicles that had moved into the ‘Abassan village, 13-year-old Ahmed Younis Khader Abu Daqqa was seriously wounded by a bullet to the abdomen. At the time he was shot, Ahmed had been playing football with his friends in front of his family’s house, located nearly 1,200 meters away from the area where the IOF were present.
So, even if honest observers brush to the side the cruel and inhumane Israeli blockade on Gaza and refuse to let it influence the equation of exactly which side started this flare up of violence, it is clear Israel started this latest clash. And in response to the response, Israel has waged a harsh, disproportionate military assault.
This would be a simple thing to understand if, for example, Western media bothered to ask the other side what happened. Palestinian news media immediately reported that the anti-tank missile Israel was supposedly responding to was admitted to by the Popular Resistance Committees, who described it as “revenge” for preceding Israeli violence on Gaza. But that basic task of honest journalism is apparently out of the question.
Every single Israeli incursion or attack on Gaza is accompanied by the same narrative: Israel fairly responded to unprovoked Palestinian rocket fire. The last major war on Gaza, Operation Cast Lead in December ’08-January ’09, also carried this narrative. Israel committed war crimes in that one-sided conflict, targeting and killing hundreds of civilians, using indiscriminate weapons, and intentionally destroying civilian infrastructure. It has become an accepted fact – even among critics of Israel – that the offensive was a response to Hamas rocket fire. The rocket fire did indeed occur immediately before the assault, but it was in response to Israel’s breaking of the six-month cease-fire, which even Israeli officials in WikiLeaks cables admitted Hamas had kept to.
Israel launched multiple airstrikes on the Gaza Strip overnight Sunday, with no injuries reported, Ma'an's correspondent and the Israeli army said.
Fighter jets targeted two open areas in the northern Gaza Strip and a third strike landed in another open area near Rafah, Ma'an's reporter said.
Israel's army said it targeted "a terror tunnel and a weapon storage facility in the northern Gaza Strip, as well as a launching site in the southern Gaza Strip," in response to rocket fire.
An Israeli army spokeswoman said one rocket had been fired overnight, with no injuries reported. The rocket struck a home in the town of Netivot, causing material damage.
Islamist militant faction the Shura Council of Mujahideen claimed responsibility for the rocket, with Israeli officials warning of a tough response.
"We have a full box of tools ... that we have not yet used," Israeli Vice Prime Minister Moshe Yaalon told Army Radio. "We will need to toughen our response until Hamas says 'enough' and ends the fire."
Cross border escalation
The latest airstrikes come after a 24 hour period of escalating violence along the Gaza border.
On Saturday, Israel shelled the Gaza Strip killing four civilians and injuring at least 25. Israel's army said it was responding to a missile attack on an Israeli military jeep which injured four soldiers.
Gaza factions fired dozens of rockets into Israel in response to the deaths, with Israel launching an airstrike early Sunday which killed two members of Islamic Jihad's military wing.
Two workers were wounded later when a plastics factory in northern Gaza Strip caught fire after it was hit by an Israeli tank shell, emergency workers said.
An Israeli army spokeswoman said that nearly 70 rockets had been fired into Israel since midnight on Saturday, injuring four Israelis.
Ceasefire efforts
Israeli media reported Sunday that Egypt was mediating ceasefire efforts among Gaza factions, with Egyptian Ambassador to the Palestinian Authority Yasser Othman saying that the country was "making considerable efforts to stop the escalation and establish a lull," Ynet said.
Both Islamic Jihad and the PFLP responded with statements denying that they had agreed to a ceasefire.
The PRC's military wing, the Nasser Saladin Brigades, later released a statement reasserting that a ceasefire had not been reached and that the group would continue with its "retaliation toll" campaign against Israeli forces.
A Palestinian official with knowledge of the contacts told Reuters that "Nothing has yet been formalized. Israel and Hamas kept their old positions. Calm will be met with calm and escalation with escalation."
Israeli regime launches new airstrikes on Gaza Strip
Israeli warplanes have carried out several airstrikes over the Gaza Strip amid the Tel Aviv regime’s escalation of aggression against the besieged Palestinian territory.
The attacks targeted several spots in northern Gaza during the early hours of Monday.
There were no immediate reports on possible casualties.
Six Palestinians have been killed and scores more injured in Israeli attacks on Gaza since November 10. Some of the wounded are in critical condition.
On Sunday, Israeli Minister for Military Affairs Ehud Barak warned that Tel Aviv was ready to launch further air and ground attacks against Palestinians.
Barak said the Israeli military has been “evaluating the host of options… for harsher responses” against Palestinians in Gaza.
Meanwhile, four Israeli troops were wounded in a rocket attack on Saturday. Palestinian fighters fired home-made rockets into Israel in retaliation for the Israeli attacks.
The Israeli military frequently carries out airstrikes and other attacks on Gaza, claiming they are being conducted for defensive purposes. However, disproportionate force is always used, in violation of international law, and civilians are often killed or injured.
Gaza has been blockaded since 2007, a situation that has caused a decline in the standard of living, unprecedented levels of unemployment, and unrelenting poverty.
Fighter jets targeted two open areas in the northern Gaza Strip and a third strike landed in another open area near Rafah, Ma'an's reporter said.
Israel's army said it targeted "a terror tunnel and a weapon storage facility in the northern Gaza Strip, as well as a launching site in the southern Gaza Strip," in response to rocket fire.
An Israeli army spokeswoman said one rocket had been fired overnight, with no injuries reported. The rocket struck a home in the town of Netivot, causing material damage.
Islamist militant faction the Shura Council of Mujahideen claimed responsibility for the rocket, with Israeli officials warning of a tough response.
"We have a full box of tools ... that we have not yet used," Israeli Vice Prime Minister Moshe Yaalon told Army Radio. "We will need to toughen our response until Hamas says 'enough' and ends the fire."
Cross border escalation
The latest airstrikes come after a 24 hour period of escalating violence along the Gaza border.
On Saturday, Israel shelled the Gaza Strip killing four civilians and injuring at least 25. Israel's army said it was responding to a missile attack on an Israeli military jeep which injured four soldiers.
Gaza factions fired dozens of rockets into Israel in response to the deaths, with Israel launching an airstrike early Sunday which killed two members of Islamic Jihad's military wing.
Two workers were wounded later when a plastics factory in northern Gaza Strip caught fire after it was hit by an Israeli tank shell, emergency workers said.
An Israeli army spokeswoman said that nearly 70 rockets had been fired into Israel since midnight on Saturday, injuring four Israelis.
Ceasefire efforts
Israeli media reported Sunday that Egypt was mediating ceasefire efforts among Gaza factions, with Egyptian Ambassador to the Palestinian Authority Yasser Othman saying that the country was "making considerable efforts to stop the escalation and establish a lull," Ynet said.
Both Islamic Jihad and the PFLP responded with statements denying that they had agreed to a ceasefire.
The PRC's military wing, the Nasser Saladin Brigades, later released a statement reasserting that a ceasefire had not been reached and that the group would continue with its "retaliation toll" campaign against Israeli forces.
A Palestinian official with knowledge of the contacts told Reuters that "Nothing has yet been formalized. Israel and Hamas kept their old positions. Calm will be met with calm and escalation with escalation."
Israeli regime launches new airstrikes on Gaza Strip
Israeli warplanes have carried out several airstrikes over the Gaza Strip amid the Tel Aviv regime’s escalation of aggression against the besieged Palestinian territory.
The attacks targeted several spots in northern Gaza during the early hours of Monday.
There were no immediate reports on possible casualties.
Six Palestinians have been killed and scores more injured in Israeli attacks on Gaza since November 10. Some of the wounded are in critical condition.
On Sunday, Israeli Minister for Military Affairs Ehud Barak warned that Tel Aviv was ready to launch further air and ground attacks against Palestinians.
Barak said the Israeli military has been “evaluating the host of options… for harsher responses” against Palestinians in Gaza.
Meanwhile, four Israeli troops were wounded in a rocket attack on Saturday. Palestinian fighters fired home-made rockets into Israel in retaliation for the Israeli attacks.
The Israeli military frequently carries out airstrikes and other attacks on Gaza, claiming they are being conducted for defensive purposes. However, disproportionate force is always used, in violation of international law, and civilians are often killed or injured.
Gaza has been blockaded since 2007, a situation that has caused a decline in the standard of living, unprecedented levels of unemployment, and unrelenting poverty.
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Amos Harel and Avi Issacharoff explain the pressure on Netanyahu ahead of January's election to respond more forcefully to rocket fire from Gaza, and Israel's desire to avoid a ground operation a la Cast Lead.
Sunday was another grueling day for Negev residents as dozens of missiles and mortar shells rained down from the Gaza Strip, leaving three people with shrapnel wounds and forcing hundreds of thousands into their protected spaces. The Israel Air Force killed two Islamic Jihad activists in a retaliatory strike, but the escalation in the south is increasing the pressure on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to intensify Israel's military response. On top of this, tension on the border with Syria is growing: |
Sderot factory that was hit by a rocket fired from the Gaza Strip by Palestinian militants on Nov. 11, 2012
The IDF fired a warning missile into the Syrian-controlled area of the Golan Heights on Sunday, after several instances in which the fighting in Syria's civil war had inadvertently spilled over into Israeli territory.
Gaza, however, remains the main problem for Netanyahu.
The more intensely the southern residents protest what they see as the government's abandonment of their security,
the more seriously he will have to consider taking tougher measures, with a resumption of targeted killings the most likely possibilit.
Netanyahu, who is preparing for January's election, is already being attacked in the political arena for not responding more forcefully. But he knows that his range of options against Hamas is limited. Israel is at this stage trying to avoid a ground operation a la Cast Lead. One reason is that the diplomatic reality now is far different than it was when that offensive was launched in 2008: Israel fears a direct confrontation with the new regime in Egypt and it knows that neither the United States nor Europe will be as tolerant of a large-scale military operation this time around.
There was no evidence Sunday along the Gaza border that the IDF was making any special preparations for an operation. Assassinations don't require very much preparation, though. All that's needed is a decision, but that, too, is a gamble, because it's hard to know how Hamas would react to such an initiative. Right now Hamas is looking pretty sure of itself. Its leaders didn't hesitate to take responsibility for some of the attacks over this past week, in a way that Israel saw as particularly provocative.
Once again there were reports yesterday of Egyptian efforts to bring about a cease-fire. This has turned into a ritual, one that usual succeeds in bringing about a gradual and temporary lull. Even so, Hamas doesn't seem to be particularly impressed by Israel's threats. It hasn't made an effort to rein in the other factions, and its own men are even taking an active part in launching missiles. Hamas' justification is that, according to Palestinian sources, five of the seven most recent casualties of IDF fire in Gaza have been civilians, among them two children.
Palestinian analysts in Gaza estimated yesterday that this round would end shortly if there were no more deaths on either side. Gazans believe that Hamas' major challenge in maintaining restraint is not the Islamic Jihad, but Salafist extremists who entered Gaza through the tunnels from Sinai. On this point Hamas has no one to blame but itself. Since it controls the smuggling tunnels and did not object to the entry of Sinai extremists, it shouldn't be surprised if it has trouble controlling rocket fire against Israel.
Large Scale Israeli Offensive On Gaza Likely
Israeli daily, Haaretz, reported that the office of Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, is preparing the international public opinion for a large-scale military offensive against the Gaza Strip, adding that it seems that Netanyahu has already decided to conduct a large ground offensive against the coastal region.
Haaretz stated that ministers of the Likud party of Netanyahu are competing on who will utter harsher threats against the Hamas movement in Gaza, adding that it does not seem that Netanyahu is enthusiastic about an opportunity to launch an offensive against Gaza.
But the paper also stated that, during a press briefing Sunday, a source at the office of Netanyahu said that the Prime Minister is launching a propaganda campaign among the international community to prepare international public opinion for a large scale Israeli offensive against coastal strip.
Haaretz said that the current situation Netanyahu is facing is that he is facing public criticism in the country regarding the failure to stop Palestinian fighters from firing shells into Israel, but at the same time is not getting international support to launch a larger war on Gaza.
Therefore, Israel wants to “prepare the international public opinion for this war” in order to avoid harsh criticism, especially since the Israeli Prime Minister realizes that such a war will not receive international legitimacy, and could even manifest harsh diplomatic consequences.
Haaretz also said that, as Israel approaches general elections, Likud ministers are voicing harsh criticisms of Hamas, while ministers Yisrael Katz, Moshe Ya’alon, and Yuli Edelstein are not only calling for a large-scale offensive on Gaza, but are also calling for renewing the extrajudicial targeted assassinations of Hamas’s political leaders.
Netanyahu is also steering a campaign against Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas, in order to discredit him ahead of his plan to apply, by the end of this month, for an observer Palestinian status at the United Nations.
Netanyahu will be addressing the International Community telling it that “Abbas, who claims to represent the entire Palestinian nation, has no control on the situation in Gaza”.
It is worth mentioning that, since Saturday evening, Israel killed seven Palestinians, and wounded dozens of residents in its recent military escalation against the Gaza Strip. Several Israelis were also wounded by Palestinian shells.
But Israel is now trying to win in international public opinion to conduct a large-scaled military offensive against the coastal region, including larger ground invasions.
The IDF fired a warning missile into the Syrian-controlled area of the Golan Heights on Sunday, after several instances in which the fighting in Syria's civil war had inadvertently spilled over into Israeli territory.
Gaza, however, remains the main problem for Netanyahu.
The more intensely the southern residents protest what they see as the government's abandonment of their security,
the more seriously he will have to consider taking tougher measures, with a resumption of targeted killings the most likely possibilit.
Netanyahu, who is preparing for January's election, is already being attacked in the political arena for not responding more forcefully. But he knows that his range of options against Hamas is limited. Israel is at this stage trying to avoid a ground operation a la Cast Lead. One reason is that the diplomatic reality now is far different than it was when that offensive was launched in 2008: Israel fears a direct confrontation with the new regime in Egypt and it knows that neither the United States nor Europe will be as tolerant of a large-scale military operation this time around.
There was no evidence Sunday along the Gaza border that the IDF was making any special preparations for an operation. Assassinations don't require very much preparation, though. All that's needed is a decision, but that, too, is a gamble, because it's hard to know how Hamas would react to such an initiative. Right now Hamas is looking pretty sure of itself. Its leaders didn't hesitate to take responsibility for some of the attacks over this past week, in a way that Israel saw as particularly provocative.
Once again there were reports yesterday of Egyptian efforts to bring about a cease-fire. This has turned into a ritual, one that usual succeeds in bringing about a gradual and temporary lull. Even so, Hamas doesn't seem to be particularly impressed by Israel's threats. It hasn't made an effort to rein in the other factions, and its own men are even taking an active part in launching missiles. Hamas' justification is that, according to Palestinian sources, five of the seven most recent casualties of IDF fire in Gaza have been civilians, among them two children.
Palestinian analysts in Gaza estimated yesterday that this round would end shortly if there were no more deaths on either side. Gazans believe that Hamas' major challenge in maintaining restraint is not the Islamic Jihad, but Salafist extremists who entered Gaza through the tunnels from Sinai. On this point Hamas has no one to blame but itself. Since it controls the smuggling tunnels and did not object to the entry of Sinai extremists, it shouldn't be surprised if it has trouble controlling rocket fire against Israel.
Large Scale Israeli Offensive On Gaza Likely
Israeli daily, Haaretz, reported that the office of Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, is preparing the international public opinion for a large-scale military offensive against the Gaza Strip, adding that it seems that Netanyahu has already decided to conduct a large ground offensive against the coastal region.
Haaretz stated that ministers of the Likud party of Netanyahu are competing on who will utter harsher threats against the Hamas movement in Gaza, adding that it does not seem that Netanyahu is enthusiastic about an opportunity to launch an offensive against Gaza.
But the paper also stated that, during a press briefing Sunday, a source at the office of Netanyahu said that the Prime Minister is launching a propaganda campaign among the international community to prepare international public opinion for a large scale Israeli offensive against coastal strip.
Haaretz said that the current situation Netanyahu is facing is that he is facing public criticism in the country regarding the failure to stop Palestinian fighters from firing shells into Israel, but at the same time is not getting international support to launch a larger war on Gaza.
Therefore, Israel wants to “prepare the international public opinion for this war” in order to avoid harsh criticism, especially since the Israeli Prime Minister realizes that such a war will not receive international legitimacy, and could even manifest harsh diplomatic consequences.
Haaretz also said that, as Israel approaches general elections, Likud ministers are voicing harsh criticisms of Hamas, while ministers Yisrael Katz, Moshe Ya’alon, and Yuli Edelstein are not only calling for a large-scale offensive on Gaza, but are also calling for renewing the extrajudicial targeted assassinations of Hamas’s political leaders.
Netanyahu is also steering a campaign against Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas, in order to discredit him ahead of his plan to apply, by the end of this month, for an observer Palestinian status at the United Nations.
Netanyahu will be addressing the International Community telling it that “Abbas, who claims to represent the entire Palestinian nation, has no control on the situation in Gaza”.
It is worth mentioning that, since Saturday evening, Israel killed seven Palestinians, and wounded dozens of residents in its recent military escalation against the Gaza Strip. Several Israelis were also wounded by Palestinian shells.
But Israel is now trying to win in international public opinion to conduct a large-scaled military offensive against the coastal region, including larger ground invasions.
11 nov 2012
Israeli forces fired "warning shots" into Syria on Sunday after stray mortar fire from fighting between Syrian forces and rebels hit the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, Israel's military said.
A statement said soldiers fired warning shots toward Syrian areas after a mortar shell hit an army post in the Golan Heights adjacent to the Israel-Syria border.
"The IDF has filed a complaint through the UN forces operating in the area, stating that fire emanating from Syria into Israel will not be tolerated and shall be responded to with severity," it said.
There were no reports of injury or damage.
Earlier Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak threatened to respond should stray Syrian ordnance continue to strike the Israeli-occupied Golan.
"The message has certainly been relayed. To tell you confidently that no shell will fall? I cannot. If a shell falls, we will respond," Barak told Israel's Army Radio, without elaborating.
A Syrian mortar bomb, one of a salvo, hit an Israeli settlement on the Golan on Thursday but did not explode. Earlier this month, Israel complained to the United Nations after three Syrian tanks entered a Golan demilitarized zone. Israel also said a stray Syrian bullet hit one its army jeeps on patrol.
Israel has tried to stay out of the 19-month-old Syrian insurgency, reluctant to be drawn into another war and unclear about whether a post-Assad Syria might prove more hostile.
But Barak said on Thursday he hoped the rebels would win, Assad would fall and that "a new stage in the life of Syria will begin".
Israel's military chief, Lt-Gen. Benny Gantz, warned troops on the Golan Heights a week ago: "This is a Syrian issue that could become our issue."
Other attacks today
Palestinian youth hospitalized after Jewish settlers throw rocks on him
Broad evacuations in the Jordan Valley with the start of military maneuvers
IOF launches arrest campaign in Shufat
IOA prevents a liberated prisoner's mother from travelling
IOA closes Karm Abu Salem crossing
A statement said soldiers fired warning shots toward Syrian areas after a mortar shell hit an army post in the Golan Heights adjacent to the Israel-Syria border.
"The IDF has filed a complaint through the UN forces operating in the area, stating that fire emanating from Syria into Israel will not be tolerated and shall be responded to with severity," it said.
There were no reports of injury or damage.
Earlier Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak threatened to respond should stray Syrian ordnance continue to strike the Israeli-occupied Golan.
"The message has certainly been relayed. To tell you confidently that no shell will fall? I cannot. If a shell falls, we will respond," Barak told Israel's Army Radio, without elaborating.
A Syrian mortar bomb, one of a salvo, hit an Israeli settlement on the Golan on Thursday but did not explode. Earlier this month, Israel complained to the United Nations after three Syrian tanks entered a Golan demilitarized zone. Israel also said a stray Syrian bullet hit one its army jeeps on patrol.
Israel has tried to stay out of the 19-month-old Syrian insurgency, reluctant to be drawn into another war and unclear about whether a post-Assad Syria might prove more hostile.
But Barak said on Thursday he hoped the rebels would win, Assad would fall and that "a new stage in the life of Syria will begin".
Israel's military chief, Lt-Gen. Benny Gantz, warned troops on the Golan Heights a week ago: "This is a Syrian issue that could become our issue."
Other attacks today
Palestinian youth hospitalized after Jewish settlers throw rocks on him
Broad evacuations in the Jordan Valley with the start of military maneuvers
IOF launches arrest campaign in Shufat
IOA prevents a liberated prisoner's mother from travelling
IOA closes Karm Abu Salem crossing
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A Palestinian fighter of the Al-Quds Brigades, the armed wing of the Islamic Jihad, was killed on Sunday at dawn when the Israeli army fired a shell at an area in northern Gaza.
The fighter’s assassination brings the number of Palestinians killed since Saturday evening to six, including two children; dozens of residents were injured. Medial sources identified the slain fighter as Mohammad Obeid, 20, and added that several residents were injured in the attack. The Al-Quds Brigades confirmed the death of its fighter, and said that four other |
fighters were wounded, one seriously, after they were targeted by Israeli army shells near Al-Karama Towers, northwest of Gaza City.
Furthermore, one resident was wounded when the army bombarded a land in the Az-Zeitoun neighborhood in Gaza City. An Israeli drone also fired a missile at a land near the Jabalia club, in northern Gaza, but the missile did not explode after impact.Fires also broke out at a Brick Factory in At-Tuffah neighborhood west of Gaza City, after the army fired two tank shells at it; excessive damage was reported, no injuries.
The soldiers further fired three missiles at a land next to a training center that belongs to the Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, in Tal Al-Sultan neighborhood, west of Rafah, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip, excessive damage was reported but no injuries. It is worth mentioning that five Palestinians were killed, on Saturday evening, and at least thirty residents were wounded, in Israeli attacks targeting the coastal region.
Medical sources identified the slain residents as Ahmad Ad-Dardasawy, 18, Mohammad Harara, 17, his brother Ahmad, 15, and Matar Abu Al-Ata, 20, while at least 30 residents were injured when the army fired artillery shells targeting Al-Mintar Hill, east of Gaza city, and Al-Hawouz in Khan Younis.
The sources added that several wounded residents lost limbs.
Armed resistance groups in Gaza vowed retaliation and fired several shells at the invading soldiers, and at Israeli areas across the border with Gaza.
Israeli sources reported that shells fired from Gaza also hit the Negev town of Sderot; shells were also fired into Shaar Hanagev and Hoff Ashkelon areas mildly wounding four Israelis; two were injured by shrapnel in Sderot, and Sapir College, Israeli Ynet News reported.
Furthermore, two Israeli soldiers suffered moderate injuries after their vehicle was targeted by a Palestinian shell near the Karni Crossing.
Israeli airstrike kills one Palestinian in Gaza Strip
A Palestinian has been killed in an Israeli airstrike on the Gaza Strip, as the wave of aggression on the besieged territory continues unabated.
The airborne attack took place late on Saturday and injured several others, Reuters reported.
Earlier in the day, Israeli tank fire killed four Palestinians and wounded 25 in the Gaza Strip.
The Israeli military frequently carries out airstrikes and other attacks on the Gaza Strip, saying the actions are being conducted for defensive purposes. However, disproportionate force is always used, in violation of international law, and civilians are often killed or injured.
Gaza has been blockaded since 2007, a situation that has caused a decline in the standard of living, unprecedented levels of unemployment, and unrelenting poverty.
The apartheid regime of Israel denies about 1.7 million people in Gaza their basic rights, such as freedom of movement, jobs that pay proper wages, and adequate healthcare and education.
Furthermore, one resident was wounded when the army bombarded a land in the Az-Zeitoun neighborhood in Gaza City. An Israeli drone also fired a missile at a land near the Jabalia club, in northern Gaza, but the missile did not explode after impact.Fires also broke out at a Brick Factory in At-Tuffah neighborhood west of Gaza City, after the army fired two tank shells at it; excessive damage was reported, no injuries.
The soldiers further fired three missiles at a land next to a training center that belongs to the Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, in Tal Al-Sultan neighborhood, west of Rafah, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip, excessive damage was reported but no injuries. It is worth mentioning that five Palestinians were killed, on Saturday evening, and at least thirty residents were wounded, in Israeli attacks targeting the coastal region.
Medical sources identified the slain residents as Ahmad Ad-Dardasawy, 18, Mohammad Harara, 17, his brother Ahmad, 15, and Matar Abu Al-Ata, 20, while at least 30 residents were injured when the army fired artillery shells targeting Al-Mintar Hill, east of Gaza city, and Al-Hawouz in Khan Younis.
The sources added that several wounded residents lost limbs.
Armed resistance groups in Gaza vowed retaliation and fired several shells at the invading soldiers, and at Israeli areas across the border with Gaza.
Israeli sources reported that shells fired from Gaza also hit the Negev town of Sderot; shells were also fired into Shaar Hanagev and Hoff Ashkelon areas mildly wounding four Israelis; two were injured by shrapnel in Sderot, and Sapir College, Israeli Ynet News reported.
Furthermore, two Israeli soldiers suffered moderate injuries after their vehicle was targeted by a Palestinian shell near the Karni Crossing.
Israeli airstrike kills one Palestinian in Gaza Strip
A Palestinian has been killed in an Israeli airstrike on the Gaza Strip, as the wave of aggression on the besieged territory continues unabated.
The airborne attack took place late on Saturday and injured several others, Reuters reported.
Earlier in the day, Israeli tank fire killed four Palestinians and wounded 25 in the Gaza Strip.
The Israeli military frequently carries out airstrikes and other attacks on the Gaza Strip, saying the actions are being conducted for defensive purposes. However, disproportionate force is always used, in violation of international law, and civilians are often killed or injured.
Gaza has been blockaded since 2007, a situation that has caused a decline in the standard of living, unprecedented levels of unemployment, and unrelenting poverty.
The apartheid regime of Israel denies about 1.7 million people in Gaza their basic rights, such as freedom of movement, jobs that pay proper wages, and adequate healthcare and education.
Two members of Islamic Jihad's military wing were killed in an Israeli airstrike early Sunday, raising the death toll to six since violence renewed in Gaza.
The Al-Quds Brigades said Muhammad Obeid, 20, was killed in an airstrike in the northern Gaza Strip and Muhammad Shukanj was killed in an attack near al-Karama towers in the north.
Four others were wounded and one is in critical condition, the brigades said.
Two people were injured after an attack targeted a house owned by the Najjar family in Jabaliya. The house burned to the ground after warplanes fired two missiles.
Warplanes also targeted an empty plot of land near a Jabaliya club, but the rocket did not explode. They also targeted an empty area near Khandazar in the north.
Tank shells targeted a concrete factory owned by the Hasaneen family in al-Tufah.
Finally warplanes fired three missiles toward an empty plot of land belonging to Hamas' al-Qassam Brigades in the Sultan neighborhood west of Rafah. The area suffered damage but no one was injured.
An Israeli army statement said aircraft targeted a weapon manufacturing facility, two weapon storage facilities and two rocket launching sites in northern Gaza, as well as a weapon storage facility and a "terror activity site" in southern Gaza.
Direct hits were confirmed, the statement said.
It said 30 rockets had been fired from the Gaza Strip in the previous seven hours.
Islamic Jihad said it had fired 70 short-range rockets and mortar bombs across the border since Saturday, salvos which drove Israeli residents to blast shelters. At least one Israeli, in the town of Sderot, was wounded, ambulance workers said.
Earlier a jeep ambush injured four soldiers in what Israeli officials called an attack that was part of a Palestinian strategy of trying to curb its countermeasures against possible cross-border infiltration.
Israeli forces often mount hunts for tunnels and landmines on the inside of the Gaza boundary, creating a no-go zone for Palestinians.
"Of course we don't accept their attempt to change the rules," Defense Minister Ehud Barak told Israel's Army Radio.
"The essence of the struggle is over the fence. We intend to enable the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) to work not just on our side but on the other side as well."
The Al-Quds Brigades said Muhammad Obeid, 20, was killed in an airstrike in the northern Gaza Strip and Muhammad Shukanj was killed in an attack near al-Karama towers in the north.
Four others were wounded and one is in critical condition, the brigades said.
Two people were injured after an attack targeted a house owned by the Najjar family in Jabaliya. The house burned to the ground after warplanes fired two missiles.
Warplanes also targeted an empty plot of land near a Jabaliya club, but the rocket did not explode. They also targeted an empty area near Khandazar in the north.
Tank shells targeted a concrete factory owned by the Hasaneen family in al-Tufah.
Finally warplanes fired three missiles toward an empty plot of land belonging to Hamas' al-Qassam Brigades in the Sultan neighborhood west of Rafah. The area suffered damage but no one was injured.
An Israeli army statement said aircraft targeted a weapon manufacturing facility, two weapon storage facilities and two rocket launching sites in northern Gaza, as well as a weapon storage facility and a "terror activity site" in southern Gaza.
Direct hits were confirmed, the statement said.
It said 30 rockets had been fired from the Gaza Strip in the previous seven hours.
Islamic Jihad said it had fired 70 short-range rockets and mortar bombs across the border since Saturday, salvos which drove Israeli residents to blast shelters. At least one Israeli, in the town of Sderot, was wounded, ambulance workers said.
Earlier a jeep ambush injured four soldiers in what Israeli officials called an attack that was part of a Palestinian strategy of trying to curb its countermeasures against possible cross-border infiltration.
Israeli forces often mount hunts for tunnels and landmines on the inside of the Gaza boundary, creating a no-go zone for Palestinians.
"Of course we don't accept their attempt to change the rules," Defense Minister Ehud Barak told Israel's Army Radio.
"The essence of the struggle is over the fence. We intend to enable the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) to work not just on our side but on the other side as well."
An Israeli airstrike killed a Palestinian militant in the Gaza Strip on Sunday as a surge in cross-border violence entered its second day, local officials said.
Islamic Jihad identified the dead man as one of its own, saying he was a member of a rocket crew hit by an Israeli missile in Jabalya, northern Gaza.
The Israeli military confirmed carrying out an airstrike in the area. The death brought to six the number of Palestinians killed by Israel, while four of its troops were hurt in a missile attack on their jeep along the Gaza boundary fence.
Islamic Jihad said it had fired 70 short-range rockets and mortar bombs across the border since Saturday, salvos which drove Israeli residents to blast shelters. At least one Israeli, in the town of Sderot, was wounded, ambulance workers said.
Israel described the jeep ambush as part of a Palestinian strategy of trying to curb its countermeasures against possible cross-border infiltration. Israeli forces often mount hunts for tunnels and landmines on the inside of the Gaza boundary, creating a no-go zone for Palestinians.
"Of course we don't accept their attempt to change the rules," Defense Minister Ehud Barak told Israel's Army Radio.
"The essence of the struggle is over the fence. We intend to enable the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) to work not just on our side but on the other side as well."
Palestinians said four of Saturday's dead were civilians hit by an Israeli tank shell while paying respects at a crowded mourning tent in Gaza's Shijaia neighborhood. Israel denies targeting civilians.
The bloodshed puts internal pressure on Hamas, which has sat out some of the recent rounds of violence as it tried to consolidate its Gaza rule and reach out to neighboring Egypt and other foreign powers.
Israel blames Hamas for any attacks emanating from Gaza, but has shown little appetite for a major sweep of the territory which might strain its own fraught ties to the new Islamist-rooted government in Cairo
Israel says targets rocket cell
The Israeli air force struck a group of Palestinians preparing to fire rockets at Israel's south, its military reported late Friday.
The army said pilots reported hitting their target.
It said 25 rockets fired from the Gaza Strip hit southern Israel in recent hours. An additional rocket was successfully intercepted by the Iron Dome system, it said.
Islamic Jihad identified the dead man as one of its own, saying he was a member of a rocket crew hit by an Israeli missile in Jabalya, northern Gaza.
The Israeli military confirmed carrying out an airstrike in the area. The death brought to six the number of Palestinians killed by Israel, while four of its troops were hurt in a missile attack on their jeep along the Gaza boundary fence.
Islamic Jihad said it had fired 70 short-range rockets and mortar bombs across the border since Saturday, salvos which drove Israeli residents to blast shelters. At least one Israeli, in the town of Sderot, was wounded, ambulance workers said.
Israel described the jeep ambush as part of a Palestinian strategy of trying to curb its countermeasures against possible cross-border infiltration. Israeli forces often mount hunts for tunnels and landmines on the inside of the Gaza boundary, creating a no-go zone for Palestinians.
"Of course we don't accept their attempt to change the rules," Defense Minister Ehud Barak told Israel's Army Radio.
"The essence of the struggle is over the fence. We intend to enable the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) to work not just on our side but on the other side as well."
Palestinians said four of Saturday's dead were civilians hit by an Israeli tank shell while paying respects at a crowded mourning tent in Gaza's Shijaia neighborhood. Israel denies targeting civilians.
The bloodshed puts internal pressure on Hamas, which has sat out some of the recent rounds of violence as it tried to consolidate its Gaza rule and reach out to neighboring Egypt and other foreign powers.
Israel blames Hamas for any attacks emanating from Gaza, but has shown little appetite for a major sweep of the territory which might strain its own fraught ties to the new Islamist-rooted government in Cairo
Israel says targets rocket cell
The Israeli air force struck a group of Palestinians preparing to fire rockets at Israel's south, its military reported late Friday.
The army said pilots reported hitting their target.
It said 25 rockets fired from the Gaza Strip hit southern Israel in recent hours. An additional rocket was successfully intercepted by the Iron Dome system, it said.
Hameed Younis Abu Doqqa 11 was killed by an Israeli helicopter last Friday
The Hamas Movement said Israel's military aggression against the Gaza people cannot be tolerated and must be curbed, describing the counterattacks on Israeli targets as legitimate.
In a press release on Saturday, its spokesman Fawzi Barhoum stated that the Israeli regime was the side that started its incursions and attacks against Gaza and the Palestinian resistance cannot allow it to impose its equations on the Palestinian people.
"Our resistance to the occupation and its Zionist soldiers are legitimate," spokesman Barhoum said.
The spokesman held the Israeli government fully responsible for all the consequences and implications of its escalation and emphasized that his Movement would not let the Palestinian blood to be a price for Israeli political and electoral gains.
In retaliation to Israel's latest crimes in Gaza, a number of resistance factions swiftly launched on Saturday counterattacks on Israeli settlements and military outposts.
The armed wing of some resistance factions like Al-Quds Brigades, Salahuddin Brigades and Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades said in different communiqués that their resistance fighters fired a barrage of projectiles on Israeli targets.
The Israeli artillery killed at least four Palestinians and wounded 25 in the Gaza Strip yesterday after a resistance attack on an Israeli military force that infiltrated into a Gaza border area and killed a child during an incursion.
The death toll on Saturday has been one of the highest since Israel escalated its aggression against Gaza in recent months.
At least five of the wounded, some of them children, are in very critical condition, Palestinian medical sources said.
Residents reported that a mourning tent in Shujaiya neighborhood near Gaza city was full of people offering condolences to a bereaved family when an Israeli artillery shell struck.
Ambulances, private cars and motorbikes rushed the casualties to hospital, eyewitnesses said.
Gantz heads military meeting to discuss Gaza escalation
Israeli chief of staff Benny Gantz chaired on Sunday a meeting for his senior officers to discuss the situation on the Gaza borders, Hebrew daily Yediot Ahronot reported.
The paper quoted Gantz as saying that his army would strongly retaliate to the firing of rockets from Gaza.
For his part, the mayor of Beersheba said that the situation in the south was similar to a war of attrition.
He added that he would meet with premier Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday to discuss the situation, adding that he asked the Israeli army command to put an end to what he called “Palestinian terrorism”.
Israeli army attacks on Gaza Strip since Saturday evening left 6 citizens killed and around 50 others wounded some of them critically.
Report: Egypt negotiating Gaza ceasefire
Egypt is making efforts to implement a ceasefire with Gaza factions to end the latest round of cross border violence which has killed six Gazans and injured dozens more since Saturday, Israeli media reported Sunday.
Senior Egyptian sources said that Hamas and Islamic Jihad have agreed to a ceasefire as long as Israel halts airstrikes on the coastal enclave, Ynet news reported.
The sources said that on Saturday Hamas asked Egyptian authorities to mediate a cessation to hostilities, the Israeli website said.
Yasser Othman, Egyptian Ambassador to the Palestinian Authority, said that Egypt was "making considerable efforts to stop the escalation and establish a lull," Ynet said.
Islamic Jihad, however, said in a statement that it had not agreed to a truce and will "respond to Israeli aggression which targets civilians."
The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine also denied agreeing to a truce with Israel, calling on factions to respond strongly to Israeli attacks against Palestinians.
Earlier, Israel said it was poised to escalate attacks on the Gaza Strip on Sunday following a surge of rocket and mortar salvos by Hamas and other Palestinian factions.
On Saturday, Israel shelled the Gaza Strip killing four civilians and injuring at least 25. Israel's army said it was responding to a missile attack on an Israeli military jeep which injured four soldiers.
Residents said a crowded mourning tent in the al-Shujaiyeh neighborhood near Gaza City was full of people paying respects to a bereaved family man when a shell struck.
Gaza factions fired dozens of rockets into Israel in response to the deaths, with Israel launching an airstrike early Sunday which killed two members of Islamic Jihad's military wing.
Two workers were wounded later when a plastics factory in northern Gaza Strip caught fire after it was hit by an Israeli tank shell, emergency workers said.
An Israeli army spokeswoman said that nearly 70 rockets had been fired into Israel since midnight on Saturday, injuring four Israelis.
Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak, a centrist in Israel's coalition government, played down speculation that the upcoming election was affecting Gaza policy.
"I don't think the election should be a consideration in how we respond. It is not meant to make us avoid action ... nor is it meant to provoke us into grabbing some kind of opportunity for an operation," Barak told Israel's Army Radio.
Resheq holds Israel fully responsible for its crimes in Gaza
Member of Hamas's political bureau Ezzat Al-Resheq held the Israeli occupation regime fully responsible for the targeting and killing of unarmed civilians in the Gaza Strip.
"The Palestinian people and the resistance factions will not stand idle with their arms folded, but they will defend themselves by all means possible, and its men are able to deter the Zionist aggression," Resheq stated in a press statement on Sunday.
Resheq called on the Arab League, the organization of Islamic cooperation and the international community to pressure the Israeli regime to stop its military escalation and crimes, and protect the unarmed civilians in Gaza.
The Palestinian resistance in Gaza had to fire a number of projectiles and homemade rockets at nearby Israeli settlements in retaliation to persistent Israeli deadly attacks that started on Friday when an Israeli helicopter killed a Palestinian child during a military incursion.
For its part, Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper said that three Israeli settlers suffered mild shrapnel injuries and two people suffered shock in Palestinian attacks on Sunday on Sha'ar Hanegev and Sderot settlements.
The Hamas Movement said Israel's military aggression against the Gaza people cannot be tolerated and must be curbed, describing the counterattacks on Israeli targets as legitimate.
In a press release on Saturday, its spokesman Fawzi Barhoum stated that the Israeli regime was the side that started its incursions and attacks against Gaza and the Palestinian resistance cannot allow it to impose its equations on the Palestinian people.
"Our resistance to the occupation and its Zionist soldiers are legitimate," spokesman Barhoum said.
The spokesman held the Israeli government fully responsible for all the consequences and implications of its escalation and emphasized that his Movement would not let the Palestinian blood to be a price for Israeli political and electoral gains.
In retaliation to Israel's latest crimes in Gaza, a number of resistance factions swiftly launched on Saturday counterattacks on Israeli settlements and military outposts.
The armed wing of some resistance factions like Al-Quds Brigades, Salahuddin Brigades and Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades said in different communiqués that their resistance fighters fired a barrage of projectiles on Israeli targets.
The Israeli artillery killed at least four Palestinians and wounded 25 in the Gaza Strip yesterday after a resistance attack on an Israeli military force that infiltrated into a Gaza border area and killed a child during an incursion.
The death toll on Saturday has been one of the highest since Israel escalated its aggression against Gaza in recent months.
At least five of the wounded, some of them children, are in very critical condition, Palestinian medical sources said.
Residents reported that a mourning tent in Shujaiya neighborhood near Gaza city was full of people offering condolences to a bereaved family when an Israeli artillery shell struck.
Ambulances, private cars and motorbikes rushed the casualties to hospital, eyewitnesses said.
Gantz heads military meeting to discuss Gaza escalation
Israeli chief of staff Benny Gantz chaired on Sunday a meeting for his senior officers to discuss the situation on the Gaza borders, Hebrew daily Yediot Ahronot reported.
The paper quoted Gantz as saying that his army would strongly retaliate to the firing of rockets from Gaza.
For his part, the mayor of Beersheba said that the situation in the south was similar to a war of attrition.
He added that he would meet with premier Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday to discuss the situation, adding that he asked the Israeli army command to put an end to what he called “Palestinian terrorism”.
Israeli army attacks on Gaza Strip since Saturday evening left 6 citizens killed and around 50 others wounded some of them critically.
Report: Egypt negotiating Gaza ceasefire
Egypt is making efforts to implement a ceasefire with Gaza factions to end the latest round of cross border violence which has killed six Gazans and injured dozens more since Saturday, Israeli media reported Sunday.
Senior Egyptian sources said that Hamas and Islamic Jihad have agreed to a ceasefire as long as Israel halts airstrikes on the coastal enclave, Ynet news reported.
The sources said that on Saturday Hamas asked Egyptian authorities to mediate a cessation to hostilities, the Israeli website said.
Yasser Othman, Egyptian Ambassador to the Palestinian Authority, said that Egypt was "making considerable efforts to stop the escalation and establish a lull," Ynet said.
Islamic Jihad, however, said in a statement that it had not agreed to a truce and will "respond to Israeli aggression which targets civilians."
The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine also denied agreeing to a truce with Israel, calling on factions to respond strongly to Israeli attacks against Palestinians.
Earlier, Israel said it was poised to escalate attacks on the Gaza Strip on Sunday following a surge of rocket and mortar salvos by Hamas and other Palestinian factions.
On Saturday, Israel shelled the Gaza Strip killing four civilians and injuring at least 25. Israel's army said it was responding to a missile attack on an Israeli military jeep which injured four soldiers.
Residents said a crowded mourning tent in the al-Shujaiyeh neighborhood near Gaza City was full of people paying respects to a bereaved family man when a shell struck.
Gaza factions fired dozens of rockets into Israel in response to the deaths, with Israel launching an airstrike early Sunday which killed two members of Islamic Jihad's military wing.
Two workers were wounded later when a plastics factory in northern Gaza Strip caught fire after it was hit by an Israeli tank shell, emergency workers said.
An Israeli army spokeswoman said that nearly 70 rockets had been fired into Israel since midnight on Saturday, injuring four Israelis.
Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak, a centrist in Israel's coalition government, played down speculation that the upcoming election was affecting Gaza policy.
"I don't think the election should be a consideration in how we respond. It is not meant to make us avoid action ... nor is it meant to provoke us into grabbing some kind of opportunity for an operation," Barak told Israel's Army Radio.
Resheq holds Israel fully responsible for its crimes in Gaza
Member of Hamas's political bureau Ezzat Al-Resheq held the Israeli occupation regime fully responsible for the targeting and killing of unarmed civilians in the Gaza Strip.
"The Palestinian people and the resistance factions will not stand idle with their arms folded, but they will defend themselves by all means possible, and its men are able to deter the Zionist aggression," Resheq stated in a press statement on Sunday.
Resheq called on the Arab League, the organization of Islamic cooperation and the international community to pressure the Israeli regime to stop its military escalation and crimes, and protect the unarmed civilians in Gaza.
The Palestinian resistance in Gaza had to fire a number of projectiles and homemade rockets at nearby Israeli settlements in retaliation to persistent Israeli deadly attacks that started on Friday when an Israeli helicopter killed a Palestinian child during a military incursion.
For its part, Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper said that three Israeli settlers suffered mild shrapnel injuries and two people suffered shock in Palestinian attacks on Sunday on Sha'ar Hanegev and Sderot settlements.
10 nov 2012
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Palestinian medical sources in the Gaza Strip reported that the five Palestinians were killed, and dozens of residents were injured, in a new wave of escalation targeting the coastal region Saturday.
One Palestinian resistance fighter was killed, and three Palestinians were injured, on Saturday evening, after the army fired missiles at them in Al-Karama area, in Gaza city. Medical sources reported that the slain fighter was identified as Mohammad Sa’id Shkokani, from Ash-Shaty’ refugee camp. Four residents, including two brothers, were killed when the army bombarded the eastern area of Gaza city, while at least 30 were injured, including 10 who suffered serious injuries, after the army bombarded |
Al-Mintar Hill, Malka Junction, Az-Zeitoun and Ash-Shijaeyya neighborhoods in Gaza city, and Al-Hawouz neighborhood in Khan Younis, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip.
Medical sources identified the slain residents as Ahmad Ad-Dardasawy, 18, Mohammad Harara, 17, his brother Ahmad, 15, and Matar Abu Al-Ata, 20, while at least 30 residents were injured when the army fired artillery shells targeting Al-Mintar Hill, east of Gaza city, and Al-Hawouz in Khan Younis. The sources added that several wounded residents lost limbs.
Meanwhile, Israeli sources said that four soldiers were injured by a Palestinian shell targeting them as they drove their military vehicle near the Karni Crossing, east of Gaza city. The sources added that Palestinian fighters fired an anti-tank shell at a military vehicle driving near the crossing, wounding four soldiers, two seriously.
Medical sources identified the slain residents as Ahmad Ad-Dardasawy, 18, Mohammad Harara, 17, his brother Ahmad, 15, and Matar Abu Al-Ata, 20, while at least 30 residents were injured when the army fired artillery shells targeting Al-Mintar Hill, east of Gaza city, and Al-Hawouz in Khan Younis. The sources added that several wounded residents lost limbs.
Meanwhile, Israeli sources said that four soldiers were injured by a Palestinian shell targeting them as they drove their military vehicle near the Karni Crossing, east of Gaza city. The sources added that Palestinian fighters fired an anti-tank shell at a military vehicle driving near the crossing, wounding four soldiers, two seriously.
Matter Abu Al-Atta born, within 2 hours after the death of his oldest brother Matter Abu Atta.
Furthermore, one resident was also injured after the army fired a missile at a home that belongs to An-Najjar family in northern Gaza.
Heavy and sporadic gunfire could be heard in different parts of the coastal region all day Saturday..
The army also fired two shells at residents in Al-Hawouz area, east of Khan Younis, wounding four residents and leading to excessive property damage
Furthermore, the Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades, the armed wing of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), claimed responsibility for firing shells at Israeli military vehicles driving east of the Industrial Zone, near the Karni Crossing.
Fighters of the An-Nasser Brigades, the armed wing of the Popular Resistance Committee in Gaza, also fired three shells into the Negev towns of Nativot, Eshkol and Sderot.
The Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, said that it also fired several shells at Israeli soldiers across the border.
The Brigades added that the army fired shells targeting an area located near the Abu Obeida School, in Beit Lahia, in the northern part of the Gaza Strip.
Palestinian resistance groups in the coastal region issued press releases stating that the shelling “comes in retaliation to the latest massacre carried out by the army in Gaza”.
Other attacks today
IOF quells a march in solidarity with prisoners
Israel blocks travel of human rights activist
Furthermore, one resident was also injured after the army fired a missile at a home that belongs to An-Najjar family in northern Gaza.
Heavy and sporadic gunfire could be heard in different parts of the coastal region all day Saturday..
The army also fired two shells at residents in Al-Hawouz area, east of Khan Younis, wounding four residents and leading to excessive property damage
Furthermore, the Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades, the armed wing of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), claimed responsibility for firing shells at Israeli military vehicles driving east of the Industrial Zone, near the Karni Crossing.
Fighters of the An-Nasser Brigades, the armed wing of the Popular Resistance Committee in Gaza, also fired three shells into the Negev towns of Nativot, Eshkol and Sderot.
The Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, said that it also fired several shells at Israeli soldiers across the border.
The Brigades added that the army fired shells targeting an area located near the Abu Obeida School, in Beit Lahia, in the northern part of the Gaza Strip.
Palestinian resistance groups in the coastal region issued press releases stating that the shelling “comes in retaliation to the latest massacre carried out by the army in Gaza”.
Other attacks today
IOF quells a march in solidarity with prisoners
Israel blocks travel of human rights activist
Settlers in Hebron threw stones at a Palestinian man on Saturday, causing moderate head injuries, medics said.
Samir Jaber, 20, was taken to hospital for treatment after settlers from Kiryat Arba threw stones at him in an unprovoked attack.
Hebron was split into areas of Palestinian and Israeli control under a 1997 agreement.
The Israeli military-controlled H2 zone includes the ancient Old City, home of the revered Ibrahimi Mosque -- also split into a synagogue referred to as the Tomb of the Patriarchs.
Around 800 Jewish settlers live among 30,000 Palestinians in the parts of the ancient city that are under Israeli control.
Settler attacks against Palestinians are routine in the occupied territories, with Israeli military authorities rarely intervening or bringing the perpetrators to justice.
Samir Jaber, 20, was taken to hospital for treatment after settlers from Kiryat Arba threw stones at him in an unprovoked attack.
Hebron was split into areas of Palestinian and Israeli control under a 1997 agreement.
The Israeli military-controlled H2 zone includes the ancient Old City, home of the revered Ibrahimi Mosque -- also split into a synagogue referred to as the Tomb of the Patriarchs.
Around 800 Jewish settlers live among 30,000 Palestinians in the parts of the ancient city that are under Israeli control.
Settler attacks against Palestinians are routine in the occupied territories, with Israeli military authorities rarely intervening or bringing the perpetrators to justice.
A number of Palestinian civilians were treated for breathing problems after Israeli occupation forces (IOF) fired tear gas at a funeral procession in Beit Ummar village, north of Al-Khalil, on Saturday.
Eyewitnesses told the PIC that IOF soldiers fired the gas bombs at the procession at the main entrance of the village prompting young men to throw stones at them and the eruption of confrontations.
IOF troops earlier quelled a peaceful march for the villagers and foreign solidarity activists to their confiscated land south of the village.
Eyewitnesses told the PIC that IOF soldiers fired the gas bombs at the procession at the main entrance of the village prompting young men to throw stones at them and the eruption of confrontations.
IOF troops earlier quelled a peaceful march for the villagers and foreign solidarity activists to their confiscated land south of the village.
Israeli tank shells killed 4 Palestinians and wounded 30 in the Gaza Strip on Saturday, medics and witnesses said.
Ahmad al-Dardasawi, 18, and Muhammad Hararah, 17, were killed in Gaza City, and two unidentified men later died from injuries sustained in the attack.
At least 26 people were wounded in the shelling, with 10 said to be in a serious condition.
Residents said a crowded mourning tent in the al-Shujaiyeh neighborhood near Gaza City was full of people paying respects to a bereaved family man when a shell struck.
Four people were also wounded in Khan Younis as Israel's army targeted an area east of city, witnesses said.
"The occupation's targeting of civilians was a grave escalation that must not pass in silence," said Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum.
"Resistance must be reinforced in order to block the aggression."
The casualty toll is one of the highest in a single incident in Gaza in recent months.
Israel's army said four soldiers were injured when an "anti-tank missile was fired at an IDF patrol along the security fence in the northern Gaza Strip."
Two soldiers were seriously wounded and two moderately injured, Israeli media said.
Israeli forces targeted several sites in response, the statement added.
The Popular Resistance Committees said it had fired four rockets at communities close to the border and the towns of Sderot and Netivot in southern Israel, in what it called "the revenge invoice" for the deaths in Gaza.
The attacks took place during a period of increased violence along the Israel-Gaza border.
Hamid Younis Abu Daqqa, 13, was killed on Thursday after Israeli forces targeted houses and farms east of Khan Younis, according to Ashraf al-Qidra, a medical spokesman in Gaza.
On Tuesday, three Israeli soldiers were wounded by an explosive device in the southern Gaza Strip, Israel's army said.
A day earlier, Israeli soldiers shot and killed a 20-year-old Palestinian man who approached a fence near Gaza's border with Israel, medics said.
Haneyya gov’t appeals for international intervention to bridle Israel
The government of Ismail Haneyya has appealed to the world community to intervene and bridle the Israeli military attacks on unarmed civilians in the Gaza Strip.
The government condemned in a statement on Saturday night the Israeli “sinful” attack on Gaza and held Israel responsible for the fall of a big number of innocent civilians in that aggression.
A number of Palestinian resistance factions in Gaza also denounced the aggression and held Israel responsible for the “bloody escalation”.
Israeli artillery shelling on Gaza and Khan Younis cities left four killed and more than 30 injured some of them in critical condition.
Four Palestinians killed in the IOF shelling, children among the wounded
Four Palestinians, including two brothers, were killed and dozens injured in the Israeli occupation forces’ artillery shelling of Gaza city on Saturday evening, medical sources said.
Dr. Ashraf Al-Qudra, a spokesman for the health ministry, said that more than 30 casualties were admitted into Shifa hospital in Gaza while more are still being evacuated from Shujaia suburb, east of Gaza city. He charged the IOF with using internationally-banned weapons in the attack.
The PIC reporter said that two brothers of Harara family, 15 and 17 years respectively, were killed in the shelling in addition to a teenager and a 20-year-old youth.
He said that 27 others were wounded including six in critical condition, adding that casualties were still arriving to the hospital.
Meanwhile, IOF bombarded suburbs in eastern Khan Younis, south of the Gaza Strip, wounding five civilians, the PIC reporter there said.
He added that a woman and two children were among the casualties.
Ahmad al-Dardasawi, 18, and Muhammad Hararah, 17, were killed in Gaza City, and two unidentified men later died from injuries sustained in the attack.
At least 26 people were wounded in the shelling, with 10 said to be in a serious condition.
Residents said a crowded mourning tent in the al-Shujaiyeh neighborhood near Gaza City was full of people paying respects to a bereaved family man when a shell struck.
Four people were also wounded in Khan Younis as Israel's army targeted an area east of city, witnesses said.
"The occupation's targeting of civilians was a grave escalation that must not pass in silence," said Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum.
"Resistance must be reinforced in order to block the aggression."
The casualty toll is one of the highest in a single incident in Gaza in recent months.
Israel's army said four soldiers were injured when an "anti-tank missile was fired at an IDF patrol along the security fence in the northern Gaza Strip."
Two soldiers were seriously wounded and two moderately injured, Israeli media said.
Israeli forces targeted several sites in response, the statement added.
The Popular Resistance Committees said it had fired four rockets at communities close to the border and the towns of Sderot and Netivot in southern Israel, in what it called "the revenge invoice" for the deaths in Gaza.
The attacks took place during a period of increased violence along the Israel-Gaza border.
Hamid Younis Abu Daqqa, 13, was killed on Thursday after Israeli forces targeted houses and farms east of Khan Younis, according to Ashraf al-Qidra, a medical spokesman in Gaza.
On Tuesday, three Israeli soldiers were wounded by an explosive device in the southern Gaza Strip, Israel's army said.
A day earlier, Israeli soldiers shot and killed a 20-year-old Palestinian man who approached a fence near Gaza's border with Israel, medics said.
Haneyya gov’t appeals for international intervention to bridle Israel
The government of Ismail Haneyya has appealed to the world community to intervene and bridle the Israeli military attacks on unarmed civilians in the Gaza Strip.
The government condemned in a statement on Saturday night the Israeli “sinful” attack on Gaza and held Israel responsible for the fall of a big number of innocent civilians in that aggression.
A number of Palestinian resistance factions in Gaza also denounced the aggression and held Israel responsible for the “bloody escalation”.
Israeli artillery shelling on Gaza and Khan Younis cities left four killed and more than 30 injured some of them in critical condition.
Four Palestinians killed in the IOF shelling, children among the wounded
Four Palestinians, including two brothers, were killed and dozens injured in the Israeli occupation forces’ artillery shelling of Gaza city on Saturday evening, medical sources said.
Dr. Ashraf Al-Qudra, a spokesman for the health ministry, said that more than 30 casualties were admitted into Shifa hospital in Gaza while more are still being evacuated from Shujaia suburb, east of Gaza city. He charged the IOF with using internationally-banned weapons in the attack.
The PIC reporter said that two brothers of Harara family, 15 and 17 years respectively, were killed in the shelling in addition to a teenager and a 20-year-old youth.
He said that 27 others were wounded including six in critical condition, adding that casualties were still arriving to the hospital.
Meanwhile, IOF bombarded suburbs in eastern Khan Younis, south of the Gaza Strip, wounding five civilians, the PIC reporter there said.
He added that a woman and two children were among the casualties.
Two Palestinian citizens were killed and dozens injured in an Israeli artillery shelling on Shujaia suburb in Gaza city on Saturday evening.
Ashraf Al-Qudra, a spokesman for the health ministry, said that more than 20 casualties were carried to hospitals while other wounded persons were still not evacuated.
Palestinian resistance fighters had earlier targeted an Israeli army jeep in an area adjacent to Zaitun suburb in Gaza city.
Witnesses said that heavy gunfire was heard as Israeli army vehicles and jeeps rushed to the area.
They said that Israeli military choppers and reconnaissance planes flew at low altitudes over the scene of the attack.
Ashraf Al-Qudra, a spokesman for the health ministry, said that more than 20 casualties were carried to hospitals while other wounded persons were still not evacuated.
Palestinian resistance fighters had earlier targeted an Israeli army jeep in an area adjacent to Zaitun suburb in Gaza city.
Witnesses said that heavy gunfire was heard as Israeli army vehicles and jeeps rushed to the area.
They said that Israeli military choppers and reconnaissance planes flew at low altitudes over the scene of the attack.
Sailing towards freedom. Breaking the siege again with the Palestinian fishermen under attack
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Today we accompanied again the Palestinian fishermen on a trawler and we passed again the 3 nautical miles limit illegally imposed by Israel.
We left with 5 trawlers. Two trawlers were attacked by the Israeli navy at about 3 nautical miles, so we went on with 3 trawlers. We reached about 6.5 miles offshore. The Israeli navy attacked us many times with water cannons. The soldiers also shot against the trawlers with water cannons while the fishermen were trying to haul their nets, so the fishermen lost most part of the fish. It's very hard to accept the cruelty of the soldiers that prevented the fishermen from hauling their nets,This aggresion is unacceptable. |
After this hard attack we went back inside the 3 miles. Then, in the afternoon, we decided to pass again the 3 miles limit just with our trawler, while the other two trawlers continued fishing inside the 3 miles. We reached 4,5 miles offshores, the Israeli navy attacked us hardly with water cannons again and we went back inside the 3 miles.
Inside the three miles there is no fish,so this limit deprive the fishermen of their livelihood.
Often the Israeli navy attacks the fishermen also inside the 3 miles limit, arrest them and confiscates their boats.
" Israel's attacks against Palestinian fishermen in the Gaza Strip constitutes a flagrant violation of international humanitarian and human rights law, especially the right to life and security of the person, in accordance with Article 3 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Article 6 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which the State of Israel is a party.
IOF perpetrated violations against Palestinian fishermen in the sea, when these fishermen did not pose any threat to Israeli naval troops. The fishermen were practicing their right to work and seeking their livelihood within the territorial waters of the Gaza Strip when the IOF attacked them.
Israeli forces illegally reduced the area of fishing gradually from 20 nautical miles, which was established under the Oslo Accords, to 10 nautical miles in 2005.
In June 2006, IOF imposed a total siege for months, and opened it later permitting fishermen to fish within a 6-nautical-mile limit, which was then reduced to 3 nautical miles in 2007.
However, Israeli forces continue to attack Palestinian fishermen even within the 3 nautical miles since 2009. Fishermen are subjected to shootings, resulting in deaths and injuries, they are often chased, arrested, unnecessarily inspected, humiliated, and even their boats and fishing equipment are confiscated, which are sometimes drowned or destroyed by IOF "
(source: Palestinian Center for Human Rights)
Inside the three miles there is no fish,so this limit deprive the fishermen of their livelihood.
Often the Israeli navy attacks the fishermen also inside the 3 miles limit, arrest them and confiscates their boats.
" Israel's attacks against Palestinian fishermen in the Gaza Strip constitutes a flagrant violation of international humanitarian and human rights law, especially the right to life and security of the person, in accordance with Article 3 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Article 6 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which the State of Israel is a party.
IOF perpetrated violations against Palestinian fishermen in the sea, when these fishermen did not pose any threat to Israeli naval troops. The fishermen were practicing their right to work and seeking their livelihood within the territorial waters of the Gaza Strip when the IOF attacked them.
Israeli forces illegally reduced the area of fishing gradually from 20 nautical miles, which was established under the Oslo Accords, to 10 nautical miles in 2005.
In June 2006, IOF imposed a total siege for months, and opened it later permitting fishermen to fish within a 6-nautical-mile limit, which was then reduced to 3 nautical miles in 2007.
However, Israeli forces continue to attack Palestinian fishermen even within the 3 nautical miles since 2009. Fishermen are subjected to shootings, resulting in deaths and injuries, they are often chased, arrested, unnecessarily inspected, humiliated, and even their boats and fishing equipment are confiscated, which are sometimes drowned or destroyed by IOF "
(source: Palestinian Center for Human Rights)
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