10 aug 2014
Injured Child
Palestinian medical sources have reported that four Palestinians, including two children, have been killed and dozens injured, after the army fired missiles into several areas in the Gaza Strip.
Updated: 14:52 A Palestinian child, identified as Anwar Mustafa Za’anin, 17, died of earlier wound, at the Shifa Medical Center in Gaza.
One Palestinian was seriously injured when the army fired a missile into a car in Beit Hanoun, in the northern part of the Gaza Strip.
The Ministry of Health denied reports of his death, and said the wounded man is in the Intensive Care Unit of a local hospital.
A woman was killed, and her family was injured when the Israeli air force fired a missile into a home in the Bani Soheila area, east of Khan Younis, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip.
The slain woman has been identified as Amani Abed al-Bakara, 35.
Also, a Palestinian child, identified as Ahmad Mohammad Atiyya al-Masri, 14, was killed, and at least three Palestinians were injured, when an Israeli drone fired a missile into Deir al-Balah, in Central Gaza.
The army also fired a missile into a home in al-Meghraqa area, in Central Gaza, destroying it.
More missiles were fired into farmlands in Beit Hanoun, in northern Gaza, in Kherbit al-‘Adas, near Rafah, in southern Gaza, and various areas close to the border with Egypt.
A city council worker was seriously injured when the Israeli air force fired a missile into a car belonging to the Beit Hanoun Municipality.
Initial information also indicates three seriously wounded Palestinians, including two in Egyptian hospitals, died of their injuries.
Medical sources in the Jabalia refugee camp, in northern Gaza, stated that at least 10 Palestinians were injured when the army bombarded a home in the camp.
The wounded were moved to the Kamal ‘Adwan Hospital in Beit Lahia, while two of them were moved to the Shifa Medical Center in Gaza City, due to the seriousness of their condition.
At least ten Palestinians were injured, two seriously, when the army fired a missile into a home in the Jabalia refugee camp, in northern Gaza.
Late on Saturday at night, a Palestinian Aaya Nour ash-Sha’er, 13, died when an Israeli missile hit her family home in Rafah, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip.
The Israeli air force also fired missiles into border areas in Rafah, causing damage to several homes.
On Saturday, the Ministry of Health in Gaza said around 1920 Palestinians have been killed, and Israeli fire and shells in the Gaza Strip have injured more than 9875, since July 8.
Among the killed are at least 449 children, 243 women and 87 elderly, while among the wounded are at least 3004 children, 1907 women and 359 elderly.
Palestinian medical sources have reported that four Palestinians, including two children, have been killed and dozens injured, after the army fired missiles into several areas in the Gaza Strip.
Updated: 14:52 A Palestinian child, identified as Anwar Mustafa Za’anin, 17, died of earlier wound, at the Shifa Medical Center in Gaza.
One Palestinian was seriously injured when the army fired a missile into a car in Beit Hanoun, in the northern part of the Gaza Strip.
The Ministry of Health denied reports of his death, and said the wounded man is in the Intensive Care Unit of a local hospital.
A woman was killed, and her family was injured when the Israeli air force fired a missile into a home in the Bani Soheila area, east of Khan Younis, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip.
The slain woman has been identified as Amani Abed al-Bakara, 35.
Also, a Palestinian child, identified as Ahmad Mohammad Atiyya al-Masri, 14, was killed, and at least three Palestinians were injured, when an Israeli drone fired a missile into Deir al-Balah, in Central Gaza.
The army also fired a missile into a home in al-Meghraqa area, in Central Gaza, destroying it.
More missiles were fired into farmlands in Beit Hanoun, in northern Gaza, in Kherbit al-‘Adas, near Rafah, in southern Gaza, and various areas close to the border with Egypt.
A city council worker was seriously injured when the Israeli air force fired a missile into a car belonging to the Beit Hanoun Municipality.
Initial information also indicates three seriously wounded Palestinians, including two in Egyptian hospitals, died of their injuries.
Medical sources in the Jabalia refugee camp, in northern Gaza, stated that at least 10 Palestinians were injured when the army bombarded a home in the camp.
The wounded were moved to the Kamal ‘Adwan Hospital in Beit Lahia, while two of them were moved to the Shifa Medical Center in Gaza City, due to the seriousness of their condition.
At least ten Palestinians were injured, two seriously, when the army fired a missile into a home in the Jabalia refugee camp, in northern Gaza.
Late on Saturday at night, a Palestinian Aaya Nour ash-Sha’er, 13, died when an Israeli missile hit her family home in Rafah, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip.
The Israeli air force also fired missiles into border areas in Rafah, causing damage to several homes.
On Saturday, the Ministry of Health in Gaza said around 1920 Palestinians have been killed, and Israeli fire and shells in the Gaza Strip have injured more than 9875, since July 8.
Among the killed are at least 449 children, 243 women and 87 elderly, while among the wounded are at least 3004 children, 1907 women and 359 elderly.
Palestinian medics bring an injured man to Gaza City’s al-Shifa hospital on 8 August. At least six ambulance workers have been killed since Israel’s assault began a month ago. (Ashraf Amra / APA images)
“We were on our way back to Nasser hospital, driving with the lights and sirens on as always. The ambulance was clearly marked as such. The doctor, nurse and I were all wearing medical uniforms. When we reached the Islamic University I heard an explosion right next to us and the front and back windows of the car fell out,” Gaza ambulance driver Mohammad Abu Jumiza, told Amnesty International about a terrifying 24 July chase between him and Israeli artillery as he was transferring injured people in Khan Younis to the hospital.
“As I was turning another missile hit next to us, and then a third one. When the fourth missile hit, I lost control and we crashed, so we ran out of the car and found shelter in a building. Then there were two more missiles fired and some people were injured.”
His case is not unique. The firing on and striking of clearly marked ambulance vehicles with flashing lights and medical workers wearing fluorescent vests while tending to the injured has been documented repeatedly throughout Israel’s offensive on Gaza.
After collecting and releasing harrowing testimonies [PDF] by Palestinian medical workers, Amnesty International has accused the Israeli military of deliberately attacking medical workers and hospitals in Gaza.
Since the military offensive in Gaza began a month ago, Israeli fire has killed at least six ambulance workers and 13 aid workers while they were attempting to rescue injured people or retrieve the dead, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.
In addition to those killed, 49 doctors, nurses and paramedics and 33 aid workers have been injured while carrying out their duties. Israel has directly struck major hospitals throughout the Gaza Strip, and forced five hospitals and 34 medical clinics to shut down due to either extensive damage to their facilities or increasing hostilities in the vicinity.
Amnesty International does not confirm or deny Israeli claims that Palestinian rockets were fired from medical facilities, but emphasizes that regardless, the protected civilian status of hospitals, ambulances and medical facilities must be presumed, in accordance with international humanitarian law.
Israel has failed to substantiate its own claims, which have not been independently verified.
Ambulance crew ambushed At least two workers from the Palestinian Red Crescent Society have been killed; 35 injured; and 17 PRCS health vehicles put out of service due to attacks by Israel.
Mohammad al-Abadlah, 32, was fired on by Israeli soldiers while attempting to enter the southern Gaza town of al-Qaraqa after having coordinated with the Israeli army through the Red Cross.
Hassan al-Attal, 40, a colleague who was with al-Abadlah at the time, provides a disturbing testimony to Amnesty that suggests Israeli soldiers knew exactly what they were doing when they opened fire on the medical workers.
The two men went to retrieve the injured man in al-Qaraqa at 10pm on 25 July but were unable to enter the village due to blockades on all entrances. As a rule, PRCS always communicates its whereabouts and activities with the Israeli army via the Red Cross. Al-Attal said that while the two men searched for an entry into the village the Israeli army directed them via the Red Cross to enter by foot.
“We got out, we crossed about 10-12 metres and suddenly we were being fired at directly. My colleague screamed and said ‘I’ve been shot.’ The shooting continued everywhere, so I could not pull him away or else I too would have got shot and fallen beside him – so I ran and sat in the ambulance,” al-Attal told Amnesty.
Mohammad Ghazi al-Hessy, head of the PRCS’s center in Khan Younis, told Amnesty International that the Red Cross had originally received a request from the Israeli army to evacuate the injured person. But merely fifteen minutes after dispatching a PRCS team, they came under Israeli fire.
Once al-Abadlah was struck, al-Hessy mobilized another team of around six workers to rescue al-Abadlah. They managed to get him on a stretcher, but, “suddenly we were surrounded by very heavy gunfire from the soldiers in the area,” he told Amnesty.
“They were direct shots aimed over our heads, under our feet, so we had to evacuate the area. During that time, Mohammad was bleeding very heavily, he was still alive at that point – his white uniform was completely red. Because of the gunfire we were unable to put him on the stretcher.”
Two more PRCS workers eventually returned collect al-Abadlah: “We drove him to Nasser Hospital. He was still alive and breathing. We worked on him at Nasser Hospital, but he died in the intensive care unit.”
“He was killed despite assurances we received from the Red Cross that the area was safe for us to work in,” Dr. Bashar Murad, head of PRCS’s emergency and ambulance unit, told Amnesty International. “Our entrance to the area was checked twice with the army through the Red Cross. His colleagues would also have been killed if they had not found shelter in a house nearby. There was shooting at them. The Red Cross needs to call for accountability in this case.”
Burned to death when ambulance shelled A’ed Al-Bor’i, 28, a volunteer with the PRCS ambulance service, was killed on 25 July while riding in an ambulance with an injured person. The ambulance was shelled and al-Bor’i was burned to death.
This is also not the first time Israel has targeted medical workers in violation of international law. Amnesty reminds readers that the Israeli army attacked health workers during its offensive in 2008-2009 and 2012.
The Fourth Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War of 12 August 1949 (Fourth Geneva Convention) obliges states to respect and protect the wounded, to allow the removal from besieged areas of the wounded or sick, and the access of medical personnel to such areas. The deliberate obstruction of medical personnel to prevent the wounded receiving medical attention may constitute “wilfully causing great suffering or serious injury to body or health,” a grave breach of the Fourth Geneva Convention, and a war crime.
In addition to the direct attacks on medical workers and facilities, the Israeli offensive has prevented ambulances from reaching areas in dire need and pushed the entirety of Gaza’s medical facilities to the brink of collapse. Amnesty reports that hospitals are operating with debilitating shortages in drugs, medicine and water and under threat of power outages due to inadequate supply of fuel.
Calling for an arms and fuel embargo On 4 August, Amnesty International called on the US government to immediately stop its transfer of fuel to Israel to be used for the Israeli military. On 11 July, Amnesty had called on the United Nations to impose a comprehensive arms embargo on Israel and all Palestinians armed groups.
In its recent appeal to halt the transfer of fuel for military purposes, Amnesty International reported that the most recent delivery of jet fuel took place on 14 July, soon after the bombardment of Gaza began, by the US Defense Logistics Agency Energy.
Since January 2013, the US government has supplied the Israeli military with a total of 277,000 tons of jet fuel.
“We were on our way back to Nasser hospital, driving with the lights and sirens on as always. The ambulance was clearly marked as such. The doctor, nurse and I were all wearing medical uniforms. When we reached the Islamic University I heard an explosion right next to us and the front and back windows of the car fell out,” Gaza ambulance driver Mohammad Abu Jumiza, told Amnesty International about a terrifying 24 July chase between him and Israeli artillery as he was transferring injured people in Khan Younis to the hospital.
“As I was turning another missile hit next to us, and then a third one. When the fourth missile hit, I lost control and we crashed, so we ran out of the car and found shelter in a building. Then there were two more missiles fired and some people were injured.”
His case is not unique. The firing on and striking of clearly marked ambulance vehicles with flashing lights and medical workers wearing fluorescent vests while tending to the injured has been documented repeatedly throughout Israel’s offensive on Gaza.
After collecting and releasing harrowing testimonies [PDF] by Palestinian medical workers, Amnesty International has accused the Israeli military of deliberately attacking medical workers and hospitals in Gaza.
Since the military offensive in Gaza began a month ago, Israeli fire has killed at least six ambulance workers and 13 aid workers while they were attempting to rescue injured people or retrieve the dead, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.
In addition to those killed, 49 doctors, nurses and paramedics and 33 aid workers have been injured while carrying out their duties. Israel has directly struck major hospitals throughout the Gaza Strip, and forced five hospitals and 34 medical clinics to shut down due to either extensive damage to their facilities or increasing hostilities in the vicinity.
Amnesty International does not confirm or deny Israeli claims that Palestinian rockets were fired from medical facilities, but emphasizes that regardless, the protected civilian status of hospitals, ambulances and medical facilities must be presumed, in accordance with international humanitarian law.
Israel has failed to substantiate its own claims, which have not been independently verified.
Ambulance crew ambushed At least two workers from the Palestinian Red Crescent Society have been killed; 35 injured; and 17 PRCS health vehicles put out of service due to attacks by Israel.
Mohammad al-Abadlah, 32, was fired on by Israeli soldiers while attempting to enter the southern Gaza town of al-Qaraqa after having coordinated with the Israeli army through the Red Cross.
Hassan al-Attal, 40, a colleague who was with al-Abadlah at the time, provides a disturbing testimony to Amnesty that suggests Israeli soldiers knew exactly what they were doing when they opened fire on the medical workers.
The two men went to retrieve the injured man in al-Qaraqa at 10pm on 25 July but were unable to enter the village due to blockades on all entrances. As a rule, PRCS always communicates its whereabouts and activities with the Israeli army via the Red Cross. Al-Attal said that while the two men searched for an entry into the village the Israeli army directed them via the Red Cross to enter by foot.
“We got out, we crossed about 10-12 metres and suddenly we were being fired at directly. My colleague screamed and said ‘I’ve been shot.’ The shooting continued everywhere, so I could not pull him away or else I too would have got shot and fallen beside him – so I ran and sat in the ambulance,” al-Attal told Amnesty.
Mohammad Ghazi al-Hessy, head of the PRCS’s center in Khan Younis, told Amnesty International that the Red Cross had originally received a request from the Israeli army to evacuate the injured person. But merely fifteen minutes after dispatching a PRCS team, they came under Israeli fire.
Once al-Abadlah was struck, al-Hessy mobilized another team of around six workers to rescue al-Abadlah. They managed to get him on a stretcher, but, “suddenly we were surrounded by very heavy gunfire from the soldiers in the area,” he told Amnesty.
“They were direct shots aimed over our heads, under our feet, so we had to evacuate the area. During that time, Mohammad was bleeding very heavily, he was still alive at that point – his white uniform was completely red. Because of the gunfire we were unable to put him on the stretcher.”
Two more PRCS workers eventually returned collect al-Abadlah: “We drove him to Nasser Hospital. He was still alive and breathing. We worked on him at Nasser Hospital, but he died in the intensive care unit.”
“He was killed despite assurances we received from the Red Cross that the area was safe for us to work in,” Dr. Bashar Murad, head of PRCS’s emergency and ambulance unit, told Amnesty International. “Our entrance to the area was checked twice with the army through the Red Cross. His colleagues would also have been killed if they had not found shelter in a house nearby. There was shooting at them. The Red Cross needs to call for accountability in this case.”
Burned to death when ambulance shelled A’ed Al-Bor’i, 28, a volunteer with the PRCS ambulance service, was killed on 25 July while riding in an ambulance with an injured person. The ambulance was shelled and al-Bor’i was burned to death.
This is also not the first time Israel has targeted medical workers in violation of international law. Amnesty reminds readers that the Israeli army attacked health workers during its offensive in 2008-2009 and 2012.
The Fourth Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War of 12 August 1949 (Fourth Geneva Convention) obliges states to respect and protect the wounded, to allow the removal from besieged areas of the wounded or sick, and the access of medical personnel to such areas. The deliberate obstruction of medical personnel to prevent the wounded receiving medical attention may constitute “wilfully causing great suffering or serious injury to body or health,” a grave breach of the Fourth Geneva Convention, and a war crime.
In addition to the direct attacks on medical workers and facilities, the Israeli offensive has prevented ambulances from reaching areas in dire need and pushed the entirety of Gaza’s medical facilities to the brink of collapse. Amnesty reports that hospitals are operating with debilitating shortages in drugs, medicine and water and under threat of power outages due to inadequate supply of fuel.
Calling for an arms and fuel embargo On 4 August, Amnesty International called on the US government to immediately stop its transfer of fuel to Israel to be used for the Israeli military. On 11 July, Amnesty had called on the United Nations to impose a comprehensive arms embargo on Israel and all Palestinians armed groups.
In its recent appeal to halt the transfer of fuel for military purposes, Amnesty International reported that the most recent delivery of jet fuel took place on 14 July, soon after the bombardment of Gaza began, by the US Defense Logistics Agency Energy.
Since January 2013, the US government has supplied the Israeli military with a total of 277,000 tons of jet fuel.
Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Malki on Saturday said his government would soon try to haul Israelis before the International Criminal Court for war crimes.
"We will go to the ICJ, and put our signature on it. Very soon we will be a (sovereign) state. That is enough for the court to start an investigation," Malki, on a visit to Bogota, told AFP.
Israeli warplanes pummeled Gaza with 50 air strikes that killed eight Palestinians Saturday as militants slammed 25 rockets into Israel amid mounting calls for a fresh ceasefire.
The conflict has now killed at least 1,914 Palestinians, the vast majority civilians, and 67 people on the Israeli side, almost all soldiers, since July 8.
Malki, who attended to inauguration Thursday of Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos, said "before coming here, I was in the Hague.
"And I asked the ICJ to start an official investigation, to see if what Israel has done in the past 33 days reaches the level of war crimes," Malki told a briefing in Bogota.
The Palestinians in 2009 asked the ICC's prosecutor's office to investigate alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by the Israeli military in Gaza in 2008-2009.
But so far there has been no probe as Palestine is not an ICC member state and its status as a country is uncertain in some international institutions.
Palestinians however in late November 2012 obtained non-member observer status at the United Nations, opening the door for an ICC investigation.
Britain, France, and Germany meanwhile Saturday urged Israel and Hamas to agree a truce at once.
"We will go to the ICJ, and put our signature on it. Very soon we will be a (sovereign) state. That is enough for the court to start an investigation," Malki, on a visit to Bogota, told AFP.
Israeli warplanes pummeled Gaza with 50 air strikes that killed eight Palestinians Saturday as militants slammed 25 rockets into Israel amid mounting calls for a fresh ceasefire.
The conflict has now killed at least 1,914 Palestinians, the vast majority civilians, and 67 people on the Israeli side, almost all soldiers, since July 8.
Malki, who attended to inauguration Thursday of Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos, said "before coming here, I was in the Hague.
"And I asked the ICJ to start an official investigation, to see if what Israel has done in the past 33 days reaches the level of war crimes," Malki told a briefing in Bogota.
The Palestinians in 2009 asked the ICC's prosecutor's office to investigate alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by the Israeli military in Gaza in 2008-2009.
But so far there has been no probe as Palestine is not an ICC member state and its status as a country is uncertain in some international institutions.
Palestinians however in late November 2012 obtained non-member observer status at the United Nations, opening the door for an ICC investigation.
Britain, France, and Germany meanwhile Saturday urged Israel and Hamas to agree a truce at once.
The Israeli Chief Military Prosecutor plans to indict six Palestinians who were captured by Israeli forces during the ongoing military offensive in the Gaza Strip.
Israeli sources told Ma'an that the six detainees to be indicted by the prosecutor's southern command are affiliated to the Palestinian groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad.
The individuals were detained during the Israeli ground invasion and are reportedly accused of involvement in firing rockets and digging tunnels.
It was not initially clear whether Palestinians captured by Israeli forces in Gaza were being held as prisoners or war or being treated as detainees from an occupied territory, similar to West Bank detainees.
A spokeswoman for the Israel Prison Services did not have any information regarding the report.
Earlier in the week, the Israeli army previously admitted that 159 Palestinians had been captured during the Israeli ground invasion of the Gaza Strip and that they had been transferred to the Shin Bet intelligence agency for questioning.
The Palestinian Prisoner's Ministry accused Israel of "withholding" crucial information on the detainees that would allow the ministry to keep track of them, including their ID numbers, locations, and conditions.
More than 6,500 Palestinians are currently being held in Israeli prisons, including more than 1,500 captured by Israel in just the last two months.
Israeli sources told Ma'an that the six detainees to be indicted by the prosecutor's southern command are affiliated to the Palestinian groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad.
The individuals were detained during the Israeli ground invasion and are reportedly accused of involvement in firing rockets and digging tunnels.
It was not initially clear whether Palestinians captured by Israeli forces in Gaza were being held as prisoners or war or being treated as detainees from an occupied territory, similar to West Bank detainees.
A spokeswoman for the Israel Prison Services did not have any information regarding the report.
Earlier in the week, the Israeli army previously admitted that 159 Palestinians had been captured during the Israeli ground invasion of the Gaza Strip and that they had been transferred to the Shin Bet intelligence agency for questioning.
The Palestinian Prisoner's Ministry accused Israel of "withholding" crucial information on the detainees that would allow the ministry to keep track of them, including their ID numbers, locations, and conditions.
More than 6,500 Palestinians are currently being held in Israeli prisons, including more than 1,500 captured by Israel in just the last two months.
Azzam al-Ahmad
Member of Fatah's Central Committee and head of the Palestinian delegation for truce talks in Cairo, Azzam Al-Ahmad, says that Palestinians do not wish to resume attacks, but that it is their legitimate prerogative to demand and fight for their rights.
According to the Palestinian News Network (PNN), Mr. Al-Ahmad additionally stated that Palestinians are ready to continue talks in Egypt and to come to a final agreement which meets their demands, including an end to the ongoing blockade in the Gaza Strip. He further stated that the children of Gaza have the right to live in dignity, and to attend schools and playgrounds without living in fear of Israeli airplanes flying overhead.
Al-Ahmad criticized the lack of activity on the part of the international community, stressing that Palestinian civilians are the ones truly paying the price -- not the Israelis.
The official stated that the coming hours are critical to reaching an agreement, noting that Palestinian demands are clear and cannot be excluded from negotiating table, especially those regarding the building of sea and air ports in the Gaza Strip.
According to Al-Ahmad, the beieged coastal region once had an operative airport in which planes used to land with Israel's consent, as was agreed upon with the signing of the Oslo accords. This airport closed in 2001, after being attacked and severely damaged by Israeli army, PNN notes.
The demands of the Palestinian delegation are not new, the official stated, as they encompass the basic rights of the Gazan community, further stressing that Israel should not have to have the right to say which ones are allowed and which are not.
The meeting of such demands, in Mr. Al-Ahmad's opinion, would help to achieve an appropriate climate for a political process that would bring an end to the ongoing violence and the bloodshed, as well as implementing resolutions recognized under international law.
He downplayed media-induced perceptions of divisions within the Palestinian delegation, saying that these rumors would be proven false and are, simply, an Israeli strategy to sabotage negotiations.
Negotiations are to continue with Egyptian officials in Cairo. However, an appointment with Director of Egyptian General Intelligence Directorate, Mohammad Ahmed Fareed Al-Tuhami, is yet to make the official schedule.
See: 08/08/14 "Demands Israel Has Accepted, And Rejected"
Hamas MP: Keeping military arsenal only 'guarantee' to break siege
A Hamas member of the Palestinian parliament on Saturday insisted that the group was determined to maintain its military arsenal in the face of Israeli calls for it to disarm, calling the group's weapons the "only guarantee" for Gaza's future.
"The weapons of the resistance are the only guarantee for Palestinians to break Gaza's siege and rebuild Gaza together," Hamas member of the Palestinian Legislative Council Ismail al-Ashqar said on Saturday.
Al-Ashqar said in a statement released by the media office of the parliament that "Palestinians and the factions of the resistance demand to unconditionally rebuild the Gaza Strip," highlighting that he and "all Palestinians" trust that the resistance is "able to achieve it's conditions and to force Israel and it's allies to accept them."
The Palestinian delegation at ceasefire talks in Cairo has insisted that the eight-year long blockade of the Gaza Strip be lifted as a condition for any ceasefire, which Israel has so far refused to consider.
Israel has instead countered that reconstruction of the Gaza Strip -- which has been pounded by more than 30 days of Israeli airstrikes and shelling from land and sea -- be conditional on the disarmament of Hamas, otherwise it will continue to limit the import of basic materials like concrete.
Al-Ashqar said that the "victory of the resistance in the battlefield proves the failure of both the Israeli and the American security systems," stressing the importance of "investing the field victory of the resistance" politically and on "holding on the resistance's terms."
Member of Fatah's Central Committee and head of the Palestinian delegation for truce talks in Cairo, Azzam Al-Ahmad, says that Palestinians do not wish to resume attacks, but that it is their legitimate prerogative to demand and fight for their rights.
According to the Palestinian News Network (PNN), Mr. Al-Ahmad additionally stated that Palestinians are ready to continue talks in Egypt and to come to a final agreement which meets their demands, including an end to the ongoing blockade in the Gaza Strip. He further stated that the children of Gaza have the right to live in dignity, and to attend schools and playgrounds without living in fear of Israeli airplanes flying overhead.
Al-Ahmad criticized the lack of activity on the part of the international community, stressing that Palestinian civilians are the ones truly paying the price -- not the Israelis.
The official stated that the coming hours are critical to reaching an agreement, noting that Palestinian demands are clear and cannot be excluded from negotiating table, especially those regarding the building of sea and air ports in the Gaza Strip.
According to Al-Ahmad, the beieged coastal region once had an operative airport in which planes used to land with Israel's consent, as was agreed upon with the signing of the Oslo accords. This airport closed in 2001, after being attacked and severely damaged by Israeli army, PNN notes.
The demands of the Palestinian delegation are not new, the official stated, as they encompass the basic rights of the Gazan community, further stressing that Israel should not have to have the right to say which ones are allowed and which are not.
The meeting of such demands, in Mr. Al-Ahmad's opinion, would help to achieve an appropriate climate for a political process that would bring an end to the ongoing violence and the bloodshed, as well as implementing resolutions recognized under international law.
He downplayed media-induced perceptions of divisions within the Palestinian delegation, saying that these rumors would be proven false and are, simply, an Israeli strategy to sabotage negotiations.
Negotiations are to continue with Egyptian officials in Cairo. However, an appointment with Director of Egyptian General Intelligence Directorate, Mohammad Ahmed Fareed Al-Tuhami, is yet to make the official schedule.
See: 08/08/14 "Demands Israel Has Accepted, And Rejected"
Hamas MP: Keeping military arsenal only 'guarantee' to break siege
A Hamas member of the Palestinian parliament on Saturday insisted that the group was determined to maintain its military arsenal in the face of Israeli calls for it to disarm, calling the group's weapons the "only guarantee" for Gaza's future.
"The weapons of the resistance are the only guarantee for Palestinians to break Gaza's siege and rebuild Gaza together," Hamas member of the Palestinian Legislative Council Ismail al-Ashqar said on Saturday.
Al-Ashqar said in a statement released by the media office of the parliament that "Palestinians and the factions of the resistance demand to unconditionally rebuild the Gaza Strip," highlighting that he and "all Palestinians" trust that the resistance is "able to achieve it's conditions and to force Israel and it's allies to accept them."
The Palestinian delegation at ceasefire talks in Cairo has insisted that the eight-year long blockade of the Gaza Strip be lifted as a condition for any ceasefire, which Israel has so far refused to consider.
Israel has instead countered that reconstruction of the Gaza Strip -- which has been pounded by more than 30 days of Israeli airstrikes and shelling from land and sea -- be conditional on the disarmament of Hamas, otherwise it will continue to limit the import of basic materials like concrete.
Al-Ashqar said that the "victory of the resistance in the battlefield proves the failure of both the Israeli and the American security systems," stressing the importance of "investing the field victory of the resistance" politically and on "holding on the resistance's terms."
14-year-old killed in Israeli airstrike on Deir al-Balah
14-year-old Ahmad al-Masri was killed in an airstrike on Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip on Sunday morning.
14-year-old Ahmad al-Masri was killed in an airstrike on Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip on Sunday morning.
Israel continued its bombardment of the Gaza Strip early Sunday, killing three Palestinians across the besieged coastal enclave as Cairo ceasefire negotiations stalled amid the Israeli withdrawal of its delegation.
Overnight airstrikes primarily targeted the southern cities of Rafah and Khan Younis, killing three -- including a thirteen-year old girl -- and injuring dozens as the toll in the 34-day Israeli assault reached 1,916 with more than 9,840 injured.
Palestinian negotiators warned they would leave ceasefire talks in the Egyptian capital if no Israeli delegation showed up, with one senior Palestinian setting a 3 p.m. deadline.
"We have a meeting tomorrow (Sunday) with Egyptian (mediators). If we confirm that the Israeli delegation is placing conditions for its return, we will not accept any conditions," lead negotiator Azzam al-Ahmed told AFP.
But an Israeli official told AFP that talks could not take place until Palestinian rocket fire came to a halt. Militants launched 25 rockets into Israel on Saturday, causing no damage as Israeli airstrikes killed at least 10.
Britain, France and Germany on Saturday urged Israel and Hamas to agree to an immediate ceasefire.
But the Palestinian delegation has refused to return to the pre-conflict situation, when an eight-year Israeli blockade from air, land, and sea crippled Gaza's economy and led to recurring shortages of basic commodities as well as nearly complete restrictions on travel.
Palestinian factions have insisted that Israel end the siege on the Gaza Strip, release dozens of prisoners whom Israel has re-arrested that were released in 2011 as part of the Shalit exchange, re-open a seaport and airport in Gaza, and create a safe passage between the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
A Hamas leader, Mussa Abu Marzouq, warned that the next 24 hours would be crucial.
Israel "is stalling and the next 24 hours will decide the fate of the negotiations," he said late Saturday.
"We will not hold talks for a long time without serious discussions," he added, calling Israel's attitude "not serious."
"We do not want an escalation, but we will not accept that there is no reply to our demands."
Earlier, the secretary-general of the Palestinian delegation told Ma'an that Israel had attempted to include the issue of two captured Israeli soldiers' bodies in the negotiations.
Bassam al-Salihi said that Israel had offered to release Palestinian prisoners in exchange for the bodies of the two soldiers, which it is suspected may be in the hands of Hamas militants.
Al-Salihi said, however, that the delegation had refused to talk about the issue. The Hamas-affiliated Al-Qassam Brigades earlier claimed responsibility for capturing Israeli soldier Oron Shaul, but denied any knowledge of Hadar Goldin's whereabouts.
Israel has said that both soldiers were killed in action with Palestinian militants in Gaza but that it did not know the whereabouts of their bodies.
447 children killed
The Cairo talks broke down on Friday after Hamas accused Israel of stalling and refused to extend a 72-hour ceasefire, setting off renewed hostilities that left 10 Palestinians dead on Saturday as Israeli warplanes battered Gaza with 50 air strikes.
The last month's fighting has devastated swathes of Gaza, with the United Nations saying at least 1,354 of the Palestinians killed have been civilians, including 447 children.
Israel says it has carried out more than 100 strikes in Gaza since Friday morning.
An airstrike in northern Rafah early Sunday killed a Palestinian man after a missile landed near a group of people.
In Khan Younis district, Israeli airstrikes hit home of Ayman Baraka in the town of Bani Suheila. His wife Amani, 35, was killed and Baraka was injured along with a number of his family members.
Earlier on Sunday morning, an airstrike hit the home of the al-Dali family in al-Ghawafir neighborhood in al-Qarara village east of Khan Younis.
Another attack from the air landed in a military training center for Hamas' military wing al-Qassam Brigades. Material damage was reported in both attacks but no human casualties.
Israeli warplanes also targeted for a second time in two days the Shuhada mosque in Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip, destroying the mosque completely.
A series of airstrikes early Sunday targeted the area near the Egyptian border in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, causing material damage to nearby Palestinian homes but no casualties, according to residents.
Ten Palestinians were injured also Sunday morning by an Israeli airstrike targeting a home in Jabaliya refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip. Ministry of Health spokesman Ashraf al-Qidra said that some of the injuries were serious, adding that ten people were evacuated to Kamal Adwan hospital in Beit Lahiya.
Late Saturday night, 13-year-old Ayah Anwar al-Sher was killed in an Israeli airstrike on her family home in Rafah.
Protesters fill London and Cape Town
Palestinian foreign minister Riyad al-Malki meanwhile said his government would soon try to haul Israelis before an international court for war crimes.
"We will go to the ICJ (International Court of Justice), and put our signature on it. Very soon we will be a (sovereign) state. That is enough for the court to start an investigation," Malki told AFP on a visit to Colombia.
In London, up to 150,000 protesters packed Oxford Street on Saturday, marching to the US embassy and on to Hyde Park, many of them chanting "Free, free Palestine" and holding up banners saying "UK -- Stop Arming Israel."
Tens of thousands of demonstrators also marched through Cape Town to protest the Israeli military operation, one of the biggest rallies in the city since the end of apartheid.
The lifting of Israel's land and sea blockade, imposed in 2006 after Hamas won democratic elections, has been a key demand of Hamas and the Palestinian Authority in the Cairo talks.
A Palestinian official said on condition of anonymity that Egypt and the Palestinians had reached a draft agreement for submission to Israel.
It would see Egypt and the Palestinian Authority take control of the Rafah border crossing into Egypt, essentially activating part of a unity accord Hamas signed with the PA in April.
Negotiations on the sea port, demanded by Hamas, would then be delayed and entrusted to the PA, with whom Israel is prepared to deal.
Israel says that it launched the conflict to destroy Hamas' arsenal of rockets and its network of attack tunnels.
But combat has not resumed at the same fierce intensity, feeding hopes that a new truce could be agreed.
"Our hope is that the parties will agree to an extension of the ceasefire in the coming hours," US State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf said.
Chris Gunness, spokesman for the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), called for the Gaza blockade to end so reconstruction can begin.
"Huge swathes of Gaza have been leveled. We cannot rebuild it with our hands tied behind our backs," he said. "The blockade must end."
At least 65,000 people have had their homes destroyed, and UNRWA said 222,000 people are still sheltering in UN-run schools after around a third of Gaza's total population was displaced earlier in the conflict.
Overnight airstrikes primarily targeted the southern cities of Rafah and Khan Younis, killing three -- including a thirteen-year old girl -- and injuring dozens as the toll in the 34-day Israeli assault reached 1,916 with more than 9,840 injured.
Palestinian negotiators warned they would leave ceasefire talks in the Egyptian capital if no Israeli delegation showed up, with one senior Palestinian setting a 3 p.m. deadline.
"We have a meeting tomorrow (Sunday) with Egyptian (mediators). If we confirm that the Israeli delegation is placing conditions for its return, we will not accept any conditions," lead negotiator Azzam al-Ahmed told AFP.
But an Israeli official told AFP that talks could not take place until Palestinian rocket fire came to a halt. Militants launched 25 rockets into Israel on Saturday, causing no damage as Israeli airstrikes killed at least 10.
Britain, France and Germany on Saturday urged Israel and Hamas to agree to an immediate ceasefire.
But the Palestinian delegation has refused to return to the pre-conflict situation, when an eight-year Israeli blockade from air, land, and sea crippled Gaza's economy and led to recurring shortages of basic commodities as well as nearly complete restrictions on travel.
Palestinian factions have insisted that Israel end the siege on the Gaza Strip, release dozens of prisoners whom Israel has re-arrested that were released in 2011 as part of the Shalit exchange, re-open a seaport and airport in Gaza, and create a safe passage between the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
A Hamas leader, Mussa Abu Marzouq, warned that the next 24 hours would be crucial.
Israel "is stalling and the next 24 hours will decide the fate of the negotiations," he said late Saturday.
"We will not hold talks for a long time without serious discussions," he added, calling Israel's attitude "not serious."
"We do not want an escalation, but we will not accept that there is no reply to our demands."
Earlier, the secretary-general of the Palestinian delegation told Ma'an that Israel had attempted to include the issue of two captured Israeli soldiers' bodies in the negotiations.
Bassam al-Salihi said that Israel had offered to release Palestinian prisoners in exchange for the bodies of the two soldiers, which it is suspected may be in the hands of Hamas militants.
Al-Salihi said, however, that the delegation had refused to talk about the issue. The Hamas-affiliated Al-Qassam Brigades earlier claimed responsibility for capturing Israeli soldier Oron Shaul, but denied any knowledge of Hadar Goldin's whereabouts.
Israel has said that both soldiers were killed in action with Palestinian militants in Gaza but that it did not know the whereabouts of their bodies.
447 children killed
The Cairo talks broke down on Friday after Hamas accused Israel of stalling and refused to extend a 72-hour ceasefire, setting off renewed hostilities that left 10 Palestinians dead on Saturday as Israeli warplanes battered Gaza with 50 air strikes.
The last month's fighting has devastated swathes of Gaza, with the United Nations saying at least 1,354 of the Palestinians killed have been civilians, including 447 children.
Israel says it has carried out more than 100 strikes in Gaza since Friday morning.
An airstrike in northern Rafah early Sunday killed a Palestinian man after a missile landed near a group of people.
In Khan Younis district, Israeli airstrikes hit home of Ayman Baraka in the town of Bani Suheila. His wife Amani, 35, was killed and Baraka was injured along with a number of his family members.
Earlier on Sunday morning, an airstrike hit the home of the al-Dali family in al-Ghawafir neighborhood in al-Qarara village east of Khan Younis.
Another attack from the air landed in a military training center for Hamas' military wing al-Qassam Brigades. Material damage was reported in both attacks but no human casualties.
Israeli warplanes also targeted for a second time in two days the Shuhada mosque in Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip, destroying the mosque completely.
A series of airstrikes early Sunday targeted the area near the Egyptian border in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, causing material damage to nearby Palestinian homes but no casualties, according to residents.
Ten Palestinians were injured also Sunday morning by an Israeli airstrike targeting a home in Jabaliya refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip. Ministry of Health spokesman Ashraf al-Qidra said that some of the injuries were serious, adding that ten people were evacuated to Kamal Adwan hospital in Beit Lahiya.
Late Saturday night, 13-year-old Ayah Anwar al-Sher was killed in an Israeli airstrike on her family home in Rafah.
Protesters fill London and Cape Town
Palestinian foreign minister Riyad al-Malki meanwhile said his government would soon try to haul Israelis before an international court for war crimes.
"We will go to the ICJ (International Court of Justice), and put our signature on it. Very soon we will be a (sovereign) state. That is enough for the court to start an investigation," Malki told AFP on a visit to Colombia.
In London, up to 150,000 protesters packed Oxford Street on Saturday, marching to the US embassy and on to Hyde Park, many of them chanting "Free, free Palestine" and holding up banners saying "UK -- Stop Arming Israel."
Tens of thousands of demonstrators also marched through Cape Town to protest the Israeli military operation, one of the biggest rallies in the city since the end of apartheid.
The lifting of Israel's land and sea blockade, imposed in 2006 after Hamas won democratic elections, has been a key demand of Hamas and the Palestinian Authority in the Cairo talks.
A Palestinian official said on condition of anonymity that Egypt and the Palestinians had reached a draft agreement for submission to Israel.
It would see Egypt and the Palestinian Authority take control of the Rafah border crossing into Egypt, essentially activating part of a unity accord Hamas signed with the PA in April.
Negotiations on the sea port, demanded by Hamas, would then be delayed and entrusted to the PA, with whom Israel is prepared to deal.
Israel says that it launched the conflict to destroy Hamas' arsenal of rockets and its network of attack tunnels.
But combat has not resumed at the same fierce intensity, feeding hopes that a new truce could be agreed.
"Our hope is that the parties will agree to an extension of the ceasefire in the coming hours," US State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf said.
Chris Gunness, spokesman for the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), called for the Gaza blockade to end so reconstruction can begin.
"Huge swathes of Gaza have been leveled. We cannot rebuild it with our hands tied behind our backs," he said. "The blockade must end."
At least 65,000 people have had their homes destroyed, and UNRWA said 222,000 people are still sheltering in UN-run schools after around a third of Gaza's total population was displaced earlier in the conflict.
150,000 people protest in London (image by @Farah_Gazan on Twitter)
Following a call by the Palestinian Boycott Divestment and Sanctions National Committee and other Palestinian organizations, supporters of equal rights for Palestinians held protests around the world on Saturday, calling for an end to the Israeli assault on Gaza and an end to the siege that has been strangling the economy of Gaza for 8 years.
The protest call states, in part, “As we face the full might of Israel’s military arsenal, funded and supplied by the United States and European Union, we call on civil society and people of conscience throughout the world to pressure governments to sanction Israel and implement a comprehensive arms embargo immediately.
“Take to the streets on Saturday 9 August with a united demand for sanctions on Israel.
“From Gaza under invasion, bombardment, and continuing siege, the horror is beyond words. Medical supplies are exhausted. The death toll has reached 1813 killed (398 children, 207 women, 74 elderly) and 9370 injured (2744 children, 1750 women, 343 elderly). Our hospitals, ambulances, and medical staff are all under attack while on duty. Doctors and paramedics are being killed while evacuating the dead. Our dead are not numbers and statistics to be recounted; they are loved ones, family and friends.
“While we have to survive this onslaught, you certainly have the power to help end it the same way you helped overcome Apartheid and other crimes against humanity. Israel is only able to carry out this attack with the unwavering support of governments – this support must end.
Young Jewish activists have been at the forefront of these protests in different parts of the world. In the US, 6 activists with Jewish Voice for Peace were arrested for carrying out civil disobedience at a meeting of the Jewish Federation.
One of the organizers reported that the young people arrested “were the first Jewish Voice for Peace chapter to deliver a petition signed by over 35,000 supporters, urging the Federation and other Jewish leaders to take a public stand not just for an immediate ceasefire, but for an end to the underlying conditions of siege that makes life unbearable for Palestinians in Gaza. They demanded – and received – a meeting with the Philadelphia Federation CEO, Naomi Adler. While they waited, refusing to leave the building for over four hours, they sang Jewish songs of peace. Outside, a crowd of supporters read poems, sang songs of peace, and read the names of almost 2,000 people who have been killed in Gaza these past three weeks. In the end, six protesters were removed from the building in handcuffs.”
The Mondoweiss blog reported on the protest in London, including excerpts from a speech by nineteen-year-old student and activist Barnaby Raine, who has been organizing a “Jewish Bloc against Zionism” in London. He said:
“I am proud to stand here today as a Jewish boy from North London in solidarity with the people of Gaza. I’m not here today in spite of Jewish history. I’m here because of Jewish history...
“I’m here today because my great grandparents knew what it meant to be excluded and to be the victims of racism. They knew what it was like to be booted out of their homes and turned into refugees…
“[To BBC] Is that a conflict? When people flee for their lives to United Nations shelters, and then Israel attacks the United Nations shelters, is that a conflict? (No!). No no no BBC this is not a conflict, this is a massacre…
“I am 19 years old. What future awaits the 19 year olds of Gaza?..
“Let’s put sanctions on Israel until this barbarism ends.
“So I just want to leave you with one important quote. In the early 20th century, people all over the world from all backgrounds who stood for the oppressed might have declared: 'I, too, am a Jew'. When apartheid besmirched the earth people might have said: 'I, too, am a black South African'. Well, today, people from all backgrounds, from all walks of life, all over the world, come together and say in our thousands, in our millions: 'We are all Palestinian'.”
Hundreds of thousands of people participated in marches and rallies Saturday in hundreds of cities around the world, including Washington DC, Cape Town South Africa, Birmingham and Dublin, with an estimated 150,000 people protesting in London alone.
Following a call by the Palestinian Boycott Divestment and Sanctions National Committee and other Palestinian organizations, supporters of equal rights for Palestinians held protests around the world on Saturday, calling for an end to the Israeli assault on Gaza and an end to the siege that has been strangling the economy of Gaza for 8 years.
The protest call states, in part, “As we face the full might of Israel’s military arsenal, funded and supplied by the United States and European Union, we call on civil society and people of conscience throughout the world to pressure governments to sanction Israel and implement a comprehensive arms embargo immediately.
“Take to the streets on Saturday 9 August with a united demand for sanctions on Israel.
“From Gaza under invasion, bombardment, and continuing siege, the horror is beyond words. Medical supplies are exhausted. The death toll has reached 1813 killed (398 children, 207 women, 74 elderly) and 9370 injured (2744 children, 1750 women, 343 elderly). Our hospitals, ambulances, and medical staff are all under attack while on duty. Doctors and paramedics are being killed while evacuating the dead. Our dead are not numbers and statistics to be recounted; they are loved ones, family and friends.
“While we have to survive this onslaught, you certainly have the power to help end it the same way you helped overcome Apartheid and other crimes against humanity. Israel is only able to carry out this attack with the unwavering support of governments – this support must end.
Young Jewish activists have been at the forefront of these protests in different parts of the world. In the US, 6 activists with Jewish Voice for Peace were arrested for carrying out civil disobedience at a meeting of the Jewish Federation.
One of the organizers reported that the young people arrested “were the first Jewish Voice for Peace chapter to deliver a petition signed by over 35,000 supporters, urging the Federation and other Jewish leaders to take a public stand not just for an immediate ceasefire, but for an end to the underlying conditions of siege that makes life unbearable for Palestinians in Gaza. They demanded – and received – a meeting with the Philadelphia Federation CEO, Naomi Adler. While they waited, refusing to leave the building for over four hours, they sang Jewish songs of peace. Outside, a crowd of supporters read poems, sang songs of peace, and read the names of almost 2,000 people who have been killed in Gaza these past three weeks. In the end, six protesters were removed from the building in handcuffs.”
The Mondoweiss blog reported on the protest in London, including excerpts from a speech by nineteen-year-old student and activist Barnaby Raine, who has been organizing a “Jewish Bloc against Zionism” in London. He said:
“I am proud to stand here today as a Jewish boy from North London in solidarity with the people of Gaza. I’m not here today in spite of Jewish history. I’m here because of Jewish history...
“I’m here today because my great grandparents knew what it meant to be excluded and to be the victims of racism. They knew what it was like to be booted out of their homes and turned into refugees…
“[To BBC] Is that a conflict? When people flee for their lives to United Nations shelters, and then Israel attacks the United Nations shelters, is that a conflict? (No!). No no no BBC this is not a conflict, this is a massacre…
“I am 19 years old. What future awaits the 19 year olds of Gaza?..
“Let’s put sanctions on Israel until this barbarism ends.
“So I just want to leave you with one important quote. In the early 20th century, people all over the world from all backgrounds who stood for the oppressed might have declared: 'I, too, am a Jew'. When apartheid besmirched the earth people might have said: 'I, too, am a black South African'. Well, today, people from all backgrounds, from all walks of life, all over the world, come together and say in our thousands, in our millions: 'We are all Palestinian'.”
Hundreds of thousands of people participated in marches and rallies Saturday in hundreds of cities around the world, including Washington DC, Cape Town South Africa, Birmingham and Dublin, with an estimated 150,000 people protesting in London alone.
WARNING: Graphic Image
Ten Palestinian killed Saturday, dozens injured.
Palestinian medical sources have reported that, Saturday, five more Palestinians have been killed and dozens injured, as the Israeli army continued it bombardment of different areas of the besieged Gaza Strip, while dozens of residents have been injured.
The sources said a child, identified as, Aaya Nour ash-Sha’er, 13, died after an Israeli missile struck her family home in Rafah, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip.
In addition, two Palestinians were killed, and many injured, when the army fired a missile into a car, in al-Brazil neighborhood also in Rafah.
They have been identified as Sa’id Atef Temraz, 26, and Mohammad ‘Adel al-‘Ayedi, 28.
Medics and rescue teams also located the remains of a Palestinian under the rubble of bombarded homes, in Shuja’eyya neighborhood, east of Gaza City.
The slain Palestinian has been identified as Othman al-Jammal.
One Palestinian was killed, in Deir al-Balah, in Central Gaza, and several others were injured, when the army fired a missile at a motorcycle rider in the city.
The slain Palestinian has been identified as Mahmoud al-Jourani, 37.
Israeli F-16 fighter jets also fired missiles into Khan Younis, and in Gaza City, destroying several homes, and causing damage to other homes and strictures, and fired missiles into another mosque in Zeitoun neighborhood.
Soldiers also fired missiles into residential tower number 3 of the Sheikh Zayed residential towers, in northern Gaza, and fired missiles into a cattle farm in Jabalia, in northern Gaza.
Dr. Ashraf al-Qudra, spokesperson of the Ministry of Health in Gaza said that at least 1914 Palestinians have been killed, and Israeli missiles have injured more than 9861 and shells since Israel initiated its latest aggression on Gaza on July 8.
Among the slain Palestinians are 449 children, 243 women, and 87 elderly; while among the wounded are 3004 children, 1907 women and 359 elderly.
Ten Palestinian killed Saturday, dozens injured.
Palestinian medical sources have reported that, Saturday, five more Palestinians have been killed and dozens injured, as the Israeli army continued it bombardment of different areas of the besieged Gaza Strip, while dozens of residents have been injured.
The sources said a child, identified as, Aaya Nour ash-Sha’er, 13, died after an Israeli missile struck her family home in Rafah, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip.
In addition, two Palestinians were killed, and many injured, when the army fired a missile into a car, in al-Brazil neighborhood also in Rafah.
They have been identified as Sa’id Atef Temraz, 26, and Mohammad ‘Adel al-‘Ayedi, 28.
Medics and rescue teams also located the remains of a Palestinian under the rubble of bombarded homes, in Shuja’eyya neighborhood, east of Gaza City.
The slain Palestinian has been identified as Othman al-Jammal.
One Palestinian was killed, in Deir al-Balah, in Central Gaza, and several others were injured, when the army fired a missile at a motorcycle rider in the city.
The slain Palestinian has been identified as Mahmoud al-Jourani, 37.
Israeli F-16 fighter jets also fired missiles into Khan Younis, and in Gaza City, destroying several homes, and causing damage to other homes and strictures, and fired missiles into another mosque in Zeitoun neighborhood.
Soldiers also fired missiles into residential tower number 3 of the Sheikh Zayed residential towers, in northern Gaza, and fired missiles into a cattle farm in Jabalia, in northern Gaza.
Dr. Ashraf al-Qudra, spokesperson of the Ministry of Health in Gaza said that at least 1914 Palestinians have been killed, and Israeli missiles have injured more than 9861 and shells since Israel initiated its latest aggression on Gaza on July 8.
Among the slain Palestinians are 449 children, 243 women, and 87 elderly; while among the wounded are 3004 children, 1907 women and 359 elderly.
