11 july 2014
Mohammed Abu Khdeir
With dozens killed in Israeli air raids on Gaza and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon warning that the situation is "on a knife-edge", relations between Palestinians and Israelis are disintegrating.
Some Palestinian workers say they have been summarily dismissed, while an atmosphere of hatred and fear is preventing many from going to work, taking public transport or even leaving their homes.
Recently Sami, a Palestinian from East Jerusalem in his mid-20s, received a call from the Jewish-run shop in West Jerusalem where he has worked for several years.
"They said don't come in because you are an Arab. I haven't worked in two weeks," said Sami, who lives with his parents, several of his nine siblings and his two young daughters in a crowded flat. Likewise, 16-year-old Mohammad said the restaurant where he works in Tel Aviv told him his help was no longer needed.
Since the kidnapping of three Israeli teenagers several weeks ago, relations between Palestinians and Israelis in the city have become increasingly fractious. The teens were last week found dead near the West Bank town of Hebron; sparking so-called revenge attacks by far-right Jewish settlers.
In the subsequent days 16-year-old Palestinian Mohammed Abu Khdeir was attacked and killed - believed to have been burned alive.
And in a related turn of events, on July 8, the Israeli government began bombing hundreds of targets in the eastern enclave of Gaza after militants fired rockets across the border.
Anger has increased on both sides, with Jewish mobs attacking Palestinian communities and Palestinians protesting and sometimes carrying out attacks as well.
In Jerusalem, groups of Israelis chanting "death to Arabs" have tried to enter Palestinian neighborhoods while across the city, stickers have been put up imploring the Israeli government: "Enough talking, we want revenge."
Sami, switching between Arabic and nearly fluent Hebrew, pointed out that he has many Israeli friends who have called to see how he is doing, but that his family and other Palestinians are living in fear of an attack by far-right groups.
"Arabs don't go to the center of the city any more, since all of this started," he said, while smoking and checking his phone for news updates or calls for help from his friends. His screen was a stream of photos of the slain Khdeir and videos of the latest news.
"We don't let our kids out of the house, even though it's Ramadan," he said.
Yezid Sayigh, senior associate at the Carnegie Middle East Center, says the situation is more volatile than it has been for several years.
"There has been a very polarized climate in Jerusalem and the West Bank," he said, adding: "Given what has happened in the last two or three weeks, I would expect the West Bank to get hotter and hotter."
The numbers of people who have been fired from their jobs is difficult to judge - with information and disinformation making the rounds on social media. A widely circulated document claims a major supermarket chain dismissed all its Palestinian employees.
Rami Levy, the chain's owner and namesake, categorically denied the document's veracity. "We employ people without discrimination by nationality. Anyone who says otherwise is a liar. It is simply not true," he told IRIN.
Ala Khatib, the executive director of Kav LaOved (Workers' Hotline), an organization that protects the rights of disadvantaged workers in Israel, said he had not yet dealt directly with any workers fired because of nationality but that it was a major concern.
The group released a statement on 7 July condemning any such act: "The level of hatred is evident in the Israeli labor market, and we have witnessed media reportings [sic] of Arab workers from the West Bank and Israel being persecuted and attacked, sometimes by an angry mob based solely on their ethnicity, as well as a call to action to 'at least' dismiss Arab workers from their jobs."
In Gaza, where at least 66 people have been killed in three days of bombings, those that had work have seen it disappear.
Issa, a 33-year-old father of three, works as a teacher in a local school. He has not been paid for several months as the Hamas-led government's finances collapse following the overthrow of its Muslim Brotherhood-led government in Egypt, which supported the Islamist party. With the latest attacks his family is on lock-down and work has stopped.
"Israeli attacks are not new to us in Gaza, but there are always fears of worse to come for our families and relatives, and for Gaza in general," Issa said. "We break fast on bombing here and there, and start fasting at dawn with bombing here and there. How things can end this time God only knows."
Heightened fear in Israel
In the Israeli community, too, fear is heightened. In between tears, Ayelet, a young mother from the town of Omer, near the border with the West Bank, talks of how she is petrified her two young children could be hurt. On the weekend, a group of Palestinians protested only minutes from her home.
"(They) covered their faces and were tossing (Molotov cocktails) at cars going into the neighborhood," she said, adding that she may look to move. "I have had enough. There is no safety in Omer; there never was. Every time (the Palestinians) think they have been wronged, they protest violently. Why is the government not doing anything?"
Israeli Police spokesman Mickey Rosenfeld said extra units have been mobilized in Jerusalem to prevent and respond to "the disturbances and the general security situation including the possibility of (conflicts) between Jews and Arabs".
"The Israeli police have dealt with disturbances that have been taking place since the beginning of Ramadan (on 29 June) and the funeral (of Abu Khdeir). There have been disturbances in different Arab neighborhoods by hundreds of masked Palestinians, and the Israel Police have to deal with those, as tensions are high."
Warming up or drawing to a close?
What comes next is far from clear. Daniel Levy, head of the Middle East and North Africa Program at the European Council for Foreign Relations and a former adviser to the Israeli government, says that while he hopes the violence will subside in the coming days, the fractious situation makes reliable predictions challenging.
"We are still in an escalatory cycle rather than the reverse. It could increase significantly but I think we are talking days, rather than weeks (before it calms). What worries me is that while you are in a period of intense tension, if there is something significant like (the killing of Abu Khdeir or the Israeli teens), it could escalate fast."
Carnegie's Sayegh added that during the last Israeli airstrikes against Gaza in 2012, the Israeli-occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem remained quiet, but that this crisis had seen the Israeli forces stretched between the two. "There is a climate of confrontation at a time when there is a lot of frustration among Palestinians as the peace process has completely stalled."
Yet Levy added that while both the Israeli government and the Palestinian leadership had been talking tough, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu telling the military to intensify its assault on Gaza, neither side was really prepared for a prolonged conflict.
"I don't think either side have a long-term plan for how an on-going confrontation works out well for them," he said.
Either way, while there are many who refuse to bow to the extremism on both sides of the divide, the current troubles are eroding even the basic tenets of coexistence, however fragile, that existed. For some in East Jerusalem, where watchful soldiers stood across the street from vigilant residents in a night-time standoff, something has forever changed.
Ehab Nashibi', who lives in the area, saw his teenage daughter caught up in clashes with the army, and now he stays at home guarding his family.
"I can't go anywhere, I have no sense of security at home... the (settlers) used to cause a bit of problems for us. They would throw stuff at us, now they walk by my house swearing at us," he said.
"All my life, I never had anything against Jews, and I taught my kids the same. Honestly, now I'm changing my thoughts."
With dozens killed in Israeli air raids on Gaza and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon warning that the situation is "on a knife-edge", relations between Palestinians and Israelis are disintegrating.
Some Palestinian workers say they have been summarily dismissed, while an atmosphere of hatred and fear is preventing many from going to work, taking public transport or even leaving their homes.
Recently Sami, a Palestinian from East Jerusalem in his mid-20s, received a call from the Jewish-run shop in West Jerusalem where he has worked for several years.
"They said don't come in because you are an Arab. I haven't worked in two weeks," said Sami, who lives with his parents, several of his nine siblings and his two young daughters in a crowded flat. Likewise, 16-year-old Mohammad said the restaurant where he works in Tel Aviv told him his help was no longer needed.
Since the kidnapping of three Israeli teenagers several weeks ago, relations between Palestinians and Israelis in the city have become increasingly fractious. The teens were last week found dead near the West Bank town of Hebron; sparking so-called revenge attacks by far-right Jewish settlers.
In the subsequent days 16-year-old Palestinian Mohammed Abu Khdeir was attacked and killed - believed to have been burned alive.
And in a related turn of events, on July 8, the Israeli government began bombing hundreds of targets in the eastern enclave of Gaza after militants fired rockets across the border.
Anger has increased on both sides, with Jewish mobs attacking Palestinian communities and Palestinians protesting and sometimes carrying out attacks as well.
In Jerusalem, groups of Israelis chanting "death to Arabs" have tried to enter Palestinian neighborhoods while across the city, stickers have been put up imploring the Israeli government: "Enough talking, we want revenge."
Sami, switching between Arabic and nearly fluent Hebrew, pointed out that he has many Israeli friends who have called to see how he is doing, but that his family and other Palestinians are living in fear of an attack by far-right groups.
"Arabs don't go to the center of the city any more, since all of this started," he said, while smoking and checking his phone for news updates or calls for help from his friends. His screen was a stream of photos of the slain Khdeir and videos of the latest news.
"We don't let our kids out of the house, even though it's Ramadan," he said.
Yezid Sayigh, senior associate at the Carnegie Middle East Center, says the situation is more volatile than it has been for several years.
"There has been a very polarized climate in Jerusalem and the West Bank," he said, adding: "Given what has happened in the last two or three weeks, I would expect the West Bank to get hotter and hotter."
The numbers of people who have been fired from their jobs is difficult to judge - with information and disinformation making the rounds on social media. A widely circulated document claims a major supermarket chain dismissed all its Palestinian employees.
Rami Levy, the chain's owner and namesake, categorically denied the document's veracity. "We employ people without discrimination by nationality. Anyone who says otherwise is a liar. It is simply not true," he told IRIN.
Ala Khatib, the executive director of Kav LaOved (Workers' Hotline), an organization that protects the rights of disadvantaged workers in Israel, said he had not yet dealt directly with any workers fired because of nationality but that it was a major concern.
The group released a statement on 7 July condemning any such act: "The level of hatred is evident in the Israeli labor market, and we have witnessed media reportings [sic] of Arab workers from the West Bank and Israel being persecuted and attacked, sometimes by an angry mob based solely on their ethnicity, as well as a call to action to 'at least' dismiss Arab workers from their jobs."
In Gaza, where at least 66 people have been killed in three days of bombings, those that had work have seen it disappear.
Issa, a 33-year-old father of three, works as a teacher in a local school. He has not been paid for several months as the Hamas-led government's finances collapse following the overthrow of its Muslim Brotherhood-led government in Egypt, which supported the Islamist party. With the latest attacks his family is on lock-down and work has stopped.
"Israeli attacks are not new to us in Gaza, but there are always fears of worse to come for our families and relatives, and for Gaza in general," Issa said. "We break fast on bombing here and there, and start fasting at dawn with bombing here and there. How things can end this time God only knows."
Heightened fear in Israel
In the Israeli community, too, fear is heightened. In between tears, Ayelet, a young mother from the town of Omer, near the border with the West Bank, talks of how she is petrified her two young children could be hurt. On the weekend, a group of Palestinians protested only minutes from her home.
"(They) covered their faces and were tossing (Molotov cocktails) at cars going into the neighborhood," she said, adding that she may look to move. "I have had enough. There is no safety in Omer; there never was. Every time (the Palestinians) think they have been wronged, they protest violently. Why is the government not doing anything?"
Israeli Police spokesman Mickey Rosenfeld said extra units have been mobilized in Jerusalem to prevent and respond to "the disturbances and the general security situation including the possibility of (conflicts) between Jews and Arabs".
"The Israeli police have dealt with disturbances that have been taking place since the beginning of Ramadan (on 29 June) and the funeral (of Abu Khdeir). There have been disturbances in different Arab neighborhoods by hundreds of masked Palestinians, and the Israel Police have to deal with those, as tensions are high."
Warming up or drawing to a close?
What comes next is far from clear. Daniel Levy, head of the Middle East and North Africa Program at the European Council for Foreign Relations and a former adviser to the Israeli government, says that while he hopes the violence will subside in the coming days, the fractious situation makes reliable predictions challenging.
"We are still in an escalatory cycle rather than the reverse. It could increase significantly but I think we are talking days, rather than weeks (before it calms). What worries me is that while you are in a period of intense tension, if there is something significant like (the killing of Abu Khdeir or the Israeli teens), it could escalate fast."
Carnegie's Sayegh added that during the last Israeli airstrikes against Gaza in 2012, the Israeli-occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem remained quiet, but that this crisis had seen the Israeli forces stretched between the two. "There is a climate of confrontation at a time when there is a lot of frustration among Palestinians as the peace process has completely stalled."
Yet Levy added that while both the Israeli government and the Palestinian leadership had been talking tough, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu telling the military to intensify its assault on Gaza, neither side was really prepared for a prolonged conflict.
"I don't think either side have a long-term plan for how an on-going confrontation works out well for them," he said.
Either way, while there are many who refuse to bow to the extremism on both sides of the divide, the current troubles are eroding even the basic tenets of coexistence, however fragile, that existed. For some in East Jerusalem, where watchful soldiers stood across the street from vigilant residents in a night-time standoff, something has forever changed.
Ehab Nashibi', who lives in the area, saw his teenage daughter caught up in clashes with the army, and now he stays at home guarding his family.
"I can't go anywhere, I have no sense of security at home... the (settlers) used to cause a bit of problems for us. They would throw stuff at us, now they walk by my house swearing at us," he said.
"All my life, I never had anything against Jews, and I taught my kids the same. Honestly, now I'm changing my thoughts."
The Israeli air forces and artillery units launched strikes at the al-Nizar neighborhood in al-Shujaiyya in eastern Gaza City late Friday, killing two people.
Spokesman for the ministry of health Ashraf al-Qidra said Hussein al-Mamlok, 47, and Saber Sukkar, 80 were killed and three others were injured in the strike.
Three others were injured, he said.
Medics say the attacks raised the death toll to 106 since the campaign began. Some 680 have been injured.
Spokesman for the ministry of health Ashraf al-Qidra said Hussein al-Mamlok, 47, and Saber Sukkar, 80 were killed and three others were injured in the strike.
Three others were injured, he said.
Medics say the attacks raised the death toll to 106 since the campaign began. Some 680 have been injured.
You find the photo's/video's disturbing? Remember, this is what Palestinian children see almost every day
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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Friday Israel has attacked more than 1,000 targets during a four-day-old offensive against Gaza militants and that "there are still more to go", Reuters reports.
Netanyahu sees no international pressure on Israel to stop its campaign.
Netanyahu sees no international pressure on Israel to stop its campaign.
The death of Hamed Shehab on Wednesday in an Israeli air strike has triggered fear and anger among journalists in Gaza.
With tearful eyes, the Al-Aqsa TV anchorman announced the death of Palestinian journalist Hamed Shehab on Wednesday evening, hit by an Israeli air strike while driving home on Omar al-Mukhtar street. Shehab, 27, was working for local press company Media 24.
He was driving a car that had the letters "TV" affixed to it in large, red stickers when it was struck by an Israeli missile. The bombing, carried out on one of Gaza City’s busiest streets, has triggered fear and rage among journalists in Gaza.
"Such [an] attack is meant to intimidate us. Israel has no bank of targets anymore, except civilians and journalists," Abed Afifi, a cameraman for the Beirut-based Al Mayadeen TV channel, told Al Jazeera.
Afifi said Shehab was an independent media professional, and was not affiliated to any political party.
Shehab's body arrived at Gaza’s Shifa hospital in pieces, burned and unidentifiable. His silver-coloured Skoda car was riddled with shrapnel and covered in blood. Another eight Palestinians were injured in the same attack.
The Palestinian death toll sat at nearly 100 Palestinians as of Friday morning, while hundreds of others have been injured over the past four days of Israeli air strikes. The UN estimated [PDF] on Thursday that at least 342 housing units had been destroyed, and at least 2,000 Palestinians displaced, in the bombardment.
Ihab al-Ghussein, from Gaza's interior ministry, commented on Shehab's death from Shifa hospital: "This crime is meant to break the will of Palestinian media professionals who are working day and night … to show the brutality of the occupation". Ghussein held the international community responsible. "No doubt this is a crime, but journalists will not stop their mission," he added.
Meanwhile, the Israeli government said it had no initial information about the incident, while an Israeli army spokeswoman told Reuters news agency that the military was checking for more details.
The Palestinian Journalists Syndicate condemned Shehab’s killing as a war against press freedom. "This is a deliberate and planned crime to discourage Palestinian journalists from showing occupation crimes and horrors of collective punishment against the Gaza Strip," a statement from the group read.
The Syndicate said it would appeal to all international media groups to withhold membership to the Israeli Journalists Syndicate in response to Shehab's killing.
This isn't the first time Israel has allegedly targeted journalists in Gaza. In November 2012, the Israeli army carried out four separate strikes on Gaza-based media, killing two cameramen, injuring at least 10 other media workers, and damaging four media offices.
Israeli government spokesperson Mark Regev justified the bombings at the time, saying that the people targeted were not "legitimate journalists".
But Human Rights Watch said that the Israel air strikes had violated the laws of war. "Journalists who praise Hamas and TV stations that applaud attacks on Israel may be propagandists, but that does not make them legitimate targets under the laws of war," said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East director at HRW.
Most recently, on July 8, Reporters Without Borders accused Israel of preventing journalists from reporting on the upsurge of violence and arrests in the occupied West Bank, East Jerusalem and inside Israel.
Mousa Rimawi, head of the Ramallah-based Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms (MADA), said that Israel has frequently targeted Palestinian and international journalists during major military campaigns.
"The purpose," Rimawi told Al Jazeera, "is to silence media and to prevent the journalists from covering the crimes that are committed by Israel against [the] Palestinian people."
"Without pressure from international civil society, Israel will continue to target journalists because they are behaving like a state above international law," Rimawi added. "There is no pressure and nothing that can stop them [from continuing] this policy."
But for journalists like Afifi, he said his job is something he is not willing to compromise, despite only getting a few hours of sleep over the past four days outside the morgue at Shifa hospital.
"All these attacks on civilians should not stop us from working - the world has to see what Israel is doing in Gaza," he said.
With tearful eyes, the Al-Aqsa TV anchorman announced the death of Palestinian journalist Hamed Shehab on Wednesday evening, hit by an Israeli air strike while driving home on Omar al-Mukhtar street. Shehab, 27, was working for local press company Media 24.
He was driving a car that had the letters "TV" affixed to it in large, red stickers when it was struck by an Israeli missile. The bombing, carried out on one of Gaza City’s busiest streets, has triggered fear and rage among journalists in Gaza.
"Such [an] attack is meant to intimidate us. Israel has no bank of targets anymore, except civilians and journalists," Abed Afifi, a cameraman for the Beirut-based Al Mayadeen TV channel, told Al Jazeera.
Afifi said Shehab was an independent media professional, and was not affiliated to any political party.
Shehab's body arrived at Gaza’s Shifa hospital in pieces, burned and unidentifiable. His silver-coloured Skoda car was riddled with shrapnel and covered in blood. Another eight Palestinians were injured in the same attack.
The Palestinian death toll sat at nearly 100 Palestinians as of Friday morning, while hundreds of others have been injured over the past four days of Israeli air strikes. The UN estimated [PDF] on Thursday that at least 342 housing units had been destroyed, and at least 2,000 Palestinians displaced, in the bombardment.
Ihab al-Ghussein, from Gaza's interior ministry, commented on Shehab's death from Shifa hospital: "This crime is meant to break the will of Palestinian media professionals who are working day and night … to show the brutality of the occupation". Ghussein held the international community responsible. "No doubt this is a crime, but journalists will not stop their mission," he added.
Meanwhile, the Israeli government said it had no initial information about the incident, while an Israeli army spokeswoman told Reuters news agency that the military was checking for more details.
The Palestinian Journalists Syndicate condemned Shehab’s killing as a war against press freedom. "This is a deliberate and planned crime to discourage Palestinian journalists from showing occupation crimes and horrors of collective punishment against the Gaza Strip," a statement from the group read.
The Syndicate said it would appeal to all international media groups to withhold membership to the Israeli Journalists Syndicate in response to Shehab's killing.
This isn't the first time Israel has allegedly targeted journalists in Gaza. In November 2012, the Israeli army carried out four separate strikes on Gaza-based media, killing two cameramen, injuring at least 10 other media workers, and damaging four media offices.
Israeli government spokesperson Mark Regev justified the bombings at the time, saying that the people targeted were not "legitimate journalists".
But Human Rights Watch said that the Israel air strikes had violated the laws of war. "Journalists who praise Hamas and TV stations that applaud attacks on Israel may be propagandists, but that does not make them legitimate targets under the laws of war," said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East director at HRW.
Most recently, on July 8, Reporters Without Borders accused Israel of preventing journalists from reporting on the upsurge of violence and arrests in the occupied West Bank, East Jerusalem and inside Israel.
Mousa Rimawi, head of the Ramallah-based Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms (MADA), said that Israel has frequently targeted Palestinian and international journalists during major military campaigns.
"The purpose," Rimawi told Al Jazeera, "is to silence media and to prevent the journalists from covering the crimes that are committed by Israel against [the] Palestinian people."
"Without pressure from international civil society, Israel will continue to target journalists because they are behaving like a state above international law," Rimawi added. "There is no pressure and nothing that can stop them [from continuing] this policy."
But for journalists like Afifi, he said his job is something he is not willing to compromise, despite only getting a few hours of sleep over the past four days outside the morgue at Shifa hospital.
"All these attacks on civilians should not stop us from working - the world has to see what Israel is doing in Gaza," he said.
It was supposed to be an evening of entertainment in Gaza, watching the World Cup semi-final at a cafe, a welcome break from 48 hours of Israeli air strikes.
But the evening was cut brutally short when an Israeli raid flattened the Fun Time Beach cafe in the southern Gaza Strip in the early hours of Thursday, killing nine people and wounding 15.
All that is left of the popular seaside cafe -- where dozens broke their Ramadan fast on Wednesday night before settling down to watch Argentina play the Netherlands -- is a large crater and a few mounds of sand.
The cafe's multicoloured sign is still standing, somewhat crookedly, as colourful bunting and canvas windbreakers lay strewn on the floor, torn down by the force of the blast.
The Israeli missile scattered the dead and wounded across the beach, and made a hole so deep that seawater filled it up from underground after impact.
"It was a normal social occasion," said Wael Soboh, a local policeman who is employed by the Palestinian Authority.
"The boys ate their Ramadan iftar meal here, and then began watching the match. It is not a military area."
Eight people were killed immediately in the blast, medical sources said, all of them residents of the nearby city of Khan Yunis in southern Gaza.
Bulldozers were earlier Thursday busy searching for a ninth man believed to buried underneath the soggy sand, as locals looked on in the searing midday heat.
"It's possible the missing guy was blown to pieces," said another local, Mohammed Astal.
Later, Gaza's emergency services spokesman Ashraf al-Qudra said the body was found, raising the toll in the attack to nine.
Residents said three members of an extended family -- Ahmed, Suleiman and Mussa Astal -- were among the dead, with most of those killed in their 20s.
"There was a power cut in Khan Yunis, so a lot of people came here where there's a generator and a screen," said Mohammed al-Aqad, a resident who was at the cafe when the missile hit but was not injured.
The victims were all keen football fans, he said, as were some of the locals who were helping in the search for the missing man.
Asked who they were supporting in the World Cup, one enthusiastically replied: "Argentina, of course!"
"No, Germany," chipped in another, though he was wearing a red England shirt.
There were no goals in Wednesday's match, which eventually went to extra time and ended in penalties.
"And the result from this match here? The Jews won 9-0," Ahmed al-Aqad quipped macabrely.
Israel's operation against militants in Gaza - the deadliest violence since 2012 - entered its third day on Thursday, with the overall death toll rising to at least 78, among them women and children.
But the evening was cut brutally short when an Israeli raid flattened the Fun Time Beach cafe in the southern Gaza Strip in the early hours of Thursday, killing nine people and wounding 15.
All that is left of the popular seaside cafe -- where dozens broke their Ramadan fast on Wednesday night before settling down to watch Argentina play the Netherlands -- is a large crater and a few mounds of sand.
The cafe's multicoloured sign is still standing, somewhat crookedly, as colourful bunting and canvas windbreakers lay strewn on the floor, torn down by the force of the blast.
The Israeli missile scattered the dead and wounded across the beach, and made a hole so deep that seawater filled it up from underground after impact.
"It was a normal social occasion," said Wael Soboh, a local policeman who is employed by the Palestinian Authority.
"The boys ate their Ramadan iftar meal here, and then began watching the match. It is not a military area."
Eight people were killed immediately in the blast, medical sources said, all of them residents of the nearby city of Khan Yunis in southern Gaza.
Bulldozers were earlier Thursday busy searching for a ninth man believed to buried underneath the soggy sand, as locals looked on in the searing midday heat.
"It's possible the missing guy was blown to pieces," said another local, Mohammed Astal.
Later, Gaza's emergency services spokesman Ashraf al-Qudra said the body was found, raising the toll in the attack to nine.
Residents said three members of an extended family -- Ahmed, Suleiman and Mussa Astal -- were among the dead, with most of those killed in their 20s.
"There was a power cut in Khan Yunis, so a lot of people came here where there's a generator and a screen," said Mohammed al-Aqad, a resident who was at the cafe when the missile hit but was not injured.
The victims were all keen football fans, he said, as were some of the locals who were helping in the search for the missing man.
Asked who they were supporting in the World Cup, one enthusiastically replied: "Argentina, of course!"
"No, Germany," chipped in another, though he was wearing a red England shirt.
There were no goals in Wednesday's match, which eventually went to extra time and ended in penalties.
"And the result from this match here? The Jews won 9-0," Ahmed al-Aqad quipped macabrely.
Israel's operation against militants in Gaza - the deadliest violence since 2012 - entered its third day on Thursday, with the overall death toll rising to at least 78, among them women and children.
Israel’s ongoing savagery in the occupied Palestinian territories is part of the Zionist regime’s planned ethnic cleansing of Palestinians, an analyst writes for Press TV.
“The hardline Zionists around [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu want to start a big Mideast war. This would allow them to finish the ethnic cleansing of Palestine,” Kevin Barrett wrote in an article for the Press TV website.
He said such a Middle East war may start with a “false-flag attack” by Israel on the Gaza Strip.
“Israel could have its assets fire a rocket with chemical weapons from Gaza into Tel Aviv,” Barrett wrote, adding, “This could provide an excuse for the ‘final solution’ ethnic cleansing.”
The analyst held out the possibility of a Middle East war degenerating into “World War III” causing a world-scale catastrophe.
“The US might enter such a war to save Israel; and Russia might enter to prevent the US from bloodily imposing its will on the region. Nuclear weapons could begin to fly. Humanity would face a catastrophe of unprecedented proportions,” he wrote.
The death toll from relentless Israeli attacks on the besieged Gaza Strip has increased to at least 107.
Israeli warplanes and drones have reportedly pounded more than 600 targets across the blockaded Palestinian sliver since July 8, with Palestinian sources saying one third of the casualties are women and children.
The Israeli regime has also mobilized 20,000 soldiers for possible ground invasion of Gaza.
Palestinian resistance movements in the Gaza Strip have already been responding to Israel’s aggression by targeting towns and cities deep inside the occupied Palestinian territories.
“The hardline Zionists around [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu want to start a big Mideast war. This would allow them to finish the ethnic cleansing of Palestine,” Kevin Barrett wrote in an article for the Press TV website.
He said such a Middle East war may start with a “false-flag attack” by Israel on the Gaza Strip.
“Israel could have its assets fire a rocket with chemical weapons from Gaza into Tel Aviv,” Barrett wrote, adding, “This could provide an excuse for the ‘final solution’ ethnic cleansing.”
The analyst held out the possibility of a Middle East war degenerating into “World War III” causing a world-scale catastrophe.
“The US might enter such a war to save Israel; and Russia might enter to prevent the US from bloodily imposing its will on the region. Nuclear weapons could begin to fly. Humanity would face a catastrophe of unprecedented proportions,” he wrote.
The death toll from relentless Israeli attacks on the besieged Gaza Strip has increased to at least 107.
Israeli warplanes and drones have reportedly pounded more than 600 targets across the blockaded Palestinian sliver since July 8, with Palestinian sources saying one third of the casualties are women and children.
The Israeli regime has also mobilized 20,000 soldiers for possible ground invasion of Gaza.
Palestinian resistance movements in the Gaza Strip have already been responding to Israel’s aggression by targeting towns and cities deep inside the occupied Palestinian territories.
Pillay alarmed at mounting civilian toll in Gaza, appeals to all sides to abide by international law
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay on Friday expressed alarm at the Israeli military operations resulting in the killing of Palestinian civilians in Gaza, as well as the indiscriminate firing of rockets from Gaza into Israel. She appealed to all sides to abide by their obligations under international human rights law and international humanitarian law.
As of Thursday early afternoon, 88 Palestinians, including at least 21 children and 11 women, had been killed in Gaza as a result of Israeli strikes since the beginning of Israel’s latest military operation “Protective Edge” on Tuesday night. Reports suggest that hundreds more have been injured. Israeli media reports over 800 strikes since the operation began, with 60 on the morning of 10 July alone.
Reports indicate that from the start of “Operation Protective Edge” to midday on 10 July, Palestinian armed groups have fired a total of 809 rockets and 61 mortars. Media reports indicate that, as of midday on 10 July, nine Israeli civilians sustained injuries while fleeing to shelters.
“Israel, Hamas, and Palestinian armed groups in Gaza have been down this road before, and it has led only to death, destruction, distrust and a painful prolongation of the conflict,” Pillay said. “This time around, once again, civilians are bearing the brunt of the conflict. I urge all sides to steadfastly respect their obligations under international human rights law and international humanitarian law to protect civilians.”
Pillay warned in particular that attacks must not be directed against civilians or civilian objects, nor should military assets be located in densely populated areas or attacks be launched from such areas.
“For its part, the Government of Israel must take all possible measures to ensure full respect for the principles of distinction, proportionality and precautions in attack, during the conduct of hostilities, as required by international humanitarian law. In all circumstances, they must avoid targeting civilians,” she said.
“However, we have received deeply disturbing reports that many of the civilian casualties, including of children, occurred as a result of strikes on homes. Such reports raise serious doubt about whether the Israeli strikes have been in accordance with international humanitarian law and international human rights law.”
The targeting of civilian homes is a violation of international humanitarian law unless the homes are being used for military purposes. In case of doubt, buildings ordinarily used for civilian purposes, such as homes, are presumed not to be legitimate military targets. Even where a home is identified as being used for military purposes, any attack must be proportionate, offer a definite military advantage in the prevailing circumstances at the time, and precautions must be taken.
“Every alleged breach of international law must be promptly, independently, thoroughly and effectively investigated, with a view to ensuring justice and reparations for the victims,” Pillay said.
The High Commissioner expressed deep concern about the prospect of a ground offensive and strongly echoed the Secretary-General’s call for a ceasefire.
“It is high time that leaders on all sides abandon their poisonous rhetoric and deadly tit-for-tat behaviour in favour of a peaceful resolution to this impasse.”
“I have been to Gaza and I have been to Sderot myself and have seen how traumatic these air strikes and rocket attacks are on civilians, especially children. They must stop.”
In the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, the situation remains tense. The High Commissioner reiterated her call upon all parties to address recent violations, including the excessive use of force, arbitrary arrest and detention, destruction and damage to property, incitement to violence, and to ensure accountability for crimes.
As of Thursday early afternoon, 88 Palestinians, including at least 21 children and 11 women, had been killed in Gaza as a result of Israeli strikes since the beginning of Israel’s latest military operation “Protective Edge” on Tuesday night. Reports suggest that hundreds more have been injured. Israeli media reports over 800 strikes since the operation began, with 60 on the morning of 10 July alone.
Reports indicate that from the start of “Operation Protective Edge” to midday on 10 July, Palestinian armed groups have fired a total of 809 rockets and 61 mortars. Media reports indicate that, as of midday on 10 July, nine Israeli civilians sustained injuries while fleeing to shelters.
“Israel, Hamas, and Palestinian armed groups in Gaza have been down this road before, and it has led only to death, destruction, distrust and a painful prolongation of the conflict,” Pillay said. “This time around, once again, civilians are bearing the brunt of the conflict. I urge all sides to steadfastly respect their obligations under international human rights law and international humanitarian law to protect civilians.”
Pillay warned in particular that attacks must not be directed against civilians or civilian objects, nor should military assets be located in densely populated areas or attacks be launched from such areas.
“For its part, the Government of Israel must take all possible measures to ensure full respect for the principles of distinction, proportionality and precautions in attack, during the conduct of hostilities, as required by international humanitarian law. In all circumstances, they must avoid targeting civilians,” she said.
“However, we have received deeply disturbing reports that many of the civilian casualties, including of children, occurred as a result of strikes on homes. Such reports raise serious doubt about whether the Israeli strikes have been in accordance with international humanitarian law and international human rights law.”
The targeting of civilian homes is a violation of international humanitarian law unless the homes are being used for military purposes. In case of doubt, buildings ordinarily used for civilian purposes, such as homes, are presumed not to be legitimate military targets. Even where a home is identified as being used for military purposes, any attack must be proportionate, offer a definite military advantage in the prevailing circumstances at the time, and precautions must be taken.
“Every alleged breach of international law must be promptly, independently, thoroughly and effectively investigated, with a view to ensuring justice and reparations for the victims,” Pillay said.
The High Commissioner expressed deep concern about the prospect of a ground offensive and strongly echoed the Secretary-General’s call for a ceasefire.
“It is high time that leaders on all sides abandon their poisonous rhetoric and deadly tit-for-tat behaviour in favour of a peaceful resolution to this impasse.”
“I have been to Gaza and I have been to Sderot myself and have seen how traumatic these air strikes and rocket attacks are on civilians, especially children. They must stop.”
In the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, the situation remains tense. The High Commissioner reiterated her call upon all parties to address recent violations, including the excessive use of force, arbitrary arrest and detention, destruction and damage to property, incitement to violence, and to ensure accountability for crimes.
Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh said Friday that the Islamic movement's leaders “are not afraid of Israeli threats.”
Haniyeh said that “the leaders’ blood is not any more treasured than the children’s and families’ blood.”
In a statement, he highlighted that Israel was the one who rejected a ceasefire long ago and “the one who began a war after the wild attack on Palestinians in the West Bank and Jerusalem.”
He said that for this reason, Israel should be the first to end hostilities.
“We defend ourselves for we all have the same blood and destiny wherever we are,” Haniyeh added.
“Stop your crimes against our people; your attacks will fail, you will not reach your goals and our people will win no matter how big the sacrifices are and despite the threats,” Haniyeh warned.
“Our people are living through a never-experienced period of unity and resistance.”
Haniyeh said that “the leaders’ blood is not any more treasured than the children’s and families’ blood.”
In a statement, he highlighted that Israel was the one who rejected a ceasefire long ago and “the one who began a war after the wild attack on Palestinians in the West Bank and Jerusalem.”
He said that for this reason, Israel should be the first to end hostilities.
“We defend ourselves for we all have the same blood and destiny wherever we are,” Haniyeh added.
“Stop your crimes against our people; your attacks will fail, you will not reach your goals and our people will win no matter how big the sacrifices are and despite the threats,” Haniyeh warned.
“Our people are living through a never-experienced period of unity and resistance.”
Israel could be violating the laws of war by bombing Palestinian homes in Gaza, the UN's human rights office said Friday, as the death toll from the Israeli strikes rose to over 100.
"We have received disturbing reports that many of the civilian casualties, including of children, occurred as a result of strikes on homes," said spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani.
"Such reports raise doubts about whether the Israeli air strikes have been in accordance with international humanitarian law and international human rights law," she told reporters.
International humanitarian law is UN-speak for the laws of war, and Shamdasani said targeting homes was a violation unless the buildings were being used for military purposes.
"In case of doubt, buildings that are ordinarily used for civilian purposes, such as homes, are presumed not to be legitimate military targets," she said.
"Even when a home is identified as being used for military purposes, any attack must be proportionate, offer a definite military advantage in the prevailing circumstances at the time, and precautions must be taken to protect civilians," she added.
Israel has accused Hamas and other Palestinian militants who have fired hundreds of rockets at its territory of deliberately placing military installations in densely-populated Gaza in order to use civilians as human shields.
"Military assets should not be located in densely-populated areas and attacks should not be launched from such areas," said Shamdasani.
"This is a call to the armed groups on the Palestinian side," she added, condemning their attacks on Israeli civilian areas, which have injured less than a dozen people.
"On the Israeli side, however, their responsibility in international law is very specific. If there is even an iota of a doubt, homes are not legitimate military targets. And if these homes are being used for military purposes, attacks must be proportionate, and precautions must be taken," said Shamdasani.
"It is incumbent on both parties to ensure that their military operations respect the law, no matter what the obstacles and no matter what the difficulties."
Airstrike targets worshipers leaving Zaytoun mosque, 7 injured
Seven Palestinians suffered injuries Friday after an Israeli airstrike targeted worshipers leaving a mosque in the al-Zaytoun neighborhood, medics said.
"We have received disturbing reports that many of the civilian casualties, including of children, occurred as a result of strikes on homes," said spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani.
"Such reports raise doubts about whether the Israeli air strikes have been in accordance with international humanitarian law and international human rights law," she told reporters.
International humanitarian law is UN-speak for the laws of war, and Shamdasani said targeting homes was a violation unless the buildings were being used for military purposes.
"In case of doubt, buildings that are ordinarily used for civilian purposes, such as homes, are presumed not to be legitimate military targets," she said.
"Even when a home is identified as being used for military purposes, any attack must be proportionate, offer a definite military advantage in the prevailing circumstances at the time, and precautions must be taken to protect civilians," she added.
Israel has accused Hamas and other Palestinian militants who have fired hundreds of rockets at its territory of deliberately placing military installations in densely-populated Gaza in order to use civilians as human shields.
"Military assets should not be located in densely-populated areas and attacks should not be launched from such areas," said Shamdasani.
"This is a call to the armed groups on the Palestinian side," she added, condemning their attacks on Israeli civilian areas, which have injured less than a dozen people.
"On the Israeli side, however, their responsibility in international law is very specific. If there is even an iota of a doubt, homes are not legitimate military targets. And if these homes are being used for military purposes, attacks must be proportionate, and precautions must be taken," said Shamdasani.
"It is incumbent on both parties to ensure that their military operations respect the law, no matter what the obstacles and no matter what the difficulties."
Airstrike targets worshipers leaving Zaytoun mosque, 7 injured
Seven Palestinians suffered injuries Friday after an Israeli airstrike targeted worshipers leaving a mosque in the al-Zaytoun neighborhood, medics said.
Gaza's Ark Solidarity Ship Destroyed By israeli Missiles
Palestinian medical sources have reported, Friday, that a Palestinian man died of wounds suffered after the Israeli army fired missiles into an area south of Gaza city.
The sources said Adnan Salem al-Ashhab, 40, died while working near the Abu Jarad area, south of Gaza City.
Al-Ashhab is from the Nusseirat refugee camp, in central Gaza, and works at a local council,
On Friday at noon, Israeli war jets fired missiles into three recently built homes in Khan Younis, in southern Gaza, Jabalia in northern Gaza, and into open areas near Gaza city, wounding at least four Palestinians.
The four-story building in Khan Younis belongs to the Abu Ghaly family; four Palestinians have been injured, one seriously.
A home was also hit with an Israeli missile, in the same neighborhood, no injuries were reported.
Many homes have been bombarded in Jabalia, northern Gaza, and in many other areas of the coastal region.
The Israeli army also fired missiles into Gaza’s Ark solidarity ship, docked at the shore, destroying it completely, the Free Gaza Movement has reported.
Palestinian medical sources have reported, Friday, that a Palestinian man died of wounds suffered after the Israeli army fired missiles into an area south of Gaza city.
The sources said Adnan Salem al-Ashhab, 40, died while working near the Abu Jarad area, south of Gaza City.
Al-Ashhab is from the Nusseirat refugee camp, in central Gaza, and works at a local council,
On Friday at noon, Israeli war jets fired missiles into three recently built homes in Khan Younis, in southern Gaza, Jabalia in northern Gaza, and into open areas near Gaza city, wounding at least four Palestinians.
The four-story building in Khan Younis belongs to the Abu Ghaly family; four Palestinians have been injured, one seriously.
A home was also hit with an Israeli missile, in the same neighborhood, no injuries were reported.
Many homes have been bombarded in Jabalia, northern Gaza, and in many other areas of the coastal region.
The Israeli army also fired missiles into Gaza’s Ark solidarity ship, docked at the shore, destroying it completely, the Free Gaza Movement has reported.
