15 july 2014
Israel has resumed air strikes on the Gaza Strip six hours after agreeing to an Egyptian proposal for a ceasefire that was not formally accepted by the Palestinian group Hamas. Fresh air strikes were launched on Gaza at around 12:00GMT on Tuesday after Hamas fired nearly 50 rockets at Israel since 9am, the Israeli army said. "We have resumed our operation against Hamas," the army tweeted.
The Israeli cabinet approved a ceasefire proposal from Egypt on Tuesday morning, which would have put an end to the week-long conflict that has killed 192 Palestinians and injured almost 1,400 others in the Palestinian enclave.
At least 10 Israelis have been injured by rockets fired from Gaza, and no Israeli fatalities have been recorded.
Hamas official Mushir al-Massri told Al Jazeera that the group was never consulted in the formulation of the ceasefire and only learned about it from media reports.
He said that Hamas rejected the proposal "in style because no body consulted with us in formatting it, [and] in content because its articles are a free service to the [Israeli] occupation".
Meanwhile, Abu Ahmed, a spokesperson for the military wing of Palestinian Islamic Jihad, said that the group didn't "accept a calm for calm agreement".
Life had slowly been returning to normal in the strip on Tuesday morning, with shops opening and more cars on the road, but many people remained suspicious that the violence would really end.
"We don't trust the enemy," said Maher Jarad, a taxi driver in Gaza City. "The Israelis are looking for a [way] to present their alleged victory to their public."
In remarks with the visiting German foreign minister, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu suggested that the agreement would be used to completely "disarm" the strip, a condition Hamas and other groups would not accept.
"The Egyptian proposal gives the opportunity to address the disarmament of [Gaza]... through political means," Netanyahu said. "But if Hamas will not accept the proposal for a ceasefire, as it appears right now, Israel will have international legitimacy to expand the military operation."
Hamas has demanded that Israel stop its aggression in Gaza, reduce restrictions on movement in and out of the territory, and release the dozens of Palestinian prisoners that were freed in a prisoner swap in 2011, but were subsequently rearrested.
The two most hawkish members of the Israeli security cabinet, Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman and Economy Minister Naftali Bennett, voted against the ceasefire.
Politicians on the centre-left supported it, though Isaac Herzog, the head of the opposition, warned that it would be "worthless and just another break before the next escalation" if it did not lead to meaningful negotiations with the Palestinians.
Danny Ayalon, a former deputy foreign minister, said that "the [Israeli army] will have to enter Gaza" if the ceasefire is not agreed by tonight, implying a possible ground operation. "Israel can let the Egyptian proposal and mediation continue, and at the same time escalate, including a possible ground operation in Gaza," said Shlomo Brom, a retired Israeli general. "Because actually, all of these steps are measures to place pressure on Hamas."
Meanwhile, at Gaza City's main hospital, al-Shifa, dozens of people gathered on Tuesday morning, holding shoes and slippers, to protest the arrival of Palestinian Health Minister Jawwad Awad from the West Bank. Awad is expected to inspect the healthcare situation in Gaza.
"Abbas is [a] spy, Hamdallah is [a] traitor," the young men shouted, referring to Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas and Rami Hamdallah, the prime minster of the new Palestinian consensus government. An outgoing Palestinian rocket was heard during the protest, and traces of smoke were seen overheard. "Strike, strike, Tel Aviv," the crowd chanted.
In southern Israel, too, there was little faith that the truce would hold. Cafes and shops were emptier than usual, and rocket sirens rang out every half-hour or so.
"It’s a joke. It makes the state and the army look weak," said Udi Lazarov, a resident of Ashdod, a southern city where a rocket hit a house on Tuesday morning. "We should finish the job."
The Israeli cabinet approved a ceasefire proposal from Egypt on Tuesday morning, which would have put an end to the week-long conflict that has killed 192 Palestinians and injured almost 1,400 others in the Palestinian enclave.
At least 10 Israelis have been injured by rockets fired from Gaza, and no Israeli fatalities have been recorded.
Hamas official Mushir al-Massri told Al Jazeera that the group was never consulted in the formulation of the ceasefire and only learned about it from media reports.
He said that Hamas rejected the proposal "in style because no body consulted with us in formatting it, [and] in content because its articles are a free service to the [Israeli] occupation".
Meanwhile, Abu Ahmed, a spokesperson for the military wing of Palestinian Islamic Jihad, said that the group didn't "accept a calm for calm agreement".
Life had slowly been returning to normal in the strip on Tuesday morning, with shops opening and more cars on the road, but many people remained suspicious that the violence would really end.
"We don't trust the enemy," said Maher Jarad, a taxi driver in Gaza City. "The Israelis are looking for a [way] to present their alleged victory to their public."
In remarks with the visiting German foreign minister, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu suggested that the agreement would be used to completely "disarm" the strip, a condition Hamas and other groups would not accept.
"The Egyptian proposal gives the opportunity to address the disarmament of [Gaza]... through political means," Netanyahu said. "But if Hamas will not accept the proposal for a ceasefire, as it appears right now, Israel will have international legitimacy to expand the military operation."
Hamas has demanded that Israel stop its aggression in Gaza, reduce restrictions on movement in and out of the territory, and release the dozens of Palestinian prisoners that were freed in a prisoner swap in 2011, but were subsequently rearrested.
The two most hawkish members of the Israeli security cabinet, Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman and Economy Minister Naftali Bennett, voted against the ceasefire.
Politicians on the centre-left supported it, though Isaac Herzog, the head of the opposition, warned that it would be "worthless and just another break before the next escalation" if it did not lead to meaningful negotiations with the Palestinians.
Danny Ayalon, a former deputy foreign minister, said that "the [Israeli army] will have to enter Gaza" if the ceasefire is not agreed by tonight, implying a possible ground operation. "Israel can let the Egyptian proposal and mediation continue, and at the same time escalate, including a possible ground operation in Gaza," said Shlomo Brom, a retired Israeli general. "Because actually, all of these steps are measures to place pressure on Hamas."
Meanwhile, at Gaza City's main hospital, al-Shifa, dozens of people gathered on Tuesday morning, holding shoes and slippers, to protest the arrival of Palestinian Health Minister Jawwad Awad from the West Bank. Awad is expected to inspect the healthcare situation in Gaza.
"Abbas is [a] spy, Hamdallah is [a] traitor," the young men shouted, referring to Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas and Rami Hamdallah, the prime minster of the new Palestinian consensus government. An outgoing Palestinian rocket was heard during the protest, and traces of smoke were seen overheard. "Strike, strike, Tel Aviv," the crowd chanted.
In southern Israel, too, there was little faith that the truce would hold. Cafes and shops were emptier than usual, and rocket sirens rang out every half-hour or so.
"It’s a joke. It makes the state and the army look weak," said Udi Lazarov, a resident of Ashdod, a southern city where a rocket hit a house on Tuesday morning. "We should finish the job."
Dima Eleiwa @DimaEleiwa Israel is beating the hell out of Gaza right now.! Explosions are being heard.!
Hussam Shamdi sits on an unexploded missile from an Israeli air strike, which destroyed his home the day before, in the Tel al-Hawa neighborhood of Gaza City, July 14, 2014
The Israeli cabinet voted to accept an Egyptian-brokered ceasefire Tuesday morning. Hamas, who was not consulted, is in direct discussions with Cairo but has criticized the initial proposal. What does all this mean?
1) Israel is willing to return to the status quo, a status quo that serves Israeli interests. Sure there is occasional rocket fire from Gaza but Israel has the Iron Dome and, in the sparsely populated south of the country, the rockets usually fall in open spaces. The occasional rocket from Gaza actually helps Israeli hawks strengthen their case for continuing the “occupation” of the West Bank (an “occupation” that, in the wake of Netanyahu’s recent remarks, should be understood as a de facto annexation). The Israeli right points to the rockets from Gaza and says, “Look, we withdrew from Gaza in 2005 and all we got is rocket fire!”
Returning to the status quo also means that Israel strikes Gaza from time to time and kills Palestinian civilians there and in the West Bank without garnering much scrutiny from the international media and, by extension, the international community. Returning to the status quo would also mean an end to the immediate damage to Israel’s image caused by the horrific photos and footage coming out of Gaza, and global protests against what Israel calls “Operation Protective Edge.”
2) Accepting the ceasefire, as Israeli officials admit, gives Israel the green light to “defend” itself with even more force than it’s using now. Just a few hours ago the Israeli cabinet voted to accept the proposed ceasefire. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu remarked at a press conference, “If Hamas continues to fire at Israel, Israel will have the international legitimacy to take action.”
But how can Hamas possibly accept a ceasefire it wasn’t consulted on and especially one that would mean a return to the status quo, including the blockade that the United Nations calls “collective punishment“? Hamas’ terms for a ceasefire are reasonable: that Israel lifts the blockade of the Gaza Strip; that Israel ends aggression in the Occupied Territories; and that Israel releases Palestinian prisoners, many of who were released in the Shalit deal and re-arrested in the West Bank during the so-called “Operation Brothers’ Keeper.”
Instead, the ceasefire proposes to hold indirect negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian parties to arrive at a “final truce,” as the WSJ puts it.
But as Khaled al-Batch, an Islamic Jihad leader, was quoted in Al Jazeera:
It is not acceptable to start observing a ceasefire for short term then negotiate the terms. We have experienced this in the past and it has failed.
What is needed now is to agree on the demands of the Palestinian people, chiefly ending the siege and opening the border corsing [sic], then a zero hour can be agreed upon. Otherwise, history will repeat itself, period.
Or as the armed wing of Hamas, Al Qassam Brigades, remarked about the proposed ceasefire: “For us, it is not worth the ink that wrote it.”
Israel’s “acceptance” of the ceasefire – a ceasefire that Hamas wasn’t consulted on and, accordingly, does not meet Hamas’ terms – really isn’t an acceptance at all. As many observers were quick to say, it’s a public relations move. It could also be understood as an attempt to pave the way for a ground invasion.
The Israeli cabinet voted to accept an Egyptian-brokered ceasefire Tuesday morning. Hamas, who was not consulted, is in direct discussions with Cairo but has criticized the initial proposal. What does all this mean?
1) Israel is willing to return to the status quo, a status quo that serves Israeli interests. Sure there is occasional rocket fire from Gaza but Israel has the Iron Dome and, in the sparsely populated south of the country, the rockets usually fall in open spaces. The occasional rocket from Gaza actually helps Israeli hawks strengthen their case for continuing the “occupation” of the West Bank (an “occupation” that, in the wake of Netanyahu’s recent remarks, should be understood as a de facto annexation). The Israeli right points to the rockets from Gaza and says, “Look, we withdrew from Gaza in 2005 and all we got is rocket fire!”
Returning to the status quo also means that Israel strikes Gaza from time to time and kills Palestinian civilians there and in the West Bank without garnering much scrutiny from the international media and, by extension, the international community. Returning to the status quo would also mean an end to the immediate damage to Israel’s image caused by the horrific photos and footage coming out of Gaza, and global protests against what Israel calls “Operation Protective Edge.”
2) Accepting the ceasefire, as Israeli officials admit, gives Israel the green light to “defend” itself with even more force than it’s using now. Just a few hours ago the Israeli cabinet voted to accept the proposed ceasefire. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu remarked at a press conference, “If Hamas continues to fire at Israel, Israel will have the international legitimacy to take action.”
But how can Hamas possibly accept a ceasefire it wasn’t consulted on and especially one that would mean a return to the status quo, including the blockade that the United Nations calls “collective punishment“? Hamas’ terms for a ceasefire are reasonable: that Israel lifts the blockade of the Gaza Strip; that Israel ends aggression in the Occupied Territories; and that Israel releases Palestinian prisoners, many of who were released in the Shalit deal and re-arrested in the West Bank during the so-called “Operation Brothers’ Keeper.”
Instead, the ceasefire proposes to hold indirect negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian parties to arrive at a “final truce,” as the WSJ puts it.
But as Khaled al-Batch, an Islamic Jihad leader, was quoted in Al Jazeera:
It is not acceptable to start observing a ceasefire for short term then negotiate the terms. We have experienced this in the past and it has failed.
What is needed now is to agree on the demands of the Palestinian people, chiefly ending the siege and opening the border corsing [sic], then a zero hour can be agreed upon. Otherwise, history will repeat itself, period.
Or as the armed wing of Hamas, Al Qassam Brigades, remarked about the proposed ceasefire: “For us, it is not worth the ink that wrote it.”
Israel’s “acceptance” of the ceasefire – a ceasefire that Hamas wasn’t consulted on and, accordingly, does not meet Hamas’ terms – really isn’t an acceptance at all. As many observers were quick to say, it’s a public relations move. It could also be understood as an attempt to pave the way for a ground invasion.
Israeli forces have resumed airstrikes in the Gaza Strip in retaliation to rocket fire from the Palestinian side after Hamas' armed wing rejected the peace plan proposed by Egypt on Monday.
“Hamas has fired 47 rockets since we suspended our strikes in Gaza at 9am [local time]. As a result, we have resumed our operation against Hamas,” the IDF said in a statement. "Israeli forces are attacking again."
Late on Monday, Egypt proposed a truce between Israel and Hamas by establishing a 12-hour ceasefire at 06:00 GMT and launching negotiations in Cairo.
A top Hamas official in Cairo said the Islamist movement was still considering the plan. But Hamas' armed wing rejected the ceasefire, saying its battle with Israel would "increase in ferocity and intensity".
Israel, in their turn, agreed to the truce minutes before the ceasefire was to come into force.
On Tuesday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stressed that the truce will “give the opportunity for the demilitarization of the (Gaza) Strip - from missiles, from rockets and from tunnels - through diplomatic means.” He added that if Hamas rejects the proposal, the IDF will have to “broaden the military operation.”
The US has condemned Hamas actions following Israel’s acceptance of the truce.
"I cannot condemn strongly enough the actions of Hamas in so brazenly firing rockets, in multiple numbers, in the face of a goodwill effort [to secure] a ceasefire," US Secretary of State John Kerry told reporters in Vienna.
He added that currently there is “potential of an even greater escalation of violence" as Israel has “the right to defend itself.”
Tuesday marks the eighth day of Israel's 'Operation Protective Edge,' in which more than 180 Palestinians are reported to have been killed. The operation has not seen much support worldwide, with thousands of protesters in the US, UK, France, Turkey, Greece, India, Indonesia, Australia, Spain and other countries gathering over the weekend to hold demonstrations against Israeli airstrikes.
Some of the protests turned violent – in Paris the demonstrators on Bastille Square started throwing projectiles at police officers, who in turn responded with tear gas. In another incident in the French capital on Sunday, a synagogue was attacked during a service, with worshippers briefly barricaded inside.
“Hamas has fired 47 rockets since we suspended our strikes in Gaza at 9am [local time]. As a result, we have resumed our operation against Hamas,” the IDF said in a statement. "Israeli forces are attacking again."
Late on Monday, Egypt proposed a truce between Israel and Hamas by establishing a 12-hour ceasefire at 06:00 GMT and launching negotiations in Cairo.
A top Hamas official in Cairo said the Islamist movement was still considering the plan. But Hamas' armed wing rejected the ceasefire, saying its battle with Israel would "increase in ferocity and intensity".
Israel, in their turn, agreed to the truce minutes before the ceasefire was to come into force.
On Tuesday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stressed that the truce will “give the opportunity for the demilitarization of the (Gaza) Strip - from missiles, from rockets and from tunnels - through diplomatic means.” He added that if Hamas rejects the proposal, the IDF will have to “broaden the military operation.”
The US has condemned Hamas actions following Israel’s acceptance of the truce.
"I cannot condemn strongly enough the actions of Hamas in so brazenly firing rockets, in multiple numbers, in the face of a goodwill effort [to secure] a ceasefire," US Secretary of State John Kerry told reporters in Vienna.
He added that currently there is “potential of an even greater escalation of violence" as Israel has “the right to defend itself.”
Tuesday marks the eighth day of Israel's 'Operation Protective Edge,' in which more than 180 Palestinians are reported to have been killed. The operation has not seen much support worldwide, with thousands of protesters in the US, UK, France, Turkey, Greece, India, Indonesia, Australia, Spain and other countries gathering over the weekend to hold demonstrations against Israeli airstrikes.
Some of the protests turned violent – in Paris the demonstrators on Bastille Square started throwing projectiles at police officers, who in turn responded with tear gas. In another incident in the French capital on Sunday, a synagogue was attacked during a service, with worshippers briefly barricaded inside.
Israeli army flares fall on Gaza, July 15, 2014
Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said Tuesday that the group were not consulted by Egypt about ceasefire arrangements and only heard of the initiative through media outlets.
"We in Hamas haven't heard about the Egyptian suggestions except on media outlets. Nobody has consulted us about this initiative, and so it is natural that the initiative isn't binding to us."
"We fought in order to end oppression practiced against our people in general and the people of Gaza in particular, and ceasefire wasn't our goal when we fought," Abu Zuhri said.
The Hamas official condemned international and regional support for the ceasefire initiative, explaining that if one of the sides involved in the conflict is not consulted it is "worthless."
Islamic Jihad said the group was officially notified about the Egyptian initiative but will agree with Hamas on a joint response.
Gaza spokesman Yousif al-Hasaynah said the group had reservations because it had not taken part in the wording of the ceasefire and will not agree to it without Hamas' approval.
US Secretary of State John Kerry has urged Hamas to accept Egypt's ceasefire proposal to halt fighting with Israel in the Gaza Strip.
"The Egyptian proposal for a ceasefire and negotiations provides an opportunity to end the violence and restore calm," Kerry said.
Arab foreign ministers in Cairo early Tuesday called on "all parties" to accept an Egyptian proposal to end the raging conflict between Israel and Hamas.
Over 190 Palestinians and been killed in Israel's ongoing assault on Gaza, with at least 1,400 injured.
No Israeli have been killed in the fighting.
Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said Tuesday that the group were not consulted by Egypt about ceasefire arrangements and only heard of the initiative through media outlets.
"We in Hamas haven't heard about the Egyptian suggestions except on media outlets. Nobody has consulted us about this initiative, and so it is natural that the initiative isn't binding to us."
"We fought in order to end oppression practiced against our people in general and the people of Gaza in particular, and ceasefire wasn't our goal when we fought," Abu Zuhri said.
The Hamas official condemned international and regional support for the ceasefire initiative, explaining that if one of the sides involved in the conflict is not consulted it is "worthless."
Islamic Jihad said the group was officially notified about the Egyptian initiative but will agree with Hamas on a joint response.
Gaza spokesman Yousif al-Hasaynah said the group had reservations because it had not taken part in the wording of the ceasefire and will not agree to it without Hamas' approval.
US Secretary of State John Kerry has urged Hamas to accept Egypt's ceasefire proposal to halt fighting with Israel in the Gaza Strip.
"The Egyptian proposal for a ceasefire and negotiations provides an opportunity to end the violence and restore calm," Kerry said.
Arab foreign ministers in Cairo early Tuesday called on "all parties" to accept an Egyptian proposal to end the raging conflict between Israel and Hamas.
Over 190 Palestinians and been killed in Israel's ongoing assault on Gaza, with at least 1,400 injured.
No Israeli have been killed in the fighting.
On Tuesday the Israeli security cabinet unilaterally accepted the ceasefire proposed by Egypt, after over a week of one of the deadliest cross-border fightings with armed groups in Gaza that, according to sources, killed 192 Palestinians and injured over 1,400. Israel has warned Hamas of intensifying the Gaza strikes if the latter does not agree to the truce. US Secretary of State John Kerry along with German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier are urging Hamas leaders to end the violence.
US Secretary of State John Kerry called on Hamas to accept Egypt's ceasefire proposal and halt fighting with Israel in the Gaza Strip, AFP reports.
In a brief statement released by the State Department on Tuesday, Kerry welcomed Israel's decision to accept the proposal.
"The Egyptian proposal for a ceasefire and negotiations provides an opportunity to end the violence and restore calm," Kerry stated.
"We welcome the Israeli cabinet's decision to accept it. We urge all other parties to accept the proposal," he said.
So far, Hamas has refused to accept the Egyptian proposal to end a week of the deadliest violence Gaza has seen in years, which killed more than 190 Palestinians.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in turn, announced on Tuesday his government will resume and intensify the Gaza offensive if Hamas and other armed groups in the Strip do not stop firing rockets and refuse to accept an Egyptian ceasefire plan.
"If Hamas doesn't accept the ceasefire proposal -- and that's how it seems at this point in time -- Israel will have all the international legitimacy to broaden its military activity (in Gaza) in order to achieve the necessary quiet," he declared at a joint news conference with visiting German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier.
Steinmeier arrived in Israel as part of the mediation efforts, for meetings with Netanyahu in Tel Aviv and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah. The US embassy in Cairo said Secretary of State John Kerry would not visit the region, as previously announced by state media.
Berlin's top diplomat also urged Hamas to accept Cairo's proposal.
"I request that the leaders of the Gaza Strip stick to the ceasefire," he said.
"Gaza cannot always remain Hamas's weapons repository... (that) means damage not only for the people of Israel, but for the people in Gaza itself who are held hostage by Hamas," he charged.
Netanyahu made his statement just hours after the Israeli security cabinet voted in favor of accepting an Egyptian truce proposal for a ceasefire that was rejected by Hamas.
"The (security) cabinet has decided to answer positively to the Egyptian initiative for a ceasefire starting today at 9 am (06:00 GMT)," media cites Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office as saying in a statement.
But forum of seven senior ministers also warned it would respond "with force" to any further rocket fire.
"We responded positively to the Egyptian proposal to give a chance to deal with the demilitarization of Gaza from missiles, rockets and tunnels," he said.
Commentators said the positive Israeli answer was partially a bid to recruit international support, in case the rocket fire did not stop and Israel would have to expand the offensive and send in ground troops, according to press.
However, Hamas rejected the ceasefire arrangement. Abbas welcomed the Egyptian proposal, but Sami Abu Zuchri, the spokesman of Hamas' political wing, said Hamas opposed ceasing the fire without reaching an agreement on the terms of a truce first.
The Qassam Brigades, in a statement issued 30 minutes before the truce would take effect, said the proposal "isn't worth the ink that wrote it," adding that no one had bothered to "contact the resistance in this alleged initiative.”
Militants from its armed wing, the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, claimed to have fired eight rockets at the southern port city of Ashdod at around 09:00 GMT, according to the press.
Police confirmed one rocket had struck a yard outside a house in the city, which is home to some 212,000 people.
"Because we were excluded from the consultations for this (truce) initiative, we are not obliged to abide by it," AFP cites Hamas as saying in a statement.
Another Hamas representative, Osama Hamdan, in an interview with CNN called the Egyptian initiative "close to a joke."
"What they are trying to do is to corner the Palestinians and to help the Israelis," he said, referring to the Egyptians.
Hamas has had no relations with Cairo since the ousting of Egypt's former Islamist president Mohammed Morsi, who was a leading member of the Palestinian off-shoot of the Muslim Brotherhood.
US Secretary of State John Kerry called on Hamas to accept Egypt's ceasefire proposal and halt fighting with Israel in the Gaza Strip, AFP reports.
In a brief statement released by the State Department on Tuesday, Kerry welcomed Israel's decision to accept the proposal.
"The Egyptian proposal for a ceasefire and negotiations provides an opportunity to end the violence and restore calm," Kerry stated.
"We welcome the Israeli cabinet's decision to accept it. We urge all other parties to accept the proposal," he said.
So far, Hamas has refused to accept the Egyptian proposal to end a week of the deadliest violence Gaza has seen in years, which killed more than 190 Palestinians.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in turn, announced on Tuesday his government will resume and intensify the Gaza offensive if Hamas and other armed groups in the Strip do not stop firing rockets and refuse to accept an Egyptian ceasefire plan.
"If Hamas doesn't accept the ceasefire proposal -- and that's how it seems at this point in time -- Israel will have all the international legitimacy to broaden its military activity (in Gaza) in order to achieve the necessary quiet," he declared at a joint news conference with visiting German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier.
Steinmeier arrived in Israel as part of the mediation efforts, for meetings with Netanyahu in Tel Aviv and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah. The US embassy in Cairo said Secretary of State John Kerry would not visit the region, as previously announced by state media.
Berlin's top diplomat also urged Hamas to accept Cairo's proposal.
"I request that the leaders of the Gaza Strip stick to the ceasefire," he said.
"Gaza cannot always remain Hamas's weapons repository... (that) means damage not only for the people of Israel, but for the people in Gaza itself who are held hostage by Hamas," he charged.
Netanyahu made his statement just hours after the Israeli security cabinet voted in favor of accepting an Egyptian truce proposal for a ceasefire that was rejected by Hamas.
"The (security) cabinet has decided to answer positively to the Egyptian initiative for a ceasefire starting today at 9 am (06:00 GMT)," media cites Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office as saying in a statement.
But forum of seven senior ministers also warned it would respond "with force" to any further rocket fire.
"We responded positively to the Egyptian proposal to give a chance to deal with the demilitarization of Gaza from missiles, rockets and tunnels," he said.
Commentators said the positive Israeli answer was partially a bid to recruit international support, in case the rocket fire did not stop and Israel would have to expand the offensive and send in ground troops, according to press.
However, Hamas rejected the ceasefire arrangement. Abbas welcomed the Egyptian proposal, but Sami Abu Zuchri, the spokesman of Hamas' political wing, said Hamas opposed ceasing the fire without reaching an agreement on the terms of a truce first.
The Qassam Brigades, in a statement issued 30 minutes before the truce would take effect, said the proposal "isn't worth the ink that wrote it," adding that no one had bothered to "contact the resistance in this alleged initiative.”
Militants from its armed wing, the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, claimed to have fired eight rockets at the southern port city of Ashdod at around 09:00 GMT, according to the press.
Police confirmed one rocket had struck a yard outside a house in the city, which is home to some 212,000 people.
"Because we were excluded from the consultations for this (truce) initiative, we are not obliged to abide by it," AFP cites Hamas as saying in a statement.
Another Hamas representative, Osama Hamdan, in an interview with CNN called the Egyptian initiative "close to a joke."
"What they are trying to do is to corner the Palestinians and to help the Israelis," he said, referring to the Egyptians.
Hamas has had no relations with Cairo since the ousting of Egypt's former Islamist president Mohammed Morsi, who was a leading member of the Palestinian off-shoot of the Muslim Brotherhood.
The Israeli military has denied it launched an airstrike on Gaza following the mid-morning start of an Egyptian-proposed de-escalation period.
Hamas police spokesman Eyad Bouzam had reported an Israeli strike Tuesday on an apartment building in northern Gaza.
The de-escalation period is to lead to detailed cease-fire talks between Israel and Hamas and end a week of fighting that has killed more than 190 Palestinians and exposed millions of Israelis to rocket fire from Gaza.
Hamas rejected the Egyptian plan, and Gaza militants fired at least 35 rockets at Israel by early afternoon Tuesday. Israel accepted the truce plan, but said it would hit Gaza hard if Hamas rejects the deal.
Hamas police spokesman Eyad Bouzam had reported an Israeli strike Tuesday on an apartment building in northern Gaza.
The de-escalation period is to lead to detailed cease-fire talks between Israel and Hamas and end a week of fighting that has killed more than 190 Palestinians and exposed millions of Israelis to rocket fire from Gaza.
Hamas rejected the Egyptian plan, and Gaza militants fired at least 35 rockets at Israel by early afternoon Tuesday. Israel accepted the truce plan, but said it would hit Gaza hard if Hamas rejects the deal.
US Capitol building
The US House of Representatives voted unanimously to support a non-binding resolution to reaffirm full U.S. support for Israel’s “defense of its citizens” and condemning Palestinian “unprovoked rocket fire”. The resolution made no mention of the nearly 2,000 tons of bombs that had been dropped by Israel on Gaza at the time it was passed
It also did not mention the 200 Palestinians (80% of whom are civilians, according to the UN) or the multiple attempts by Hamas to negotiate a ceasefire with Israel – including on July 6th, before the Israeli attack began in earnest.
The US House of representatives is currently Republican-led, but representatives of both political parties offered full support to the Israeli military’s attack, and ongoing siege of the Gaza Strip.
During the one minute speech sessions that followed the opening prayer on Friday morning, Republican Trent Franks from Arizona stated, “Last month Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas openly united with the terrorist group Hamas and right now they are raining down rockets on the innocent people of Israel. One half of all Israelis have sought shelter in bomb shelters.”
No U.S. members of Congress mentioned the Israeli attack on Gaza that began on July 8th, killing twenty civilians before Palestinian resistance fighters responded with homemade shells.
The resolution passed by the U.S. House claimed that Iran has provided material support in long-range missile production to both Hamas and Islamic Jihad, a claim that has been made by the Israeli government. But the Israeli government has not offered anything beyond infographics that show evidence of either group possessing any such weapons.
The American Israeli Public Affairs Committee, which is the wealthiest Zionist lobby in the U.S., immediately issued a statement praising the U.S. House for “passing a forceful resolution affirming Israel’s right to self-defense and holding Hamas responsible for the attacks on America’s democratic ally.”
Resolution 657 “states support for the state of Israel as it defends itself against unprovoked rocket attacks from the Hamas terror organization.”
In the seven days of Israel’s “Operation Protective Edge”, launched Tuesday July 8th against the people of Gaza, Israeli forces have killed 195 Palestinians, including at least 35 children. Over 1400 Palestinians have been wounded, many of them severely. Hospitals are overflowing with wounded civilians, and are facing shortages of supplies and equipment since Israel began its siege on Gaza eight years ago.
No Israelis have been killed or wounded by Palestinian shells fired in response to the Israeli attck over the past seven days. Around a dozen Israelis have reported minor injuries sustained while running to bomb shelters.
The US House of Representatives voted unanimously to support a non-binding resolution to reaffirm full U.S. support for Israel’s “defense of its citizens” and condemning Palestinian “unprovoked rocket fire”. The resolution made no mention of the nearly 2,000 tons of bombs that had been dropped by Israel on Gaza at the time it was passed
It also did not mention the 200 Palestinians (80% of whom are civilians, according to the UN) or the multiple attempts by Hamas to negotiate a ceasefire with Israel – including on July 6th, before the Israeli attack began in earnest.
The US House of representatives is currently Republican-led, but representatives of both political parties offered full support to the Israeli military’s attack, and ongoing siege of the Gaza Strip.
During the one minute speech sessions that followed the opening prayer on Friday morning, Republican Trent Franks from Arizona stated, “Last month Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas openly united with the terrorist group Hamas and right now they are raining down rockets on the innocent people of Israel. One half of all Israelis have sought shelter in bomb shelters.”
No U.S. members of Congress mentioned the Israeli attack on Gaza that began on July 8th, killing twenty civilians before Palestinian resistance fighters responded with homemade shells.
The resolution passed by the U.S. House claimed that Iran has provided material support in long-range missile production to both Hamas and Islamic Jihad, a claim that has been made by the Israeli government. But the Israeli government has not offered anything beyond infographics that show evidence of either group possessing any such weapons.
The American Israeli Public Affairs Committee, which is the wealthiest Zionist lobby in the U.S., immediately issued a statement praising the U.S. House for “passing a forceful resolution affirming Israel’s right to self-defense and holding Hamas responsible for the attacks on America’s democratic ally.”
Resolution 657 “states support for the state of Israel as it defends itself against unprovoked rocket attacks from the Hamas terror organization.”
In the seven days of Israel’s “Operation Protective Edge”, launched Tuesday July 8th against the people of Gaza, Israeli forces have killed 195 Palestinians, including at least 35 children. Over 1400 Palestinians have been wounded, many of them severely. Hospitals are overflowing with wounded civilians, and are facing shortages of supplies and equipment since Israel began its siege on Gaza eight years ago.
No Israelis have been killed or wounded by Palestinian shells fired in response to the Israeli attck over the past seven days. Around a dozen Israelis have reported minor injuries sustained while running to bomb shelters.
Palestinian men inspect a destroyed building following an Israeli military strike on Beit Lahya, northern Gaza Strip on July 15, 2014
It’s good for the killer to give his victim a chance to run. Israel is an expert at the game when it decides not to kill a Palestinian family where they sleep. After midnight, the occupation would call and demand that they leave the house. If they do not agree, Israel will be gracious enough to send a few warning shells. After the warning shells are fired, you have three minutes to leave the house with your family, or else.
More than 281 homes in Gaza have been directly targeted and destroyed and hundreds more were partially damaged. Each of them has a story. Some were bombed for the third time, after being targeted in two previous wars and then rebuilt. Others had the chance to be filmed during the shelling. Three warning shells would be fired, followed by one or two of more than one ton of explosives. Life's toil turns into rubble and the names of a new family are recorded in the list of victims, if they did not get a warning shot.
The warning rocket does not lie. It is the final alarm, following the phone threats received by households in the context of Israel’s psychological warfare. With a loud bang it gives a three-minute warning and causes some damage to the roof. The residents (who number between 15 and 45) have three minutes to flee or die. They are also in a race against time to inform their neighbors of the news of impending destruction coming from the sky. Gazans have many stories to tell about the warning rockets.
They joke about having to sleep fully clothed and having the family gathered in one place, so they can leave quickly. But other stories are sad. There is one about a young man who was not home and could not inform his family - who did not have a phone - that he received a call to evacuate the house. He wished for a warning rocket, which could have saved some families from being killed. Another story is of an old deaf man. He became a martyr because he could not hear the warning shell and his children could not locate him in the ensuing confusion.
The occupation, on the other hand, believes such rockets to be the epitome of humanitarianism, since it warns "the residents of the house before bombing it to avoid casualties." It gives the impression to the world that this avoids targeting civilians, as if destroying a home is not a crime. The [warning] rocket is a new patent by which Israel seeks to avoid legal prosecution and ensure that its house demolishing policy is not considered a war crime.
As soon as the warning rocket is fired, the neighborhood's youth and children gather no more than 50 meters away. With their phones and cameras, they film a scene that could only be replicated by sophisticated special effects in a movie. But the scene is repeated every day right in front of them.
Mohammed Nawfal, from the central district, said he filmed the bombing of the house of his cousin and Hamas official Ayman Nawfal. He told Al-Akhbar that the occupation informed the family to leave their house via a recorded message. "They did not react at first. But soon a warning rocket was fired," he added. "At the beginning, we thought we had 10 minutes. However, the house was razed to the ground no more than a minute later."
The Hajj family was unlucky. They could not flee after the warning rocket, except one family member called Ahmed. He ran as fast as he could thinking that his family was with him. He did not hear what they were saying. Ducking behind a wall to use as cover, he found that he was alone. He ran back home, but three missiles from a warplane were faster. They were all killed and he was left to recount the tale as long as he lives, how he saw his house explode and his loved-ones annihilated.
"In less than a minute, all my family was gone. I was with them, listening to them, calming the children during the sounds of the shelling. Then they were gone. How did this happen? What law and what rights allows this to happen to us?" Ahmed wondered.
He started to scream: "Where are you [Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud] Abbas? Where is the state? Where are the Arab countries? God save us from you all!"
Israeli newspaper Yediot Ahronot had maintained that the Israeli army is using a method called "knock on the roof," to destroy Palestinian houses through shelling by air, sea, or land. It explained that a small explosion would take place, "then one minute will set the difference between total or partial annihilation, and sometimes none."
After the warning, the massive and huge explosion comes from the sky or the coast to remove the house from the face of the earth." Yediot Ahronot went on to provide more details of the "knock on the roof" method. "First, a surveillance drone arrives and launches a rocket with a small warhead on the targeted house, to warn its residents and force them to leave, in accordance with international law," it wrote.
The newspaper indicated that this method was part of the lessons learned from the Goldstone report, which investigated the 2008-2009 aggression on Gaza, which condemned Israel for acts amounting to war crimes. However, the newspaper also indicated that those lessons "had nothing to do with not targeting Palestinian civilian homes anymore, but how to wrap up the crime with a legal cover."
On the Palestinian side, lawyer Salah Abdul-Ati explained that "Israel cannot circumvent international law by inventing designations that are not in the text of the law. However, it tries to avoid accountability." He maintained that Israel targets unarmed and protected civilians, as evidenced by many previous massacres. According to Abdul-Ati, the policy of destroying homes "is a war crime, since Gaza is one of the most densely populated areas in the world. There is also nothing in the law called warning civilians to leave their homes and shelling them."
Despite this, the legal expert is convinced Israel derives its strength from the impotence of the international and Arab community, who failed at holding it accountable for its crimes in the past two wars, "crimes that led to thousands of martyrs and thousands more wounded. This is in addition to the clear American bias and the support of foreign countries through the weapon of the media."
Abdul-Ati called for an international fact-finding committee to investigate the crimes of the occupation and document that clear war crimes were committed.
In the same vein, Gaza Health Ministry spokesperson Ashraf al-Qudra indicated that the same missiles used to give warnings are also used in assassinations. They have caused dozens of casualties and martyrs who lost limbs, "or whose remains were scattered, making it impossible to identify them immediately."
"Israel keeps butchering Palestinian civilians, using internationally banned weapons. How can we believe it does not want most of them to fall as martyrs, by using warning missiles?"
It’s good for the killer to give his victim a chance to run. Israel is an expert at the game when it decides not to kill a Palestinian family where they sleep. After midnight, the occupation would call and demand that they leave the house. If they do not agree, Israel will be gracious enough to send a few warning shells. After the warning shells are fired, you have three minutes to leave the house with your family, or else.
More than 281 homes in Gaza have been directly targeted and destroyed and hundreds more were partially damaged. Each of them has a story. Some were bombed for the third time, after being targeted in two previous wars and then rebuilt. Others had the chance to be filmed during the shelling. Three warning shells would be fired, followed by one or two of more than one ton of explosives. Life's toil turns into rubble and the names of a new family are recorded in the list of victims, if they did not get a warning shot.
The warning rocket does not lie. It is the final alarm, following the phone threats received by households in the context of Israel’s psychological warfare. With a loud bang it gives a three-minute warning and causes some damage to the roof. The residents (who number between 15 and 45) have three minutes to flee or die. They are also in a race against time to inform their neighbors of the news of impending destruction coming from the sky. Gazans have many stories to tell about the warning rockets.
They joke about having to sleep fully clothed and having the family gathered in one place, so they can leave quickly. But other stories are sad. There is one about a young man who was not home and could not inform his family - who did not have a phone - that he received a call to evacuate the house. He wished for a warning rocket, which could have saved some families from being killed. Another story is of an old deaf man. He became a martyr because he could not hear the warning shell and his children could not locate him in the ensuing confusion.
The occupation, on the other hand, believes such rockets to be the epitome of humanitarianism, since it warns "the residents of the house before bombing it to avoid casualties." It gives the impression to the world that this avoids targeting civilians, as if destroying a home is not a crime. The [warning] rocket is a new patent by which Israel seeks to avoid legal prosecution and ensure that its house demolishing policy is not considered a war crime.
As soon as the warning rocket is fired, the neighborhood's youth and children gather no more than 50 meters away. With their phones and cameras, they film a scene that could only be replicated by sophisticated special effects in a movie. But the scene is repeated every day right in front of them.
Mohammed Nawfal, from the central district, said he filmed the bombing of the house of his cousin and Hamas official Ayman Nawfal. He told Al-Akhbar that the occupation informed the family to leave their house via a recorded message. "They did not react at first. But soon a warning rocket was fired," he added. "At the beginning, we thought we had 10 minutes. However, the house was razed to the ground no more than a minute later."
The Hajj family was unlucky. They could not flee after the warning rocket, except one family member called Ahmed. He ran as fast as he could thinking that his family was with him. He did not hear what they were saying. Ducking behind a wall to use as cover, he found that he was alone. He ran back home, but three missiles from a warplane were faster. They were all killed and he was left to recount the tale as long as he lives, how he saw his house explode and his loved-ones annihilated.
"In less than a minute, all my family was gone. I was with them, listening to them, calming the children during the sounds of the shelling. Then they were gone. How did this happen? What law and what rights allows this to happen to us?" Ahmed wondered.
He started to scream: "Where are you [Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud] Abbas? Where is the state? Where are the Arab countries? God save us from you all!"
Israeli newspaper Yediot Ahronot had maintained that the Israeli army is using a method called "knock on the roof," to destroy Palestinian houses through shelling by air, sea, or land. It explained that a small explosion would take place, "then one minute will set the difference between total or partial annihilation, and sometimes none."
After the warning, the massive and huge explosion comes from the sky or the coast to remove the house from the face of the earth." Yediot Ahronot went on to provide more details of the "knock on the roof" method. "First, a surveillance drone arrives and launches a rocket with a small warhead on the targeted house, to warn its residents and force them to leave, in accordance with international law," it wrote.
The newspaper indicated that this method was part of the lessons learned from the Goldstone report, which investigated the 2008-2009 aggression on Gaza, which condemned Israel for acts amounting to war crimes. However, the newspaper also indicated that those lessons "had nothing to do with not targeting Palestinian civilian homes anymore, but how to wrap up the crime with a legal cover."
On the Palestinian side, lawyer Salah Abdul-Ati explained that "Israel cannot circumvent international law by inventing designations that are not in the text of the law. However, it tries to avoid accountability." He maintained that Israel targets unarmed and protected civilians, as evidenced by many previous massacres. According to Abdul-Ati, the policy of destroying homes "is a war crime, since Gaza is one of the most densely populated areas in the world. There is also nothing in the law called warning civilians to leave their homes and shelling them."
Despite this, the legal expert is convinced Israel derives its strength from the impotence of the international and Arab community, who failed at holding it accountable for its crimes in the past two wars, "crimes that led to thousands of martyrs and thousands more wounded. This is in addition to the clear American bias and the support of foreign countries through the weapon of the media."
Abdul-Ati called for an international fact-finding committee to investigate the crimes of the occupation and document that clear war crimes were committed.
In the same vein, Gaza Health Ministry spokesperson Ashraf al-Qudra indicated that the same missiles used to give warnings are also used in assassinations. They have caused dozens of casualties and martyrs who lost limbs, "or whose remains were scattered, making it impossible to identify them immediately."
"Israel keeps butchering Palestinian civilians, using internationally banned weapons. How can we believe it does not want most of them to fall as martyrs, by using warning missiles?"
