15 july 2014
Turkey's two largest opposition parties' presidential candidate Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu has criticized the United Nations for not condemning Israel for ignoring its calls.
"You cannot be impartial between the tyrant and the innocent, between the oppressor and the oppressed," Ihsanoglu said Tuesday during his visit to the Palestinian embassy in Ankara.
His remarks came after Israeli warplanes had struck hundreds of civilian residential areas across the besieged enclave, which is home to around 1.8 million Palestinians.
On Sunday, the UN Security Council called for a ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinians in Gaza.
Ihsanoglu said the resolution was not a complete one as it "did not condemn Israel's disproportionate violence while demanding a ceasefire.
"I am pleased to see that a great deal of humanitarian aid has been rushing in to Palestine from Turkey and the government has been taking a number of measures," he said.
At least 194 Palestinians have been killed and more than 1,400 others injured in unrelenting Israeli airstrikes on the Gaza Strip since last Monday.
Gaza-based resistance factions, for their part, have continued to fire hundreds of rockets at Israeli cities in response to the ongoing Israeli attacks.
No Israeli fatalities have been reported thus far.
"You cannot be impartial between the tyrant and the innocent, between the oppressor and the oppressed," Ihsanoglu said Tuesday during his visit to the Palestinian embassy in Ankara.
His remarks came after Israeli warplanes had struck hundreds of civilian residential areas across the besieged enclave, which is home to around 1.8 million Palestinians.
On Sunday, the UN Security Council called for a ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinians in Gaza.
Ihsanoglu said the resolution was not a complete one as it "did not condemn Israel's disproportionate violence while demanding a ceasefire.
"I am pleased to see that a great deal of humanitarian aid has been rushing in to Palestine from Turkey and the government has been taking a number of measures," he said.
At least 194 Palestinians have been killed and more than 1,400 others injured in unrelenting Israeli airstrikes on the Gaza Strip since last Monday.
Gaza-based resistance factions, for their part, have continued to fire hundreds of rockets at Israeli cities in response to the ongoing Israeli attacks.
No Israeli fatalities have been reported thus far.
Turkey is considered as the most reliable route for Israel to export its natural gas by many economists, however the recent Israeli military operation in Gaza has created a further backsliding in Turkish-Israeli rapprochement.
With Israel now locked into more violence with the Palestinians and subject to wider problems given such regional conflicts like the Syrian civil war and Iraq’s latest upsurge in violence, Tel Aviv is now looking for a stable partner for energy exports.
The recently discovered Leviathan gas field off the coast of Israel is a major find in a region which holds nearly 620 billion cubic meters of gas.
However, compensation talks with Israel for the families of the Turkish victims of the Israeli raid on a Gaza aid flotilla in 2010 were contiuning but the recent Gaza operation has now increased obstacles to improving Turkish - Israeli relations.
David Koranyi, acting director of Dinu Patriciu Eurasia Center – part of the U.S. Atlantic Council think tank – told Anadolu Agency that all of Israel’s options to export its natural gas to international markets suffer from one or more major flaws, either politically or commercially.
“It is important to understand that nothing has been decided yet,” Koranyi said, adding that, “The only thing that seems fairly certain is export of somewhat larger quantities of gas to Jordan, which desperately needs to reduce its prohibitive energy bill.”
Noble and Delek, the two energy companies with operating rights in Leviathan, said in late June that they signed a preliminary agreement with British oil and gas company BG to export 7 billion cubic meters of gas to BG’s facility in Egypt for 15 years.
Commenting on the deal, Koranyi said although the agreement between Israel and BG made a lot of commercial sense – it was “tentative”.
Underlining that such a deal is fraught by political challenges, Koranyi said any new arrangement on purchasing Israeli gas would encounter domestic opposition and also face security challenges in the Sinai region if the existing Port Said – El Arish pipeline is used.
Koranyi said a pipeline to Turkey via the Cypriot exclusive economic zone (EEZ) or Cyprus itself is another option for Israel; however, this is unlikely without resolving the Cyprus dispute first.
The Cyprus peace talks, which stalled in January 2012, resumed in February with the distribution of the Aphrodite gas field being among the negotiations' most important topics.
“Thus, the Turkish option seems quite difficult these days, unless the parties somehow manage to reach an agreement in a triangle format (Israeli, Greek and Turkish Cypriot and Turkish)”, Koranyi said.
“A daunting task indeed.”
Israel’s options for export
Anastasios Giamouridis, a senior energy consultant at Pöyry Consulting, said developing a liquefied natural gas, LNG, facility in Israel was difficult because of land constraints.
“Other LNG options are to take the gas to Egypt and liquefy it in Egypt, or to take it to Cyprus and liquefy it in Cyprus. The final option is in Israeli offshores, a floating LNG unit,” Giamouridis said.
Underlining that the Turkish energy market was much more substantial then the regional markets, Giamouridis added that: “An offshore pipeline from Israel to Turkey would have minimum amount of risks, as there will be nobody threatening to blow up the pipelines like the one in Egypt.”
The Sinai pipelines – which had previously been used by Egypt to export natural gas to Israel – faced more than a dozen bomb attacks since the removal of long-serving president Hosni Mubarak in 2011.
Emphasizing that if private companies were to buy the Israeli gas rather than Turkey's Petroleum Pipeline Cooperation at a price similar or lower to regulated gas prices in the domestic Turkish market, Giamouridis said the margins for the seller could be "problematic".
With Israel now locked into more violence with the Palestinians and subject to wider problems given such regional conflicts like the Syrian civil war and Iraq’s latest upsurge in violence, Tel Aviv is now looking for a stable partner for energy exports.
The recently discovered Leviathan gas field off the coast of Israel is a major find in a region which holds nearly 620 billion cubic meters of gas.
However, compensation talks with Israel for the families of the Turkish victims of the Israeli raid on a Gaza aid flotilla in 2010 were contiuning but the recent Gaza operation has now increased obstacles to improving Turkish - Israeli relations.
David Koranyi, acting director of Dinu Patriciu Eurasia Center – part of the U.S. Atlantic Council think tank – told Anadolu Agency that all of Israel’s options to export its natural gas to international markets suffer from one or more major flaws, either politically or commercially.
“It is important to understand that nothing has been decided yet,” Koranyi said, adding that, “The only thing that seems fairly certain is export of somewhat larger quantities of gas to Jordan, which desperately needs to reduce its prohibitive energy bill.”
Noble and Delek, the two energy companies with operating rights in Leviathan, said in late June that they signed a preliminary agreement with British oil and gas company BG to export 7 billion cubic meters of gas to BG’s facility in Egypt for 15 years.
Commenting on the deal, Koranyi said although the agreement between Israel and BG made a lot of commercial sense – it was “tentative”.
Underlining that such a deal is fraught by political challenges, Koranyi said any new arrangement on purchasing Israeli gas would encounter domestic opposition and also face security challenges in the Sinai region if the existing Port Said – El Arish pipeline is used.
Koranyi said a pipeline to Turkey via the Cypriot exclusive economic zone (EEZ) or Cyprus itself is another option for Israel; however, this is unlikely without resolving the Cyprus dispute first.
The Cyprus peace talks, which stalled in January 2012, resumed in February with the distribution of the Aphrodite gas field being among the negotiations' most important topics.
“Thus, the Turkish option seems quite difficult these days, unless the parties somehow manage to reach an agreement in a triangle format (Israeli, Greek and Turkish Cypriot and Turkish)”, Koranyi said.
“A daunting task indeed.”
Israel’s options for export
Anastasios Giamouridis, a senior energy consultant at Pöyry Consulting, said developing a liquefied natural gas, LNG, facility in Israel was difficult because of land constraints.
“Other LNG options are to take the gas to Egypt and liquefy it in Egypt, or to take it to Cyprus and liquefy it in Cyprus. The final option is in Israeli offshores, a floating LNG unit,” Giamouridis said.
Underlining that the Turkish energy market was much more substantial then the regional markets, Giamouridis added that: “An offshore pipeline from Israel to Turkey would have minimum amount of risks, as there will be nobody threatening to blow up the pipelines like the one in Egypt.”
The Sinai pipelines – which had previously been used by Egypt to export natural gas to Israel – faced more than a dozen bomb attacks since the removal of long-serving president Hosni Mubarak in 2011.
Emphasizing that if private companies were to buy the Israeli gas rather than Turkey's Petroleum Pipeline Cooperation at a price similar or lower to regulated gas prices in the domestic Turkish market, Giamouridis said the margins for the seller could be "problematic".
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas will visit Egypt on Wednesday for talks aimed at reaching a ceasefire between Gaza-based Palestinian resistance factions and Israel.
Abbas will meet with Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi to discuss means of "ensuring the success of an Egyptian ceasefire proposal so as to preserve the lives of our people and cement the truce," Abbas spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeinah said in a statement carried by the official Wafa news agency.
According to Abu Rudeinah, Abbas will also visit Turkey on July 18 for ceasefire talks.
Egypt had earlier proposed a ceasefire between Gaza-based resistance factions and Israel to come into effect at 6am GMT on Tuesday.
Earlier Tuesday, Israel's security cabinet accepted the proposal, while deputy Hamas leader Moussa Abu Marzouq said his group was still mulling the initiative after having initially rejected it.
Cairo's initiative calls on Israel to cease all hostilities in the Gaza Strip, halt all ground operations and refrain from targeting civilians, according to an Egyptian Foreign Ministry statement.
It also calls on Gaza-based resistance factions to cease hostilities against Israel, halt rocket fire and cross-border attacks and stop targeting civilians.
The overture further calls for reopening Gaza's closed border crossings and facilitating the movement of persons and goods in and out of the embattled coastal strip.
At least 194 Palestinians have been killed and more than 1400 injured in unrelenting Israeli airstrikes on the Gaza Strip since Monday of last week.
Gaza-based resistance factions, meanwhile, have continued to fire rockets at Israeli cities in response to ongoing Israeli bombardments.
No Israeli fatalities have been reported thus far as a result of rocket fire from Gaza.
Abbas will meet with Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi to discuss means of "ensuring the success of an Egyptian ceasefire proposal so as to preserve the lives of our people and cement the truce," Abbas spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeinah said in a statement carried by the official Wafa news agency.
According to Abu Rudeinah, Abbas will also visit Turkey on July 18 for ceasefire talks.
Egypt had earlier proposed a ceasefire between Gaza-based resistance factions and Israel to come into effect at 6am GMT on Tuesday.
Earlier Tuesday, Israel's security cabinet accepted the proposal, while deputy Hamas leader Moussa Abu Marzouq said his group was still mulling the initiative after having initially rejected it.
Cairo's initiative calls on Israel to cease all hostilities in the Gaza Strip, halt all ground operations and refrain from targeting civilians, according to an Egyptian Foreign Ministry statement.
It also calls on Gaza-based resistance factions to cease hostilities against Israel, halt rocket fire and cross-border attacks and stop targeting civilians.
The overture further calls for reopening Gaza's closed border crossings and facilitating the movement of persons and goods in and out of the embattled coastal strip.
At least 194 Palestinians have been killed and more than 1400 injured in unrelenting Israeli airstrikes on the Gaza Strip since Monday of last week.
Gaza-based resistance factions, meanwhile, have continued to fire rockets at Israeli cities in response to ongoing Israeli bombardments.
No Israeli fatalities have been reported thus far as a result of rocket fire from Gaza.
Israeli President Shimon Peres on Tuesday slammed Hamas while lauding an Egyptian proposal for a ceasefire between his country and Gaza-based Palestinian resistance groups.
The ceasefire proposal was "a window of opportunity to bring the fighting to an end," Peres said at a meeting with Quarter envoy Tony Blair at the Presidential Residence in Jerusalem.
"Hamas isolated itself as Israel accepted the ceasefire," Peres said moments before Israel resumed its bloody air offensive against Gaza, citing continued rocket fire at Israel from the Palestinian enclave.
"If they [Hamas] continue [to fire rockets] despite the proposal, they will only bring more suffering to their people," he added.
Earlier Tuesday, Israel's security cabinet accepted an Egyptian ceasefire proposal, saying it would suspend airstrikes on the Gaza Strip. Hours later, it resumed its aerial bombardments.
Almost 200 Palestinians have been killed and more than 1400 injured in unrelenting Israeli airstrikes on the Gaza Strip over the past week.
Peres called for a return to peace talks to achieve "the only viable, long term solution: two states for two peoples."
While portraying Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas as a "man of peace," he claimed that Hamas was holding the people of Gaza "hostage."
"Hamas continues to hold them [Gazans] hostage… President Abbas is not only a partner for Israel, but is the best hope for the Palestinians for a future of stability, respect, independence and prosperity. He is a man of peace, a responsible leader," said Peres.
Blair, for his part, hailed Egypt for putting forward the ceasefire initiative.
"The purpose is also to give us the opportunity to put in place a long-term solution," Blair added.
The Egyptian initiative calls on Israel to cease all hostilities in the Gaza Strip, halt all ground operations, and refrain from targeting civilians, according to an Egyptian Foreign Ministry statement.
It also calls on Gaza-based resistance factions to cease all hostilities against Israel, halt rocket fire and cross-border attacks and stop targeting civilians.
The overture further calls for reopening Gaza's closed border crossings and facilitating the movement of persons and goods in and out of the embattled coastal strip.
The ceasefire proposal was "a window of opportunity to bring the fighting to an end," Peres said at a meeting with Quarter envoy Tony Blair at the Presidential Residence in Jerusalem.
"Hamas isolated itself as Israel accepted the ceasefire," Peres said moments before Israel resumed its bloody air offensive against Gaza, citing continued rocket fire at Israel from the Palestinian enclave.
"If they [Hamas] continue [to fire rockets] despite the proposal, they will only bring more suffering to their people," he added.
Earlier Tuesday, Israel's security cabinet accepted an Egyptian ceasefire proposal, saying it would suspend airstrikes on the Gaza Strip. Hours later, it resumed its aerial bombardments.
Almost 200 Palestinians have been killed and more than 1400 injured in unrelenting Israeli airstrikes on the Gaza Strip over the past week.
Peres called for a return to peace talks to achieve "the only viable, long term solution: two states for two peoples."
While portraying Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas as a "man of peace," he claimed that Hamas was holding the people of Gaza "hostage."
"Hamas continues to hold them [Gazans] hostage… President Abbas is not only a partner for Israel, but is the best hope for the Palestinians for a future of stability, respect, independence and prosperity. He is a man of peace, a responsible leader," said Peres.
Blair, for his part, hailed Egypt for putting forward the ceasefire initiative.
"The purpose is also to give us the opportunity to put in place a long-term solution," Blair added.
The Egyptian initiative calls on Israel to cease all hostilities in the Gaza Strip, halt all ground operations, and refrain from targeting civilians, according to an Egyptian Foreign Ministry statement.
It also calls on Gaza-based resistance factions to cease all hostilities against Israel, halt rocket fire and cross-border attacks and stop targeting civilians.
The overture further calls for reopening Gaza's closed border crossings and facilitating the movement of persons and goods in and out of the embattled coastal strip.
This Palestinain grandfather lost three grandsons
Almost 80 percent of those killed as a result of the Israeli bombing of Gaza are civilians, the United Nations said in a report.
The death toll from the week-long Israeli airstrikes on the Gaza Strip is climbing to 200.
More casualties are feared as the attacks resumed Tuesday, six hours after Israel unilaterally entered an Egyptian-proposed ceasefire that was rejected by Hamas’ armed wing who continued cross-border rocket fire.
The Israeli military said that during the supposed truce about 50 rockets were fired by Palestinians all over Israel; no injuries were reported.
According to a report by UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), over 77 percent of fatalities since the beginning of the Israeli Operation Protective Edge on July 7 have been civilians.
PaulaSlier_RT @PaulaSlier_RT Gaza facing severe medicine shortage due to crisis, asking $60million for medical supplies
UNOCHA @UNOCHA LATEST Gaza: 138 civilians killed.1,361 injured.17,000 Displaced.600,000 at risk of losing access to water supply
Some 1,255 homes were destroyed or severely damaged in Gaza, tens of thousands of Palestinians have fled their homes following Israeli warnings, and 17,000 have taken shelter at UNRWA (UN aid agency for Palestinians) schools.The vast majority of the displaced fled their homes with few belongings, including families who lost everything under the rubble of their destroyed homes.
UNRWA described the damage caused by Israel's air offensive on Gaza as “immense.”
“The level of human losses and destruction in Gaza is really immense,” the aid agency’s spokesman Sami Mshasha said Tuesday, as cited by AFP. The official said that 560 homes had been totally destroyed, while thousands of buildings – including 47 UNRWA facilities - got damaged by the bombings. He called on the warring sides to respect UN buildings.
UNRWA @UNRWA 47 UNRWA facilities including schools, clinics and warehouses have been damaged by air raids & other fire in violation of international law.
Last week, Israeli bombs destroyed a mosque in the central Gaza Strip, which Israeli military said was used as storage for weapons. Several other mosques as well as Hamas-affiliated charities and an Islamic home for the disabled were hit by the strikes.
Israel, facing bitter criticism from international rights groups, has insisted that it tried to minimize casualties among civilians and targeted sites affiliated to Hamas, including command centers, issuing early warnings before attacking. It also blamed Hamas for using civilians as human shields by firing rockets from densely populated areas.
Almost 80 percent of those killed as a result of the Israeli bombing of Gaza are civilians, the United Nations said in a report.
The death toll from the week-long Israeli airstrikes on the Gaza Strip is climbing to 200.
More casualties are feared as the attacks resumed Tuesday, six hours after Israel unilaterally entered an Egyptian-proposed ceasefire that was rejected by Hamas’ armed wing who continued cross-border rocket fire.
The Israeli military said that during the supposed truce about 50 rockets were fired by Palestinians all over Israel; no injuries were reported.
According to a report by UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), over 77 percent of fatalities since the beginning of the Israeli Operation Protective Edge on July 7 have been civilians.
PaulaSlier_RT @PaulaSlier_RT Gaza facing severe medicine shortage due to crisis, asking $60million for medical supplies
UNOCHA @UNOCHA LATEST Gaza: 138 civilians killed.1,361 injured.17,000 Displaced.600,000 at risk of losing access to water supply
Some 1,255 homes were destroyed or severely damaged in Gaza, tens of thousands of Palestinians have fled their homes following Israeli warnings, and 17,000 have taken shelter at UNRWA (UN aid agency for Palestinians) schools.The vast majority of the displaced fled their homes with few belongings, including families who lost everything under the rubble of their destroyed homes.
UNRWA described the damage caused by Israel's air offensive on Gaza as “immense.”
“The level of human losses and destruction in Gaza is really immense,” the aid agency’s spokesman Sami Mshasha said Tuesday, as cited by AFP. The official said that 560 homes had been totally destroyed, while thousands of buildings – including 47 UNRWA facilities - got damaged by the bombings. He called on the warring sides to respect UN buildings.
UNRWA @UNRWA 47 UNRWA facilities including schools, clinics and warehouses have been damaged by air raids & other fire in violation of international law.
Last week, Israeli bombs destroyed a mosque in the central Gaza Strip, which Israeli military said was used as storage for weapons. Several other mosques as well as Hamas-affiliated charities and an Islamic home for the disabled were hit by the strikes.
Israel, facing bitter criticism from international rights groups, has insisted that it tried to minimize casualties among civilians and targeted sites affiliated to Hamas, including command centers, issuing early warnings before attacking. It also blamed Hamas for using civilians as human shields by firing rockets from densely populated areas.
The UN says, however, that “the targeting of civilian homes is a violation of international humanitarian law unless the homes are being used for military purposes.” It added that, “In case of doubt, buildings ordinarily used for civilian purposes, such as homes, are presumed not to be legitimate military targets.”
Palestinians also came under criticism from the international group.
“Reports about the launching of rockets by Palestinian armed groups from densely-populated areas have raised increasing concern, as it endangers the lives of Palestinian civilians residing in these areas,” the UN said.
According to Israeli Defense Force (IDF), over 1080 rockets have been launched at Israel since the beginning of the operation, with 845 of those hitting the territory of the country.
On Tuesday alone, “Hamas in Gaza has fired 76 rockets at Israel,” the IDF said. That is including 47 rockets launched during the hours when Israel has suspended its attacks.
In the early hours on Tuesday, three rockets exploded in and near the Israeli Red Sea resort of Eilat. Four people reportedly sustained minor injuries. Two rockets struck inside the city that borders both Egypt and Jordan while s third one landed in an open area, reported Reuters citing a military spokesman. Israel Radio said officials alleged it was fired from Egypt.
On Monday, rockets were fired at Israel from southern Lebanon, resulting in retaliatory artillery fire from Israeli forces, Lebanese security officials and the Israeli army said. There was no immediate claim of responsibility.
The current offensive is the worst outbreak of violence between the two bitter rivals - Israel and Palestinian militants - since a similar campaign in November 2012 to stop Gaza rocket fire. The fresh fighting was triggered by the kidnappings and killings of three Israeli teenagers in the West Bank, followed by the abduction and murder of a Palestinian teenager in an apparent revenge attack.
Palestinians also came under criticism from the international group.
“Reports about the launching of rockets by Palestinian armed groups from densely-populated areas have raised increasing concern, as it endangers the lives of Palestinian civilians residing in these areas,” the UN said.
According to Israeli Defense Force (IDF), over 1080 rockets have been launched at Israel since the beginning of the operation, with 845 of those hitting the territory of the country.
On Tuesday alone, “Hamas in Gaza has fired 76 rockets at Israel,” the IDF said. That is including 47 rockets launched during the hours when Israel has suspended its attacks.
In the early hours on Tuesday, three rockets exploded in and near the Israeli Red Sea resort of Eilat. Four people reportedly sustained minor injuries. Two rockets struck inside the city that borders both Egypt and Jordan while s third one landed in an open area, reported Reuters citing a military spokesman. Israel Radio said officials alleged it was fired from Egypt.
On Monday, rockets were fired at Israel from southern Lebanon, resulting in retaliatory artillery fire from Israeli forces, Lebanese security officials and the Israeli army said. There was no immediate claim of responsibility.
The current offensive is the worst outbreak of violence between the two bitter rivals - Israel and Palestinian militants - since a similar campaign in November 2012 to stop Gaza rocket fire. The fresh fighting was triggered by the kidnappings and killings of three Israeli teenagers in the West Bank, followed by the abduction and murder of a Palestinian teenager in an apparent revenge attack.
A U.S. Senate panel has backed a defense spending bill that would double the amount of money for Israel's Iron Dome missile defense system.
The move by the Appropriations defense subcommittee comes as the system has proven successful in shooting down Hamas' rockets in the latest hostilities between Israel and Hamas.
The defense bill would provide $351 million for Iron Dome, double what the Obama administration requested. Republican and Democratic administrations have typically requested a smaller amount for the program designed to intercept short-range rockets and mortars, knowing Congress will increase it.
Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin, the chairman of the panel, said the system is working and the increase was crucial with Israel facing rockets from Gaza militants. Overall, the defense bill would provide $549.3 billion for fiscal 2015.
The move by the Appropriations defense subcommittee comes as the system has proven successful in shooting down Hamas' rockets in the latest hostilities between Israel and Hamas.
The defense bill would provide $351 million for Iron Dome, double what the Obama administration requested. Republican and Democratic administrations have typically requested a smaller amount for the program designed to intercept short-range rockets and mortars, knowing Congress will increase it.
Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin, the chairman of the panel, said the system is working and the increase was crucial with Israel facing rockets from Gaza militants. Overall, the defense bill would provide $549.3 billion for fiscal 2015.
Russian diplomats in the Gaza Strip are preparing lists of the Russians who would like to leave the region because of the security situation; though no decision has been made yet about their removal, a Russian diplomatic source told Interfax on Tuesday.
"Indeed, we are working on this issue following requests from our citizens," the source said. "The requests have been of a varying nature," he said. "Some are very fearful for their own safety and want to be removed as soon as possible; others say, we are asking you, so start getting ready, but for now we are waiting where or not there will be further escalation, and if not, then we probably will not go," the diplomat said.
"At any rate, we are now working on this issue and compiling the lists. We are cooperating with Egypt, Israel and international organizations on this issue, and, at our citizens' request, we want to gather them in Gaza and move them through the Rafat checkpoint into Egypt.
Many would prefer to find themselves precisely in Egypt: some have relatives there, others want to travel to Russia from there," the source said. Asked when the evacuation might take place, he said: "At this moment, I have no exact data, nor final information on that score." There are about 400 people on the lists already, the diplomat said.
"Indeed, we are working on this issue following requests from our citizens," the source said. "The requests have been of a varying nature," he said. "Some are very fearful for their own safety and want to be removed as soon as possible; others say, we are asking you, so start getting ready, but for now we are waiting where or not there will be further escalation, and if not, then we probably will not go," the diplomat said.
"At any rate, we are now working on this issue and compiling the lists. We are cooperating with Egypt, Israel and international organizations on this issue, and, at our citizens' request, we want to gather them in Gaza and move them through the Rafat checkpoint into Egypt.
Many would prefer to find themselves precisely in Egypt: some have relatives there, others want to travel to Russia from there," the source said. Asked when the evacuation might take place, he said: "At this moment, I have no exact data, nor final information on that score." There are about 400 people on the lists already, the diplomat said.
Israel carried out at least four airstrikes against Gaza on Tuesday afternoon, resuming raids after a truce failed to
get off the ground, AFP correspondents and eyewitnesses said.
An AFP correspondent reported one air strike east of Gaza City, and eyewitnesses reported a second in the center of the city.
Witnesses also reported strikes in al-Nuseirat in central Gaza as well as in the Khan Younis area in the south.
There were no immediate reports of deaths or injuries.
Israeli airstrikes killed five Palestinians in Gaza overnight Monday, with at least 192 killed and 1,400 injured as Israel's assault enters its eighth day.
The raids came shortly after Israel's army announced it was ending a ceasefire it said it had observed since 9 a.m. under the terms of an Egyptian truce proposal.
Hamas said it was not consulted by any official party and only heard of the initiative through the media.
"Hamas has fired 47 rockets since we suspended our strikes in Gaza at 9:00 a.m. As a result, we have resumed our operation against Hamas," the army said on its official Twitter account.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, a senior Israeli official told AFP that the military had been ordered to "act forcefully".
Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said: "Nobody has consulted us about this initiative, and so it is natural that the initiative isn't binding to us."
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."
More than 192 people have been killed in Gaza over the past week as Israel has waged a relentless air campaign against the coastal enclave, killing mainly civilians, according to OCHA.
In response, militants have fired more than a thousand rockets into Israel where no one has been killed in the current confrontation.
Israeli resumes military operations against Gaza, at least two airstrikes reported
At least two air strikes were carried out in the Gaza Strip by Israel on Tuesday afternoon, resuming raids after a failed truce, AFP reports its correspondents and eyewitnesses as saying.
This happened after the Egypt-proposed ceasefire was rejected by Hamas leaders, who said they are opposed to ceasing the fire without reaching an agreement on the terms of a truce first.
An AFP correspondent reported one air strike in Gaza City, and eyewitnesses reported a second in the southern Khan Yunis area.
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.
get off the ground, AFP correspondents and eyewitnesses said.
An AFP correspondent reported one air strike east of Gaza City, and eyewitnesses reported a second in the center of the city.
Witnesses also reported strikes in al-Nuseirat in central Gaza as well as in the Khan Younis area in the south.
There were no immediate reports of deaths or injuries.
Israeli airstrikes killed five Palestinians in Gaza overnight Monday, with at least 192 killed and 1,400 injured as Israel's assault enters its eighth day.
The raids came shortly after Israel's army announced it was ending a ceasefire it said it had observed since 9 a.m. under the terms of an Egyptian truce proposal.
Hamas said it was not consulted by any official party and only heard of the initiative through the media.
"Hamas has fired 47 rockets since we suspended our strikes in Gaza at 9:00 a.m. As a result, we have resumed our operation against Hamas," the army said on its official Twitter account.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, a senior Israeli official told AFP that the military had been ordered to "act forcefully".
Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said: "Nobody has consulted us about this initiative, and so it is natural that the initiative isn't binding to us."
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."
More than 192 people have been killed in Gaza over the past week as Israel has waged a relentless air campaign against the coastal enclave, killing mainly civilians, according to OCHA.
In response, militants have fired more than a thousand rockets into Israel where no one has been killed in the current confrontation.
Israeli resumes military operations against Gaza, at least two airstrikes reported
At least two air strikes were carried out in the Gaza Strip by Israel on Tuesday afternoon, resuming raids after a failed truce, AFP reports its correspondents and eyewitnesses as saying.
This happened after the Egypt-proposed ceasefire was rejected by Hamas leaders, who said they are opposed to ceasing the fire without reaching an agreement on the terms of a truce first.
An AFP correspondent reported one air strike in Gaza City, and eyewitnesses reported a second in the southern Khan Yunis area.
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.
