15 july 2014
Over the three hours since Israel’s Protective Edge operation against Palestinian militants resumed Tuesday, the Israeli Air Force and Navy delivered strikes on 30 targets in the Gaza Strip, a Palestinian enclave, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) reported.
The IDF said 20 masked launching platforms for rockets, Palestinian militant Islamist group Hamas (Islamic Resistance Movement) weapons depots and Islamic Jihad militant group control targets were hit by fire from air and sea in the enclave. Besides, Israel's Air Force delivered a targeted strike to kill a Palestinian radical who was preparing to launch a rocket.
Israel, the IDF said, abstained from strikes on the Gaza Strip for six hours today since 09:00 local time while abiding by a ceasefire agreement suggested as part of Egypt's peace initiative. But Palestinian militants rejected Cairo's plan and continued rocket attacks on Israel all this time. Over the six hours of one-sided truce, 47 rockets were launched from the Gaza Strip, the IDF said.
At 15:00 local time, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the IDF to resume strikes against Gaza. The head of government made the decision after consultations with Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon. Immediately after Netanyahu's permission, the Israeli army resumed strikes on targets inside the Palestinian enclave.
Over the past three hours, radicals from the Gaza Strip launched at least 30 rockets on Israel, Itar-Tass reports.
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.
World's top politicians urge Hamas to accept ceasefire in Gaza Strip
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.
The IDF said 20 masked launching platforms for rockets, Palestinian militant Islamist group Hamas (Islamic Resistance Movement) weapons depots and Islamic Jihad militant group control targets were hit by fire from air and sea in the enclave. Besides, Israel's Air Force delivered a targeted strike to kill a Palestinian radical who was preparing to launch a rocket.
Israel, the IDF said, abstained from strikes on the Gaza Strip for six hours today since 09:00 local time while abiding by a ceasefire agreement suggested as part of Egypt's peace initiative. But Palestinian militants rejected Cairo's plan and continued rocket attacks on Israel all this time. Over the six hours of one-sided truce, 47 rockets were launched from the Gaza Strip, the IDF said.
At 15:00 local time, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the IDF to resume strikes against Gaza. The head of government made the decision after consultations with Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon. Immediately after Netanyahu's permission, the Israeli army resumed strikes on targets inside the Palestinian enclave.
Over the past three hours, radicals from the Gaza Strip launched at least 30 rockets on Israel, Itar-Tass reports.
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.
World's top politicians urge Hamas to accept ceasefire in Gaza Strip
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.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged on Tuesday to ramp up Israel's military campaign against Gaza, after an Egyptian truce plan failed to end eight days of cross-border fire.
"This would have been better resolved diplomatically, that’s what we tried to do when we accepted the Egyptian truce proposal today," he said of the conflict which has so far resulted in 194 Palestinian and one Israeli deaths.
"But Hamas leaves us no choice but to expand and intensify the campaign against it," Netanyahu said.
"This would have been better resolved diplomatically, that’s what we tried to do when we accepted the Egyptian truce proposal today," he said of the conflict which has so far resulted in 194 Palestinian and one Israeli deaths.
"But Hamas leaves us no choice but to expand and intensify the campaign against it," Netanyahu said.
The military wings of Hamas and Islamic Jihad claimed joint responsibility for launching dozens of rockets at Tel Aviv at 7 p.m. on Tuesday.
The joint statement by the military wings said they targeted Tel Aviv.
Later, Islamic Jihad's al-Quds Brigades claimed responsibility for launching 6 Grad missiles on Ashdod and Netivot.
It was the first time the two brigades launched a joint attack since the start of Israel's offensive.
The joint statement by the military wings said they targeted Tel Aviv.
Later, Islamic Jihad's al-Quds Brigades claimed responsibility for launching 6 Grad missiles on Ashdod and Netivot.
It was the first time the two brigades launched a joint attack since the start of Israel's offensive.
Shayma al-Masri, age 4, wounded in an Israeli air strike that killed her mother and two of her siblings, in a hospital in Gaza City, 15 July 2014
It’s the siege, stupid. Talk to virtually anyone in Gaza and they will tell you the same. The siege is living death, slowly crushing the life out of Gaza. It has to end.
This is a main reason why Hamas did not accede to the attempt by Israel, through its ally the Egyptian dictatorship, to impose a unilateral “ceasefire” about which Hamas says it was never even consulted, hearing about the initiative only through the media.
Al-Qassam, the military wing of Hamas, said the initiative “is not worth the ink that wrote it” and “promised the Palestinian people that this blood and sacrifices will not be wasted by whoever was in this world.”
No return to status quo As Mya Guarnieri explains succinctly in +972 Mag, the Egyptian “ceasefire” would have meant a return to a comfortable status quo for Israel in which:
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.”
But it would mean no change to the reality for 1.8 million Palestinians in Gaza living under crushing siege.
In the immediate period, the bogus “ceasefire” initiative gives Israel the opportunity to spin headlines in its direction – claiming that Hamas are being irrational and unreasonable “terrorists.”
Already, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that “If Hamas rejects the ceasefire, we will have international legitimization to restore the needed quiet.”
That is a euphemism to kill more people, on top of the almost 200 Israel has already killed, the vast majority of whom civilians, including dozens of children. This systematic targeting of civilians and civilian objects in intense bombardments of Gaza has continued since 7 July.
Media are likely to follow the Israeli spin instead of asking Israel why it is maintaining the collective punishment of 1.8 million Palestinians in Gaza and why it constantly violates ceasefire agreements.
But the fact remains: it is Israel that has rejected reasonable ceasefire conditions that have always been on the table.
Why won’t Israel accept what it already signed? Hamas’ conditions for a ceasefire have been clear. As the Guardian reported on 9 July, Hamas has:
asked for the ceasefire conditions from the last major round of fighting with Israel in [November] 2012 to be reinstated, for the re-release of prisoners freed by Israel in exchange for the kidnapped soldier Gilad Shalit, who were rounded up again by Israeli after the kidnapping of three Israeli teenagers, later found murdered, and an end to what it says is Israeli meddling in the Palestinian unity government.
In other words, Hamas mostly wants Israel to abide by agreements it has already made.
In November 2012, Israel agreed to “stop all hostilities in the Gaza Strip [by] land, sea and air including incursions and targeting of individuals.”
Another crucial condition of the November 2012 ceasefire agreement, to which Hamas remains committed is:
Opening the crossings and facilitating the movements of people and transfer of goods and refraining from restricting residents’ free movements and targeting residents in border areas and procedures of implementation shall be dealt with after 24 hours from the start of the ceasefire.
But especially since the coup in Egypt last year, the siege, from all sides, has been tighter than ever.
It’s the siege, stupid. Talk to virtually anyone in Gaza and they will tell you the same. The siege is living death, slowly crushing the life out of Gaza. It has to end.
This is a main reason why Hamas did not accede to the attempt by Israel, through its ally the Egyptian dictatorship, to impose a unilateral “ceasefire” about which Hamas says it was never even consulted, hearing about the initiative only through the media.
Al-Qassam, the military wing of Hamas, said the initiative “is not worth the ink that wrote it” and “promised the Palestinian people that this blood and sacrifices will not be wasted by whoever was in this world.”
No return to status quo As Mya Guarnieri explains succinctly in +972 Mag, the Egyptian “ceasefire” would have meant a return to a comfortable status quo for Israel in which:
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.”
But it would mean no change to the reality for 1.8 million Palestinians in Gaza living under crushing siege.
In the immediate period, the bogus “ceasefire” initiative gives Israel the opportunity to spin headlines in its direction – claiming that Hamas are being irrational and unreasonable “terrorists.”
Already, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that “If Hamas rejects the ceasefire, we will have international legitimization to restore the needed quiet.”
That is a euphemism to kill more people, on top of the almost 200 Israel has already killed, the vast majority of whom civilians, including dozens of children. This systematic targeting of civilians and civilian objects in intense bombardments of Gaza has continued since 7 July.
Media are likely to follow the Israeli spin instead of asking Israel why it is maintaining the collective punishment of 1.8 million Palestinians in Gaza and why it constantly violates ceasefire agreements.
But the fact remains: it is Israel that has rejected reasonable ceasefire conditions that have always been on the table.
Why won’t Israel accept what it already signed? Hamas’ conditions for a ceasefire have been clear. As the Guardian reported on 9 July, Hamas has:
asked for the ceasefire conditions from the last major round of fighting with Israel in [November] 2012 to be reinstated, for the re-release of prisoners freed by Israel in exchange for the kidnapped soldier Gilad Shalit, who were rounded up again by Israeli after the kidnapping of three Israeli teenagers, later found murdered, and an end to what it says is Israeli meddling in the Palestinian unity government.
In other words, Hamas mostly wants Israel to abide by agreements it has already made.
In November 2012, Israel agreed to “stop all hostilities in the Gaza Strip [by] land, sea and air including incursions and targeting of individuals.”
Another crucial condition of the November 2012 ceasefire agreement, to which Hamas remains committed is:
Opening the crossings and facilitating the movements of people and transfer of goods and refraining from restricting residents’ free movements and targeting residents in border areas and procedures of implementation shall be dealt with after 24 hours from the start of the ceasefire.
But especially since the coup in Egypt last year, the siege, from all sides, has been tighter than ever.
As this graphic, made by Ben White and Rachele Richards using UN data in early 2013, shows, Israel’s gross violations of the ceasefire began immediately. “Ceasefire” meant, in practice, that the Palestinians ceased fire while Israel continued to attack, invade and kill.
“We don’t want to waste all this blood”
Many Twitter users in Gaza have expressed views reflecting that simply returning to the status quo is unacceptable, and would amount to a slow death, with Gaza out of sight and out of mind.
Here are some of them:
Phillip Stern @pandhsternlond @WhateverInGaza @AliAbunimah so? If there is an opportunity to stop why not stop?
WhateverInGaza @WhateverInGaza @pandhsternlond @AliAbunimah its hard to explain a tweet. Around 190 killed, we d rather not waste this blood by going back to misery.
Ismaeil Mohaisen @IsmaeilFadel Sisi's Egypt proposes an initiative in favor of (Israel) & gives no shit about what Palestinians want > (Israel) approves > 1/3 We don't get our rights > Resistance continues..as it should > & suddenly we're the evils in the eyes of the world > 2/3 (Israel) continues its was crimes in Gaza, and Sisi's Egypt cover it up and help. 3/3
Belal - Gaza @Belalmd12 Hamas spox: Hamas did not "reject" the ceasefire, Hamas - or the other factions - were not informed about it or their opinions considered. >You cannot broker a small deal without contacting the customers, let alone a ceasefire! crap > Let's call it a day and announce a ceasefire so we can go back to killing you slowly like we've been doing for 8 years. sincerely, Israel
The intense Israeli bombing of Gaza has resumed, and retaliatory fire from Gaza has continued, which means that for Palestinians in Gaza the horror and dying has resumed, and for Israelis gathered to watch with picnics and lawn chairs, the enjoyable spectacle goes on.
“We don’t want to waste all this blood”
Many Twitter users in Gaza have expressed views reflecting that simply returning to the status quo is unacceptable, and would amount to a slow death, with Gaza out of sight and out of mind.
Here are some of them:
Phillip Stern @pandhsternlond @WhateverInGaza @AliAbunimah so? If there is an opportunity to stop why not stop?
WhateverInGaza @WhateverInGaza @pandhsternlond @AliAbunimah its hard to explain a tweet. Around 190 killed, we d rather not waste this blood by going back to misery.
Ismaeil Mohaisen @IsmaeilFadel Sisi's Egypt proposes an initiative in favor of (Israel) & gives no shit about what Palestinians want > (Israel) approves > 1/3 We don't get our rights > Resistance continues..as it should > & suddenly we're the evils in the eyes of the world > 2/3 (Israel) continues its was crimes in Gaza, and Sisi's Egypt cover it up and help. 3/3
Belal - Gaza @Belalmd12 Hamas spox: Hamas did not "reject" the ceasefire, Hamas - or the other factions - were not informed about it or their opinions considered. >You cannot broker a small deal without contacting the customers, let alone a ceasefire! crap > Let's call it a day and announce a ceasefire so we can go back to killing you slowly like we've been doing for 8 years. sincerely, Israel
The intense Israeli bombing of Gaza has resumed, and retaliatory fire from Gaza has continued, which means that for Palestinians in Gaza the horror and dying has resumed, and for Israelis gathered to watch with picnics and lawn chairs, the enjoyable spectacle goes on.
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Jamal Zahalka
Arab Member of the Knesset Dr Jamal Zahalka, who heads the National Democratic Alliance bloc in the Israeli parliament, was expelled from an Interior Knesset Committee session by force yesterday after his removal was requested by the Chairperson of the Committee, far-right Likud Knesset Member Miri Regev. This came after a heated confrontation in the session which began after the committee viewed video footage, presented by the commander of the police operations, of clashes in Al-Aqsa Mosque which saw young people as they threw stones and firecrackers at Israeli police. |
The far-right MKs Miri Regev and Moshe Feiglin of Likud, and Orit Struck and Moti Yogev of the Jewish Home party, began yelling that Muslims must be prevented from praying in Al-Aqsa Mosque, to which Zahalka responded with: "How can you have the audacity to talk about building the temple? This is a sacred place for Muslims and will remain so.
"And how can you talk about the construction of a holy place while your hands are covered with blood? These are Palestinian lands under international law and you are an occupying power and you do not have any rights in East Jerusalem. Get out of it! You are violating international law and you must be punished for it, not arrest the youth who are resisting the occupation!"
In the aftermath, the far-right Likud MKs labelled Zahalka a "provocateur" who "supports terrorism", and was told: "You're a terrorist. Haters of Israel have no place here in this Knesset. Arab representatives in the Knesset are traitors and their presence in the Knesset is a Trojan horse."
MK Moti Yogev turned to Zahalka and told him: "Get out of here. You have no place here among us," to which Zahalka replied: "We were here before you, and we will remain after you. You get out you blood-thirsty man! Your hands are covered in blood!"
After Zahalka refused to retreat his statements, the Chairperson Regev decided to remove him from the committee session.
Zahalka objected the decision, pointing out that he was not given three warnings in accordance with the procedures. Regev insisted on having Zahalka removed and summoned the guards who escorted Zahalka out of the meeting. In the meantime, Zahalka said: "You are murderers and criminals! Have you not had enough killing? Your hands are covered in blood!"
"And how can you talk about the construction of a holy place while your hands are covered with blood? These are Palestinian lands under international law and you are an occupying power and you do not have any rights in East Jerusalem. Get out of it! You are violating international law and you must be punished for it, not arrest the youth who are resisting the occupation!"
In the aftermath, the far-right Likud MKs labelled Zahalka a "provocateur" who "supports terrorism", and was told: "You're a terrorist. Haters of Israel have no place here in this Knesset. Arab representatives in the Knesset are traitors and their presence in the Knesset is a Trojan horse."
MK Moti Yogev turned to Zahalka and told him: "Get out of here. You have no place here among us," to which Zahalka replied: "We were here before you, and we will remain after you. You get out you blood-thirsty man! Your hands are covered in blood!"
After Zahalka refused to retreat his statements, the Chairperson Regev decided to remove him from the committee session.
Zahalka objected the decision, pointing out that he was not given three warnings in accordance with the procedures. Regev insisted on having Zahalka removed and summoned the guards who escorted Zahalka out of the meeting. In the meantime, Zahalka said: "You are murderers and criminals! Have you not had enough killing? Your hands are covered in blood!"
An Israeli airstrike targeted the house of the Issa family on Monday night, wounding Nada and her newly born infant Nour, only three days old. Nada and her little baby girl Nour both sustained moderate injuries, making Nour the youngest victim of the Israeli assault on the Gaza Strip.
"Thanks to God, I did not lose Nour," the mother told Anadolu news agency. "I cannot imagine living without my first baby, whom I waited to see for a long time."
Ignoring the pain of her own wounds, Nada rued that shrapnel from an Israeli air strike would hit her little baby. However, she also thanked God that her baby did not become yet another number in the list of deaths from Israel's aggression.
"Thanks to God, I did not lose Nour," the mother told Anadolu news agency. "I cannot imagine living without my first baby, whom I waited to see for a long time."
Ignoring the pain of her own wounds, Nada rued that shrapnel from an Israeli air strike would hit her little baby. However, she also thanked God that her baby did not become yet another number in the list of deaths from Israel's aggression.
Hayel, Nour's father, at first did not believe that his baby and wife remained alive after seeing them covered in so much blood. "I did not imagine that this baby would bear such an injury," he told Anadolu. "I expected she would die just from the sound of the bombing," he added.
Israel's relentless assault on Gaza has so far killed 192 Palestinians and wounded more than 1,400. Among the deaths were 33 children, the youngest only one year old. Rights groups have called Israel's collective punishment of Palestinians in Gaza a flagrant violation of international law.
Israel's relentless assault on Gaza has so far killed 192 Palestinians and wounded more than 1,400. Among the deaths were 33 children, the youngest only one year old. Rights groups have called Israel's collective punishment of Palestinians in Gaza a flagrant violation of international law.
First Israeli citizen has been killed by a rocket from Gaza since the IDF began its Operation Protective Edge on July 7. A 30-year-old civilian was reportedly critically injured at the Erez crossing on the Gaza border and died later of wounds.
The first Israeli victim of the week-long conflict was a volunteer delivering supplies to Israeli soldiers deployed at the border with the Gaze Strip, according to Israeli TV.
IDF✔ @IDFSpokesperson Update: The Israeli civilian who was injured at the Erez crossing has died of his wounds.
Hamas group has claimed responsibility for launching the short-range rocket that struck the area along the border with Gaza, reports Reuters.
Earlier, the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) reported that a rocket fired from Gaza struck a house in Ashkelon, is a coastal city on the Mediterranean coast. No casualties were immediately reported there.
The first Israeli victim of the week-long conflict was a volunteer delivering supplies to Israeli soldiers deployed at the border with the Gaze Strip, according to Israeli TV.
IDF✔ @IDFSpokesperson Update: The Israeli civilian who was injured at the Erez crossing has died of his wounds.
Hamas group has claimed responsibility for launching the short-range rocket that struck the area along the border with Gaza, reports Reuters.
Earlier, the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) reported that a rocket fired from Gaza struck a house in Ashkelon, is a coastal city on the Mediterranean coast. No casualties were immediately reported there.
IDF✔ @IDFSpokesperson Here you can see rockets being launched from populated areas of Gaza. Israeli city of Ashkelon is in the background.
On Monday, a rocket attack launched by Palestinian militants wounded two Israeli girls in Lakiya, a town in the south of the country.
Maram Wakili, 10, was in critical condition in Soroka Medical Center, Be'er Sheva, according to Haaretz. Her 13-year-old sister Atir was moderately wounded.
“We heard a very faint siren,” the girls’ cousin, Omar Wakili, was quoted as saying. “The girls started running but there was no time to hide, the rocket hit our cowshed and shrapnel scattered everywhere.”
On Tuesday, Israel resumed its offensive against Gaza. That followed a six-hour truce proposed by Egypt, which was accepted by Israel and rejected by Hamas. The Israeli military said that during the supposed ceasefire 47 rockets were fired by Palestinians all over Israel with more cross-border fire following after Israel responded back.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel will intensify its offensive after Hamas continued firing rockets instead of accepting the ceasefire.
“It would have been preferable to have solved this diplomatically, and this is what we tried to do when we accepted the Egyptian proposal for a ceasefire, but Hamas leaves us no choice but to expand and intensify the campaign against it,” Netanyahu said Tuesday in broadcast remarks.
On Monday, a rocket attack launched by Palestinian militants wounded two Israeli girls in Lakiya, a town in the south of the country.
Maram Wakili, 10, was in critical condition in Soroka Medical Center, Be'er Sheva, according to Haaretz. Her 13-year-old sister Atir was moderately wounded.
“We heard a very faint siren,” the girls’ cousin, Omar Wakili, was quoted as saying. “The girls started running but there was no time to hide, the rocket hit our cowshed and shrapnel scattered everywhere.”
On Tuesday, Israel resumed its offensive against Gaza. That followed a six-hour truce proposed by Egypt, which was accepted by Israel and rejected by Hamas. The Israeli military said that during the supposed ceasefire 47 rockets were fired by Palestinians all over Israel with more cross-border fire following after Israel responded back.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel will intensify its offensive after Hamas continued firing rockets instead of accepting the ceasefire.
“It would have been preferable to have solved this diplomatically, and this is what we tried to do when we accepted the Egyptian proposal for a ceasefire, but Hamas leaves us no choice but to expand and intensify the campaign against it,” Netanyahu said Tuesday in broadcast remarks.
An elderly Palestinian man was killed on Tuesday in an airstrike on agricultural land in the northwestern areas of Khan Younis late Tuesday.
Additionally, Ismael Qaddouh Fattouh, 25, was killed in a drone strike in the al-Zaytoun neighborhood of eastern Gaza City.
The two deaths raised the toll to seven for Tuesday, and 196 in total.
Two people were also injured in an airstrike on the Bakroon family home in the al-Shujayyiah neighborhood of eastern Gaza City.
Ten people including three children and two women were injured in another airstrike on Jabaliya refugee camp.
Israeli strikes also targeted three houses belonging to the Badwan family in al-Zaytoun neighborhood in southern Gaza, another belonging to the al-Ghoul family in al-Shati refugee camp, and a third belonging to the al-Dahdouh family in Tal al-Hawa.
Several Israeli airstrikes were also launched on agricultural land in al-Mighrafa, Tal al-Hawa in southern Gaza, al-Manshiya in northern Gaza, and lands in the al-Shaghaf neighborhood in eastern Gaza.
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.
Additionally, Ismael Qaddouh Fattouh, 25, was killed in a drone strike in the al-Zaytoun neighborhood of eastern Gaza City.
The two deaths raised the toll to seven for Tuesday, and 196 in total.
Two people were also injured in an airstrike on the Bakroon family home in the al-Shujayyiah neighborhood of eastern Gaza City.
Ten people including three children and two women were injured in another airstrike on Jabaliya refugee camp.
Israeli strikes also targeted three houses belonging to the Badwan family in al-Zaytoun neighborhood in southern Gaza, another belonging to the al-Ghoul family in al-Shati refugee camp, and a third belonging to the al-Dahdouh family in Tal al-Hawa.
Several Israeli airstrikes were also launched on agricultural land in al-Mighrafa, Tal al-Hawa in southern Gaza, al-Manshiya in northern Gaza, and lands in the al-Shaghaf neighborhood in eastern Gaza.
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.
Tunisia is working with Turkey, Qatar and France to halt Israel's ongoing onslaught on the embattled Gaza Strip, Rachid Ghannouchi, leader of Tunisia's Islamist Ennahda movement, has said.
"Tunisia is mediating – along with Turkey, Qatar and France – in an effort to halt Israel's aggression on the Gaza Strip at a time when the Egyptian regime is not fit to mediate," Ghannouchi said at a Tuesday press conference.
Since Monday of last week, almost 200 Palestinians have been killed and more than 1400 injured in unrelenting Israeli airstrikes on the Gaza Strip.
Israel claims the offensive is meant to staunch rocket fire at Israeli cities from the Gaza Strip.
On Tuesday, Egypt proposed a ceasefire between Gaza-based resistance factions and Israel to come into effect at 6am GMT Tuesday.
While Israel's security cabinet accepted the proposal, 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.
Ghannouchi reiterated Ennahda's support for the liberation of occupied Palestine.
"We support Palestinian unity, which is fundamental to the liberation of Palestine," he said.
"Tunisia is mediating – along with Turkey, Qatar and France – in an effort to halt Israel's aggression on the Gaza Strip at a time when the Egyptian regime is not fit to mediate," Ghannouchi said at a Tuesday press conference.
Since Monday of last week, almost 200 Palestinians have been killed and more than 1400 injured in unrelenting Israeli airstrikes on the Gaza Strip.
Israel claims the offensive is meant to staunch rocket fire at Israeli cities from the Gaza Strip.
On Tuesday, Egypt proposed a ceasefire between Gaza-based resistance factions and Israel to come into effect at 6am GMT Tuesday.
While Israel's security cabinet accepted the proposal, 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.
Ghannouchi reiterated Ennahda's support for the liberation of occupied Palestine.
"We support Palestinian unity, which is fundamental to the liberation of Palestine," he said.
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