19 july 2014
A number of Palestinian groups on Saturday claimed responsibility for numerous missiles launched against Israeli military sites and multiple attacks launched on Israeli soldiers on the second day of Israel's ground invasion of the Gaza Strip.
The fighting on the ground in the northern and southern Gaza Strip has claimed the lives of at least 17 Palestinian militants, while more than a dozen Israeli soldiers have been injured.
The Hamas-linked al-Qassam Brigades claimed responsibility for the shooting of three Israeli soldiers in northern Beit Hanoun and said that they had targeted Israeli military sites with 16 mortar shells as well as the Kisufim military site with two 107-missiles.
An Israeli military spokeswoman said that no soldiers were killed in Beit Hanoun.
The Al-Quds Brigades of Islamic Jihad declared that it had targeted Israeli military vehicles in eastern Khan Younis with six mortar shells and has targeted Israeli special forces with an RPG shell in northern Beit Hanoun.
The Brigades targeted Ashdod with two grad missiles, al-Sreij with two mortar shells, Kisufim and the Ein Hashlosha with 13 107 missiles, Zikim with six 107-missiles.
They also said that they had targeted Israeli forces with mortar shells in eastern al-Qarrara, Kibbutz Nir Isaac with three 107-missiles, and 25 mortar shells in northern Beit Hanoun and Beit Lahiya.
Al-Quds Brigades on Saturday clashed with Israeli special forces in eastern Beit Hanoun after they bombed an Israeli tank.
The Brigades also claimed responsibility for the bombing of an Israeli tank on Friday in northern Beit Hanoun.
Al-Nasser Salah al-Din Brigades affiliated with the Popular Resistance Brigades claimed responsibility for clashing with Israeli forces in eastern Khan Younis and for targeting an Israeli bulldozer near Kisufim.
The Brigades targeted Sderot, Netivot with six missiles, and Kerem Shalom with two 107-missiles.
The armed wing of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine, National Resistance Brigades, targeted Israeli military vehicles in eastern Juhr al-Dik with two mortar shells.
The Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades, the armed wing of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, targeted Eshkol with a 107-missile.
Al-Mujahidin Brigades targeted Nerim and Nahil Oz with eight missiles.
The attacks follow a day of intense fighting in the northern Gaza Strip, where on Friday Israeli tanks were forced to withdraw after meeting stiff resistance from Palestinian fighters in Beit Lahiya.
The fighting on the ground in the northern and southern Gaza Strip has claimed the lives of at least 17 Palestinian militants, while more than a dozen Israeli soldiers have been injured.
The Hamas-linked al-Qassam Brigades claimed responsibility for the shooting of three Israeli soldiers in northern Beit Hanoun and said that they had targeted Israeli military sites with 16 mortar shells as well as the Kisufim military site with two 107-missiles.
An Israeli military spokeswoman said that no soldiers were killed in Beit Hanoun.
The Al-Quds Brigades of Islamic Jihad declared that it had targeted Israeli military vehicles in eastern Khan Younis with six mortar shells and has targeted Israeli special forces with an RPG shell in northern Beit Hanoun.
The Brigades targeted Ashdod with two grad missiles, al-Sreij with two mortar shells, Kisufim and the Ein Hashlosha with 13 107 missiles, Zikim with six 107-missiles.
They also said that they had targeted Israeli forces with mortar shells in eastern al-Qarrara, Kibbutz Nir Isaac with three 107-missiles, and 25 mortar shells in northern Beit Hanoun and Beit Lahiya.
Al-Quds Brigades on Saturday clashed with Israeli special forces in eastern Beit Hanoun after they bombed an Israeli tank.
The Brigades also claimed responsibility for the bombing of an Israeli tank on Friday in northern Beit Hanoun.
Al-Nasser Salah al-Din Brigades affiliated with the Popular Resistance Brigades claimed responsibility for clashing with Israeli forces in eastern Khan Younis and for targeting an Israeli bulldozer near Kisufim.
The Brigades targeted Sderot, Netivot with six missiles, and Kerem Shalom with two 107-missiles.
The armed wing of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine, National Resistance Brigades, targeted Israeli military vehicles in eastern Juhr al-Dik with two mortar shells.
The Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades, the armed wing of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, targeted Eshkol with a 107-missile.
Al-Mujahidin Brigades targeted Nerim and Nahil Oz with eight missiles.
The attacks follow a day of intense fighting in the northern Gaza Strip, where on Friday Israeli tanks were forced to withdraw after meeting stiff resistance from Palestinian fighters in Beit Lahiya.
The Israeli military said on Saturday that two Palestinian militants attacked a patrol in the southern Gaza Strip but both died without causing any injuries to Israeli forces.
The military said in a statement that they "fired shots and an anti-tank missile at a nearby force, causing no injuries," and that soldiers returned fire and killed one of the militants.
The second fighter, the military said, "was wearing an explosive belt which exploded, causing his death."
Earlier on Saturday, Hamas fighters penetrated Israel through a tunnel and opened fire on an army patrol, injuring at least two soldiers.
2 Palestinians killed in Israeli attack in al-Zaitoun
Muhammad and Hatem al-Zaabout were killed in an Israeli airstrike in al-Zaytoun neighborhood of southern Gaza City.
Israeli soldier accidentally shoots self, suffers 'serious' wounds
An Israeli soldier accidentally shot himself on Saturday evening, suffering 'serious' wounds according to Israeli media.
The military said in a statement that they "fired shots and an anti-tank missile at a nearby force, causing no injuries," and that soldiers returned fire and killed one of the militants.
The second fighter, the military said, "was wearing an explosive belt which exploded, causing his death."
Earlier on Saturday, Hamas fighters penetrated Israel through a tunnel and opened fire on an army patrol, injuring at least two soldiers.
2 Palestinians killed in Israeli attack in al-Zaitoun
Muhammad and Hatem al-Zaabout were killed in an Israeli airstrike in al-Zaytoun neighborhood of southern Gaza City.
Israeli soldier accidentally shoots self, suffers 'serious' wounds
An Israeli soldier accidentally shot himself on Saturday evening, suffering 'serious' wounds according to Israeli media.
A Palestinian mother mourns during the funeral of her sons Emad and Qassim Elwan, who were both killed in an Israeli tank shell the day before, on July 19, 2014 in Gaza City
110 Palestinians have been killed in less than 48 hours since Israel launched a ground invasion of the besieged Gaza Strip, bringing the total number of dead in the 12-day assault to 339.
47 Palestinians were killed across the tiny coastal territory on Saturday amid intense Israeli airstrikes and shelling from both sea and land after more than 60 died the day before, while the number of injured since the beginning of hostilities reached 2,500, according to Gaza medical authorities.
The latest casualties of the Israeli assault were Muhammad and Hatem al-Zaabout, killed in an Israeli airstrike in al-Zaytoun neighborhood of southern Gaza City.
Earlier on Saturday afternoon, Abdulaziz Abu Zeitir and Mumen Taysir Abu Dan were killed in Israeli shelling of the Deir al-Balah refugee camp.
Amid the ongoing carnage, UN chief Ban Ki-moon headed to the region to join truce efforts in the hopes of preventing Israel from further widening its bloodiest attack since the it killed approximately 1,400 Palestinians in 2008-9.
The UN said Ban would leave for the region Saturday to help Israelis and Palestinians "end the violence and find a way forward," under secretary general for political affairs Jeffrey Feltman told the Security Council.
Hamas offered a 10-year truce to Israel earlier in the week on the condition that a seven-year old economic blockade of the Gaza Strip that has caused major economic and humanitarian destruction -- while failing to achieve its stated aim, the removal of Hamas -- be lifted, but Israel rejected the offer.
The United States urged its Israeli ally to do more to limit the high civilian death toll from the operation while supporting Israel's right to defend itself.
'No guarantee of 100 percent success'
President Barack Obama said Washington was "deeply concerned about the risks of further escalation and the loss of more innocent life," adding that Washington was "hopeful" that Israel would operate "in a way that minimizes civilian casualties."
But Israeli army chief Lieutenant General Benny Gantz, said the army was "expanding the ground phase of the operation."
"There will be moments of hardship," he warned in a briefing to the military, anticipating further Israeli casualties.
Israel has said the aim of the ground operation launched on Thursday night is to destroy Hamas' network of tunnels which are used for cross-border attacks on southern Israel.
Military spokesman Lieutenant General Peter Lerner told journalists Saturday that during the past 24 hours the military had seized 13 tunnels into Israel.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had ordered the military to be ready for "a significant broadening of the ground activity."
He said the ground operation was necessary to deal with the tunnels, but admitted there was "no guarantee of 100 percent success."
Israel launched its assault on Gaza -- which it has named Operation Protective Edge -- 12 days ago in what it said was an attempt to curb rocket fire from the Gaza Strip, which had increased since it began an assault on the West Bank in June that left 10 dead, 130 injured, and more than 600 Hamas-affiliated individuals in prison.
That campaign was launched by Israel after the disappearance of three Israeli youth, for which it blamed Hamas but presented no evidence. Hamas, meanwhile, denied the charges, and many accused Israel of blaming the group in order to have an excuse to "crush" the group, as senior Israel officials later demanded.
Although Hamas had widely observed a ceasefire with Israel put in place in 2012, as Israel massively targeted the group across the West Bank other groups began firing rockets, with Israel bombing the Strip in near nightly raids as a result, eventually escalating into the current operation 12 days ago.
Aid agencies gearing up
The UN agency for Palestinian refugees UNRWA has opened 44 of its schools to shelter those fleeing homes in the most heavily bombarded areas, and it said on Saturday there were more 50,000 Gazans seeking sanctuary so far.
The World Food Program said it had already distributed emergency food rations and food vouchers to more than 20,000 displaced people.
It said it was gearing up for a huge increase in the coming days and hoping to reach 85,000 people with food distributions.
Gaza was also struggling with a 70 percent power outage after electricity lines from Israel were damaged, officials said.
Hospitals, meanwhile, were struggling to keep up with the number of injured, and the World Health Organization warned on Tuesday -- before the ground operation had begun -- that medicine supplies were at emergency levels, with shortages running up to 40 percent.
French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius, who was also in Cairo to join peace efforts, called for an urgent truce.
"The absolute priority is a ceasefire, but it must guarantee a lasting truce," he said, adding that it should take into account "Israel's security" and Palestinian demands.
1 killed in Israeli air strike on Khan Younis home, 5 injured in Rafah
Muhammad al-Ghalban was killed when an Israeli shell hit his home in the village of Maan east of Khan Younis on Saturday afternoon.
Separately, five Palestinians were injured in Rafah after an Israeli attack.
110 Palestinians have been killed in less than 48 hours since Israel launched a ground invasion of the besieged Gaza Strip, bringing the total number of dead in the 12-day assault to 339.
47 Palestinians were killed across the tiny coastal territory on Saturday amid intense Israeli airstrikes and shelling from both sea and land after more than 60 died the day before, while the number of injured since the beginning of hostilities reached 2,500, according to Gaza medical authorities.
The latest casualties of the Israeli assault were Muhammad and Hatem al-Zaabout, killed in an Israeli airstrike in al-Zaytoun neighborhood of southern Gaza City.
Earlier on Saturday afternoon, Abdulaziz Abu Zeitir and Mumen Taysir Abu Dan were killed in Israeli shelling of the Deir al-Balah refugee camp.
Amid the ongoing carnage, UN chief Ban Ki-moon headed to the region to join truce efforts in the hopes of preventing Israel from further widening its bloodiest attack since the it killed approximately 1,400 Palestinians in 2008-9.
The UN said Ban would leave for the region Saturday to help Israelis and Palestinians "end the violence and find a way forward," under secretary general for political affairs Jeffrey Feltman told the Security Council.
Hamas offered a 10-year truce to Israel earlier in the week on the condition that a seven-year old economic blockade of the Gaza Strip that has caused major economic and humanitarian destruction -- while failing to achieve its stated aim, the removal of Hamas -- be lifted, but Israel rejected the offer.
The United States urged its Israeli ally to do more to limit the high civilian death toll from the operation while supporting Israel's right to defend itself.
'No guarantee of 100 percent success'
President Barack Obama said Washington was "deeply concerned about the risks of further escalation and the loss of more innocent life," adding that Washington was "hopeful" that Israel would operate "in a way that minimizes civilian casualties."
But Israeli army chief Lieutenant General Benny Gantz, said the army was "expanding the ground phase of the operation."
"There will be moments of hardship," he warned in a briefing to the military, anticipating further Israeli casualties.
Israel has said the aim of the ground operation launched on Thursday night is to destroy Hamas' network of tunnels which are used for cross-border attacks on southern Israel.
Military spokesman Lieutenant General Peter Lerner told journalists Saturday that during the past 24 hours the military had seized 13 tunnels into Israel.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had ordered the military to be ready for "a significant broadening of the ground activity."
He said the ground operation was necessary to deal with the tunnels, but admitted there was "no guarantee of 100 percent success."
Israel launched its assault on Gaza -- which it has named Operation Protective Edge -- 12 days ago in what it said was an attempt to curb rocket fire from the Gaza Strip, which had increased since it began an assault on the West Bank in June that left 10 dead, 130 injured, and more than 600 Hamas-affiliated individuals in prison.
That campaign was launched by Israel after the disappearance of three Israeli youth, for which it blamed Hamas but presented no evidence. Hamas, meanwhile, denied the charges, and many accused Israel of blaming the group in order to have an excuse to "crush" the group, as senior Israel officials later demanded.
Although Hamas had widely observed a ceasefire with Israel put in place in 2012, as Israel massively targeted the group across the West Bank other groups began firing rockets, with Israel bombing the Strip in near nightly raids as a result, eventually escalating into the current operation 12 days ago.
Aid agencies gearing up
The UN agency for Palestinian refugees UNRWA has opened 44 of its schools to shelter those fleeing homes in the most heavily bombarded areas, and it said on Saturday there were more 50,000 Gazans seeking sanctuary so far.
The World Food Program said it had already distributed emergency food rations and food vouchers to more than 20,000 displaced people.
It said it was gearing up for a huge increase in the coming days and hoping to reach 85,000 people with food distributions.
Gaza was also struggling with a 70 percent power outage after electricity lines from Israel were damaged, officials said.
Hospitals, meanwhile, were struggling to keep up with the number of injured, and the World Health Organization warned on Tuesday -- before the ground operation had begun -- that medicine supplies were at emergency levels, with shortages running up to 40 percent.
French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius, who was also in Cairo to join peace efforts, called for an urgent truce.
"The absolute priority is a ceasefire, but it must guarantee a lasting truce," he said, adding that it should take into account "Israel's security" and Palestinian demands.
1 killed in Israeli air strike on Khan Younis home, 5 injured in Rafah
Muhammad al-Ghalban was killed when an Israeli shell hit his home in the village of Maan east of Khan Younis on Saturday afternoon.
Separately, five Palestinians were injured in Rafah after an Israeli attack.
Four members of a Palestinian family were killed in Beit Hanoun in the northern Gaza Strip on Saturday afternoon amid intense Israeli shelling in the area.
Medics told Ma'an that Mahmoud Zuwaid, his wife Daliah Zuwaid, and their children Nagham, 3, and Ruyah, 2, were killed in the attack.
Another woman who was not yet identified was also killed in the same shelling.
At least ten shells were fired around the Beit Hanoun Hospital, injuring many and causing extensive damage in the area.
The hospital was hit directly by Israeli shells on on Friday, damaging the roof and third floor and hitting the hospital's water supplies.
The area of the hospital targeted contained a ward for children, a reception area, and the offices of several doctors, but the strike led to no injuries.
On Tuesday, the World Health Organization said that Gaza hospitals were running dangerously low on medicine, as the seven-year long Israeli economic blockade of the Strip meant that even before the current crisis began 30 percent of medicines were out of stock.
The five deaths brought the total death toll in Israel's 12-day offensive in the Gaza Strip to 326, nearly 100 of which have occurred in the last 48 hours.
Medics told Ma'an that Mahmoud Zuwaid, his wife Daliah Zuwaid, and their children Nagham, 3, and Ruyah, 2, were killed in the attack.
Another woman who was not yet identified was also killed in the same shelling.
At least ten shells were fired around the Beit Hanoun Hospital, injuring many and causing extensive damage in the area.
The hospital was hit directly by Israeli shells on on Friday, damaging the roof and third floor and hitting the hospital's water supplies.
The area of the hospital targeted contained a ward for children, a reception area, and the offices of several doctors, but the strike led to no injuries.
On Tuesday, the World Health Organization said that Gaza hospitals were running dangerously low on medicine, as the seven-year long Israeli economic blockade of the Strip meant that even before the current crisis began 30 percent of medicines were out of stock.
The five deaths brought the total death toll in Israel's 12-day offensive in the Gaza Strip to 326, nearly 100 of which have occurred in the last 48 hours.
A 33-year-old Palestinian Bedouin citizen of Israel was killed and three others injured after a rocket from Gaza hit a village near the southern town of Dimona on Saturday.
The rocket apparently fell short of its target in the city of Dimona and hit Qasr al-Sir, an unrecognized Bedouin village in southern Israel with a population of around 1,000.
Israeli medical sources said that the injured included a 4-month-old baby girl in serious condition as well as a 5-year-old boy and a woman in her 30s with light injuries.
The injured appeared to all be members of the same family.
Israeli human rights groups have criticized the government for providing extensive rocket shelters in Jewish areas and cities across the country but failing to install safety equipment in areas populated by Palestinian citizens of Israel, especially Bedouin areas in the south.
More than 1,300 rockets have been launched from Gaza since Israel launched a massive assault on the region 12 days ago, with the majority landing harmlessly in open areas.
One Israeli who was volunteering with the army near the Erez border crossing was killed by a rocket previously, while around seven have been injured.
A number of the previously injured were also Bedouins, who live primarily in the deserts of southern Israel between entirely-Jewish towns and cities.
The rocket apparently fell short of its target in the city of Dimona and hit Qasr al-Sir, an unrecognized Bedouin village in southern Israel with a population of around 1,000.
Israeli medical sources said that the injured included a 4-month-old baby girl in serious condition as well as a 5-year-old boy and a woman in her 30s with light injuries.
The injured appeared to all be members of the same family.
Israeli human rights groups have criticized the government for providing extensive rocket shelters in Jewish areas and cities across the country but failing to install safety equipment in areas populated by Palestinian citizens of Israel, especially Bedouin areas in the south.
More than 1,300 rockets have been launched from Gaza since Israel launched a massive assault on the region 12 days ago, with the majority landing harmlessly in open areas.
One Israeli who was volunteering with the army near the Erez border crossing was killed by a rocket previously, while around seven have been injured.
A number of the previously injured were also Bedouins, who live primarily in the deserts of southern Israel between entirely-Jewish towns and cities.
Israeli media on Saturday reported that Israeli soldiers shot and killed a "booby-trapped donkey" as it approached them near Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip.
Israeli Channel Two said that "paratroopers received information about the donkey and they were able to shoot it before it approached."
Israeli Channel Two said that "paratroopers received information about the donkey and they were able to shoot it before it approached."
3 Israeli soldiers injured by explosive device in southern Gaza Strip
The Israeli military on Saturday said that three Israeli soldiers were injured overnight after an explosive device was detonated in the southern Gaza Strip.
Six injured Israeli soldiers evacuated to Soroka Hospital
Six Israeli soldiers were reported injured in clashes with Palestinian militants on Saturday and moved to Suruka Hospital in Beersheba, where their injuries were described as "serious."
The Israeli military on Saturday said that three Israeli soldiers were injured overnight after an explosive device was detonated in the southern Gaza Strip.
Six injured Israeli soldiers evacuated to Soroka Hospital
Six Israeli soldiers were reported injured in clashes with Palestinian militants on Saturday and moved to Suruka Hospital in Beersheba, where their injuries were described as "serious."
The Palestinian resistance is drawing a new path for the Palestinian people and will continue until the basic goal of ending the siege imposed on the Palestinian people in Gaza is ended, a Islamic Jihad official said on Friday.
The movement's deputy secretary-general Ziad al-Nakhala told Ma'an TV channel Friday evening that "all options are open in the Gaza Strip, as the battle could last long and we should prepare for that if the enemy does not comply with our demands."
The statements came on the first day of the Israeli ground invasion, only a day after Hamas and Islamic Jihad offered a 10-year ceasefire agreement focused on ending the seven-year-old economic siege of the Gaza Strip that Israel rejected.
Al-Nakhala said that the Israeli occupation should realize that "we can confront this offensive, proving that Israel's arrogance is baseless."
Asked about Egypt's position toward the ongoing Israeli aggression on Gaza, al-Nakhala said it would be a mistake to accuse Egypt of treason or of compliance with the occupation.
Egypt, he added, understands the demands of Palestinian resistance factions and delivers those demands to the Israelis "who have been trying to impose their own stipulations."
"We must avoid any media battle with Egypt because that doesn't serve the interests of the Palestinian people in these dire conditions, and Egypt is on our side. We must have a united discourse on Arab media."
Separately, senior Hams official Ahmad Yousif confirmed to Ma'an that contacts between Egypt and the Palestinian factions had improved.
Egypt, he said, has always been supportive of the Palestinian question, and that supportive role cannot be excluded or ignored.
Egypt has come under fire in recent weeks for its inaction in the face of the Israeli assault, which has killed more than 310 Palestinians in 12 days.
Earlier in the week, Israel accused Hamas of violating an Egyptian-engineered ceasefire, which Hamas claimed it had not been shown by Egypt prior to its announcement.
The confusion led some to accuse Israel of manufacturing a pretext for stepping up its bombardment of Gaza, which expanded into a ground invasion within days.
Egyptian military block activist aid convoy to Gaza
Egyptian soldiers in north Sinai prevented an aid convoy of activists from reaching the Rafah border crossing with the embattled Palestinian Gaza Strip on Saturday, an AFP correspondent said. An army officer at the Balloza checkpoint, one of many along the desert highway to Rafah, told an AFP correspondent that the security situation in the restive peninsula was too unstable to allow the convoy of 11 buses and 500 activists to pass.
There was a brief scuffle between some activists and soldiers but no arrests were made. Egypt usually keeps the crossing closed, citing a counter-insurgency operation against militants in north Sinai, but has allowed entry to Palestinians wounded in the 12-day conflict between Hamas and Israel.
At least 333 Palestinians and three Israelis have died in the unrest, the third conflict to erupt in and around Gaza in seven years. The Egyptian military had earlier said it was sending 500 tonnes of food and medical aide to the besieged enclave. Hamas, militant Islamist rulers of Gaza, have refused to accept a ceasefire with Israel until it receives guarantees that border crossings to Gaza -- all but one under Israeli control -- will be opened.
The movement's deputy secretary-general Ziad al-Nakhala told Ma'an TV channel Friday evening that "all options are open in the Gaza Strip, as the battle could last long and we should prepare for that if the enemy does not comply with our demands."
The statements came on the first day of the Israeli ground invasion, only a day after Hamas and Islamic Jihad offered a 10-year ceasefire agreement focused on ending the seven-year-old economic siege of the Gaza Strip that Israel rejected.
Al-Nakhala said that the Israeli occupation should realize that "we can confront this offensive, proving that Israel's arrogance is baseless."
Asked about Egypt's position toward the ongoing Israeli aggression on Gaza, al-Nakhala said it would be a mistake to accuse Egypt of treason or of compliance with the occupation.
Egypt, he added, understands the demands of Palestinian resistance factions and delivers those demands to the Israelis "who have been trying to impose their own stipulations."
"We must avoid any media battle with Egypt because that doesn't serve the interests of the Palestinian people in these dire conditions, and Egypt is on our side. We must have a united discourse on Arab media."
Separately, senior Hams official Ahmad Yousif confirmed to Ma'an that contacts between Egypt and the Palestinian factions had improved.
Egypt, he said, has always been supportive of the Palestinian question, and that supportive role cannot be excluded or ignored.
Egypt has come under fire in recent weeks for its inaction in the face of the Israeli assault, which has killed more than 310 Palestinians in 12 days.
Earlier in the week, Israel accused Hamas of violating an Egyptian-engineered ceasefire, which Hamas claimed it had not been shown by Egypt prior to its announcement.
The confusion led some to accuse Israel of manufacturing a pretext for stepping up its bombardment of Gaza, which expanded into a ground invasion within days.
Egyptian military block activist aid convoy to Gaza
Egyptian soldiers in north Sinai prevented an aid convoy of activists from reaching the Rafah border crossing with the embattled Palestinian Gaza Strip on Saturday, an AFP correspondent said. An army officer at the Balloza checkpoint, one of many along the desert highway to Rafah, told an AFP correspondent that the security situation in the restive peninsula was too unstable to allow the convoy of 11 buses and 500 activists to pass.
There was a brief scuffle between some activists and soldiers but no arrests were made. Egypt usually keeps the crossing closed, citing a counter-insurgency operation against militants in north Sinai, but has allowed entry to Palestinians wounded in the 12-day conflict between Hamas and Israel.
At least 333 Palestinians and three Israelis have died in the unrest, the third conflict to erupt in and around Gaza in seven years. The Egyptian military had earlier said it was sending 500 tonnes of food and medical aide to the besieged enclave. Hamas, militant Islamist rulers of Gaza, have refused to accept a ceasefire with Israel until it receives guarantees that border crossings to Gaza -- all but one under Israeli control -- will be opened.
The Palestinian death toll from an Israeli ground assault in the Gaza Strip has risen to 70, including 18 children, since Thursday, a Health Ministry spokesman said Saturday.
"At least 70 people have been killed and nearly 300 injured since the start of the Israeli ground onslaught on Thursday," Ashraf al-Qodra told Anadolu Agency.
He said that the fatalities included 18 children and five women.
Al-Qodra said that the latest deaths bring to 309 the number of Palestinians killed since Israeli attacks on the coastal enclave began on July 3.
At least 2268 people have also been injured.
Israeli army forces detained 18 Palestinians during raids across the occupied West Bank on Saturday, a Palestinian NGO said. In a statement, the Palestinian Prisoners' Society said that four Palestinians were detained in the West Bank and 14 others in East Jerusalem.
A Palestinian rights activist linked the fresh detentions to Israel's policy of "administrative detention", which allows the self-proclaimed Jewish state to hold Palestinian prisoners indefinitely without trial or charge.
Israel has detained more than 1100 Palestinians since the mid-June abduction and subsequent killing of three Jewish teens in the occupied West Bank.
Israel has accused the Gaza-based Hamas group of abducting the trio, a claim vehemently denied by the Palestinian faction.
On July 3, Israel launched a military offensive in the Gaza Strip with the ostensible aim of halting rocket attack from the Palestinian territory.
At least 309 Palestinians have been killed and more than 2268 injured in the ongoing Israeli attacks. Two Israelis have also been killed in the hostilities.
"At least 70 people have been killed and nearly 300 injured since the start of the Israeli ground onslaught on Thursday," Ashraf al-Qodra told Anadolu Agency.
He said that the fatalities included 18 children and five women.
Al-Qodra said that the latest deaths bring to 309 the number of Palestinians killed since Israeli attacks on the coastal enclave began on July 3.
At least 2268 people have also been injured.
Israeli army forces detained 18 Palestinians during raids across the occupied West Bank on Saturday, a Palestinian NGO said. In a statement, the Palestinian Prisoners' Society said that four Palestinians were detained in the West Bank and 14 others in East Jerusalem.
A Palestinian rights activist linked the fresh detentions to Israel's policy of "administrative detention", which allows the self-proclaimed Jewish state to hold Palestinian prisoners indefinitely without trial or charge.
Israel has detained more than 1100 Palestinians since the mid-June abduction and subsequent killing of three Jewish teens in the occupied West Bank.
Israel has accused the Gaza-based Hamas group of abducting the trio, a claim vehemently denied by the Palestinian faction.
On July 3, Israel launched a military offensive in the Gaza Strip with the ostensible aim of halting rocket attack from the Palestinian territory.
At least 309 Palestinians have been killed and more than 2268 injured in the ongoing Israeli attacks. Two Israelis have also been killed in the hostilities.
Israeli media reported the sound of explosions and intense clashes in the southern Israeli region of Eshkol on Saturday morning, suggesting a possible militant infiltration into the region.
Israeli Channel 10 warned Israelis not to enter to the region, highlighting that the focus of the conflict was in northern Eshkol, near the central Gaza Strip.
The military wing of Hamas said earlier on Saturday morning that it had breached "enemy lines" in the northern Gaza Strip and had engaged Israeli forces.
The al-Qassam Brigades said that they had managed to infiltrate Israeli lines in the area, which has witnessed heavy fighting since the beginning of the Israeli ground invasion late Thursday.
Two Israeli soldiers were reported injured in clashes in northern Gaza Saturday morning and transferred to Suruka hospital inside Israel, but it was unclear if the incidents were related.
Palestinian fighters have injured at least 10 Israeli soldiers since the ground invasion began late Thursday.
An Israeli military spokeswoman did not have any information on the incident, but said that a few rockets had hit the region.
Since Israel commenced hostilities on the Gaza Strip 12 days ago, 316 Palestinians have been killed and more than 2,200 wounded in the Israeli bombardment.
Israeli Channel 10 warned Israelis not to enter to the region, highlighting that the focus of the conflict was in northern Eshkol, near the central Gaza Strip.
The military wing of Hamas said earlier on Saturday morning that it had breached "enemy lines" in the northern Gaza Strip and had engaged Israeli forces.
The al-Qassam Brigades said that they had managed to infiltrate Israeli lines in the area, which has witnessed heavy fighting since the beginning of the Israeli ground invasion late Thursday.
Two Israeli soldiers were reported injured in clashes in northern Gaza Saturday morning and transferred to Suruka hospital inside Israel, but it was unclear if the incidents were related.
Palestinian fighters have injured at least 10 Israeli soldiers since the ground invasion began late Thursday.
An Israeli military spokeswoman did not have any information on the incident, but said that a few rockets had hit the region.
Since Israel commenced hostilities on the Gaza Strip 12 days ago, 316 Palestinians have been killed and more than 2,200 wounded in the Israeli bombardment.
You find the photo's/video's disturbing? Remember, this is what Palestinian children see almost every day
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