23 july 2014
The father of a Palestinian girl screams as a relative carries her into the Kamal Adwan hospital in Beit Lahia, after she was injured by an Israeli strike on the northern Gaza Strip, on July 22, 2014
Israeli warplanes on Wednesday bombed a central Gaza City hospital after the army claimed militants opened fire from the premises, while a UN human rights chief warned that abuses by Hamas did not justify possible war crimes by Israel.
The Israeli military said in a statement that they had "targeted specific sites" in the al-Wafa rehabilitation hospital compound "in light of several occasions in which fire was opened" and "despite repeated warnings against such activities."
The military last bombed the hospital on Thursday, forcing doctors and patients -- 14 of whom were paralyzed or in a coma -- to flee the premises.
The Israeli military has repeatedly claimed hospitals are being used as launching grounds for Palestinian militants, giving those inside only minutes to flee before subjecting them to bombing raids and shelling.
On Monday, Israeli shells left four dead and wounded 60 at the Al-Aqsa Hospital in Deir al Balah.
The military said that on Wednesday warnings were also given for civilians to vacate the hospital, adding that "warnings have been conveyed directly to the hospital administration and other Palestinian officials."
"The hospital grounds and its immediate surroundings have been repeatedly utilized by Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad as a command center, rocket launching site, and a post" for militants to fire at soldiers, the military added.
Reports in the Israeli media indicated around 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday that Israel had given warning to Gaza's main hospital al-Shifa of an impending strike, but an Israeli army spokeswoman contacted by Ma'an denied the claims.
The bombing comes on the 16th day of the Israeli offensive on Gaza, which has left more than 650 Palestinians dead, more than 4,000 injured, and more than 135,000 displaced in the coastal enclave of 1.7 million people.
The assault has left hospitals overflowing with injured amid a severe lack of medical supplies caused by the seven-year long siege of the Gaza Strip by Israel.
The attacks have also raised alarm around the world, as more than 50 mosques have been bombed as well as thousands of homes.
Israel's military actions in the Gaza Strip could amount to war crimes, UN rights chief Navi Pillay said Wednesday.
"There seems to be a strong possibility that international law has been violated, in a manner that could amount to war crimes," Pillay told an emergency session on Israel's Gaza offensive at the UN Human Rights Council, citing attacks that have killed Palestinian civilians, including children.
Pillay added that the firing of rockets from Gaza into Israeli civilian areas does not justify war crimes on the Israeli side.
UN Human Rights✔ @UNrightswire Int’l law is clear: the actions of 1 party do not absolve the other of the need to respect its obligations – Pillay to @UN_HRC
She also said Israeli children and other civilians also had a right to live without constant fear of rocket attacks.
"Once again, the principles of distinction and precaution are clearly not being observed during such indiscriminate attacks on civilian areas by Hamas and other armed Palestinian groups," she said.
The 46-nation council -- which is the United Nations' top human rights forum -- was poised to call for an international inquiry into Israel's offensive in the Palestinian territories.
The meeting was called by Arab and fellow Muslim-majority nations.
It was set to vote on a resolution lodged by Palestine -- which has observer status at the UN -- condemning "the widespread, systematic and gross violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms" since Israel launched its crackdown last month to stem rocket attacks by Palestinian militants.
The resolution also called on the international community to "urgently dispatch an independent, international commission of inquiry" tasked with probing "all violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, particularly in the occupied Gaza Strip."
The aim, it said, was to "establish the facts and circumstances of such violations and of the crimes perpetrated and to identify those responsible, to make recommendations, in particular, on accountability measures, all with a view to avoiding and ending impunity and ensuring that those responsible are held accountable, and on ways and means to protect civilians against any further assaults."
It also called for the "immediate International Protection for the Palestinian people" and requested that Switzerland, as guardian of the Geneva Conventions governing conduct in warfare, organize an urgent conference on the situation in the region.
The Gaza offensive, which marks the worst Israeli assault on Gaza since two attacks in 2008-9 and 2012, has already claimed the lives of 650 Palestinians, most of them civilians, and 31 Israelis, all but two of whom were soldiers.
"The right of the Palestinian people to resist occupation cannot justify the launching of thousands of rockets and mortars directed against Israeli civilians," the UN's rights monitor for the region, Makarim Wibisono, told the session.
"Rockets attacks cannot justify the disproportionate use by Israel of air, sea and ground firepower against targets, including tunnels and rocket launchers, amidst a population of 1.7 million people trapped in one of the most densely populated areas of the world," he added.
Gazans injured after shelling hits homes near Deir al Balah hospital
1 dead, 30 injured in Israeli shelling in al-Shamaa area of Gaza City
Palestinian Ministry of Health spokesman Ashraf al-Qidra said on Wednesday that Nidal Hamad al-Ejla, 25, was killed and 30 others were injured, including two children with serious injuries, in Israeli shelling in the al-Shamaa area of Gaza City.
The body and the injured were moved to al-Shifa medical center.
Israeli warplanes on Wednesday bombed a central Gaza City hospital after the army claimed militants opened fire from the premises, while a UN human rights chief warned that abuses by Hamas did not justify possible war crimes by Israel.
The Israeli military said in a statement that they had "targeted specific sites" in the al-Wafa rehabilitation hospital compound "in light of several occasions in which fire was opened" and "despite repeated warnings against such activities."
The military last bombed the hospital on Thursday, forcing doctors and patients -- 14 of whom were paralyzed or in a coma -- to flee the premises.
The Israeli military has repeatedly claimed hospitals are being used as launching grounds for Palestinian militants, giving those inside only minutes to flee before subjecting them to bombing raids and shelling.
On Monday, Israeli shells left four dead and wounded 60 at the Al-Aqsa Hospital in Deir al Balah.
The military said that on Wednesday warnings were also given for civilians to vacate the hospital, adding that "warnings have been conveyed directly to the hospital administration and other Palestinian officials."
"The hospital grounds and its immediate surroundings have been repeatedly utilized by Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad as a command center, rocket launching site, and a post" for militants to fire at soldiers, the military added.
Reports in the Israeli media indicated around 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday that Israel had given warning to Gaza's main hospital al-Shifa of an impending strike, but an Israeli army spokeswoman contacted by Ma'an denied the claims.
The bombing comes on the 16th day of the Israeli offensive on Gaza, which has left more than 650 Palestinians dead, more than 4,000 injured, and more than 135,000 displaced in the coastal enclave of 1.7 million people.
The assault has left hospitals overflowing with injured amid a severe lack of medical supplies caused by the seven-year long siege of the Gaza Strip by Israel.
The attacks have also raised alarm around the world, as more than 50 mosques have been bombed as well as thousands of homes.
Israel's military actions in the Gaza Strip could amount to war crimes, UN rights chief Navi Pillay said Wednesday.
"There seems to be a strong possibility that international law has been violated, in a manner that could amount to war crimes," Pillay told an emergency session on Israel's Gaza offensive at the UN Human Rights Council, citing attacks that have killed Palestinian civilians, including children.
Pillay added that the firing of rockets from Gaza into Israeli civilian areas does not justify war crimes on the Israeli side.
UN Human Rights✔ @UNrightswire Int’l law is clear: the actions of 1 party do not absolve the other of the need to respect its obligations – Pillay to @UN_HRC
She also said Israeli children and other civilians also had a right to live without constant fear of rocket attacks.
"Once again, the principles of distinction and precaution are clearly not being observed during such indiscriminate attacks on civilian areas by Hamas and other armed Palestinian groups," she said.
The 46-nation council -- which is the United Nations' top human rights forum -- was poised to call for an international inquiry into Israel's offensive in the Palestinian territories.
The meeting was called by Arab and fellow Muslim-majority nations.
It was set to vote on a resolution lodged by Palestine -- which has observer status at the UN -- condemning "the widespread, systematic and gross violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms" since Israel launched its crackdown last month to stem rocket attacks by Palestinian militants.
The resolution also called on the international community to "urgently dispatch an independent, international commission of inquiry" tasked with probing "all violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, particularly in the occupied Gaza Strip."
The aim, it said, was to "establish the facts and circumstances of such violations and of the crimes perpetrated and to identify those responsible, to make recommendations, in particular, on accountability measures, all with a view to avoiding and ending impunity and ensuring that those responsible are held accountable, and on ways and means to protect civilians against any further assaults."
It also called for the "immediate International Protection for the Palestinian people" and requested that Switzerland, as guardian of the Geneva Conventions governing conduct in warfare, organize an urgent conference on the situation in the region.
The Gaza offensive, which marks the worst Israeli assault on Gaza since two attacks in 2008-9 and 2012, has already claimed the lives of 650 Palestinians, most of them civilians, and 31 Israelis, all but two of whom were soldiers.
"The right of the Palestinian people to resist occupation cannot justify the launching of thousands of rockets and mortars directed against Israeli civilians," the UN's rights monitor for the region, Makarim Wibisono, told the session.
"Rockets attacks cannot justify the disproportionate use by Israel of air, sea and ground firepower against targets, including tunnels and rocket launchers, amidst a population of 1.7 million people trapped in one of the most densely populated areas of the world," he added.
Gazans injured after shelling hits homes near Deir al Balah hospital
1 dead, 30 injured in Israeli shelling in al-Shamaa area of Gaza City
Palestinian Ministry of Health spokesman Ashraf al-Qidra said on Wednesday that Nidal Hamad al-Ejla, 25, was killed and 30 others were injured, including two children with serious injuries, in Israeli shelling in the al-Shamaa area of Gaza City.
The body and the injured were moved to al-Shifa medical center.
The Israeli army continued its bombardment of Palestinian communities in different part of the Gaza Strip, targeting homes and civilian structures, and killed at least thirteen more Palestinian, while dozens have been wounded.
Two Palestinians have been killed by Israeli missiles targeting homes in Gaza City, medical sources said.
They have been identified as Mohammad Abdul-Ra’ouf ad-Dadda, 39, and Ahmad Mohammad Bolbol, Gaza.
Remains of five Palestinians have been located under the rubble of bombarded homes in ar-Ranna area, in Khan Younis, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip.
Four of them have been identified as Hasan Salah Abu Jamous, 29, Mahmoud Yousef Khaled al-‘Abadla, 22, Nour Abdul-Rahim al-‘Abadla, 22, Mohammad Farid al-Astal, while the fifth remained unidentified.
An elderly man, identified as Husam Abu Hayyin, 70, along with Osama Abu Hayyin, 34, and reporter Abdul-Rahman Abu Hayyin, 24 were killed, and two were injured, when the army fired missiles into homes in Shuja’eyya neighborhood, in Gaza.
Also, resident Mohammad Ziad Habib, 30, was killed when an Israeli missile struck his home in Gaza City.
Medical sources in Gaza said resident Nidal Hamad al-‘Ejla, 25, was killed and around 30 Palestinians were injured when the army fired missiles close to the Sham’a Mosque in Gaza.
Medics also located the bodies of four Palestinians buried under the rubble of their homes that were bombarded by the army late on Tuesday at night, in Khan Younis, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip.
Resident Mohammad Abu Redya and his wife Shama Shahin, have bern killed after an Israeli missile struck their home, while residents Khalil Abu Jame’ and Hussam al-Qarra were killed in different attacks, in Khan Younis.
Also, a child identified as Rabea’ Abu Qassem, 12, was killed in the Bedouin village, in northern Gaza. At least four Palestinians were injured.
It is worth mentioning that the army also fired missiles into several cemeteries in Gaza.
The Ministry of Health in Gaza said 30 Palestinians, including women and children, were moved to the Shifa Hospital in Gaza, suffered moderate injuries, except for two children and a man who suffered serious injuries.
The Ministry of Health said 18 Palestinians have been killed Wednesday, and at least 120 have been injured.
Two Palestinians have been killed by Israeli missiles targeting homes in Gaza City, medical sources said.
They have been identified as Mohammad Abdul-Ra’ouf ad-Dadda, 39, and Ahmad Mohammad Bolbol, Gaza.
Remains of five Palestinians have been located under the rubble of bombarded homes in ar-Ranna area, in Khan Younis, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip.
Four of them have been identified as Hasan Salah Abu Jamous, 29, Mahmoud Yousef Khaled al-‘Abadla, 22, Nour Abdul-Rahim al-‘Abadla, 22, Mohammad Farid al-Astal, while the fifth remained unidentified.
An elderly man, identified as Husam Abu Hayyin, 70, along with Osama Abu Hayyin, 34, and reporter Abdul-Rahman Abu Hayyin, 24 were killed, and two were injured, when the army fired missiles into homes in Shuja’eyya neighborhood, in Gaza.
Also, resident Mohammad Ziad Habib, 30, was killed when an Israeli missile struck his home in Gaza City.
Medical sources in Gaza said resident Nidal Hamad al-‘Ejla, 25, was killed and around 30 Palestinians were injured when the army fired missiles close to the Sham’a Mosque in Gaza.
Medics also located the bodies of four Palestinians buried under the rubble of their homes that were bombarded by the army late on Tuesday at night, in Khan Younis, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip.
Resident Mohammad Abu Redya and his wife Shama Shahin, have bern killed after an Israeli missile struck their home, while residents Khalil Abu Jame’ and Hussam al-Qarra were killed in different attacks, in Khan Younis.
Also, a child identified as Rabea’ Abu Qassem, 12, was killed in the Bedouin village, in northern Gaza. At least four Palestinians were injured.
It is worth mentioning that the army also fired missiles into several cemeteries in Gaza.
The Ministry of Health in Gaza said 30 Palestinians, including women and children, were moved to the Shifa Hospital in Gaza, suffered moderate injuries, except for two children and a man who suffered serious injuries.
The Ministry of Health said 18 Palestinians have been killed Wednesday, and at least 120 have been injured.
Updated 09:56
Palestinian medical sources have reported that eight more Palestinians, including a child, have been killed, on Wednesday, in ongoing Israeli bombardment targeting Palestinian homes.
Medical sources said one Palestinian, identified as Mohammad Radi Abu Reeda, 22, was found under rubble of a Palestinian home in the Bani Soheila area, near Khan Younis, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip.
Resident Mojahed Marwan Skafi, 20, died of wounds suffered earlier after the army bombarded homes in the Shuja’eyya neighborhood of Gaza. Resident Adnan Ghazi Habib was killed by Israeli shells in the al-Meghraqa area in Central Gaza.
Earlier at dawn, five Palestinians have been killed in Khan Younis, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip.
They have been identified as Mohammad Mansour al-Bashiti, 7, Bassam Abdullah Abu T’eimi, 23, Mohammad Na’im Abu T’eimi, 25, Zeinab Abu Teir (child), and Ismael Abu Tharifa, a political leader of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine.
Dozens Palestinians, mainly family members, have been injured while medics and rescue teams are still unable to enter the area as the army is deliberately targeting them, and preventing them from performing their duties.
Several wounded Palestinians have been moved to the Gaza European Hospital for treatment, and a number of nearby medical centers, while the army continued its attacks against different hospital and medical centers.
The army also continued to target hospitals, medical centers, medics and journalists in different part of the Gaza Strip, as part of its ongoing aggression against the entire population of the besieged, and impoverished, coastal region.
Five Palestinians were killed by Israeli missiles and shells, in different part of the Gaza Strip, earlier Wednesday.
Child killed, 4 wounded in Israeli strike on donkey cart in Gaza
Palestinian medical sources said 12-year-old Rabee Qasim was killed and four other people injured when an Israeli shell hit a cart pulled by a donkey in the Bedouin village of Umm al-Naser in the northern Gaza Strip.
Palestinian medical sources have reported that eight more Palestinians, including a child, have been killed, on Wednesday, in ongoing Israeli bombardment targeting Palestinian homes.
Medical sources said one Palestinian, identified as Mohammad Radi Abu Reeda, 22, was found under rubble of a Palestinian home in the Bani Soheila area, near Khan Younis, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip.
Resident Mojahed Marwan Skafi, 20, died of wounds suffered earlier after the army bombarded homes in the Shuja’eyya neighborhood of Gaza. Resident Adnan Ghazi Habib was killed by Israeli shells in the al-Meghraqa area in Central Gaza.
Earlier at dawn, five Palestinians have been killed in Khan Younis, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip.
They have been identified as Mohammad Mansour al-Bashiti, 7, Bassam Abdullah Abu T’eimi, 23, Mohammad Na’im Abu T’eimi, 25, Zeinab Abu Teir (child), and Ismael Abu Tharifa, a political leader of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine.
Dozens Palestinians, mainly family members, have been injured while medics and rescue teams are still unable to enter the area as the army is deliberately targeting them, and preventing them from performing their duties.
Several wounded Palestinians have been moved to the Gaza European Hospital for treatment, and a number of nearby medical centers, while the army continued its attacks against different hospital and medical centers.
The army also continued to target hospitals, medical centers, medics and journalists in different part of the Gaza Strip, as part of its ongoing aggression against the entire population of the besieged, and impoverished, coastal region.
Five Palestinians were killed by Israeli missiles and shells, in different part of the Gaza Strip, earlier Wednesday.
Child killed, 4 wounded in Israeli strike on donkey cart in Gaza
Palestinian medical sources said 12-year-old Rabee Qasim was killed and four other people injured when an Israeli shell hit a cart pulled by a donkey in the Bedouin village of Umm al-Naser in the northern Gaza Strip.
An Israeli soldier inspects the damage at an house that was hit by a rocket fired by militants from the Gaza Strip, on July 22, 2014, in the Israeli town of Yahud
Airlines blocked flights to Israel Wednesday after a Gaza rocket struck near airport runways, as the UN chief urged an end to a conflict that has killed 639 Palestinians, the vast majority of whom have been civilians.
As the Israeli assault entered its 16th day, neither Israel -- which has suffered 29 casualties, mostly soldiers -- nor Hamas appeared willing to end hostilities, despite days of diplomatic efforts to coax them into a truce.
Palestinian emergency services said that at least six people were killed early Wednesday during prolonged shelling of the southern town of Khan Younis and 20 more were wounded, most of them seriously.
Two more were killed by Israeli fire in the north of the Strip, they said.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, on a visit to Tel Aviv, appealed on Tuesday for the bitter rivals to "stop fighting" and "start talking."
However Israel insisted it would keep up its aerial and ground assault until it smashes cross-border tunnels used by Gaza militants.
Hamas, meanwhile, has insisted that any ceasefire include the lifting of Israel's economic blockade, which has crippled the region's economy since it was imposed seven years ago.
A rocket crashed close to Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion international airport prompting the US Federal Aviation Authority to ban flights to and from Israel for at least 24 hours.
And the European Aviation Safety Agency advised all carriers to avoid Tel Aviv "until further notice."
The bans come after Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 was allegedly shot down by a missile over strife-torn eastern Ukraine, heightening sensitivity over aviation safety above war zones.
It was the first time such measures had been taken since the 1990-1991 Gulf war.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appealed to US Secretary of State John Kerry to lift the ban.
"Netanyahu spoke this evening with ... Kerry and asked him to act to restore flights by American airline companies to Israel," sources in Netanyahu's office told AFP.
Kerry said the order would be reviewed within in a day and told Netanyahu the ban was solely due to safety concerns, State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said.
But US billionaire Michael Bloomberg said that he was flying to Tel Aviv by Israeli carrier El Al to show solidarity.
"The flight restrictions are a mistake that hands Hamas an undeserved victory and should be lifted immediately," the former New York mayor wrote on his official Twitter account.
Ceasefire push
Following top-level talks in Cairo, Ban went to Tel Aviv and appealed to both sides to lay down arms.
"Stop fighting, start talking and take on the root causes of the conflict so that we are not at the same situation in the next six months or a year."
The UN chief described Hamas rocket fire on Israel as "shocking" and said it must "stop immediately."
But he also said Israel must exercise "maximum restraint" in Gaza, and he urged it to take a hard look at some of the root causes of the conflict "so people will not feel they have to resort to violence as a means of expressing their grievances".
Meanwhile in Cairo, Kerry discussed ceasefire proposals with Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.
The top US diplomat again placed the onus on Hamas to accept a ceasefire, backing an Egyptian truce initiative as a "framework" to end the fighting.
And a senior Palestinian official said talks were ongoing between president Mahmoud Abbas and Hamas for a ceasefire.
'Ceasefire won't happen until end of tunnels project'
Early Wednesday the Israeli military announced the deaths of two soldiers killed in the Gaza fighting the night before, bringing the Israeli toll to 29 soldiers and two civilians.
The army on Tuesday confirmed the death of a soldier who Hamas militants claimed they had captured him, but said his remains were unaccounted for.
Despite its rising body count, Israel said it would only halt its Gaza offensive after laying waste to a sophisticated network of tunnels used by militants for cross-border attacks.
A ceasefire "won't happen before we really finish the tunnels project," Justice Minister Tzipi Livni said.
She said Hamas' "completely unacceptable" preconditions for a truce had "no chance of being accepted by anyone."
Hamas has laid out a list of demands for halting its fire, including a lifting of Israel's eight-year blockade on Gaza, the release of dozens of prisoners, and the opening of its Rafah border crossing with Egypt.
The European Union appealed to Israel to keep its military operation in Gaza "proportionate" and for "all sides to implement in good faith an immediate ceasefire," a statement from a meeting of European foreign ministers in Brussels said.
It added that "All terrorist groups in Gaza must disarm," a comment welcomed by Israel.
Airlines blocked flights to Israel Wednesday after a Gaza rocket struck near airport runways, as the UN chief urged an end to a conflict that has killed 639 Palestinians, the vast majority of whom have been civilians.
As the Israeli assault entered its 16th day, neither Israel -- which has suffered 29 casualties, mostly soldiers -- nor Hamas appeared willing to end hostilities, despite days of diplomatic efforts to coax them into a truce.
Palestinian emergency services said that at least six people were killed early Wednesday during prolonged shelling of the southern town of Khan Younis and 20 more were wounded, most of them seriously.
Two more were killed by Israeli fire in the north of the Strip, they said.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, on a visit to Tel Aviv, appealed on Tuesday for the bitter rivals to "stop fighting" and "start talking."
However Israel insisted it would keep up its aerial and ground assault until it smashes cross-border tunnels used by Gaza militants.
Hamas, meanwhile, has insisted that any ceasefire include the lifting of Israel's economic blockade, which has crippled the region's economy since it was imposed seven years ago.
A rocket crashed close to Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion international airport prompting the US Federal Aviation Authority to ban flights to and from Israel for at least 24 hours.
And the European Aviation Safety Agency advised all carriers to avoid Tel Aviv "until further notice."
The bans come after Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 was allegedly shot down by a missile over strife-torn eastern Ukraine, heightening sensitivity over aviation safety above war zones.
It was the first time such measures had been taken since the 1990-1991 Gulf war.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appealed to US Secretary of State John Kerry to lift the ban.
"Netanyahu spoke this evening with ... Kerry and asked him to act to restore flights by American airline companies to Israel," sources in Netanyahu's office told AFP.
Kerry said the order would be reviewed within in a day and told Netanyahu the ban was solely due to safety concerns, State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said.
But US billionaire Michael Bloomberg said that he was flying to Tel Aviv by Israeli carrier El Al to show solidarity.
"The flight restrictions are a mistake that hands Hamas an undeserved victory and should be lifted immediately," the former New York mayor wrote on his official Twitter account.
Ceasefire push
Following top-level talks in Cairo, Ban went to Tel Aviv and appealed to both sides to lay down arms.
"Stop fighting, start talking and take on the root causes of the conflict so that we are not at the same situation in the next six months or a year."
The UN chief described Hamas rocket fire on Israel as "shocking" and said it must "stop immediately."
But he also said Israel must exercise "maximum restraint" in Gaza, and he urged it to take a hard look at some of the root causes of the conflict "so people will not feel they have to resort to violence as a means of expressing their grievances".
Meanwhile in Cairo, Kerry discussed ceasefire proposals with Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.
The top US diplomat again placed the onus on Hamas to accept a ceasefire, backing an Egyptian truce initiative as a "framework" to end the fighting.
And a senior Palestinian official said talks were ongoing between president Mahmoud Abbas and Hamas for a ceasefire.
'Ceasefire won't happen until end of tunnels project'
Early Wednesday the Israeli military announced the deaths of two soldiers killed in the Gaza fighting the night before, bringing the Israeli toll to 29 soldiers and two civilians.
The army on Tuesday confirmed the death of a soldier who Hamas militants claimed they had captured him, but said his remains were unaccounted for.
Despite its rising body count, Israel said it would only halt its Gaza offensive after laying waste to a sophisticated network of tunnels used by militants for cross-border attacks.
A ceasefire "won't happen before we really finish the tunnels project," Justice Minister Tzipi Livni said.
She said Hamas' "completely unacceptable" preconditions for a truce had "no chance of being accepted by anyone."
Hamas has laid out a list of demands for halting its fire, including a lifting of Israel's eight-year blockade on Gaza, the release of dozens of prisoners, and the opening of its Rafah border crossing with Egypt.
The European Union appealed to Israel to keep its military operation in Gaza "proportionate" and for "all sides to implement in good faith an immediate ceasefire," a statement from a meeting of European foreign ministers in Brussels said.
It added that "All terrorist groups in Gaza must disarm," a comment welcomed by Israel.
Palestinian Killed In Khan Younis - Ministry Of Health
The Israeli army continued its bombardment and shelling of different areas in the densely populated Gaza Strip, killing at least five more Palestinians, and wounding several others.
Medical sources said resident Wisam Ala’ Najjar, 17, was killed when one of the missiles fired into Khan Younis, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip, struck his home. Family members were injured.
Also, residents Osama Bahjat Rajab, 21, and Mohammad Daoud Hammouda, 23, were killed in Beit Lahia, in northern Gaza.
Resident Saddam Ibrahim Abu Assi, 23, from the eastern area of Khan Younis, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip, died of serious injuries suffered Monday after the army bombarded dozens of homes.
Another Palestinian, identified as Hamza Daoud Abu ‘Anza, 18, was killed in an earlier Israeli bombardment of Khan Younis; several Palestinians were injured.
In addition, the army bombarded the Balsam Military Hospital In Khan Younis, causing excessive property damage, and several injuries among the patients.
Media sources in Gaza said the army fired missiles into the Algerian Hospital, east of Khan Younis, and that the hospital had to be evacuated due to the intensity of Israeli shelling.
Soldiers also declared Khuza'a area in Khan Younis, a closed military zone, preventing even medics from entering it.
According to data of the Ministry of Health, the Israeli aggression, since July 8, has led to the death of 636 Palestinians, while more than 4040 have been injured.
Among the dead are at least 161 children including infants, 66 women, and 35 elderly.
Among the wounded are at least 1213 children, 698 women, and 161 elderly.
The Israeli army continued its bombardment and shelling of different areas in the densely populated Gaza Strip, killing at least five more Palestinians, and wounding several others.
Medical sources said resident Wisam Ala’ Najjar, 17, was killed when one of the missiles fired into Khan Younis, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip, struck his home. Family members were injured.
Also, residents Osama Bahjat Rajab, 21, and Mohammad Daoud Hammouda, 23, were killed in Beit Lahia, in northern Gaza.
Resident Saddam Ibrahim Abu Assi, 23, from the eastern area of Khan Younis, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip, died of serious injuries suffered Monday after the army bombarded dozens of homes.
Another Palestinian, identified as Hamza Daoud Abu ‘Anza, 18, was killed in an earlier Israeli bombardment of Khan Younis; several Palestinians were injured.
In addition, the army bombarded the Balsam Military Hospital In Khan Younis, causing excessive property damage, and several injuries among the patients.
Media sources in Gaza said the army fired missiles into the Algerian Hospital, east of Khan Younis, and that the hospital had to be evacuated due to the intensity of Israeli shelling.
Soldiers also declared Khuza'a area in Khan Younis, a closed military zone, preventing even medics from entering it.
According to data of the Ministry of Health, the Israeli aggression, since July 8, has led to the death of 636 Palestinians, while more than 4040 have been injured.
Among the dead are at least 161 children including infants, 66 women, and 35 elderly.
Among the wounded are at least 1213 children, 698 women, and 161 elderly.
A relative of Shahed Qishtah, a nine-year-old Palestinian girl who was killed in an Israeli strike while playing, leaves the Kamal Adwan hospital where he brought her in Beit Lahiya after on July 22, 2014 in the northern Gaza Strip
The death toll on the 16th day of Israeli military offensive on Gaza rose to 24 on Wednesday after an Israeli airstrike killed 70-year-old Hasan Abu Hein, 34-year-old Osama Abu Hein, and journalist Abd al-Rahman Abu Hein, 24, in the Shujaiyya neighborhood of Gaza City.
Several other people were also injured when Israeli forces bombarded a 700-year-old mosque known as al-Shamaa mosque (also known as Bab al-Darum) in the Zaytoun neighborhood of Gaza City before noon time.
More than 650 Palestinians -- the vast majority of whom have been civilians, including more than 160 children -- have been killed in the assault so far, while Israel has suffered 29 deaths, 27 of whom have been soldiers.
The Gaza Strip continued to be bombarded from air, land, and sea on Wednesday morning, a day after the the United Nations' Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA accused Israeli of shelling a UN school sheltering the displaced for the second time in two days.
"UNRWA condemns in the strongest possible terms the shelling of one of its schools in the central area of Gaza," it said in a statement.
"The location of the school and the fact that it was housing internally displaced persons had been formally communicated to Israel on three separate occasions. We have called on the Israeli authorities to carry out an immediate and comprehensive investigation."
During the offensive, more than 135,000 Gazans have fled their homes, seeking shelter in 69 schools run by UNRWA.
Palestinian Ministry of Health spokesman Ashraf al-Qidra on Wednesday said that the evacuation of dead bodies and injured people had been very slow in a number of areas because Israeli forces had impeded the movement of ambulances and rescue teams.
Al-Qidra highlighted that the total Palestinian death toll had risen to 647 on Wednesday morning, including 161 children and 35 elderly people.
More than 4,000 Palestinians had also sustained injuries in the assault, he said, while hospitals were running dangerously low on medical supplies amid the most deadly sustained Israeli assault on the besieged coastal enclave since 2008.
Israeli leaders on Tuesday hinted that the assault would not end until Hamas' entire tunnel network had been destroyed, suggesting that the goals of the offensive had shifted from halting rocket fire to undermining the group's military infrastructure more broadly.
Hamas, meanwhile, has demanded that any ceasefire include the lifting of the Israeli blockade, which has been in place for the last seven years and includes Israeli control over all imports, exports, and movement of people in the tiny coastal enclave.
Israel launched the assault earlier in the month after a sustained offensive on Hamas across the West Bank in June and early July in order to find three missing Israeli teenagers, which left 10 Palestinians dead, more than 130 injured, and 600 Hamas-affiliated individuals in prison.
The offensive -- which was accompanied by airstrikes on the Gaza Strip -- led to a sharp rise in rocket fire from the area into Israel.
24 dead Wednesday morning
Palestinian Ministry of Health spokesman Ashraf al-Qidra said on Wednesday that Nidal Hamad al-Ejla, 25, was killed and 30 others were injured, including two children with serious injuries, in Israeli shelling in the al-Shamaa area of Gaza City. The body and the injured were moved to al-Shifa medical center.
Muhammad Ziyad Habib, 30, was also killed in an Israeli attack on eastern Gaza City.
Palestinian medical sources said earlier that 12-year-old Rabee Qasim was killed and four other people injured when an Israeli shell hit a cart pulled by a donkey in the Bedouin village of Umm al-Naser in the northern Gaza Strip on Wednesday morning.
Ashraf al-Qidra said that at least five people were killed in the village of Khuzaa east of Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip early Wednesday as well.
Medical sources said that Adnan Ghazi Habib from al-Mughraqa neighborhood succumbed to wounds he sustained overnight.
In Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, rescue teams pulled four dead bodies from the rubble of houses destroyed by Israeli airstrikes Tuesday night. Medical sources identified them as Muhammad Abu Riddiya, his wife, Shama, as well as Khalil Abu Jami and Husam al-Qarra.
Among the victims were two children Muhammad Mansour al-Bashiti, 7, and Zeinab Abu Teir. Bassam Abu Tueima, 23, Mahmoud Abu Tueima, 25, and a senior leader in the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine Ismail Abu Tharifa were also killed.
Earlier on Wednesday morning, Israeli airstrikes and artillery shells killed 18-year-old Hamza Abu Anza in Khan Younis.
Ibrahim Abu Asi and Wisam al-Najjar succumbed to their wounds also in Khan Younis.
Four Palestinians were also killed in Beit Lahiya in the northern Gaza Strip in two separate Israeli airstrikes.
The first strike in the early dawn hours killed 21-year-old Osama Bahjat Rajat and 23-year-old Muhammad Dwood Hamoudah. The second strike was around 8 a.m. and it killed two people in al-Shayma neighborhood of Beit Lahiya.
Mujahid Skafi, a young man from the Tuffah neighborhood of Gaza City died Wednesday morning of wounds he sustained during artillery shelling Tuesday.
Israeli warplanes struck on Wednesday morning home of Hamas' leader Nizar Awadallah in al-Shati refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip for the second time.
A mosque known as Omar Ibn Abd al-Aziz Mosque in Beit Hanoun in northern Gaza was also hit Wednesday morning as well as a house belonging to al-Masri family in Beit Lahiya.
The home of a leader in the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine Ziad Jarkhoun was also targeted in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip.
The death toll on the 16th day of Israeli military offensive on Gaza rose to 24 on Wednesday after an Israeli airstrike killed 70-year-old Hasan Abu Hein, 34-year-old Osama Abu Hein, and journalist Abd al-Rahman Abu Hein, 24, in the Shujaiyya neighborhood of Gaza City.
Several other people were also injured when Israeli forces bombarded a 700-year-old mosque known as al-Shamaa mosque (also known as Bab al-Darum) in the Zaytoun neighborhood of Gaza City before noon time.
More than 650 Palestinians -- the vast majority of whom have been civilians, including more than 160 children -- have been killed in the assault so far, while Israel has suffered 29 deaths, 27 of whom have been soldiers.
The Gaza Strip continued to be bombarded from air, land, and sea on Wednesday morning, a day after the the United Nations' Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA accused Israeli of shelling a UN school sheltering the displaced for the second time in two days.
"UNRWA condemns in the strongest possible terms the shelling of one of its schools in the central area of Gaza," it said in a statement.
"The location of the school and the fact that it was housing internally displaced persons had been formally communicated to Israel on three separate occasions. We have called on the Israeli authorities to carry out an immediate and comprehensive investigation."
During the offensive, more than 135,000 Gazans have fled their homes, seeking shelter in 69 schools run by UNRWA.
Palestinian Ministry of Health spokesman Ashraf al-Qidra on Wednesday said that the evacuation of dead bodies and injured people had been very slow in a number of areas because Israeli forces had impeded the movement of ambulances and rescue teams.
Al-Qidra highlighted that the total Palestinian death toll had risen to 647 on Wednesday morning, including 161 children and 35 elderly people.
More than 4,000 Palestinians had also sustained injuries in the assault, he said, while hospitals were running dangerously low on medical supplies amid the most deadly sustained Israeli assault on the besieged coastal enclave since 2008.
Israeli leaders on Tuesday hinted that the assault would not end until Hamas' entire tunnel network had been destroyed, suggesting that the goals of the offensive had shifted from halting rocket fire to undermining the group's military infrastructure more broadly.
Hamas, meanwhile, has demanded that any ceasefire include the lifting of the Israeli blockade, which has been in place for the last seven years and includes Israeli control over all imports, exports, and movement of people in the tiny coastal enclave.
Israel launched the assault earlier in the month after a sustained offensive on Hamas across the West Bank in June and early July in order to find three missing Israeli teenagers, which left 10 Palestinians dead, more than 130 injured, and 600 Hamas-affiliated individuals in prison.
The offensive -- which was accompanied by airstrikes on the Gaza Strip -- led to a sharp rise in rocket fire from the area into Israel.
24 dead Wednesday morning
Palestinian Ministry of Health spokesman Ashraf al-Qidra said on Wednesday that Nidal Hamad al-Ejla, 25, was killed and 30 others were injured, including two children with serious injuries, in Israeli shelling in the al-Shamaa area of Gaza City. The body and the injured were moved to al-Shifa medical center.
Muhammad Ziyad Habib, 30, was also killed in an Israeli attack on eastern Gaza City.
Palestinian medical sources said earlier that 12-year-old Rabee Qasim was killed and four other people injured when an Israeli shell hit a cart pulled by a donkey in the Bedouin village of Umm al-Naser in the northern Gaza Strip on Wednesday morning.
Ashraf al-Qidra said that at least five people were killed in the village of Khuzaa east of Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip early Wednesday as well.
Medical sources said that Adnan Ghazi Habib from al-Mughraqa neighborhood succumbed to wounds he sustained overnight.
In Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, rescue teams pulled four dead bodies from the rubble of houses destroyed by Israeli airstrikes Tuesday night. Medical sources identified them as Muhammad Abu Riddiya, his wife, Shama, as well as Khalil Abu Jami and Husam al-Qarra.
Among the victims were two children Muhammad Mansour al-Bashiti, 7, and Zeinab Abu Teir. Bassam Abu Tueima, 23, Mahmoud Abu Tueima, 25, and a senior leader in the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine Ismail Abu Tharifa were also killed.
Earlier on Wednesday morning, Israeli airstrikes and artillery shells killed 18-year-old Hamza Abu Anza in Khan Younis.
Ibrahim Abu Asi and Wisam al-Najjar succumbed to their wounds also in Khan Younis.
Four Palestinians were also killed in Beit Lahiya in the northern Gaza Strip in two separate Israeli airstrikes.
The first strike in the early dawn hours killed 21-year-old Osama Bahjat Rajat and 23-year-old Muhammad Dwood Hamoudah. The second strike was around 8 a.m. and it killed two people in al-Shayma neighborhood of Beit Lahiya.
Mujahid Skafi, a young man from the Tuffah neighborhood of Gaza City died Wednesday morning of wounds he sustained during artillery shelling Tuesday.
Israeli warplanes struck on Wednesday morning home of Hamas' leader Nizar Awadallah in al-Shati refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip for the second time.
A mosque known as Omar Ibn Abd al-Aziz Mosque in Beit Hanoun in northern Gaza was also hit Wednesday morning as well as a house belonging to al-Masri family in Beit Lahiya.
The home of a leader in the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine Ziad Jarkhoun was also targeted in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip.
Following nationwide protests across South Africa against the ongoing Israeli attacks on Gaza (Israel has killed over 600 Palestinians including 150 children in the last 10 days) the African National Congress has called for the Israeli ambassador in South Africa to leave with immediate effect.
The African National Congress in Parliament is extremely outraged by the wanton and unjustifiable bombardment and killings of innocent civilians, including children, in Palestinian territory of Gaza by Israel military forces. We echo the widespread condemnation of these senseless attacks on defenceless Palestinians and call on the government of Israel to immediately cease with this blatant act of criminality.
It is unacceptable that as the Israeli military is flagrantly violating the territorial integrity of Gaza, claiming hundreds of lives and injuring thousands, the United Nations Security Council fails to intervene decisively in line with its powers. The office of the UN Secretary General issues statements which have not effect. The UN Security Council must stand up and act to support vulnerable Palestinian people at the time when they need their protection.
The situation involving Palestine and Israel is an undeclared war, in which the aggressor, Israel, has destroyed the Palestinian economy, robbed people of their land, unilaterally changed borders, and unilaterally built a wall of exclusion to keep Palestinians out of their land. When it feels provoked, it unleashes the most sophisticated military hardware on a defenceless people. Palestinians have been reduced to cheap labour for the Israel economy. This relentless destruction of the Palestinian territory and its people by Israel must be stopped. The international community needs to act in unison on this matter...
During this International Nelson Mandela Day in which South Africans and the world are called upon to engage in noble acts in emulation of the world icon, we align ourselves with his profound statement that “our freedom is incomplete without the freedom of the Palestinians”.
Full statement at the Alternative Information Center.
The African National Congress in Parliament is extremely outraged by the wanton and unjustifiable bombardment and killings of innocent civilians, including children, in Palestinian territory of Gaza by Israel military forces. We echo the widespread condemnation of these senseless attacks on defenceless Palestinians and call on the government of Israel to immediately cease with this blatant act of criminality.
It is unacceptable that as the Israeli military is flagrantly violating the territorial integrity of Gaza, claiming hundreds of lives and injuring thousands, the United Nations Security Council fails to intervene decisively in line with its powers. The office of the UN Secretary General issues statements which have not effect. The UN Security Council must stand up and act to support vulnerable Palestinian people at the time when they need their protection.
The situation involving Palestine and Israel is an undeclared war, in which the aggressor, Israel, has destroyed the Palestinian economy, robbed people of their land, unilaterally changed borders, and unilaterally built a wall of exclusion to keep Palestinians out of their land. When it feels provoked, it unleashes the most sophisticated military hardware on a defenceless people. Palestinians have been reduced to cheap labour for the Israel economy. This relentless destruction of the Palestinian territory and its people by Israel must be stopped. The international community needs to act in unison on this matter...
During this International Nelson Mandela Day in which South Africans and the world are called upon to engage in noble acts in emulation of the world icon, we align ourselves with his profound statement that “our freedom is incomplete without the freedom of the Palestinians”.
Full statement at the Alternative Information Center.
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The injured young man who was shot dead on camera by an Israeli sniper two days ago has been identified as Salem Khalil Salem Shammaly, a 23-year-old resident of Shajiya.
After Salem was murdered, the rescue team was unable to recover his body, which like so many others, remains among the rubble. The International Solidarity Movement (ISM) contacted human rights organizations in Gaza to attempt to identify the murdered young man but this proved to be impossible. Therefore the video, which has since gone viral, was published describing him as, “the young man in the green shirt.” Salem’s family had been searching everywhere for him for two days, |
including on social media where names and photographs of the wounded and dead are constantly being published. According to Mohammed Alqattawi, his cousin, Salem’s sister recognized her brother on the Youtube video uploaded by the ISM.
While the Shammaly family has found out that their missing son is dead, other families are still searching for their loved ones.
Dr. Mohamed Abu Arab, one of the doctors from the Norwegian delegation now volunteering in al Shifa Hospital said, “The first attack on Shajiya was for five hours, many people were evacuated from the area, however not everyone was able to leave. Patients have been coming to us doctors and asking us to find their families. We know that they’re either dead, in the ruins, or dying. Yesterday a five-year-old child was admitted to the hospital asking for his parents, but we all knew that they were not able to leave Shajiya, and are probably dead.”
While the Shammaly family has found out that their missing son is dead, other families are still searching for their loved ones.
Dr. Mohamed Abu Arab, one of the doctors from the Norwegian delegation now volunteering in al Shifa Hospital said, “The first attack on Shajiya was for five hours, many people were evacuated from the area, however not everyone was able to leave. Patients have been coming to us doctors and asking us to find their families. We know that they’re either dead, in the ruins, or dying. Yesterday a five-year-old child was admitted to the hospital asking for his parents, but we all knew that they were not able to leave Shajiya, and are probably dead.”
Slaim Palestinian Child - MOH
Israeli soldiers continued to fire missiles into densely populated areas in different parts of the Gaza Strip, on Tuesday, claiming the lives of dozens of residents, while scores of Palestinians have been wounded, some seriously.
The Ministry of Health in Gaza said three Palestinians have been killed in the Nusseirat refugee camp in Gaza, late on Tuesday at night, and many others were injured.
The slain Palestinians have been identified as Radhi Abu Hweishel, 40, Obeida Abu Hweishel, and Yousef Abu Mustafa, 27.
Earlier, a child from abu Hweishel family was killed after an Israeli missile struck her home, and several family members were injured. He was identified as Nour al-Islam Abu Hweishel, 12.
In Khan Younis, two Palestinians were killed, and many were injured, after the army fired a missile at a motorcycle rider in the city. The two slain Palestinians have been identified as Hani Awad Sammour, 27, and Ahmad Ibrahim Shbeir, 24.
Also in Khan Younis, one Palestinian, identified as Mohammad Jalal al-Jarf, 24, was killed, and another Palestinian was seriously wounded.
Three Palestinians were killed, and several others were injured in the al-Boreij refugee camp, in central Gaza. They have been identified as Raed Salah, 22, Ahmad Nassim Saleh, 23, Mahmoud Ghanem, 22.
In northern Gaza, soldiers fired missiles into a number of homes, killing a Palestinian identified as Mustafa Mohammad Mahmoud Fayyad, 24.
The Ministry of Health also said that four Palestinian were killed by Israeli missiles in the Central District, while scores have been injured.
The slain Palestinians have been identified as Ahmad Issam Wishah, 29, Ahmad Kamel Abu Mgheiseb, 35, Raed Abdul-Rahman Abu Mgheiseb, 35, Nader Abdul-Rahman Abu Mgheiseb, 35, and Ahmad Mohammad Ramadan, 30.
In Rafah, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip, Israeli missiles struck a number of homes killed three Palestinians identified as Khalaf Atiyya Abu Sneima, 18, Khalil Atiyya Abu Sneima, 20, and Samih Abu Jalala, 64.
Also in Rafah, two elderly sisters were killed as the army fire more missiles into homes in the eastern area of the city. They have been identified as Hakima Nafe’ Abu ‘Adwan, 75, and Najah Nafe’ Abu Adwan, 85.
Israeli missiles also struck several homes in Gaza City, causing at least four deaths and dozens of injuries. The Ministry of Health in Gaza said residents Mohammad Shehada Hajjaj, 31, Fawza Saleh Abdul-Rahman Hajjaj, 66, and Rawan Ziad Jom’a Hajjaj, 28.
Rescue teams that are still trying to locate Palestinian, buried under the rubble of bombarded homes in the Shuja’eyya neighborhood, in Gaza, located the body of resident Mos’ab Nafeth al-Ejla, 30.
The remains of residents Tareq Fayez Hajjaj, 22, and Ahmad Ziad Hajjaj, 21, were found under the rubble of the Salam Residential Tower in Gaza.
One Palestinian was killed, and several others were injured, in the al-Maghazi refugee camp, in Gaza. The slain Palestinian has been identified as Hasan Sha’ban Khamisy, 28.
Another Palestinian, identified as Ahmad As’ad al-Boudi, 24, was killed after Israeli missiles struck his home in Beit Lahia, in northern Gaza.
Resident Mahmoud Salim Daraj, 22, died of wounds suffered earlier Tuesday in Jabalia, in northern Gaza, while resident Ahmad Salah Abu Seedo, 17, was killed by Israeli shells in the al-Mahatta area, north of Gaza City.
The Ministry of Health in Gaza said the army committed 41 massacres against entire families, since the aggression started, killing more than 222 Palestinians, most of their children, women and elderly.
It voiced an appeal to the International Community to provide protection to medical center, medics, rescue teams and the civilians, especially since the army is deliberately targeting hospitals and medics. The army is also targeting reporters, and media agencies, killing some and wounding several others.
Until midnight Tuesday, the number of Palestinians killed since June 8 arrived to 631 Palestinians, including 161 children, and 66 women.
At least 4010 Palestinians, including 1213 children, 698 women and 161 elderly, have been injured.
Israeli soldiers continued to fire missiles into densely populated areas in different parts of the Gaza Strip, on Tuesday, claiming the lives of dozens of residents, while scores of Palestinians have been wounded, some seriously.
The Ministry of Health in Gaza said three Palestinians have been killed in the Nusseirat refugee camp in Gaza, late on Tuesday at night, and many others were injured.
The slain Palestinians have been identified as Radhi Abu Hweishel, 40, Obeida Abu Hweishel, and Yousef Abu Mustafa, 27.
Earlier, a child from abu Hweishel family was killed after an Israeli missile struck her home, and several family members were injured. He was identified as Nour al-Islam Abu Hweishel, 12.
In Khan Younis, two Palestinians were killed, and many were injured, after the army fired a missile at a motorcycle rider in the city. The two slain Palestinians have been identified as Hani Awad Sammour, 27, and Ahmad Ibrahim Shbeir, 24.
Also in Khan Younis, one Palestinian, identified as Mohammad Jalal al-Jarf, 24, was killed, and another Palestinian was seriously wounded.
Three Palestinians were killed, and several others were injured in the al-Boreij refugee camp, in central Gaza. They have been identified as Raed Salah, 22, Ahmad Nassim Saleh, 23, Mahmoud Ghanem, 22.
In northern Gaza, soldiers fired missiles into a number of homes, killing a Palestinian identified as Mustafa Mohammad Mahmoud Fayyad, 24.
The Ministry of Health also said that four Palestinian were killed by Israeli missiles in the Central District, while scores have been injured.
The slain Palestinians have been identified as Ahmad Issam Wishah, 29, Ahmad Kamel Abu Mgheiseb, 35, Raed Abdul-Rahman Abu Mgheiseb, 35, Nader Abdul-Rahman Abu Mgheiseb, 35, and Ahmad Mohammad Ramadan, 30.
In Rafah, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip, Israeli missiles struck a number of homes killed three Palestinians identified as Khalaf Atiyya Abu Sneima, 18, Khalil Atiyya Abu Sneima, 20, and Samih Abu Jalala, 64.
Also in Rafah, two elderly sisters were killed as the army fire more missiles into homes in the eastern area of the city. They have been identified as Hakima Nafe’ Abu ‘Adwan, 75, and Najah Nafe’ Abu Adwan, 85.
Israeli missiles also struck several homes in Gaza City, causing at least four deaths and dozens of injuries. The Ministry of Health in Gaza said residents Mohammad Shehada Hajjaj, 31, Fawza Saleh Abdul-Rahman Hajjaj, 66, and Rawan Ziad Jom’a Hajjaj, 28.
Rescue teams that are still trying to locate Palestinian, buried under the rubble of bombarded homes in the Shuja’eyya neighborhood, in Gaza, located the body of resident Mos’ab Nafeth al-Ejla, 30.
The remains of residents Tareq Fayez Hajjaj, 22, and Ahmad Ziad Hajjaj, 21, were found under the rubble of the Salam Residential Tower in Gaza.
One Palestinian was killed, and several others were injured, in the al-Maghazi refugee camp, in Gaza. The slain Palestinian has been identified as Hasan Sha’ban Khamisy, 28.
Another Palestinian, identified as Ahmad As’ad al-Boudi, 24, was killed after Israeli missiles struck his home in Beit Lahia, in northern Gaza.
Resident Mahmoud Salim Daraj, 22, died of wounds suffered earlier Tuesday in Jabalia, in northern Gaza, while resident Ahmad Salah Abu Seedo, 17, was killed by Israeli shells in the al-Mahatta area, north of Gaza City.
The Ministry of Health in Gaza said the army committed 41 massacres against entire families, since the aggression started, killing more than 222 Palestinians, most of their children, women and elderly.
It voiced an appeal to the International Community to provide protection to medical center, medics, rescue teams and the civilians, especially since the army is deliberately targeting hospitals and medics. The army is also targeting reporters, and media agencies, killing some and wounding several others.
Until midnight Tuesday, the number of Palestinians killed since June 8 arrived to 631 Palestinians, including 161 children, and 66 women.
At least 4010 Palestinians, including 1213 children, 698 women and 161 elderly, have been injured.
Yesterday, Israel's high court ruled that the state is not obligated to provide bomb shelters to its Bedouin citizens, following an incident in which a Bedouin man was killed and his family injured by a rocket which hit his encampment on Saturday, in the Negev Desert.
The ruling came in response to a petition filed by local Bedouin and human rights organizations who appealed to Israel for provision of mobile bomb shelters to desert-dwelling residents.
About 200,000 Bedouin are considered citizens of Israel, according to the Palestinian News Network, half of them living in villages throughout the Negev.
And, since many of these villages are not recognized by Israel, residents are forbidden from constructing their own shelters, and have no protection under the Iron Dome defense system, which was, in fact, recently described by an Israeli defense expert to be one of the biggest bluffs that he'd ever seen.
During the family's court hearing, an Israeli state attorney was quoted by the PNN as suggesting to lie on the ground as an alternative to a bomb shelter:
"Bomb shelters are a last resort from a security perspective. Lying on the ground reduces danger by 80%".
As of the time of this report, several international airlines have ceased flights to and from Israel indefinitely, citing, ironically enough: "security concerns", while the international community hangs suspended in state of horror over the death and devastation currently being inflicted upon the people of Gaza by Israel.
Hundreds, mostly civilians, have been killed -- young, old, entire families -- and thousands injured, with tens of thousands now seeking shelter at a small number of UNRWA schools located in the region.
The ruling came in response to a petition filed by local Bedouin and human rights organizations who appealed to Israel for provision of mobile bomb shelters to desert-dwelling residents.
About 200,000 Bedouin are considered citizens of Israel, according to the Palestinian News Network, half of them living in villages throughout the Negev.
And, since many of these villages are not recognized by Israel, residents are forbidden from constructing their own shelters, and have no protection under the Iron Dome defense system, which was, in fact, recently described by an Israeli defense expert to be one of the biggest bluffs that he'd ever seen.
During the family's court hearing, an Israeli state attorney was quoted by the PNN as suggesting to lie on the ground as an alternative to a bomb shelter:
"Bomb shelters are a last resort from a security perspective. Lying on the ground reduces danger by 80%".
As of the time of this report, several international airlines have ceased flights to and from Israel indefinitely, citing, ironically enough: "security concerns", while the international community hangs suspended in state of horror over the death and devastation currently being inflicted upon the people of Gaza by Israel.
Hundreds, mostly civilians, have been killed -- young, old, entire families -- and thousands injured, with tens of thousands now seeking shelter at a small number of UNRWA schools located in the region.
