23 july 2014
Washington's top diplomat said global efforts to end 16 days of bloodshed in Gaza were progressing Wednesday as the fighting raged on and airlines suspended flights over rocket fears.
As US and UN diplomats continued intensive diplomacy to end the violence, the Islamist Hamas movement hailed the suspension of Tel Aviv flights by many world airlines as a "great victory."
"The success of Hamas in closing Israeli airspace is a great victory for the resistance, and is the crown of Israel's failure," spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said as the air space over Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion fell silent after a rocket landed close to the runway on Tuesday.
As US Secretary of State John Kerry and UN chief Ban Ki-moon held talks in Jerusalem, they appeared cautiously optimistic, saying they had pooled their efforts in the hope of boosting the quest for a truce in a conflict that has killed 685 Gazans, 34 Israelis and a foreign worker.
"We have certainly made some steps forward, but there is still work to be done," Kerry said as he met the UN chief for the second time this week.
"We are now joining our forces in strength to make a ceasefire as soon as possible," Ban said, warning there was no time to lose as concern mounted over the rising civilian body count.
The US diplomat offered a similar message to the Palestinians as he met president Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank city of Ramallah.
"We have in the last 24 hours made some progress in moving toward that goal," he said before heading to Tel Aviv for talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Britain was also poised to add its weight to truce efforts with the arrival of new Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond for late-night talks with Abbas, the president's office said.
Hundreds shelter in church
But neither Israel nor Hamas showed any indication of being ready to cease fire, despite days of diplomatic efforts to coax them into a truce.
Palestinian medics said at least 54 people were killed on Wednesday, hiking the death toll to 685 with a Gaza-based rights group saying more than 80 percent of them were civilians.
Most of Wednesday's dead were in Khuzaa on the Israeli border, close to the southern city of Khan Yunis, the scene of very heavy fighting since before dawn.
And in Israel, the army confirmed three more soldiers were killed in combat on Wednesday, raising to 32 the total number of soldiers killed since the start of a ground operation on July 17.
A foreign worker also died when a rocket fired from Gaza struck the greenhouse where he was working in southern Israel, police said, without specifying his nationality.
On the ground, the fighting was briefly suspended in several flashpoint areas to allow ambulances to retrieve the wounded, the International Committee of the Red Cross said.
A spokeswoman said seven ambulances had entered Shejaiya near Gaza City and another nine ambulances had entered Khuzaa, while a third convoy had entered Beit Hanoun in the north, although there was no immediate word on how many people they had rescued.
In Gaza City, hundreds of people, mostly women and children, packed into the pews of Saint Prophyrios Greek Orthodox church seeking shelter from the violence outside.
"Many of them, their houses are destroyed. Many people have been injured or killed. So we try to help these people," said Archbishop Alexios, one of Gaza's tiny community of 1,500 Christians.
Kerry's arrival in Tel Aviv came a day after a Gaza rocket struck close to the airport, prompting the US Federal Aviation Authority to ban commercial flights to and from Israel for at least 24 hours.
It renewed the ban for another 24 hours on Wednesday, citing the "potentially hazardous situation."
And its European counterpart advised all carriers to avoid Tel Aviv "until further notice" in a moved mirrored Wednesday by Royal Jordanian and Turkish Airlines, prompting Hamas to hail a "great victory."
UN slams Israel, Hamas
Kerry began his regional mission in Cairo, discussing ceasefire proposals with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, that he said provided a "framework" to end the fighting.
An initial Egyptian proposal calling for a halt to hostilities ahead of talks was accepted by Israel early last week but rejected by Hamas, which wants agreement on a comprehensive package before holding its fire.
As the violence raged on, UN rights chief Navi Pillay condemned both Israel and Hamas at an emergency session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.
She said Israeli attacks which had killed civilians, among them children, "could amount to war crimes" but also denounced Hamas for its "indiscriminate attacks" on Israeli civilians.
The Gaza-based Palestinian Center for Human Rights said 81.5 percent of the dead were civilians, 24 percent of them children.
Of the 3,457 wounded, half were women or children, it added.
The UN Human Rights Council voted to launch a probe into Israel's Gaza offensive, backing efforts by the Palestinians to hold Israel up to international scrutiny.
The United States was the sole member to vote against, while European countries abstained.
As US and UN diplomats continued intensive diplomacy to end the violence, the Islamist Hamas movement hailed the suspension of Tel Aviv flights by many world airlines as a "great victory."
"The success of Hamas in closing Israeli airspace is a great victory for the resistance, and is the crown of Israel's failure," spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said as the air space over Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion fell silent after a rocket landed close to the runway on Tuesday.
As US Secretary of State John Kerry and UN chief Ban Ki-moon held talks in Jerusalem, they appeared cautiously optimistic, saying they had pooled their efforts in the hope of boosting the quest for a truce in a conflict that has killed 685 Gazans, 34 Israelis and a foreign worker.
"We have certainly made some steps forward, but there is still work to be done," Kerry said as he met the UN chief for the second time this week.
"We are now joining our forces in strength to make a ceasefire as soon as possible," Ban said, warning there was no time to lose as concern mounted over the rising civilian body count.
The US diplomat offered a similar message to the Palestinians as he met president Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank city of Ramallah.
"We have in the last 24 hours made some progress in moving toward that goal," he said before heading to Tel Aviv for talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Britain was also poised to add its weight to truce efforts with the arrival of new Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond for late-night talks with Abbas, the president's office said.
Hundreds shelter in church
But neither Israel nor Hamas showed any indication of being ready to cease fire, despite days of diplomatic efforts to coax them into a truce.
Palestinian medics said at least 54 people were killed on Wednesday, hiking the death toll to 685 with a Gaza-based rights group saying more than 80 percent of them were civilians.
Most of Wednesday's dead were in Khuzaa on the Israeli border, close to the southern city of Khan Yunis, the scene of very heavy fighting since before dawn.
And in Israel, the army confirmed three more soldiers were killed in combat on Wednesday, raising to 32 the total number of soldiers killed since the start of a ground operation on July 17.
A foreign worker also died when a rocket fired from Gaza struck the greenhouse where he was working in southern Israel, police said, without specifying his nationality.
On the ground, the fighting was briefly suspended in several flashpoint areas to allow ambulances to retrieve the wounded, the International Committee of the Red Cross said.
A spokeswoman said seven ambulances had entered Shejaiya near Gaza City and another nine ambulances had entered Khuzaa, while a third convoy had entered Beit Hanoun in the north, although there was no immediate word on how many people they had rescued.
In Gaza City, hundreds of people, mostly women and children, packed into the pews of Saint Prophyrios Greek Orthodox church seeking shelter from the violence outside.
"Many of them, their houses are destroyed. Many people have been injured or killed. So we try to help these people," said Archbishop Alexios, one of Gaza's tiny community of 1,500 Christians.
Kerry's arrival in Tel Aviv came a day after a Gaza rocket struck close to the airport, prompting the US Federal Aviation Authority to ban commercial flights to and from Israel for at least 24 hours.
It renewed the ban for another 24 hours on Wednesday, citing the "potentially hazardous situation."
And its European counterpart advised all carriers to avoid Tel Aviv "until further notice" in a moved mirrored Wednesday by Royal Jordanian and Turkish Airlines, prompting Hamas to hail a "great victory."
UN slams Israel, Hamas
Kerry began his regional mission in Cairo, discussing ceasefire proposals with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, that he said provided a "framework" to end the fighting.
An initial Egyptian proposal calling for a halt to hostilities ahead of talks was accepted by Israel early last week but rejected by Hamas, which wants agreement on a comprehensive package before holding its fire.
As the violence raged on, UN rights chief Navi Pillay condemned both Israel and Hamas at an emergency session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.
She said Israeli attacks which had killed civilians, among them children, "could amount to war crimes" but also denounced Hamas for its "indiscriminate attacks" on Israeli civilians.
The Gaza-based Palestinian Center for Human Rights said 81.5 percent of the dead were civilians, 24 percent of them children.
Of the 3,457 wounded, half were women or children, it added.
The UN Human Rights Council voted to launch a probe into Israel's Gaza offensive, backing efforts by the Palestinians to hold Israel up to international scrutiny.
The United States was the sole member to vote against, while European countries abstained.
Thirteen Palestinians have been killed since sundown as a result of Israeli strikes on Gaza, an official said in a statement.
Ashraf al-Qidra, a spokesman for the Palestinian health ministry, said that three Palestinians were killed in a strike on Sheikh Zayid towers in northern Gaza.
He identified the three as Ayman Adham Yusif al-Haj, 16, Bilal Ali Ahmad Abu Athra, 24, and Abd al-Karim Naser Saleh Abu Jarmi, 24.
In the Zaytoun neighborhood of eastern Gaza City, al-Qidra said two Palestinians died in an Israeli strike -- Nayif Fayiz al-Thatha, 24, and Hazim Naem Aqel, 17.
Six Palestinians died in Israeli attacks on al-Qarrara in eastern Khan Younis, he added.
He identified them as Ibrahim Amr al-Hallaq, 40, Wael Maher Awwad, 23, Issam Ismail Abu Shaqra, 42, Mohammad Ahmad Akram Abu Shaqea, 17, Abd al-Rahman Ibrahim Abu Shaqra, 17, and another unidentified man.
Alaa Jihad Ali Khattab, 25, was killed by Israeli fire in Dier al-Balah.
Abd al-Kadir Jamil al-Khaldi was killed in al-Buriej, he added.
Ashraf al-Qidra, a spokesman for the Palestinian health ministry, said that three Palestinians were killed in a strike on Sheikh Zayid towers in northern Gaza.
He identified the three as Ayman Adham Yusif al-Haj, 16, Bilal Ali Ahmad Abu Athra, 24, and Abd al-Karim Naser Saleh Abu Jarmi, 24.
In the Zaytoun neighborhood of eastern Gaza City, al-Qidra said two Palestinians died in an Israeli strike -- Nayif Fayiz al-Thatha, 24, and Hazim Naem Aqel, 17.
Six Palestinians died in Israeli attacks on al-Qarrara in eastern Khan Younis, he added.
He identified them as Ibrahim Amr al-Hallaq, 40, Wael Maher Awwad, 23, Issam Ismail Abu Shaqra, 42, Mohammad Ahmad Akram Abu Shaqea, 17, Abd al-Rahman Ibrahim Abu Shaqra, 17, and another unidentified man.
Alaa Jihad Ali Khattab, 25, was killed by Israeli fire in Dier al-Balah.
Abd al-Kadir Jamil al-Khaldi was killed in al-Buriej, he added.
A traveller stands in front of a departure time flight board displaying various cancellations at Ben Gurion International airport, near Tel Aviv, on July 23, 2014
The US Federal Aviation Administration on Wednesday renewed its ban on American flights to Tel Aviv for another 24 hours, citing the "potentially hazardous situation" in Israel and Gaza.
It first imposed the ban on Tuesday, then renewed it at 1615 GMT with a Notice to Airmen, or NOTAM, that it said would be updated "within 24 hours."
In a press statement, the FAA added that it is "working closely" with the Israeli government "to review the significant new information they have provided and determine whether potential risks to US civil aviation are mitigated so the agency can resolve concerns as quickly as possible."
The FAA prohibited US airlines from going into or out of Ben Gurion International Airport, Israel's only international hub, after a Hamas rocket struck a neighborhood to the north of the airport.
The US Federal Aviation Administration on Wednesday renewed its ban on American flights to Tel Aviv for another 24 hours, citing the "potentially hazardous situation" in Israel and Gaza.
It first imposed the ban on Tuesday, then renewed it at 1615 GMT with a Notice to Airmen, or NOTAM, that it said would be updated "within 24 hours."
In a press statement, the FAA added that it is "working closely" with the Israeli government "to review the significant new information they have provided and determine whether potential risks to US civil aviation are mitigated so the agency can resolve concerns as quickly as possible."
The FAA prohibited US airlines from going into or out of Ben Gurion International Airport, Israel's only international hub, after a Hamas rocket struck a neighborhood to the north of the airport.
The UN Human Rights Council on Wednesday launched a probe into Israel's Gaza offensive, backing efforts by the Palestinians to hold Israel up to international scrutiny.
The 46-member council backed a Palestinian-drafted resolution by 29 votes, with Arab and fellow Muslim countries joined by China, Russia, and Latin American and African nations.
The United States was the sole member to vote against, while European countries abstained.
Israel's latest offensive on Gaza, dubbed "Operation Protective Edge," has left over 650 Palestinians dead, most of them civilians. Over 4,000 Palestinians have been injured.
Thirty-one Israelis, all but two of them soldiers, have also died in the fighting, in addition to a foreign civilian worker who died Wednesday after being hit by mortar fire in southern Israel.
The 46-member council backed a Palestinian-drafted resolution by 29 votes, with Arab and fellow Muslim countries joined by China, Russia, and Latin American and African nations.
The United States was the sole member to vote against, while European countries abstained.
Israel's latest offensive on Gaza, dubbed "Operation Protective Edge," has left over 650 Palestinians dead, most of them civilians. Over 4,000 Palestinians have been injured.
Thirty-one Israelis, all but two of them soldiers, have also died in the fighting, in addition to a foreign civilian worker who died Wednesday after being hit by mortar fire in southern Israel.
Palestinians marched through Ramallah on Wednesday carrying 500 symbolic coffins with the names of people killed by Israeli forces in Gaza, a Ma'an reporter said.
The rally was organized by the municipalities of Ramallah, al-Bireh, and Beituniya as a protest against the Israeli offensive on Gaza.
Laila Ghannam, the governor of the Ramallah and al-Bireh district, participated in the rally, along with members of Fatah's central committee.
"Palestinians are united and cannot be divided," Ghannam said at the rally.
"The blood of children is a stigma on the forehead of the silent world that claims to respect human rights," she added.
"The blood of our people in the West Bank is mixed with the blood of Gazans. The blood is one, the decision is one, and the goal is one."
Israel's latest offensive on Gaza, dubbed "Operation Protective Edge," has left over 650 Palestinians dead, most of them civilians. Over 4,000 Palestinians have been injured.
Thirty-one Israelis, all but two of them soldiers, have also died in the fighting, in addition to a foreign civilian worker who died Wednesday after being hit by mortar fire in southern Israel.
The rally was organized by the municipalities of Ramallah, al-Bireh, and Beituniya as a protest against the Israeli offensive on Gaza.
Laila Ghannam, the governor of the Ramallah and al-Bireh district, participated in the rally, along with members of Fatah's central committee.
"Palestinians are united and cannot be divided," Ghannam said at the rally.
"The blood of children is a stigma on the forehead of the silent world that claims to respect human rights," she added.
"The blood of our people in the West Bank is mixed with the blood of Gazans. The blood is one, the decision is one, and the goal is one."
Israel's latest offensive on Gaza, dubbed "Operation Protective Edge," has left over 650 Palestinians dead, most of them civilians. Over 4,000 Palestinians have been injured.
Thirty-one Israelis, all but two of them soldiers, have also died in the fighting, in addition to a foreign civilian worker who died Wednesday after being hit by mortar fire in southern Israel.
Israeli soldiers evacuate their wounded comrades at an army deployment area near the border with the Gaza Strip, on July 23, 2014
Three Israeli soldiers were killed in fighting inside the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, the army said, taking the total number of military deaths in the past six days to 32.
"Today, three IDF soldiers were killed in combat in the Gaza Strip," a statement said.
It said two soldiers were also severely wounded in ongoing fighting in the coastal enclave where Israel launched a ground operation on July 17, the goal of which, according to the army, was to destroy network of tunnels used by Palestinian militants for cross-border attacks.
Earlier Wednesday, Islamic Jihad's military wing said that its fighters had killed three Israeli soldiers in the southern Gaza Strip.
The al-Quds Brigades said in a statement that its militants had set up an ambush al-Khuzaa near Khan Younis, killing three soldiers.
An Israeli army spokeswoman did not comment on the claim.
Over 650 Palestinians, most of them civilians, have been killed since Israel's latest offensive on the Strip started on July 8.
Three Israeli soldiers were killed in fighting inside the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, the army said, taking the total number of military deaths in the past six days to 32.
"Today, three IDF soldiers were killed in combat in the Gaza Strip," a statement said.
It said two soldiers were also severely wounded in ongoing fighting in the coastal enclave where Israel launched a ground operation on July 17, the goal of which, according to the army, was to destroy network of tunnels used by Palestinian militants for cross-border attacks.
Earlier Wednesday, Islamic Jihad's military wing said that its fighters had killed three Israeli soldiers in the southern Gaza Strip.
The al-Quds Brigades said in a statement that its militants had set up an ambush al-Khuzaa near Khan Younis, killing three soldiers.
An Israeli army spokeswoman did not comment on the claim.
Over 650 Palestinians, most of them civilians, have been killed since Israel's latest offensive on the Strip started on July 8.
Khaled Hamad, killed by Israeli forces when ambulance was targeted
Following the killing of several journalists, airstrikes on media headquarters and targeting of Al Jazeera offices, the Palestinian Journalist Union issued a statement condemning what they say is the deliberate targeting of journalists by Israeli forces.
The statement comes in the midst of ongoing Israeli bombing of Gazan civilians and infrastructure.
On Tuesday and Wednesday, July 22nd and 23rd, airstrikes targeting the cell phone towers and power plants of Gaza have severely impacted communications between journalists in Gaza and the outside world.
The only cellphone company that operates in Gaza has announced that it will have to shut off service completely in the next couple of days, due to severe damage to its towers.
Since Israel’s offensive in Gaza began on July 8th, there have been a number of incidents in which the deliberate targeting of journalists in Gaza has been documented.
In the most recent incident, on Tuesday, Al Jazeera’s offices in Gaza City were fired upon. The office is located in the al-Jala Building, which houses reporters working for Al Jazeera, the Associated Press and the Doha Center for Freedom of the Press.
In the Al Jazeera incident, reporter Stefanie Dekker said, “Two very precise shots were fired straight into our building”, leading to the evacuation of all the reporters working there.
The Palestinian Journalist Union said in their statement, “We vehemently condemn such Israeli attacks against journalists in Gaza Strip and West Bank. These include injuring Palestine Today reporter Sami Thabet in a bombardment on Gaza-based Shuhada Al-Aqsa hospital as well as shooting and injuring Palestine Today reporter Ahmad Al-Budeiri and Palestine TV reporter Sara Al- ‘Adra in Ramallah and Jerusalem.”
The Committee to Protect Journalists issued an advisory on Monday after a Palestinian cameraman was killed during the Israeli ground assault on Shuja’eyya, in eastern Gaza City.
According to the Committee, “Khaled Reyadh Hamad was working on a film for the local Continue Production Films about the dangers Palestinian medics face while working in Gaza, the company's owner, Alaa Alool, told CPJ. Hamad was accompanying an ambulance in Shuja’eyya when the vehicle was hit by a shell fired by Israeli forces, Alool said. A second shell hit, killing the journalist and Fouad Jaber, a Palestinian medic, Alool said.”
The Israeli military responded that journalists were ‘being used as human shields’, but presented no evidence to support the claim. Evidence provided by on-the-ground witnesses and groups refutes Israel’s claim.
"It is tragic that a cameraman documenting the dangers faced by medics seeking to help civilians caught in this relentless fighting should himself be killed," said Sherif Mansour. CPJ's Middle East and North Africa program coordinator. "Journalists in Gaza are not allowing themselves to be used as shields. They are trying to do their job. As such, they should be treated as civilians and afforded protection under international law."
Prior to Israel’s invasion of Gaza, the international group Reporters Without Borders had documented a number of incidents of targeting of journalists, beginning in early June.
The group reported:
“On 5 July, a team from the Palestine Today TV station came under Israeli army fire while broadcasting live from the scene of confrontations in Al-Tur neighborhood in East Jerusalem. Journalist Ahmed Al-Budeiri was wounded in the shoulder and stomach. His cameraman, Ahmed Jaber was hit in the eye. Technician Walid Matar, suffered a head wound. Meanwhile, Ahmed Al-Khatib, a correspondent for the Hamas station, Al-Aqsa TV was arrested in Tulkarem.
“A few days earlier, on 2 July, a large number of journalists covering demonstrations at Shuafat, following the murder of a young Palestinian were wounded by fire from Israeli security forces.
“Tali Mayer, a photographer for the Activestills site and Walla News! was seriously wounded by a sponge-tipped bullet to the face. Her colleague, Oren Ziv, was hit in the arm.” The full list of incidents in June and early July is documented on the group’s website.
Following the killing of several journalists, airstrikes on media headquarters and targeting of Al Jazeera offices, the Palestinian Journalist Union issued a statement condemning what they say is the deliberate targeting of journalists by Israeli forces.
The statement comes in the midst of ongoing Israeli bombing of Gazan civilians and infrastructure.
On Tuesday and Wednesday, July 22nd and 23rd, airstrikes targeting the cell phone towers and power plants of Gaza have severely impacted communications between journalists in Gaza and the outside world.
The only cellphone company that operates in Gaza has announced that it will have to shut off service completely in the next couple of days, due to severe damage to its towers.
Since Israel’s offensive in Gaza began on July 8th, there have been a number of incidents in which the deliberate targeting of journalists in Gaza has been documented.
In the most recent incident, on Tuesday, Al Jazeera’s offices in Gaza City were fired upon. The office is located in the al-Jala Building, which houses reporters working for Al Jazeera, the Associated Press and the Doha Center for Freedom of the Press.
In the Al Jazeera incident, reporter Stefanie Dekker said, “Two very precise shots were fired straight into our building”, leading to the evacuation of all the reporters working there.
The Palestinian Journalist Union said in their statement, “We vehemently condemn such Israeli attacks against journalists in Gaza Strip and West Bank. These include injuring Palestine Today reporter Sami Thabet in a bombardment on Gaza-based Shuhada Al-Aqsa hospital as well as shooting and injuring Palestine Today reporter Ahmad Al-Budeiri and Palestine TV reporter Sara Al- ‘Adra in Ramallah and Jerusalem.”
The Committee to Protect Journalists issued an advisory on Monday after a Palestinian cameraman was killed during the Israeli ground assault on Shuja’eyya, in eastern Gaza City.
According to the Committee, “Khaled Reyadh Hamad was working on a film for the local Continue Production Films about the dangers Palestinian medics face while working in Gaza, the company's owner, Alaa Alool, told CPJ. Hamad was accompanying an ambulance in Shuja’eyya when the vehicle was hit by a shell fired by Israeli forces, Alool said. A second shell hit, killing the journalist and Fouad Jaber, a Palestinian medic, Alool said.”
The Israeli military responded that journalists were ‘being used as human shields’, but presented no evidence to support the claim. Evidence provided by on-the-ground witnesses and groups refutes Israel’s claim.
"It is tragic that a cameraman documenting the dangers faced by medics seeking to help civilians caught in this relentless fighting should himself be killed," said Sherif Mansour. CPJ's Middle East and North Africa program coordinator. "Journalists in Gaza are not allowing themselves to be used as shields. They are trying to do their job. As such, they should be treated as civilians and afforded protection under international law."
Prior to Israel’s invasion of Gaza, the international group Reporters Without Borders had documented a number of incidents of targeting of journalists, beginning in early June.
The group reported:
“On 5 July, a team from the Palestine Today TV station came under Israeli army fire while broadcasting live from the scene of confrontations in Al-Tur neighborhood in East Jerusalem. Journalist Ahmed Al-Budeiri was wounded in the shoulder and stomach. His cameraman, Ahmed Jaber was hit in the eye. Technician Walid Matar, suffered a head wound. Meanwhile, Ahmed Al-Khatib, a correspondent for the Hamas station, Al-Aqsa TV was arrested in Tulkarem.
“A few days earlier, on 2 July, a large number of journalists covering demonstrations at Shuafat, following the murder of a young Palestinian were wounded by fire from Israeli security forces.
“Tali Mayer, a photographer for the Activestills site and Walla News! was seriously wounded by a sponge-tipped bullet to the face. Her colleague, Oren Ziv, was hit in the arm.” The full list of incidents in June and early July is documented on the group’s website.
The continued Israeli offensive across the Gaza Strip on Wednesday afternoon left 32 Palestinians dead, bringing the total number killed since midnight to 56 as world and local leaders scrambled to arrange a ceasefire.
The high total on Wednesday afternoon came as Israeli forces continued their land invasion of the besieged coastal enclave while shelling and airstrikes bombarded the area from land and sea. The total death toll since the beginning of the operation 16 days ago has now reached 680, while at least 4,000 have been injured.
The Israeli military said on Wednesday that more than 60 access shafts leading to some 28 tunnels apparently belonging to Palestinian militants have been found, and around 4:30 p.m. said that they had struck over 70 sites across the Strip.
Israel originally claimed the operation in Gaza was meant to end rocket fire from Gaza, which had increased after an Israeli offensive in the West Bank began in June, but has since focused on attacking tunnels that it says Palestinians have used to attack Israeli soldiers.
The military also announced that two more soldiers had been killed by Palestinian militants in clashes in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, bringing the total death toll to 31, 29 of whom were soldiers. A foreign worker in southern Israel, meanwhile, was killed by a mortar on Wednesday.
On the ground, Saint Prophyrios Greek Orthodox church in Gaza City was packed to overflowing as hundreds of people, mostly women and children, sought shelter after escaping the inferno of neighboring areas like Shujaiyya, where Israeli forces have killed nearly a hundred in intense fighting in recent days.
"Many of them, their houses are destroyed. Many people have been injured or killed. So we try to help these people," said Archbishop Alexios, one of Gaza's 1,500 Palestinian Christians.
Some progress, more needed
On Wednesday, Kerry flew in from Cairo for whirlwind talks in Jerusalem and Ramallah, despite a US aviation warning on flights into Israel after a rocket struck near the runway a day earlier.
"We have certainly made some steps forward, but there is still work to be done," Kerry said in Jerusalem at the start of a meeting with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon whom he also met in Cairo on Monday.
The UN chief warned there was no time to lose.
"We are now joining our forces in strength to make a ceasefire as soon as possible," he said.
Kerry then went to the West Bank city of Ramallah for talks with Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas, and was later to return to Tel Aviv for talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He was expected to return to Cairo in the evening.
Meanwhile, top Fatah official Azzam al-Ahmad said that a ceasefire was being "finalized," adding that there had been "significant progress" hopes were high that the coming hours would be critical in ending the siege on Palestinians and the Gaza Strip.
An earlier attempt to push through an Egyptian-brokered ceasefire failed after Hamas said it had not been consulted on the ceasefire before its announcement, while Israel used the occasion to step up its attack and launch a ground invasion.
Hamas has since offered the possibility of ceasefire conditional on the end of a seven-year blockade that has crippled the Gaza Strip's economy and infrastructure.
On the eve of Kerry's visit, Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas pledged Israel would be held accountable for the bloodshed in Gaza.
Abbas, who has been holding truce talks in Doha with Hamas' exiled leader Khaled Meshaal, called for "widespread popular protest" in solidarity with Gaza.
Protests have erupted across the West Bank in recent weeks in solidarity with Gaza, with one dead early Wednesday and at least another killed earlier in the week as Israeli forces violently dispersed demonstrations.
There has been a growing wave of protest across the West Bank and in Palestinian towns in Israel, with police saying they had arrested 800 Palestinian citizens of Israelis and another 295 from East Jerusalem in the past three weeks in protests which began before the July 8 start of Israel's Gaza campaign.
32 Gazans killed in 5 hours
The number of Palestinians killed in the Israeli assault soared on Wednesday afternoon to more than 30, Gaza medical authorities said.
Ahmad Sihweil was killed in an Israeli airstrike that targeted a group of people in al-Qarrara in eastern Khan Younis.
Raid al-Radee, and Ziyad al-Radee, and their child Salma were killed during an Israeli attack on Beit Lahiya.
Youssef Hammuda and Wael Assaf were killed in Israeli shelling in northern Gaza
Five Palestinians who have not yet been identified were killed in Israeli shelling in northern Gaza Strip.
Medics recovered the body of Hussam Ayman Ayyad, 24, after an attack on his home in Shujaiyyeh.
Muhammad Sami Umran, 26, was killed in Israeli shelling in the city of Khan Younis.
Manal Muhammad al-Astal, 45, was also killed.
Medics pulled the body of a child named Jana al-Muqataa out from under the rubble of her house that was targeted by Israeli warplanes in central Gaza Strip.
Sabrin al-Muqataa was killed in an airstrike targeting her house in central Gaza.
Ahmad al-Bulbul was killed in an airstrike that targeted Bulbul family house in eastern Gaza City.
Fathiya Nadi Muammar, 70, was killed and five were injured in airstrikes that targeted the Muammar family house in eastern Rafah.
Rescue teams managed to pull three dead bodies from rubble in al-Qarara east of Khan Younis. Medical sources identified two of the victims as 29-year-old Hasan Khalil Salh Abu Jamous, Muhammad Farid al-Astal. The third body is yet to be identified.
Furthermore, medical sources in Gaza announced the death of Muhammad Abdul-Raoof al-Dada in the Zaytoun neighborhood.
Separately, rescue teams pulled bodies of Mahmoud al-Abadlah and Nour al-Abadla in al-Qarara.
The high total on Wednesday afternoon came as Israeli forces continued their land invasion of the besieged coastal enclave while shelling and airstrikes bombarded the area from land and sea. The total death toll since the beginning of the operation 16 days ago has now reached 680, while at least 4,000 have been injured.
The Israeli military said on Wednesday that more than 60 access shafts leading to some 28 tunnels apparently belonging to Palestinian militants have been found, and around 4:30 p.m. said that they had struck over 70 sites across the Strip.
Israel originally claimed the operation in Gaza was meant to end rocket fire from Gaza, which had increased after an Israeli offensive in the West Bank began in June, but has since focused on attacking tunnels that it says Palestinians have used to attack Israeli soldiers.
The military also announced that two more soldiers had been killed by Palestinian militants in clashes in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, bringing the total death toll to 31, 29 of whom were soldiers. A foreign worker in southern Israel, meanwhile, was killed by a mortar on Wednesday.
On the ground, Saint Prophyrios Greek Orthodox church in Gaza City was packed to overflowing as hundreds of people, mostly women and children, sought shelter after escaping the inferno of neighboring areas like Shujaiyya, where Israeli forces have killed nearly a hundred in intense fighting in recent days.
"Many of them, their houses are destroyed. Many people have been injured or killed. So we try to help these people," said Archbishop Alexios, one of Gaza's 1,500 Palestinian Christians.
Some progress, more needed
On Wednesday, Kerry flew in from Cairo for whirlwind talks in Jerusalem and Ramallah, despite a US aviation warning on flights into Israel after a rocket struck near the runway a day earlier.
"We have certainly made some steps forward, but there is still work to be done," Kerry said in Jerusalem at the start of a meeting with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon whom he also met in Cairo on Monday.
The UN chief warned there was no time to lose.
"We are now joining our forces in strength to make a ceasefire as soon as possible," he said.
Kerry then went to the West Bank city of Ramallah for talks with Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas, and was later to return to Tel Aviv for talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He was expected to return to Cairo in the evening.
Meanwhile, top Fatah official Azzam al-Ahmad said that a ceasefire was being "finalized," adding that there had been "significant progress" hopes were high that the coming hours would be critical in ending the siege on Palestinians and the Gaza Strip.
An earlier attempt to push through an Egyptian-brokered ceasefire failed after Hamas said it had not been consulted on the ceasefire before its announcement, while Israel used the occasion to step up its attack and launch a ground invasion.
Hamas has since offered the possibility of ceasefire conditional on the end of a seven-year blockade that has crippled the Gaza Strip's economy and infrastructure.
On the eve of Kerry's visit, Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas pledged Israel would be held accountable for the bloodshed in Gaza.
Abbas, who has been holding truce talks in Doha with Hamas' exiled leader Khaled Meshaal, called for "widespread popular protest" in solidarity with Gaza.
Protests have erupted across the West Bank in recent weeks in solidarity with Gaza, with one dead early Wednesday and at least another killed earlier in the week as Israeli forces violently dispersed demonstrations.
There has been a growing wave of protest across the West Bank and in Palestinian towns in Israel, with police saying they had arrested 800 Palestinian citizens of Israelis and another 295 from East Jerusalem in the past three weeks in protests which began before the July 8 start of Israel's Gaza campaign.
32 Gazans killed in 5 hours
The number of Palestinians killed in the Israeli assault soared on Wednesday afternoon to more than 30, Gaza medical authorities said.
Ahmad Sihweil was killed in an Israeli airstrike that targeted a group of people in al-Qarrara in eastern Khan Younis.
Raid al-Radee, and Ziyad al-Radee, and their child Salma were killed during an Israeli attack on Beit Lahiya.
Youssef Hammuda and Wael Assaf were killed in Israeli shelling in northern Gaza
Five Palestinians who have not yet been identified were killed in Israeli shelling in northern Gaza Strip.
Medics recovered the body of Hussam Ayman Ayyad, 24, after an attack on his home in Shujaiyyeh.
Muhammad Sami Umran, 26, was killed in Israeli shelling in the city of Khan Younis.
Manal Muhammad al-Astal, 45, was also killed.
Medics pulled the body of a child named Jana al-Muqataa out from under the rubble of her house that was targeted by Israeli warplanes in central Gaza Strip.
Sabrin al-Muqataa was killed in an airstrike targeting her house in central Gaza.
Ahmad al-Bulbul was killed in an airstrike that targeted Bulbul family house in eastern Gaza City.
Fathiya Nadi Muammar, 70, was killed and five were injured in airstrikes that targeted the Muammar family house in eastern Rafah.
Rescue teams managed to pull three dead bodies from rubble in al-Qarara east of Khan Younis. Medical sources identified two of the victims as 29-year-old Hasan Khalil Salh Abu Jamous, Muhammad Farid al-Astal. The third body is yet to be identified.
Furthermore, medical sources in Gaza announced the death of Muhammad Abdul-Raoof al-Dada in the Zaytoun neighborhood.
Separately, rescue teams pulled bodies of Mahmoud al-Abadlah and Nour al-Abadla in al-Qarara.
A foreign worker in southern Israel died after being hit by a mortar round fired from the Gaza Strip, police said on Wednesday.
"There was a foreign worker killed by a mortar," police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld told AFP, bringing the number of civilians in Israel killed by Gaza fire to three in 16 days of violence.
More than 650 Palestinians and 29 Israeli soldiers have also been killed in the Gaza fighting which began on July 8.
"There was a foreign worker killed by a mortar," police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld told AFP, bringing the number of civilians in Israel killed by Gaza fire to three in 16 days of violence.
More than 650 Palestinians and 29 Israeli soldiers have also been killed in the Gaza fighting which began on July 8.
You find the photo's/video's disturbing? Remember, this is what Palestinian children see almost every day
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Video: Literally no to run for your life. 17 seconds between the warning missiles and the 1 ton F16 bomb to evacuate
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