3 aug 2014
A Palestinian columnist barely survived an Israeli airstrike on his apartment in the Burj al-Siddiq building in Gaza City on Sunday, he said.
Fahmi Sharab told reporters that he managed to escape along with his family members minutes before an Israeli airstrike hit the building, causing serious damage.
Despite the family's luck, however, they were unable to escape with any of their belongings, leaving them with nothing except the clothes on their backs.
Israel has highlighted its policy of launching dud missiles at homes targeted for airstrikes as a humanitarian approach to bombing, since it gives occupants a chance to flee before their homes are destroyed.
Critics point out, however, that the notice can be as little as a minute, leaving families scrambling to flee down staircases and unable to gather any belongings in the short time allotted.
Nine Palestinian journalists have been killed by Israel so far in the 27-day assault.
Fahmi Sharab told reporters that he managed to escape along with his family members minutes before an Israeli airstrike hit the building, causing serious damage.
Despite the family's luck, however, they were unable to escape with any of their belongings, leaving them with nothing except the clothes on their backs.
Israel has highlighted its policy of launching dud missiles at homes targeted for airstrikes as a humanitarian approach to bombing, since it gives occupants a chance to flee before their homes are destroyed.
Critics point out, however, that the notice can be as little as a minute, leaving families scrambling to flee down staircases and unable to gather any belongings in the short time allotted.
Nine Palestinian journalists have been killed by Israel so far in the 27-day assault.
Representatives of the PLO, Hamas, and Islamic Jihad arrived in Cairo on Saturday from their offices in the West Bank, Doha, Damascus, and Beirut, with Hamas officials from Gaza expected to join soon.
Despite the fact that Israel reiterated on Saturday that it had no interest in taking part in ceasefire talks, Palestinian officials continued to try to work for a peaceful solution.
Hamas has insisted that any ceasefire also include an end to the eight-year blockade of the Gaza Strip, which has crippled the territory's economy without reducing Hamas' military capabilities, which was Israel's aim in imposing the siege.
The United Nations also backed the goal of ending the siege, although Israel has refused to consider it.
A Ma'an reporter accompanying the delegation confirmed that the West Bank delegation consisted of senior Fatah official Azzam al-Ahmad, director of the Palestinian Authority's general intelligence service Majid Faraj, and representatives from two leftist parties: Qays Abdul-Karim from the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine and Bassam al-Salihi from the Palestinian People's Party.
Senior Hamas officials Muhammad Nasr and Izzat al-Rishiq arrived from the Qatari capital Doha and were joined by Mousa Abu Marzouq, who was already in Cairo. A representative of the Islamic Jihad, Ziad al-Nakhala, joined the delegation from Beirut.
In addition, a representative from the leftist Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine Mahir al-Tahir arrived from Damascus.
Two Hamas officials from Gaza, Khalil al-Hayya and Imad al-Alami, are expected to join the delegation along with Islamic Jihad official Khalid al-Batsh and Fatah official Faysal Abu Shahla.
A delegation from the US state department including senior adviser on Middle East issues Frank Lowenstein also arrived in Cairo Saturday.
Onlookers expect representatives of the UN and the international Quartet to join Cairo talks.
Artillery shelling kills one, injures 10 in Jabaliya
Israeli strike kills one in a house in Beit Lahiya
Despite the fact that Israel reiterated on Saturday that it had no interest in taking part in ceasefire talks, Palestinian officials continued to try to work for a peaceful solution.
Hamas has insisted that any ceasefire also include an end to the eight-year blockade of the Gaza Strip, which has crippled the territory's economy without reducing Hamas' military capabilities, which was Israel's aim in imposing the siege.
The United Nations also backed the goal of ending the siege, although Israel has refused to consider it.
A Ma'an reporter accompanying the delegation confirmed that the West Bank delegation consisted of senior Fatah official Azzam al-Ahmad, director of the Palestinian Authority's general intelligence service Majid Faraj, and representatives from two leftist parties: Qays Abdul-Karim from the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine and Bassam al-Salihi from the Palestinian People's Party.
Senior Hamas officials Muhammad Nasr and Izzat al-Rishiq arrived from the Qatari capital Doha and were joined by Mousa Abu Marzouq, who was already in Cairo. A representative of the Islamic Jihad, Ziad al-Nakhala, joined the delegation from Beirut.
In addition, a representative from the leftist Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine Mahir al-Tahir arrived from Damascus.
Two Hamas officials from Gaza, Khalil al-Hayya and Imad al-Alami, are expected to join the delegation along with Islamic Jihad official Khalid al-Batsh and Fatah official Faysal Abu Shahla.
A delegation from the US state department including senior adviser on Middle East issues Frank Lowenstein also arrived in Cairo Saturday.
Onlookers expect representatives of the UN and the international Quartet to join Cairo talks.
Artillery shelling kills one, injures 10 in Jabaliya
Israeli strike kills one in a house in Beit Lahiya
President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said on Saturday an Egyptian truce plan provides a "real chance" to end the Gaza conflict, stressing the need for its speedy implementation.
A Palestinian delegation arrived in Cairo on Saturday to discuss a durable truce to end the fighting, a day after a temporary ceasefire collapsed with Israel and Hamas blaming each other.
"The Egyptian proposal is the real chance to find a solution to the crisis in Gaza and to end the bloodshed," Sisi told a joint news conference with visiting Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi.
"Time is decisive, we have to take advantage of it quickly to douse the fire in the (Gaza) Strip ... and to stop the bloodshed of Palestinians."
When the latest Gaza war erupted last month, Egypt -- the traditional broker in such conflicts -- cobbled together a ceasefire proposal, quickly backed by Israel, Arab governments, the United States and the United Nations, but brushed off by Hamas.
Hamas said that Egypt bypassed the Palestinian movement when offering the ceasefire proposal and did not bother to present it to the group before announcing it.
Sisi, who last year ousted the democratically-elected president Mohamed Morsi, had moved to further isolate Hamas, a close ally of Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood.
The Brotherhood has faced a brutal police crackdown since Morsi's overthrow that has killed more than 1,400.
On Saturday, Sisi insisted that the Egyptian proposal could be the basis to launch negotiations between Israel and Hamas.
"It is the third time that there is Palestinian bloodshed," he said, referring to earlier conflicts in 2008 and 2012.
"We should take advantage of the difficult circumstances ... and we have a real chance to put an end to the current crisis and build on it a comprehensive solution to the Palestinian cause."
Renzi gave his backing to the Egyptian initiative and called for the release of an Israeli soldier said to have been captured by Hamas, that Israel has since said was actually "killed in action."
"I join my voice to the voices of European ministers in calling for the release of the captured Israeli soldier," Renzi said.
Hamas's armed wing has denied any knowledge about the fate of the missing Israeli.
A joint Palestinian delegation, including Hamas and Islamic Jihad representatives, arrived in Cairo Saturday for talks for a longer-term truce in Gaza.
An Egyptian foreign ministry official, meanwhile, said Cairo has so far sent more than 1,000 tonnes of medical and food aid to Gaza through the Rafah crossing which has been opened for "humanitarian" reasons.
The official also said Egypt has received wounded Palestinians who are being treated in local hospitals.
Egypt to increase electricity supply to Gaza
Egypt will increase the amount of electricity it is sending to Gaza from 27 megawatts to 32 megawatts beginning in August, the Palestinian ambassador to Egypt said.
Jamal al-Shawbaki said that Egypt informed the embassy that it will also supply 15 extra megawatts to Gaza Strip and will continue to allow medical and humanitarian supplies into the Strip.
The announcement comes after Israel bombed Gaza's sole power plant earlier in the week, bringing daily electricity availability down from around eight hours a day to two, and even none in some areas.
Although Gaza authorities can afford to buy electricity, Israel limits their ability to actually do so.
Egypt has helped Israel maintain a severe blockade of the Gaza Strip for the last eight years that has crippled the coastal enclave's economy by limited imports, exports, and movement of people.
Despite a brief reprieve under the government of democratically-elected president Mohamed Morsi in 2012-13, after he was ousted by the military last summer the siege was redoubled from the Egyptian side.
A Palestinian delegation arrived in Cairo on Saturday to discuss a durable truce to end the fighting, a day after a temporary ceasefire collapsed with Israel and Hamas blaming each other.
"The Egyptian proposal is the real chance to find a solution to the crisis in Gaza and to end the bloodshed," Sisi told a joint news conference with visiting Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi.
"Time is decisive, we have to take advantage of it quickly to douse the fire in the (Gaza) Strip ... and to stop the bloodshed of Palestinians."
When the latest Gaza war erupted last month, Egypt -- the traditional broker in such conflicts -- cobbled together a ceasefire proposal, quickly backed by Israel, Arab governments, the United States and the United Nations, but brushed off by Hamas.
Hamas said that Egypt bypassed the Palestinian movement when offering the ceasefire proposal and did not bother to present it to the group before announcing it.
Sisi, who last year ousted the democratically-elected president Mohamed Morsi, had moved to further isolate Hamas, a close ally of Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood.
The Brotherhood has faced a brutal police crackdown since Morsi's overthrow that has killed more than 1,400.
On Saturday, Sisi insisted that the Egyptian proposal could be the basis to launch negotiations between Israel and Hamas.
"It is the third time that there is Palestinian bloodshed," he said, referring to earlier conflicts in 2008 and 2012.
"We should take advantage of the difficult circumstances ... and we have a real chance to put an end to the current crisis and build on it a comprehensive solution to the Palestinian cause."
Renzi gave his backing to the Egyptian initiative and called for the release of an Israeli soldier said to have been captured by Hamas, that Israel has since said was actually "killed in action."
"I join my voice to the voices of European ministers in calling for the release of the captured Israeli soldier," Renzi said.
Hamas's armed wing has denied any knowledge about the fate of the missing Israeli.
A joint Palestinian delegation, including Hamas and Islamic Jihad representatives, arrived in Cairo Saturday for talks for a longer-term truce in Gaza.
An Egyptian foreign ministry official, meanwhile, said Cairo has so far sent more than 1,000 tonnes of medical and food aid to Gaza through the Rafah crossing which has been opened for "humanitarian" reasons.
The official also said Egypt has received wounded Palestinians who are being treated in local hospitals.
Egypt to increase electricity supply to Gaza
Egypt will increase the amount of electricity it is sending to Gaza from 27 megawatts to 32 megawatts beginning in August, the Palestinian ambassador to Egypt said.
Jamal al-Shawbaki said that Egypt informed the embassy that it will also supply 15 extra megawatts to Gaza Strip and will continue to allow medical and humanitarian supplies into the Strip.
The announcement comes after Israel bombed Gaza's sole power plant earlier in the week, bringing daily electricity availability down from around eight hours a day to two, and even none in some areas.
Although Gaza authorities can afford to buy electricity, Israel limits their ability to actually do so.
Egypt has helped Israel maintain a severe blockade of the Gaza Strip for the last eight years that has crippled the coastal enclave's economy by limited imports, exports, and movement of people.
Despite a brief reprieve under the government of democratically-elected president Mohamed Morsi in 2012-13, after he was ousted by the military last summer the siege was redoubled from the Egyptian side.
"Israeli army has attacked more than 35 ambulances, 17 hospitals and 102 medics, of which 19 were killed," ministry undersecretary Youssef Abul Reish told a press conference late Saturday.
At least 19 Palestinian medics have been killed in ongoing Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip, according to a Health Ministry official.
"Israeli army has attacked more than 35 ambulances, 17 hospitals and 102 medics, of which 19 were killed," ministry undersecretary Youssef Abul Reish told a press conference late Saturday.
He said that 10 hospitals in the Gaza Strip have been forced to shut down because of the Israeli bombardment.
"The ongoing Israeli attacks have led to the closure of scores of health facilities in the strip," he added.
Israel has been pounding the Gaza Strip – home to 1.8 million people – for the almost past four weeks with the stated aim of halting rocket fire.
As many as 1712 Palestinians – mostly civilians – have been killed and more than 9000 injured in unrelenting Israeli attacks since July 7, according to Palestinian health officials.
Israel, for its part, has confirmed the killing of 63 troops in battles with Palestinian fighters and three civilians in rocket attacks.
The Israeli offensive – codenamed "Operation Protective Edge," is the self-proclaimed Jewish state's third major offensive against the densely-populate Gaza Strip – which is home to some 1.8 million Palestinians – within the last six years.
By Mustafa Haboosh
19 Medics Killed, 17 Hospitals Bombed by Israeli Forces Since July 8th
Since the Israeli military began its assault on the Gaza Strip on July 8th, Israeli forces have repeatedly targeted medics and medical centers who have been working feverishly to treat the over 9,000 people who have been wounded.
Since July 8th, Medics and Rescue Teams have been attacked by Israeli airstrikes and artillery shelling 102 times. 19 medics have been killed, and many more have been injured.
In addition, 44 Of Gaza's 55 Urgent Care Centers have been closed Due To Israeli Bombardment. 17 Hospitals, both public and private, have been directly targeted by the Israeli military.
The Palestinian Ministry of Health has condemned the repeated attacks on medical workers and facilities, which are supposed to be excluded from any attacks during wartime under international law.
Attacks on medical facilities are considered to be a ‘grave breach’ of the Fourth Geneva Convention, which means it is considered a war crime. Another ‘grave breach’ is extensive destruction and appropriation of property not justified by military necessity and carried out unlawfully and wantonly.
Israel is a signatory to the Fourth Geneva Convention, in 1957, but claims that it does not apply to Israel’s behavior in the territories it took over in 1967 and has been militarily occupying ever since.
The Israeli military spokesman has repeated over and over again the claim that Palestinian resistance fighters use hospitals to store and fire rockets, but has presented no credible evidence to back this claim.
The one piece of ‘evidence’ presented by the Israeli military involved the Al-Wafa Hospital in eastern Gaza, and it was proven to be a fabrication.
After bombing the al-Wafa Hospital, Gaza’s only rehabilitation center, to the ground, the Israeli military released a short video claiming to show the hospital being used by fighters. But the satellite video purporting to show rockets fired from the hospital grounds turned out, upon examination, to not show the hospital at all. An arrow added by the Israeli military before releasing the video pointed at a building next to a rocket-launching site. The building was labeled ‘Wafa Hospital’. But the building in the video was NOT Al-Wafa Hospital, but a building in an entirely different part of town.
But even while mis-identifying the hospital building on its satellite image presented to the media, the Israeli military obviously know where the ACTUAL hospital was located, because its bombs were dropped directly onto the hospital, leveling it to the ground.
The numerous attacks on medical facilities and ambulances have made it extremely difficult for medical personnel in Gaza to carry out their work. In addition, the bombing of Gaza’s only power plant on Monday by Israeli forces has forced the medical facilities to turn to backup power sources, which are intermittent and sparse. This has made it more and more difficult to maintain life support for the hundreds of patients that remain in critical condition from their wounds.
At least 19 Palestinian medics have been killed in ongoing Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip, according to a Health Ministry official.
"Israeli army has attacked more than 35 ambulances, 17 hospitals and 102 medics, of which 19 were killed," ministry undersecretary Youssef Abul Reish told a press conference late Saturday.
He said that 10 hospitals in the Gaza Strip have been forced to shut down because of the Israeli bombardment.
"The ongoing Israeli attacks have led to the closure of scores of health facilities in the strip," he added.
Israel has been pounding the Gaza Strip – home to 1.8 million people – for the almost past four weeks with the stated aim of halting rocket fire.
As many as 1712 Palestinians – mostly civilians – have been killed and more than 9000 injured in unrelenting Israeli attacks since July 7, according to Palestinian health officials.
Israel, for its part, has confirmed the killing of 63 troops in battles with Palestinian fighters and three civilians in rocket attacks.
The Israeli offensive – codenamed "Operation Protective Edge," is the self-proclaimed Jewish state's third major offensive against the densely-populate Gaza Strip – which is home to some 1.8 million Palestinians – within the last six years.
By Mustafa Haboosh
19 Medics Killed, 17 Hospitals Bombed by Israeli Forces Since July 8th
Since the Israeli military began its assault on the Gaza Strip on July 8th, Israeli forces have repeatedly targeted medics and medical centers who have been working feverishly to treat the over 9,000 people who have been wounded.
Since July 8th, Medics and Rescue Teams have been attacked by Israeli airstrikes and artillery shelling 102 times. 19 medics have been killed, and many more have been injured.
In addition, 44 Of Gaza's 55 Urgent Care Centers have been closed Due To Israeli Bombardment. 17 Hospitals, both public and private, have been directly targeted by the Israeli military.
The Palestinian Ministry of Health has condemned the repeated attacks on medical workers and facilities, which are supposed to be excluded from any attacks during wartime under international law.
Attacks on medical facilities are considered to be a ‘grave breach’ of the Fourth Geneva Convention, which means it is considered a war crime. Another ‘grave breach’ is extensive destruction and appropriation of property not justified by military necessity and carried out unlawfully and wantonly.
Israel is a signatory to the Fourth Geneva Convention, in 1957, but claims that it does not apply to Israel’s behavior in the territories it took over in 1967 and has been militarily occupying ever since.
The Israeli military spokesman has repeated over and over again the claim that Palestinian resistance fighters use hospitals to store and fire rockets, but has presented no credible evidence to back this claim.
The one piece of ‘evidence’ presented by the Israeli military involved the Al-Wafa Hospital in eastern Gaza, and it was proven to be a fabrication.
After bombing the al-Wafa Hospital, Gaza’s only rehabilitation center, to the ground, the Israeli military released a short video claiming to show the hospital being used by fighters. But the satellite video purporting to show rockets fired from the hospital grounds turned out, upon examination, to not show the hospital at all. An arrow added by the Israeli military before releasing the video pointed at a building next to a rocket-launching site. The building was labeled ‘Wafa Hospital’. But the building in the video was NOT Al-Wafa Hospital, but a building in an entirely different part of town.
But even while mis-identifying the hospital building on its satellite image presented to the media, the Israeli military obviously know where the ACTUAL hospital was located, because its bombs were dropped directly onto the hospital, leveling it to the ground.
The numerous attacks on medical facilities and ambulances have made it extremely difficult for medical personnel in Gaza to carry out their work. In addition, the bombing of Gaza’s only power plant on Monday by Israeli forces has forced the medical facilities to turn to backup power sources, which are intermittent and sparse. This has made it more and more difficult to maintain life support for the hundreds of patients that remain in critical condition from their wounds.
Palestinians carry injured people following an Israeli military strike on a UN school in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip on August 3, 2014
Updated at 1:50 pm (GMT+3): At least 10 people were killed Sunday in a fresh strike on a UN school in southern Gaza which was sheltering Palestinians displaced by a brutal Israeli military offensive, medics said.
Renewed Israeli shelling killed more than 30 people in Gaza on Sunday after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to keep up pressure on Hamas even after the army destroys Gaza’s tunnel network.
Gaza emergency services spokesman Ashraf al-Qudra said dozens of people were wounded in the attack which took place in the southern city of Rafah, which straddles the border with Egypt.
Chris Gunness, spokesman for the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), said the school had been housing thousands of internally displaced people (IDPs) who had been forced to flee their homes by the ongoing violence in Gaza.
"Shelling incident in vicinity of UNRWA school in Rafah sheltering almost 3,000 IDP. Initial reports say multiple deaths and injury," he wrote on his Twitter feed.
An AFP correspondent said there were scenes of chaos at the site, with rescuers trying to evacuate the wounded any way they could, while adults were seen sprinting frantically away through pools of blood, young children clutched in their arms.
It was the third time in 10 days that a UN school had been hit and came four days after Israeli tank shells slammed into a school in the northern town of Jabalia, killing 16 in an attack furiously denounced by UN chief Ban Ki-moon as "reprehensible."
Israeli shelling on Sunday pushed the Gaza death toll given by Palestinian officials to more than 1,766, the vast majority of them civilians and at least 398 of them children. At least 9,320 Palestinians have been wounded by Israeli forces.
Israel has confirmed that 64 soldiers have died in combat, while Palestinian shelling has also killed two Israeli civilians and one Thai laborer.
Fatah leader and Rafah resident Ashraf Goma said Israeli forces were bombarding the town from air, ground and sea and locals were unable to deal with the wounded and the dead.
"Bodies of the wounded are bleeding in the streets and other corpses are laid on the road with no one able to recover them.”
"I saw a man on a donkey cart bringing seven bodies into the hospital. Bodies are being kept in ice-cream refrigerators, in flower and vegetable coolers," Goma told Reuters.
Israel redeploying ground troops in Gaza Strip
The attack came as an Israeli army spokesman said the Zionist state was redeploying troops across the Gaza Strip.
"We are removing some (forces), we are changing from within," Lieutenant Colonel Peter Lerner told AFP on Sunday, describing it as "an ongoing mission."
"We are redeploying within the Gaza Strip and taking out other different positions, and relieving other forces from within, so it won't be the same type of ground operation," he told AFP.
"But indeed we will continue to operate ... (and) have a rapid reaction force on the ground that can engage Hamas if required," he added.
"It's changing gear but it's still ongoing."
His remarks came a day after the Israeli army gave a first indication it was ending operations in parts of Gaza, informing residents of Beit Lahia and al-Atatra in the north that it was "safe" to return home.
Witnesses in the north confirmed seeing troops leaving the area as others were seen pulling out of villages east of Khan Younis in the south.
It was the first time troops had been seen pulling back since the start of the Israeli operation which began on July 8.
Lerner confirmed troops had pulled out of Beit Lahia and al-Atatra, but refused to be drawn on whether the pullout would expand into other areas hit by heavy fighting.
"In the next 24 hours we will see the activity continued on the ground and the redeployment in parallel," he said, without elaborating.
Israel snubs truce talks after death of captured soldier
In Cairo, a Palestinian delegation arrived for new truce talks. After accusing Hamas of breaching a US- and UN-brokered ceasefire on Friday, Israel said it would not send envoys as scheduled.
Exiled Hamas chief Khaled Meshaal insisted that the Palestinian side had not broken a short-lived ceasefire on Friday, putting the spotlight on Israel.
"A truce is a truce. but the presence of the Israeli forces inside Gaza and destroying the tunnels means it is an aggression," he told CNN in an interview late Saturday.
A spokesman for the Islamist movement mocked Netanyahu's statements as "confused", and as testimony of the "real crisis" he was facing.
"We will continue our resistance till we achieve our goals," Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhum told AFP.
Israel intensified attacks in the area of Rafah along the border with Egypt, where an Israeli officer was thought to have been captured there on Friday.
Medics said at least 110 people were killed in Rafah in 24 hours. Meanwhile, Israeli air strikes and tank fire continued pounding huge areas of southern Gaza into rubble, killing scores more people on Saturday.
Hamas had claimed responsibility for the ambush that captured the army officer, but said the group has lost contact with the fighters involved in the operation, and suggested that they, along with their prisoner of war, may have been killed by Israeli shelling.
The talks in Cairo, without Israeli participation, were unlikely to produce any breakthrough, as Israel and Hamas' positions remain far apart.
Israel argues that it must be allowed to act against Hamas' rocket arsenal and tunnel network in the framework of any long-term truce.
Hamas demands Israel withdraw its troops and a lifting of the blockade that has choked Gaza's economy.
Israeli Justice Minister Tzipi Livni, a member of Netanyahu's decision-making security cabinet, said any agreement on the issue was still far off.
"You want to talk about lifting the blockade? Not with us, and not now," she told the news website Ynet TV.
Crowded Gaza towns close to the Israeli border have seen destructive clashes and the flight of tens of thousands of Palestinians as tanks and troops swept in to confront dug-in guerrillas.
The Palestinian Center for Human Rights said 520,000 people had been displaced by the fighting - more than a quarter of Gaza's population.
An “insufferable price”
There appeared to be little further indication Israel was planning to wrap up its operations, with Netanyahu promising that Hamas would pay "an insufferable price" for cross-border rocket fire. There was no mention of the insufferable price paid by Palestinian civilians in the military offensive.
"We will take as much time as necessary, and will exert as much force as needed," he said at a news conference.
Israeli troops were working on destroying a complex network of tunnels used by Palestinian fighters before the next security objectives would be decided, he said, warning that "all options" were on the table.
This statement contradicted earlier claims by Israel, which had said that the tunnels were its main objective in its deadly assault on Gaza.
Updated at 1:50 pm (GMT+3): At least 10 people were killed Sunday in a fresh strike on a UN school in southern Gaza which was sheltering Palestinians displaced by a brutal Israeli military offensive, medics said.
Renewed Israeli shelling killed more than 30 people in Gaza on Sunday after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to keep up pressure on Hamas even after the army destroys Gaza’s tunnel network.
Gaza emergency services spokesman Ashraf al-Qudra said dozens of people were wounded in the attack which took place in the southern city of Rafah, which straddles the border with Egypt.
Chris Gunness, spokesman for the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), said the school had been housing thousands of internally displaced people (IDPs) who had been forced to flee their homes by the ongoing violence in Gaza.
"Shelling incident in vicinity of UNRWA school in Rafah sheltering almost 3,000 IDP. Initial reports say multiple deaths and injury," he wrote on his Twitter feed.
An AFP correspondent said there were scenes of chaos at the site, with rescuers trying to evacuate the wounded any way they could, while adults were seen sprinting frantically away through pools of blood, young children clutched in their arms.
It was the third time in 10 days that a UN school had been hit and came four days after Israeli tank shells slammed into a school in the northern town of Jabalia, killing 16 in an attack furiously denounced by UN chief Ban Ki-moon as "reprehensible."
Israeli shelling on Sunday pushed the Gaza death toll given by Palestinian officials to more than 1,766, the vast majority of them civilians and at least 398 of them children. At least 9,320 Palestinians have been wounded by Israeli forces.
Israel has confirmed that 64 soldiers have died in combat, while Palestinian shelling has also killed two Israeli civilians and one Thai laborer.
Fatah leader and Rafah resident Ashraf Goma said Israeli forces were bombarding the town from air, ground and sea and locals were unable to deal with the wounded and the dead.
"Bodies of the wounded are bleeding in the streets and other corpses are laid on the road with no one able to recover them.”
"I saw a man on a donkey cart bringing seven bodies into the hospital. Bodies are being kept in ice-cream refrigerators, in flower and vegetable coolers," Goma told Reuters.
Israel redeploying ground troops in Gaza Strip
The attack came as an Israeli army spokesman said the Zionist state was redeploying troops across the Gaza Strip.
"We are removing some (forces), we are changing from within," Lieutenant Colonel Peter Lerner told AFP on Sunday, describing it as "an ongoing mission."
"We are redeploying within the Gaza Strip and taking out other different positions, and relieving other forces from within, so it won't be the same type of ground operation," he told AFP.
"But indeed we will continue to operate ... (and) have a rapid reaction force on the ground that can engage Hamas if required," he added.
"It's changing gear but it's still ongoing."
His remarks came a day after the Israeli army gave a first indication it was ending operations in parts of Gaza, informing residents of Beit Lahia and al-Atatra in the north that it was "safe" to return home.
Witnesses in the north confirmed seeing troops leaving the area as others were seen pulling out of villages east of Khan Younis in the south.
It was the first time troops had been seen pulling back since the start of the Israeli operation which began on July 8.
Lerner confirmed troops had pulled out of Beit Lahia and al-Atatra, but refused to be drawn on whether the pullout would expand into other areas hit by heavy fighting.
"In the next 24 hours we will see the activity continued on the ground and the redeployment in parallel," he said, without elaborating.
Israel snubs truce talks after death of captured soldier
In Cairo, a Palestinian delegation arrived for new truce talks. After accusing Hamas of breaching a US- and UN-brokered ceasefire on Friday, Israel said it would not send envoys as scheduled.
Exiled Hamas chief Khaled Meshaal insisted that the Palestinian side had not broken a short-lived ceasefire on Friday, putting the spotlight on Israel.
"A truce is a truce. but the presence of the Israeli forces inside Gaza and destroying the tunnels means it is an aggression," he told CNN in an interview late Saturday.
A spokesman for the Islamist movement mocked Netanyahu's statements as "confused", and as testimony of the "real crisis" he was facing.
"We will continue our resistance till we achieve our goals," Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhum told AFP.
Israel intensified attacks in the area of Rafah along the border with Egypt, where an Israeli officer was thought to have been captured there on Friday.
Medics said at least 110 people were killed in Rafah in 24 hours. Meanwhile, Israeli air strikes and tank fire continued pounding huge areas of southern Gaza into rubble, killing scores more people on Saturday.
Hamas had claimed responsibility for the ambush that captured the army officer, but said the group has lost contact with the fighters involved in the operation, and suggested that they, along with their prisoner of war, may have been killed by Israeli shelling.
The talks in Cairo, without Israeli participation, were unlikely to produce any breakthrough, as Israel and Hamas' positions remain far apart.
Israel argues that it must be allowed to act against Hamas' rocket arsenal and tunnel network in the framework of any long-term truce.
Hamas demands Israel withdraw its troops and a lifting of the blockade that has choked Gaza's economy.
Israeli Justice Minister Tzipi Livni, a member of Netanyahu's decision-making security cabinet, said any agreement on the issue was still far off.
"You want to talk about lifting the blockade? Not with us, and not now," she told the news website Ynet TV.
Crowded Gaza towns close to the Israeli border have seen destructive clashes and the flight of tens of thousands of Palestinians as tanks and troops swept in to confront dug-in guerrillas.
The Palestinian Center for Human Rights said 520,000 people had been displaced by the fighting - more than a quarter of Gaza's population.
An “insufferable price”
There appeared to be little further indication Israel was planning to wrap up its operations, with Netanyahu promising that Hamas would pay "an insufferable price" for cross-border rocket fire. There was no mention of the insufferable price paid by Palestinian civilians in the military offensive.
"We will take as much time as necessary, and will exert as much force as needed," he said at a news conference.
Israeli troops were working on destroying a complex network of tunnels used by Palestinian fighters before the next security objectives would be decided, he said, warning that "all options" were on the table.
This statement contradicted earlier claims by Israel, which had said that the tunnels were its main objective in its deadly assault on Gaza.
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Video above: A Gaza cameraman records his own death next to two ambulances
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