Palestinian Toll from Gaza Attack Tops 80, Including 18 Children The death toll from Israel’s attack on the Gaza Strip has more than doubled in 24 hours as the besieged territory comes under relentless bombing. At least 44 Gaza residents have been killed in the past day, bringing the total this week to around 80. The Palestinian news agency Maan reports the dead include 18 children and 10 women. The Palestinian Ministry of Health says more than 600 people have been wounded. In the deadliest single attack since the offensive began, at least seven Palestinian civilians, including five children, were killed when Israeli warplanes bombed several homes in a densely populated area where the victims were sleeping. Bodies were pulled from the rubble of at least three homes and neighboring buildings. Gaza Hospitals Overrun with Victims; Bombing Exceeds 2012 Israeli Assault A Palestinian journalist was killed in central Gaza after his car was bombed. Video footage shows it had been marked as a media vehicle. The Israeli military says it has dropped 800 tonnes of bombs on 750 targets throughout Gaza, more than during its eight-day assault in late 2012. Hospitals in Gaza have been overwhelmed with victims and are running low on basic supplies. Egypt has opened up the Rafah border crossing to evacuate some of the wounded. Gaza Militants Continue Rocket Attacks on Israel Palestinian militants continue to fire rockets into Israel, with more than 60 launched on Wednesday, bringing the total to more than 200 this week. Thousands of Israelis have taken refuge in shelters. No casualties or significant damage has been reported. Israel Rejects Hamas Ceasefire Terms; Minister Floats Temporary Gaza Takeover On Wednesday, Hamas political leader Khaled Meshaal offered to renew the 2012 ceasefire based on three conditions: an end to the Israeli offensive, the release of prisoners initially freed under a prisoner swap but recently re-arrested in Israeli raids, and Israeli respect for the Palestinian unity government. Israeli officials have rejected Meshaal’s terms and vowed to continue the attack. Israeli Intelligence Minister Yuval Steinitz suggested a looming ground invasion, saying Israel will have to take over Gaza temporarily, for a few weeks. Speaking in Tel Aviv, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu blamed Hamas for rocket attacks on Israel and for the civilian deaths resulting from Israeli strikes. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu: Today we expanded our operations against Hamas and the other terrorist groups in Gaza. We’ll continue to protect our civilians against Hamas attacks on them. Now, Hamas, by contrast, is deliberately putting Palestinian civilians into harm’s way. It embeds its terrorists in hospitals and schools and mosques, apartment buildings throughout the Gaza Strip. Hamas is thus committing a double war crime: It targets Israeli civilians, while hiding behind Palestinian civilians. Israelis Stage Peace Rally in Tel Aviv The Israeli Cabinet has authorized the option of calling up some 40,000 reservists for a potential ground assault. In a show of protest against their government, a small group of Israelis rallied in Tel Aviv to oppose the Gaza bombings. Hilleli, Women of Peace: We believe that this cycle of violence must be ended, and it’s definitely not going to be ended by more violence and by more bombs on Gaza, and it’s not going to help the people in the south and neither the people in Tel Aviv that have been subject to missiles in the past few days. PA Pleads for U.S. Aid to Stop War Against Palestinian People Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has called Israel’s attack on Gaza an act of genocide, accusing the Netanyahu government of a war against the Palestinian people as a whole … defending [its West Bank] settlements. In Washington, the PA’s chief envoy to the United States urged President Obama to use American leverage over Israel to stop the attack. Maen Rashid Areikat, chief PLO envoy to Israel: I would like to say to President Obama that there is no — you cannot equate between an occupied people and an occupier. And the rising death toll on the Palestinian side tells clearly who is the party that is suffering the most from this violence. ... I think the United States should rein in Israel. They are the only country that can rein in Israel, because they are the country that provides the political, military, economic and financial support for Israel, and without that support, Israel cannot escape being accountable for their actions. Obama Admin Continues Backing for Israeli Airstrikes As the Palestinian Authority pleaded for U.S. help, the Obama administration offered continued support for the Israeli strikes. At a news conference in Washington, State Department spokesperson Jen Psaki said the United States wants de-escalation, but added that it backs the offensive and blames Hamas for the violence. Jen Psaki: As you know, we’re encouraging all sides to de-escalate the situation on the ground. But again, Israel has every right to defend themselves and take steps to defend themselves. And as we know, the aggression is currently coming from Hamas in Gaza. During the news conference, Psaki repeatedly refused to answer a question on whether Palestinians have the right to defend themselves. The Obama administration appears to have decided on a position of backing the Israeli strikes, but cautioning against a ground invasion. In a phone call to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Secretary of State John Kerry reportedly said the United States hopes to see Israel stop the rocket fire without sending troops into Gaza. Thousands in New York City Protest Israeli Attack on Gaza Palestinian solidarity rallies have been held around the world in recent days. In New York City, thousands of people protested in front of the Israeli Mission to the United Nations before marching through the streets. Protester: We hope to change public opinion so that they understand that Palestinians are not terrorists, that they are defending themselves. It’s an unfair situation that they’re going through. They’re living under occupation. They have no human rights. They have no rights to anything that we enjoy here as Americans. Muhammed Chaudhry: At least we’ve got to take the first step, though, a ceasefire, no more violence, no more killing of the innocent, from both parties.
Posted on: Thu, 10 Jul 2014 16:42:43 +0000
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