Gazans ‘beat Hamas spokesman’
Gaza residents are reported to attack and beat Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri near the Shifa hospital due to anger at Hamas’ perceived role in causing the 2014 Gaza conflict. The Arabic-language report from Egypt’s Veto Edge quotes spokesperson for the Sisi Supporters Front, Mohamed Abu Hamed, as saying that Gaza is ripe for a revolution to overthrow Hamas, while Nabil Zaki, a spokesperson for the left-wing Tagamoa Party in Egypt, says that Palestinians are partly responsible for their plight as they voted Hamas into power, and that anger from civilians would bring few results without expanding into a revolution.
Delegations arrive in Cairo
The Israeli delegation arrives in Cairo to begin peace talks. The Israeli team includes Netanyahu aide Yitzhak Molcho, Defense Ministry official Amos Gilad and Yoram Cohen, head of the Israel Security Agency or Shin Bet. Earlier, Khalil al-Haya and Emad al-Alami of Hamas and Khaled al-Batsh of Islamic Jihad have traveled through the Rafah border crossing to Sinai after the Egyptians managed to receive assurances that Israel would not target them. Hamas is presenting a long list of demands including opening border crossings, the re-release of prisoners, and building an airport and seaport, while the two major Israeli objectives are to prevent Hamas rearming in the short term, and demilitarizing Gaza in the longer term, however Islamic Jihad senior representative Ziad al-Nakhaleh says disarming will not be discussed in the indirect negotiations:
This issue is nonnegotiable.
‘Mission accomplished’
The Israel Defense Forces announces that its mission to destroy Hamas’s attack tunnel network is complete:
Mission accomplished: We have destroyed Hamas' tunnels leading from Gaza into Israel. All of Israel is now safer. pic.twitter.com/aDz3XKWdIN
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) August 5, 2014
Israel: Struck 4,762 targets
The IDF says it has struck around 4,762 targets in the 29 days of Operation Protective Edge prior to the 72-hour ceasefire, most of them rocket-launching sites, nearly 1,000 of them command and control centers, about 240 Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades buildings, nearly 200 weapons storage and manufacturing facilities, nearly 150 terror training compounds and 1,535 additional sites.
Israel: 597 rockets fired from civilian facilities
The IDF says that of 3,365 rockets fired by Hamas in the 29 days of the 2014 Gaza conflict prior to the 72-hour ceasefire, 597 were launched from civilian facilities, approximately 260 were launched from schools, 127 from cemeteries, 160 from religious sites such as mosques, and 50 from hospitals. Just under 70% were fired from the northern Gaza Strip, 12.9% were fired from the central Gaza Strip, and 17.3% were fired from its southern region.
Israel: 3,356 rockets fired
The IDF says that in the 29 days of Operation Protective Edge prior to the 72-hour ceasefire, Hamas fired 3,356 rockets at Israel, 2,303 of which hit Israeli territory, 116 in populated areas, while 356 were intended to target IDF forces operating in the Gaza Strip. A total of 578 rockets were intercepted by the Iron Dome missile-defense system, and 475 landed within the Gaza Strip. Military statement:
Prior to the operation, the IDF estimated the Gaza rocket arsenal at approximately 10,000, one-third of which were fired at Israel, and an additional one-third was demolished by the IDF.
Destroyed 32 tunnels worth $100 million
The Israel Defense Forces calculates it has destroyed 32 cross-border tunnels in the 29 days of Operation Protective Edge prior to the ceasefire. It says 14 of them crossed into Israel and two had shafts located 300-500 meters from Israel, while 11 of the 64 IDF soldiers who died in the conflict were killed by Hamas gunmen emerging from the tunnels into southern Israel. IDF Lt. Col. Peter Lerner:
They were part of a strategic plan of Hamas, and an investment of approximately $100 million worth of materials, and we have now removed that threat
Gallup: Americans support Israel 42-38
Gallup notes in a poll that 42% of Americans say Israel’s actions against Hamas are justified compared with 38% who say they are unjustified and 21% who are unsure, while only 14% say Hamas’ actions are justified. The results are similar to what Gallup measured for another period of heightened Israeli-Palestinian violence in 2002. It says Americans have generally disregarded the more vivid images of the conflict available via cable news and social media compared with 2002 when forming an opinion:
This suggests that Americans may have responded to both crises in ways that reflect their basic attitudes toward Israel and the Palestinians rather than the specifics of either conflict. In general, Americans rate Israel much more favorably as a country than the Palestinian Territories, and are much more likely to say they sympathize with the Israelis than the Palestinians when asked to choose between the two sides.
Americans remain ‘roughly divided’ on their support of Israeli actions against Hamas, however:
it is important to note that the pro-Israel sentiment on this measure is significantly below the percentage who routinely say that their sympathies are more broadly with the Israelis rather than the Palestinians in the Middle East.
1,867 Palestinian, 67 Israeli deaths in 29 days
At least 1,867 Palestinians have died in the 29 days of the 2014 Gaza conflict prior to the latest ceasefire and peace talks getting underway. In Israel, 64 soldiers and three civilians are dead. The United Nations and Gaza human rights groups say that at least 75% of the Palestinians killed are civilians, however Israel Defense Forces spokesman Lt. Col. Peter Lerner says that about 900 were militants, while the IDF separately estimates that between 750 and 1,000 of the Palestinian dead were combatants.
Excavator attack nearly ‘much more serious’
Israeli authorities say the excavator attack that killed Rabbi Avraham Walles and wounded six others is nationalistically motivated and connected to the 2014 Gaza conflict, and that a quick response by security officials on the scene is the only factor that prevented more casualties. Ariel Tuito of the Nachshon unit of the Israel Prison Service is among security personnel that respond at the scene, and fires the fatal shot. Jerusalem police chief Yossi Pariente says that the response…
…averted a much more serious incident.
Rockets are ‘defensive blessing’
A former chief commander of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards says Hamas rockets fired at Israeli targets are the ‘blessing’ of a technology transfer. Secretary of the Expediency Discernment Council, Mohsen Rezaei, quoted by state Arabic channel Al-Alam:
Palestinian resistance missiles are the blessings of Iran’s transfer of technology […] We need to transfer defensive and military technology to Palestinians so that they can build weapons under the blockade and defend themselves
Revolutionary Guards have said in the past that Hamas’ Gaza Strip arsenal includes Fajr-5 missile rockets that are produced locally from technology supplied by Iran without requiring direct shipment. He says he has asked President Hassan Rouhani to provide air defense systems to allow Hamas to shoot down Israeli aircraft, and says kidnapping soldiers is an effective technique:
Getting their soldiers captured is the weak point of Israelis. Should two or three be captured, all Zionists will surrender
Hamas: Didn’t agree to ceasefire
Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal tells CNN’s Nic Robertson the group did not agree to conditions of the 72-hour ceasefire that allowed Israel Defense Forces to remain in Gaza and continue operations to neutralize tunnels. The truce broke down after less than two hours as Israel bombarded parts of Gaza in response to the alleged kidnapping of a soldier. In an interview from Doha:
A truce is a truce, but the presence of the Israeli forces inside Gaza and destroying the tunnels means it’s an aggression. We did not deceive Mr. John Kerry, and we did not deceive the Israelis, we fight honorably. We told everyone that this is our position. … Therefore they are the ones who should be responsible for this.
#Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal told me had not agreed to ceasefire including Israel's presence and destruction of tunnels in Gaza. exclusive
— Nic Robertson (@NicRobertsonCNN) August 2, 2014
Editorial cartoon
An editorial cartoon in The Australian newspaper draws strong reaction from readers as it depicts a militant endangering a child in order to win the battle for public opinion in the 2014 Gaza conflict:
https://twitter.com/MariamVeiszadeh/statuses/495775041976401920
Thousands attend soldier’s funeral
Thousands attend the funeral of 23-year-old IDF Second Lt. Hadar Goldin at the military section of the Kfar Sava cemetery, with only those on a list created by the family admitted to the cemetery and the rest of the crowd gathering outside the gates. The fiancee, mother and twin brother of the Givati Brigade reconnaissance soldier, initially believed kidnapped by Hamas and later confirmed dead, express their regrets along with two family rabbis while his father urges the crowd to ‘live righteously.’ Simha Goldin:
You who came en masse, live righteously and don’t hate one another. Hadar wanted to be a Jewish fighter. Do the same as he did. Take the bible with you and become Jewish fighters. I thank the crowds who came from far and wide to be with my family.
Scales back forces
Israel begins scaling back forces in Gaza, with eyewitnesses reporting tanks pulling back from urban areas towards the border. The drawdown is aimed at allowing Israel to regroup and plan its next course of action, with troops set to soon pull back from densely populated urban areas once tunnel destruction is completed, and decide over the next three days how to proceed with its goals. Netanyahu makes a televised speech:
We promised to return quiet to Israel and that is what we will do. We will continue to act until that goal is reached, however long it will take and with as much force as needed
‘Zionist enemy’ breaches truce
Hamas says Israel mobilized machinery and troops at 06:30 a.m. local time, 90 minutes before the midnight Eastern Standard Time commencement of the 72-hour ceasefire and penetrated up to 1.5 miles into Rafah before destroying homes on the pretext of searching for tunnels, and deploying rooftop snipers.
We in the Hamas Movement hold the Zionist enemy fully responsible for breaching the humanitarian truce more than once since early morning. We also hold it responsible for continuing to perpetrate heinous massacres against the children of our people. We would like to stress that we would be willing to abide by the truce so long as the Zionist enemy abides by it
Residents can return
The Israel Defense Forces says the 70,000 residents of the northern town of Beit Lahiya can return, signaling its offensive in the area is winding down. All-clear statement:
The residents are advised to beware of explosive devices Hamas has spread across the area
‘Very close’ to completing tunnel mission
Israel Defense Forces are poised to complete their mission to deal with cross-border offensive tunnels and will push on with the mission after ceasefire negotiations break down. A senior official:
We are very close to completing the mission of dealing with the tunnels […] There’s no point in promoting an agreement. We’re not talking about cease-fires anymore. Israel will act in its own interest. We will take action against attacks from Gaza, and will finish dealing with the tunnels
Video: Rocket launched from hospital
A video by France24 appears to confirm that Hamas is launching rockets from the Shifa hospital. The video uploaded to Youtube by the news channel’s Arabic service shows a correspondent reporting from the hospital, when a rocket is launched next to her at the end of her report.
Calls for unconditional release
Obama calls on Hamas to demonstrate that it can meet ceasefire commitments by releasing Israel Defense Forces 2nd. Lt. Hadar Goldin who has been dragged into a tunnel by militants 90 minutes into the 72-hour truce agreement:
If they are serious about resolving the situation, that soldier needs to be unconditionally released as soon as possible. I think it’s going to be very hard to put a ceasefire back together again if Israel and the international community can’t feel confident that Hamas can follow through on a ceasefire commitment.