‘Shares intel on ISIS’
A Western diplomat says Israel shares satellite imagery and other intelligence on ISIS to support the U.S.-led air campaign against the group. The source says that the intel is often then passed on to Saudi Arabia and Turkey after being ‘scrubbed’ of traces of its Israeli origin. Israeli spy satellites overflying Iraq at angles and frequencies unavailable from U.S. satellites have provided images that allowed the Pentagon to ‘fill out its information and get a better battle damage assessments’ after strikes on Islamic State targets. Israel has also shared information from international travel databases about Western citizens suspected of joining ISIS:
The Israelis are very good with passenger data and with analysing social media in Arabic to get a better idea of who these people are.
Israel Defense Ministry spokesman:
We don’t comment on any assistance by us, or if there is such assistance, in the fight against ISIS
Outlaws Islamic State
In an official declaration, Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon outlaws the Islamic State. Meetings of any kind between members of the Islamic State is now illegal. Israel braces for the possible emergence of Islamic extremists cells in the country. The decree opens the gateway for legal prosecution of any local group that may fund jihadist. Illegal activity also includes ‘suggesting, inciting or encouraging’ acts of terrorism against the Israeli government. The statement allows the seizure of assets by the state of any who are affiliating with such groups.
Ya’alon:
This is necessary in order to protect state security, the public welfare and public order.
Netanyahu: ‘Stop bashing Israel’
US Congressmen Rohrbacher and Meeks visit Israel and speaks with Netanyahu about recent events where UN peacekeepers had confrontations with militant Islamists. The Prime Minister made use of the opportunity to express that the United Nations focuses too much time on bashing Israel rather than focusing attention on radical Islam groups. Netanyahu:
What we see is that al-Nusra, Hamas, Hezbollah — backed by Iran, al-Qaeda and these other terrorists groups are basically defying all international norms, breaking them whether in Lebanon, in Syria or in Gaza. I think the UN would do itself a great favor if, instead of the automatic Israel bashing, they actually turn their attention and their investigative committees against these terrorists who trample every norm on which the UN was founded.
About Israel, Rohrbacher:
…the one force for stability and one force for a long-term peace for this region. The rest of the region is awash in tyranny and injustice and gangsterism and terrorism that’s coming from the top, from these people that are running the various organizations, radical Islamic organizations.
Report: 20 years to rebuild
A housing assessment by Shelter Cluster, chaired by the Norwegian Refugee Council with the participation of the U.N. refugee agency and the Red Cross, says Gaza will take 20 years to rebuild. Most rebuilding is due to the housing deficit of 75,000 units. Cost estimates for the restructuring are more than $6 billion. The housing assessment derives from the present level of goods transferable from Israel to Gaza. The present blockade hinders rebuilding efforts, as construction materials have restrictions to limit tunnel production. The 20 year timeframe takes into consideration 100 truckloads of building materials on a daily basis. Currently there is no mention of plans to ease blockade restrictions.
Rebels take border crossing
A Youtube video shows a group of rebels including fighters from Al Qaeda affiliate al-Nusra Front taking over the Quneitra border crossing on the Syrian side of the border with Israel after a battle with Assad regime forces. A fighter:
We are Al-Nusra fighters. We’ve just liberated the Syrian-Zionist crossing of Quneitra
In the footage, a black al-Nusra banner is seen flying in place of a Syrian flag in the border town, which is visibly damaged by the battle.
Accuses Hamas
Abbas blames Hamas for protracting the war in Gaza, doubting the continuation of the Unity government. After 50 days of fighting when a truce came about, Hamas still declares victory. Abbas:
It was possible for us to avoid all of that, 2,000 martyrs, 10,000 injured, 50,000 houses (destroyed). They (Hamas) have a shadow government, if this continues it means no unity. The test is coming soon. The government needs to do its job and handle everything. I’m not saying everything needs to come to an end in one moment, this is a seven-year split that needs months or years.
Israeli government:
The Egyptian formula was on the table on July 15th, it was backed by the Arab League, it was accepted by Israel but rejected by Hamas then and now more than a month later has belatedly been accepted by Hamas. As the dust clears from the conflict I’m sure many people in Gaza will be asking why did Hamas reject a month ago what it accepted today, and if it had accepted then what it accepted now, how much bloodshed could have been avoided.
Hamas: ‘We defeated them’
Hamas remains defiant as the ceasefire takes effect, claiming victory in the 2014 Gaza conflict. Spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri:
Hamas is grateful to the people of Gaza who sacrificed their homes, children and money. We announce the victory today after achieving our goals … Netanyahu has failed to force Gaza to surrender. Yes, we defeated them by our standing and our resistance. We will stand by our people and we won’t leave them.
Over 2,100 deaths
More than 2,100 people are reported to have been killed in Gaza, most of them civilians, including about 500 children. At least 11,000 people have been injured and more than 17,000 homes destroyed or badly damaged, while around a third of the territory’s 1.8 million residents have been displaced.
On the Israeli side, 64 soldiers have died along with six civilians, including a four-year-old boy, and hundreds of families have relocated from homes near the Gaza border.
Fresh talks urged
Abbas calls on Hamas and Israel to attend fresh talks in Egypt. The previous brokered truce collapsed on Tuesday. Over 2,090 Palestinians and 67 Israelis have been killed in recent weeks. Israel says that over 525 rockets have been fired into Israel from Gaza since the latest ceasefire ended, with 69 of them being intercepted by its Iron Dome anti-missile defence system. 60 air strikes have been carried out over Gaza on Saturday said the Israeli Defence Force and more than 70 rockets and mortar rounds that were fired from Gaza struck Israel.
4-year-old Israeli boy killed
Four-year-old Israeli boy Daniel Tragerman is reported killed by mortar fire while at home with his parents at Kibbutz Nahal Oz in the Sha’ar Hanegev region close to the border with Gaza. Sirens sound prior to the impact but his parents — Doron and Gila — are unable to get Daniel into a protected room in time, and he is killed by shrapnel from the explosion that strikes the house.
Netanyahu: We arrest our extremists
Netanyahu tells Blitzer that the difference between Israel and Hamas is that Israel doesn’t glorify extremists, but puts them in jail. On the suspected killers of Palestinian teenager Mohammad Abu Khdeir in an apparent nationalist attack:
We don’t glorify these killers. We put – we apprehended him in three – three days after the – that tragic killing, immediately put them in custody. We’re putting them on trial. They will serve a good chunk of their lives in jail. That’s what we do with the killers. We don’t name public squares after them. We don’t glorify them.
He says that Hamas begins indoctrinating people with extremism from a young age:
We don’t educate our people, our children in suicide kindergarten camps, as happens in the Palestinian side. And you should see what Hamas is educating them to, no peace, no two-state solution, nothing, just jihad, more and more violence, more and more murder, and more and more bloodshed. This is not our way. We have – I think a society is tested not by the extreme fringes of that society, but how it takes care of them. We take care of those extreme fringes. We basically isolate them and ostracize them and punish them.
1.903 Palestinian deaths
The number of Palestinian deaths rises to 1,903 as five people are killed in fresh airstrikes after the 72-hour truce window ends. Israel says 65 rockets have been launched from the Gaza strip by Palestinian factions, and it has responded with 63 strikes. Three people were killed in an attack on a mosque in the Nusseirat refugee camp and two when a motorcycle was hit in the Maghazi refugee camp, Gaza’s Health Ministry says.
20% of rockets fall inside Gaza
The Israeli government says that of a total of 61 rockets fired on the day of the ceasefire expiration, 13 of them fell inside the Gaza Strip.
Approximately 20% of the rockets yesterday, fell on the civilians of Gaza. Hamas’ addiction to terror is endangering civilians on both sides.
Palestinians ‘seeking reoccupation’
Palestinian officials involved in the negotiating process are seeking either further concessions or a reoccupation of the Gaza Strip, an Israeli official says:
These people are trying to do two things: convince us to give them more, or if it fails, convince us that we should come in [to Gaza]. We don’t want to do it, because we don’t want to be responsible for Gaza
Israeli officials leave Cairo after negotiations to extend the ceasefire break down, while the Palestinian delegates remain and say they are willing to commit to new talks on a truce.
Threatens escalation
Hamas threatens a ‘major escalation’ in the 2014 Gaza conflict after both sides resume fire after the 72-hour ceasefire expires, raising concern that violence could re-escalate to its levels prior to the ceasefire. Hamas deputy information minister Ihab al-Ghussein:
If on [Sunday] we have no response to our demands, our defensive measures will be intensified.
Egypt calls for return to negotiations
Egypt calls on Israel and Hamas to extend the ceasefire and return to negotiations after the original 72-hour window expires at midnight Eastern Standard Time and Israel reports rocket fire by Palestinian factions and resumes airstrikes. Foreign ministry:
Return immediately to the ceasefire and exploit the opportunity available to resume negotiations on the very limited sticking points that remain in the fastest possible time
An official:
There had been an agreement on the vast majority of matters that are important to the Palestinian people, but some limited points remained undecided, a matter that should have led to an acceptance to renew the ceasefire
Hamas is calling for a variety of conditions including an airport and sea port in the Gaza Strip but is primarily concerned with opening border crossings. Israel wants demilitarization of the Strip and disarmament of Hamas.
Airstrikes resume
Israel resumes air strikes as the 72-hour ceasefire ends with rockets fired across the border by Palestinian factions. Hamas has said that it will not seek to renew the ceasefire. Tens of thousands of people in Gaza who had returned to their homes during the ceasefire rush back to the UNRWA-run shelters. Nidal Sultan, 21, of Beit Lahiya:
We were in the school on the first day of the ceasefire and came back this morning. There were strikes and shelling in the last hour or so. It’s not safe, so we have to come to the school however bad it is. We will stay now until the war stops.
Dutch hotelier cancels reservation
A Dutch hotelier cancels the reservation of an Israeli family:
Every day I get angrier and angrier when I see and read how much suffering and death and loss Israel is causing in Gaza. As long as this disproportionate violence of Israel continues, I will not accept guests from Israel.
However, he later apologizes and says he had a ‘moment of insanity’:
It is absolutely irrational. I am deeply ashamed that I ruined their vacation.
Ceasefire ends
The 72-hour ceasefire ends at midnight Eastern Standard Time or 8 a.m. local time as Israel reports that Hamas, which has said it will not extend the truce, has fired at least 35 rockets, with at least one falling short and landing in Gaza. Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhum:
All the Palestinian factions, including Hamas, have agreed not to renew the ceasefire because [Israel] is refusing to accommodate our demands.
Newsweek cover
Newsweek devotes its cover story to Jewish emigration from Europe, which it says is being driven by anti-Semitism. Author Adam LeBor:
The mob howled for vengeance, the missiles raining down on the synagogue walls as the worshippers huddled inside. It was a scene from Europe in the 1930s – except this was eastern Paris on the evening of July 13th, 2014. LeBor says the 2014 Gaza conflict is partly to blame, but the rise in ‘the world’s oldest hatred’ predates the war:
One weekend in May seemed to epitomise the darkness. On May 24th a gunman pulled out a Kalashnikov assault rifle at the Jewish Museum in Brussels and opened fire, killing four people. The next day the results of the elections to the European parliament showed a surge in support for extreme-right parties in France, Greece, Hungary and Germany.
American Jewish journalist Jeffrey Goldberg:
At what point do the Jews of America and the Jews of Israel tell the Jews of Europe that it might be time to get out?