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7 Jul, 2014

Operation Protective Edge starts

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The Israel Defense Forces launches Operation Tzuk Eitan or Protective Edge. Airstrikes begin on selected targets in the Gaza Strip after 80 rockets are launched in a single day, and sirens are heard as far as as Jerusalem, Beit Shemesh and Gush Etzion announcing another barrage of 30 long range rockets is on its way in as the operation gets underway. The Israel Air Force begins dropping leaflets in various neighborhoods, telling residents to evacuate as it targets the homes of senior Hamas members.

15 Jul, 2014

Rejects ceasefire

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The armed wing of Hamas rejects the Egypt-brokered ceasefire offer with Israel and says that it learned of the deal through the media and has not been approached ‘officially or unofficially’ by either of the other two parties. Qassam Brigades:

Our battle with the enemy will continue and will increase in ferocity and intensity

The political wing of the party follows, saying the deal fails to fulfill conditions set by Hamas including a conclusive end of the Israeli and Egyptian blockade and the release of certain prisoners from Israeli jails. Officials are also angered that they only found out about the deal via media. Opinion is divided with at least one Hamas official saying that the group is considering its reaction while others in the political and military wings reject the truce outright.

The outcome of discussions within the internal institutions of the movement was to reject the proposal and therefore, Hamas informed Egypt last night it apologises for not accepting it

20 Jul, 2014

Soldier ‘kidnapped’

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The armed wing of Hamas says it has kidnapped an Israeli soldier, a tactic which the group has used in the past to secure the release of Palestinians imprisoned in Israel. Celebrations are reported in Gaza City and West Bank cities. A spokeswoman says the Israeli military is investigating the claim. An official identified as Abu Obeida:

The Israeli soldier Shaul Aaron is in the hands of the Qassam Brigades

Israel’s UN ambassador Ron Prosor says the rumors are untrue.

‘Gave rockets to Hamas’

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The United Nations Relief and Works Agency says it has handed over rockets found in one of its schools in Gaza to local police, raising the possibility it may have returned the armaments to a security force under the control of Hamas. UNRWA spokesman Chris Gunness says the rockets were taken away by the local police bomb squad, which he says reports to the Palestinian government in Ramallah.

According to longstanding UN practice in UN humanitarian operations worldwide, incidents involving unexploded ordnance that could endanger beneficiaries and staff are referred to the local authorities. Local authorities fall under the government of national consensus in Ramallah. They pledged to pass a message to all parties not to violate UNRWA neutrality

However, internal security forces including local police are thought to report to the territory’s Interior Ministry, which is controlled by Hamas and the Qassam Brigades. A Senior Israeli official:

The rockets were passed on to the government authorities in Gaza, which is Hamas. In other words, UNRWA handed to Hamas rockets that could well be shot at Israel.

Hamas ‘weaponizes’ women, children, animals

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hamas_female_bomberPhotos published by PJ Media apparently show 14 ways in which Hamas ‘weaponizes‘ women, children and animals, including children’s television shows referring to the ‘occupiers,’ children throwing stones and women and children dressed as suicide bombers. Accompanying text:

Netanyahu: Hamas leaders divided into two

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Netanyahu tells Blitzer that there are two different groups of Hamas leaders, neither of whom are particularly concerned about the fate of Palestinian civilians. The military wing:

I mean, the Hamas leaders are divided into two.  Those who are under – in underground bunkers in Gaza, they don’t care.  Let the people there, you know, with the rocketeers and with the attack tunnels, let them die as Israel tries to surgically take them out.  But they’re safe underground, the military leaders.

He says Khaled Meshaal, the leader of the political wing, understands even less what the conflict is like for people with no option of leaving Gaza:

And then they have got the political leader, this guy Khaled Meshaal, who is roaming around five-star hotel suites in the Gulf states, having the time of his life, while his people, while he’s deliberately putting his people as fodder for this horrible terrorist war that they’re conducting against us. So this has to stop.  And I think many people in Gaza understand that Hamas is destroying Gaza, destroying their lives.

700 tons of concrete in each tunnel

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Netanyahu tells Blitzer that Hamas has used tens of thousands of tons of concrete, which could have gone towards building other facilities for the community such as schools, into tunnels to attack Israel instead.

You know what they did with that, Wolf?  They put 700 tons of concrete into each one of these terror attack tunnels to penetrate Israel.  Now, we have discovered dozens of them.  So you’re talking about tens of thousands of tons of concrete, instead of going for the benefit of the school, the population, is going for terrorism against Israel.

Netanyahu: They call for destruction of Israel

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Netanyahu tells Blitzer that Hamas and Islamic Jihad call for the destruction of Israel and for the killing of Jews, rather than for legitimate political aims:

I think it – I think the international community has to – once this is put in place, we really have to undertake a program to demilitarize Gaza and to change the situation, because it’s unacceptable.  What makes it unacceptable is Hamas and Islamic Jihad. These people are the worst terrorists, genocidal terrorists.  They call for the destruction of Israel, and they call for the killing of every Jew wherever they can find them.

22 Jul, 2014

‘Accomplice to war crimes’

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The United Nations Relief and Works Agency could be culpable as an accomplice to war crimes after it allegedly handed over rockets found in a UNRWA-run school to security forces run by Hamas. While the UN’s biggest agency subdivision, with 30,000 staff, apparently fulfilled its obligations by turning over the rockets to a Hamas-Fatah ‘unity’ police force, there is no public record of Fatah or non-Hamas ‘unity’ officials running a security force in the territory since the 2007 Hamas takeover, and the agency could have handed the rockets to a third party, placed them in an open field and notified the Israel Defense Forces of the location, or sought other options.

Israel Democracy Institute Vice President Prof. Mordechai Kremnitzer says the UNRWA’s actions are a ‘war crime,’ although he says that there could be no criminal prosecution since it could never be criminally proven that the particular rockets were used to target Israelis, while Hebrew University Professor and former Foreign Ministry Legal Advisor Robbie Sabel says the UNRWA had no legal obligation to hand the rockets over to Israel and says he ‘would not make a capital case,’ but says that while UNRWA chief Christopher Gunness may have been unaware of Hamas’ involvement in the security forces, UNRWA workers on the ground in Gaza must have known.

 

25 Jul, 2014

Rosh Hashanah ‘tunnel attack’ plan

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Hamas-Tunnel1 The Hebrew-language Maariv newspaper reports that Hamas had planned to send at least 200 fighters through each of dozens of tunnels into Israel for a major attack to coincide with Sept. 24 Rosh Hashanah Jewish new year celebrations. Unnamed security officials say the plan was to kill and kidnap as many Israelis as possible and bring the abductees back into Gaza via the tunnel network.

26 Jul, 2014

Rockets fired during extended ceasefire

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Israel’s security cabinet votes to extend a humanitarian ceasefire until 1700 Eastern Standard Time. Statement from an official:

At the request of the United Nations, the cabinet has approved a humanitarian hiatus until tomorrow (Sunday) at 24:00. The IDF (Israel Defense Forces) will act against any breach of the ceasefire

Gazan rescue workers recover 147 bodies from rubble, but Hamas resumes rocket fire before the end of an initial extension of the ceasefire period. Hamas:

Any humanitarian calm that does not include the withdrawal of occupation soldiers from the Gaza Strip and enable the people to return to their houses and to evacuate the wounded is not acceptable

27 Jul, 2014

Cease-fire extension rejected

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Hamas rejects a cease-fire extension. The developments came as a tenuous cease-fire both parties agreed to earlier appeared to be shattered, with at least eight militant rockets again hurtling toward Israel as diplomats pushed for a longer truce in a conflict that has killed more than 1,000 people—mostly civilians. Hamas:

Any humanitarian cease-fire that does not include the withdrawal of the occupation soldiers from Gaza borders and allowing citizens to return to their homes and evacuate casualties is unacceptable.

28 Jul, 2014

1,062 Palestinian deaths by Eid

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The number of Palestinians killed in the 2014 Gaza conflict rises to 1,062 by Eid al-Fitr with the deaths of 13 people including a senior Islamic Jihad militant during a humanitarian ceasefire ahead of the three-day Muslim holiday. Three Palestinians die of previous wounds while 10 are killed in Israeli air and artillery attacks as the temporary truce breaks down, according to a health official, who adds that 6,037 Gazans have been wounded while 1,960 Gaza apartment blocks have been destroyed and 2,600 more partly destroyed.

Gaza hospital hit

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Israel accuses Hamas of hitting Al-Shifa Hospital and a refugee camp, killing seven children. An Israeli army spokesman says:

This incident was carried out by Gaza terrorists whose rockets fell short and hit the Shifa Hospital and the Beach (Shati) camp.

Kills over 30 ‘collaborators’

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Palestinian media confirms that Hamas has killed over 30 people accused of leading Israeli troops to smuggling tunnels and providing intelligence on Hamas infrastructure. The group apparently performed most of the summary executions during a humanitarian ceasefire 10 days before the executions are reported, and claims that the bodies are victims of the Israel Defense Forces operation in the northern neighborhood of Shejaiya. Evidence of guilt unearthed in short investigations of the suspected collaborators includes weapons, telephones and SIM cards from the Israeli cell provider Orange.

‘When genocide is permissible’ apology

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The Times of Israel and 5 Towns Jewish Times remove a blog post by Yochanan Gordon, sales manager at 5TJT and the son of the news site’s founder, titled ‘When Genocide Is Permissible.’ He apologizes:

I never intended to call to harm any people although my words may have conveyed that message. With that said I pray and hope for a quick peaceful end to the hostilities and that all people learn to coexist with each other in creating a better world for us all.

Cached excerpt:

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu clearly stated at the outset of this incursion that his objective is to restore a sustainable quiet for the citizens of Israel. We have already established that it is the responsibility of every government to ensure the safety and security of its people. If political leaders and military experts determine that the only way to achieve its goal of sustaining quiet is through genocide is it then permissible to achieve those responsible goals?

29 Jul, 2014

Pew: 40% blame Hamas, 19% Israel

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A Pew Research poll indicates that 40% of Americans say Hamas is responsible for the 2014 Gaza conflict and 19% blame Israel. The survey conducted from July 24-27 shows that 60% of Republicans say Hamas is most responsible for the current violence, while 29% of Democrats agree that Hamas is responsible, while 28% don’t know who is to blame and 14% blame both sides.

[…] the partisan gap in Mideast sympathies is as wide as it has been at any point since the late 1970s

It shows that 46% of Republicans say Israel’s response has been appropriate while 19% say Israel has not gone far enough and 16% think it has been excessive. For Democrats, 35% say Israel has gone too far, 31% say they have responded appropriately and 9% say the country hasn’t done enough.

‘Leave us alone’

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A senior Israeli official says Israel’s response to rockets fired by Hamas should have been more intense in order to get the job done before complaints mounted from the international community. Housing and Construction Minister Uri Ariel tells Army Radio:

It was obvious that international pressure would mount eventually. We should have acted faster, harder and with more determination. The rocket threat needs to be tackled. The tunnel threat is being addressed, but it is not enough.

On Obama’s calls for an immediate ceasefire:

Obama is stopping Israel just when we have Hamas against the wall […] Leave us alone, go focus on Syria.

Releases tunnel attack video

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The military wing of Hamas releases a video apparently showing an attack on an Israeli post near Nahal Oz on the Gaza border, in which five Israel Defense Forces soldiers are killed. Militants are seen walking in a tunnel and emerging with a rocket-propelled grenade, before approaching the post and firing on a soldier. They infiltrate the gate, hurry towards a soldier on the groundopen fire from close range and gather around the body. Also shown are exchanges of fire, while a report is audible by IDF soldiers that an attempt has been made to abduct a body, before the men run back to the tunnel. The video doesn’t show the militants firing an RPG, as has been reported by the IDF.