Israeli atrocities: Death toll swells to 103 as Gaza truce efforts waver
Israel’s aerial bombardment of Gaza claimed its 103rd Palestinian life on Friday as Hamas pounded central Israel with rockets and Washington offered to help broker a truce.
Diplomatic efforts to end the hostilities between Israel and Hamas militants gathered pace, with US President Barack Obama phoning Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. “The United States remains prepared to facilitate a cessation of hostilities,” the White House said.
But Netanyahu remained resolute, saying he would not end his campaign until he achieved his goal of stopping the Hamas fire. “No international pressure will prevent us from striking the terrorists who are attacking us,” he told a news conference in Tel Aviv.
“I had a very good conversation with President Obama and other leaders,” he added. “All of these leaders understand the need to act.”
Raising fears of an expanded conflict, at least one rocket fired from Lebanon struck an open area in northern Israel early on Friday.
Despite mounting international concerns, truce efforts were falling on deaf ears, according to Egypt, which has played a key role in mediating previous Hamas-Israel ceasefires.
“Egypt has communicated with all sides to halt violence against civilians and called on them to continue with the truce agreement signed in November 2012,” the foreign ministry said. “Unfortunately, these efforts... have met with stubbornness.”
Netanyahu has reportedly said that talks for a ceasefire were ‘not even on the agenda’.
UN raises concerns
As Israel continues its offensive in Gaza, the UN's human rights office has said that Tel Aviv could be violating the laws of war by bombing Palestinian homes in Gaza.
“We have received disturbing reports that many of the civilian casualties, including of children, occurred as a result of strikes on homes," said spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani. “Such reports raise doubts about whether the Israeli air strikes have been in accordance with international humanitarian law and international human rights law.”
Published in The Express Tribune, July 12th, 2014.
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So the board thinks that comments by Howard have been moderated. He has been saying it correctly to destroy Hamas and make it a parking lot. So it goes....
The Israelis and their supporters do not need to justify or rationalize their acts. The world will take dictate from them. You will say you have occupied land of Palestinians, they will say it was our thousands of year ago. UN will vote against it but nobody dare to stop them with making new settlements and grabbing more and more land. They will say we kill them because they throw rockets or plan about it. Who would decide they were planning or not you can execute and kill them. If infants, children, women and innocent people die so what, it is collateral damage and they have to be killed because they were hiding behind them. If your soldiers verbally and physically abuse small children so what they were going to be like their fathers or mothers. Now the Israeli society is saying this openly but they are not extremist if they call infants snake, want to kill mothers because they bear those snakes, the fathers because they would question occupation. You are a society without morals consisting of psychopaths and people without conscience. You do not have conscience or remorse. The USA and West supports you. The Muslims are not united and ruled by corrupt and hand picked rulers on the name of monarchy or democracy whichever suits you. The security council and UN are your tools to attack nations. You monopolize them. You have got absolute and brute military society against Palestinians. You are worst then Nazis or Osama because you are doing this all wearing hides of sheep whereas you are wolves. You can do crime against humanity and genocide on the name of national interest or security. So why to worry. Why to justify your acts. Whatever you do the world will put a blind eye. It will refuse to see the truth. But remember you cannot kill all the Muslims and Palestinians. You will rear people without conscience. You call this Israeli Society. They are people worse than Nazis. you will get one day what you are sowing today.
@vinsin: So this gives you the right to kill children,women and innocent people. This is your way of seeing things and value system which has been taught to you by your parents and society. Really ashamed to see people like you raised in an educated and affluent society talking filth and rubbish.
@Howard: Raised as a Psychopath with hate towards Muslim and Palestinians, nurtured in a society where you dehumanize Muslims and Palestinians, it is easy for you to say that kill all children, women and innocent people after occupying their land and bounding them in a big prison. You have no remorse no guilt. This reflects your parenting and ignorance. For me every child or woman or innocent human being who is killed whether Palestinian or Israeli is a hateful crime which needs to be condemned.
@Tony: What about genocide of minorities in muslims countries? Baring few do islamic state believe in human rights? This is how world look things as - Zoroastrians as true owner of Iran, Mesopotamians for Iraq, Egyptians for Iran, Hindus and Buddhism for Indian Subcontinent, Jews for Israel, Confucianism with China. Those are hard facts.
This is not an offensive. It is a defensive. The article ignores the fact that southern Israeli towns have been hammered by rockets for many days before Israel struck back. You also ignore that the openly expressed aims of almost all Palestinians, according to a recent poll conducted by a Palestinian, is to destroy Israel (it always has been) and that Hamas' strategy is to fire at civilian targets from civilian areas. This makes the defensive counterstrike effect civilians. If you shoot at someone from behind your child, you are putting your child at risk, and then publishing the photos for Europeans who don't know where the blame really falls.
Your final paragraph also ignores the fact that Israel targets residential buildings where weapons are known to be hidden or are strategical centers (meaning that these are actually military targets hidden in residential buildings). Furthermore, you ignore the fact that Israel notifies residents of specific buildings by phone or text message a few minutes before attacking, allowing them enough time to get out, but not enough time to remove the weapons.
This is not an offensive. It is a defensive. The article ignores the fact that southern Israeli towns have been hammered by rockets for many days before Israel struck back. You also ignore that the openly expressed aims of almost all Palestinians, according to a recent poll conducted by a Palestinian, is to destroy Israel (it always has been) and that Hamas' strategy is to fire at civilian targets from civilian areas. This makes the defensive counterstrike effect civilians. If you shoot at someone from behind your child, you are putting your child at risk, and then publishing the photos for Europeans who don't know where the blame really falls.
Your final paragraph also ignores the fact that Israel targets residential buildings where weapons are known to be hidden or are strategical centers (meaning that these are actually military targets hidden in residential buildings). Furthermore, you ignore the fact that Israel notifies residents of specific buildings by phone or text message a few minutes before attacking, allowing them enough time to get out, but not enough time to remove the weapons.
Shame on you and your biased journalism, which was obvious from the headline.
The world should punish Israhell for their aggression,terror and Genocide to the people of Gaza. We must deeply criticize and give sanction to Israhell for their killings of innocent Palestinians and Children. Blood in Gaza is everywhere flowing because of huge and modern bombs of Israel. Humanity should bleed for the same color, RED. This is extremely heartbreaking news. Furthermore, mainstream media is depicting that Israel is the victim when in fact Ironically, its the Gaza people who is the victims,who suffer a lot. Stop watching CNN and BCC news for they are unreliable source of informations, manipulating our worldviews. :( be vigilant humanity!
Israel has no choice but to destroy Hamas and all of Gaza if necessary. If necessary level the area as a parking lot. France ought to be more concerned about the anti-semitism that is rampant in France and the hate crimes committed against Jews daily in France. The Palestinian Arabs do not want peace and the only language they understand is brutal force and that's what they will get.