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ISRAELI AIR STRIKES killed 21 Palestinians in the bloodiest day so far of its massive air campaign on the Gaza Strip, as diplomatic efforts to broker a truce intensified.
With Egypt at the centre of efforts to broker a ceasefire, Palestinian officials said it was possible a deal would be reached “today or tomorrow.” But there was no letup in the bloodshed in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip, with medics saying women and children accounted for most of Sunday’s 21 killed, among them four toddlers, in Israeli strikes from the air.
French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said today a ceasefire between Israel and Gaza militants was an urgent necessity and that Paris is willing to help broker a truce. “War is not an option – it is never an option,” Fabius told journalists in Tel Aviv. “There are two key words: urgency and ceasefire.”
Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas called for Palestinians to stage peaceful demonstrations against Israel’s military offensive on Gaza militant groups. “I call on the Palestinian people to intensify their peaceful demonstrations in the streets against the Israeli aggression in Gaza,” he said at a meeting with the Palestinian leadership.
Lethal raid
In the day’s most lethal raid, at least eight members of the same family – four of them children – were among 10 people killed when an Israeli missile destroyed a family home in Gaza City, the health ministry said.
The latest violence hiked the Palestinian casualty toll to 67 dead and more than 600 injured in almost 100 hours of raids, while three Israelis have been killed and more than 50 injured by rocket fire since Wednesday.
With Israel warning it could further escalate its operations in Gaza, US President Barack Obama said it was “preferable” for the Gaza crisis to end without a “ramping up” of Israeli military activity.
Israel has every right to expect that it does not have missiles fired into its territory. If that can be accomplished without a ramping up of military activity in Gaza, that is preferable.
Mediated talks
In Cairo, senior Hamas officials said Egyptian-mediated talks with Israel to end the bloodshed were “positive” but now focused on the possible stumbling block of guaranteeing the terms of a truce.
An outcome acceptable to Hamas would involve assurances about the United States, Israel’s main backer, being the “guaranteeing party,” one official said on condition of anonymity.
Security officials in Cairo said an Israeli envoy also arrived in the Egyptian capital on Sunday for the talks. But Israel’s Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman insisted that “the first and absolute condition for a truce is stopping all fire from Gaza,” and that all armed groups would have to commit to it.
Earlier, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that Israel was ready to “significantly expand” its operation against Gaza militants ahead of talks with French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius.
Early today, Israeli aircraft hit two media centres in Gaza City, wounding at least eight journalists, one of whom lost a leg, health ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qudra told AFP.
Press rights group Reporters without Borders condemned the attack. But the military defended the strike, saying it had targeted Hamas operational communications and sought to minimise civilian casualties.
British Foreign Secretary William Hague said “a ground invasion of Gaza would lose Israel a lot of the international support and sympathy that they have in this situation.”
But senior cabinet minister Moshe Yaalon denied Israel was under any pressure from Western allies to agree to a ceasefire.
Overnight, there was a brief 10-hour lull in militant rocket attacks which ended at 7am (5am GMT) after which 125 rockets hit Israel, while scores more were intercepted in mid-flight by the Iron Dome defence system, the army said.
Throughout the day, two were fired at Tel Aviv, triggering air raid sirens in the commercial metropolis for the fourth day. Iron Dome intercepted both, police said.
Since the start of its Operation Pillar of Defence, launched after the killing of Hamas military chief Ahmed Jaabari in an air strike, the Israeli army says it has struck more than 1,100 targets in Gaza as militants have fired more than 800 rockets over the border.
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R.I.P to the 21 dead today. Some day there will be peace
No it doesn’t, that would be Hamas not the people of gaza
The people of Gaza elected Hamas in the last elections.
Where did the picture come from. I thought the Israelis had not crossed the border. What we see here looks like some sort of civil demonstration with a tear gas response?
Now you’re jumping onto a different point. The point I was dealing with was your idea that Palestinians want another genocide of Jewish people.
I’m wondering, how do you explain the joint mobilisations of Israeli Jews and Palestinians (Muslims and Christians mainly) in Sheikh Jarrah and other East Jerusalem neighbourhoods? I mean, if the Palestinians wanted their Israeli interlocutors dead why would they be campaigning with them side by side?
Oh shucks, you didn’t even know about this, did you?
Garry, both photos were taken near the West Bank, not Gaza.
Whoever’s randomly deleting comments; maybe delete all related comments as now the thread doesn’t make much sense.
Can someone give me an example of any country in the world where peace broke out after colonialism disintegrated.
The imperialist nations that still exist today, need to understand you cannot take away a peoples right to self government.
I never hear in the press about the Palestinian right to defend its borders and people, they have been under attack since the Balfour declaration, that was 1917!
Heart wrenching pictures of limp lifeless children being pulled from rubble in Gaza. God almighty, how can this be justified as self defence. Shimon Perez went on Sky News today composed, relaxed and righteous.. What a bloody monster. Furious and disgusted at Israel’s actions
First of all this area was occupied by Brits and French and then they pulled out after terrorist attacks by Israelis not Palestinians and surprise surprise forced the Brits and french out and they left the place in turmoil, remind you of anywhere else
Simple solution.. Hamas stop firing rockets at Israel and they won’t fire back.
Mike is that you? Ah you haven’t changed in years.
wrong….if someone would come to my home saying that his or her religion allow to occupy my home because 2000 y ago that was of his ancestres…I would be very angry…..
Israel broke the months-long ceasefire, not Hamas. The most recent rocket barrages started when Israel killed a Palestinian civilian on an incursion, then assassinated a Hamas official. This is Israeli aggression, nothing else.
And no I don’t blame religion I blame power. Religion can be an excuse for power, for most it’s a feeling of importance or a way of living . In this case tho its used for power. Sad day
Israel is just full of religious fundamentalists isn’t it?
Atheism in Israel
1995 study says 31% of Israelis do not believe in God, with an additional 6% choosing ‘don’t know,’ for a total of 37% being atheist or agnostic.
Ireland is a far more religious country than Israel. In fact, Israel is one of the most secular countries in the world.
Study of religion on Israel in 1999.
29 percent of Israeli Jews said they were “non-religious” but “somewhat observant”.
18 percent said they were “non-religious” and “totally non-observant”.
4 percent said they were “anti-religious” and “totally non-observant”.
Only 65 percent of Israeli Jews believe in God.
Does not matter religion got them there in the first place after the holocaust when they moved the Palestinians out of the way for the Jewish , since then religion or no religion it’s been one big mess
Religion did not get them there in the first place. Ever heard of the Hebrews? That isn’t just religion they are a real people. Why do you think kicked/slaughtered all the Hebrews off their lands centuries ago. Where do you think Ashkenazi Jews go back to? They are descendants of the Hebrews who immigrated to Europe. A lot of European Jews are of an Ashkenazi background. Most of the Jews who live in Israel come from Jews who emigrated from Arab states where Jews are persecuted/murdered.
I’m not saying which people deserve it I’m trying to say that they can live together , Israel don’t have to kill gaza off.
Kevin, we hear you. Israel is a place full of righteous people, reclaiming their ancestral lands, while Gaza is full of bloodthirsty animals. Evil turrists vs. peaceful democrats. Message coming through loud and clear.
It’s just that we don’t believe you.
You really believe that most Muslims/Arabs can live with Jews in peace when they are brought up to hate them? What did Israel do to Iran originally? Israel dropped leaflets in Gaza warning its citizens to stay away from Hamas politicians, leaders, etc. As they were conducting a military operation. They sound so genocidal, don’t they? The reality is that if Israel allows the Palestinians into Israel they will try to destroy the Jewish state and implement Islamic law as their neighbors. A two-state solution is the only way for peace, which Israel offered numerous times and received a slap right on the face. They never wanted a two-state solution and Israel has the right to not recognize Gaza as a separate state as long as it is controlled by Hamas who calls for the destruction of Israel.
Can you say Kevin niazi, I want to make sure I’m not mistaken for that nutjob
That settles it. The more Israeli’s that don’t believe in god the less we have to hear about promised land and Gods people. Palestinians have been living there for over a thousand years.
I’m the “nutjob”. Your the one who was putting all this conspiracy shit about the US Government being behind 9/11.
Jews have been living there for over 3,000 years.
Yes most Americans, Irish, and the rest of Europe believe America was behind 9/11? Yeah you tell yourself that with all you’re YouTube videos.
Course most them don’t , you are the majority on that topic but that’s only due to mainstream media.
Also for the record I do NOT make YouTube videos what you on about?
I watch independent documentaries, do research, read reports then make my own decision based on what I’ve seen, you saw 2 badly pixilated planes hitting the towers on sky news or rte. typical sheep you are
I didn’t say you did? I was referring to where you watch those so-called “documentaries”. “typical sheep”? People always makes conspiracies out of everything, there always has to be some conspiracy. Was it also a conspiracy when Palestinians in Jersey City, NYC, and Palestine were celebrating on the streets on the day of the 9/11 attacks? Were they paid by the US government to celebrate?
They wernt celebrating, the ones i know in New Jersey got scared and came to Ireland because they were getting abused by Americans . What about the fact bin laden worked for the CIA? How about the shit response time of the f16s? The fact that all members of congress were on the ground when it happened, do you know how rare it is for all of congress to be on the ground when there not in session? I can think of some 500+ reasons why 9/11 has benefitted American forgein policy, oil imports etc.. But ah we’ll I’m not debating fact with a fool.
This Aoife lady makes her own views so obvious in every article she writes and when someone calls it out they get some snarky reply from her or she deletes their comments. Had to capitalize ISRAELI AIR STRIKES and get people fired up? Yeah. But when people post anti-Semitic, anti-Israel, or other bigoted comments they are absolutely fine. I remember someone described the people who were bombing embassies and slaughtering innocent people “savages” and she deleted the comment over the word “savages”. Wouldn’t even call these articles “Journalism” absolutely ridiculous.
Too funny! It’s a piece from the AFP news agency.
Kevin – I didn’t write this article, AFP did. And we capitalise the first three words in every article on this site.
Aoife
Ha what a lemon! First three words always capitalised! Oh lord. Where did they find you?
The court jester!
AFP’s articles are all extremely one-sided when it comes to Israel. I assumed you have some influence in these articles as you give explanations to why comments are deleted or why the story isn’t showing both sides on AFP’s articles.
Laughable to accuse this site of bias. The facts don’t much suit you, do they Kev?
Cut and paste
Kevin did you apologise to “this woman Aoife” for making an ass of yourself?
Kevin, you just made a complete & utter prat of yourself, attacking the journalist herself, considering CNN, FOX, MSNBC, ABC, & most other stations favour the excessive retaliations. Thats embarrassing
Petr
In the two hours after five am this morning more than 125 missiles were fired across the Gaza border on to Israeli soil. This is carried out at a time when a massive army is camped on their borders and awaiting an instruction to begin an offensive to stop these firings. These Islamic thugs how exactly the response that will bring. They also know their cause is massively aided by the international Press’s carrying pictures of children’s bloodied bodies and corpses that will be a part of the collateral damage as Israel tries to defend itself. Don’t try to be cute about any rights other than the one of self protection. You cannot justify these animals creating such a response.
Describing dead, mutilated, murdered children as ‘collateral damage’ — I don’t know how you live with yourself.
Gerry I know there are “thugs” operating in gaza but killing women and children does not justify israels operation. Over half people injured or killed in gaza are civilians if not more!!!
Why would I apologize? I stand by on what I said about articles that she actually writes even if she didn’t write this one. She has some influence on the AFP articles as she has given responses saying she will add photos, etc. to AFP articles when people were complaining about them being one-sided. Thank you.
Maybe apologise for the tone of your rant directed at a lady? Coupled with the fact you were totally wrong.
Oh Jesus Kevin, have the good grace to apologise. You were wrong and rude.
Kevin, why not forget the Hasbara handbook .. For Once!! And actually debate the issue
If you have such a big problem with this type/particular journalism.. Heres a mad thing for you- Dont Read It! Freedom of choice is a great thing
@Nigel – I read the story because the conflict is of particular interest to me. I have the right to criticize people who author stories instead of report the news. AFP and Aoife do not represent the Journal.ie as there are a number of different people who write these stories. When a story is of interest to me I don’t scroll down the page before I read it, to check who it was by. I first read it.
TheJournal deleting comments listing Israeli war crimes.
Would be great to get an explanation for the vanishing comments.
Petr, comments that contravene our comments policy are being deleted – when the emails are sent into me it doesn’t specify what part of the conversation they are, so sometimes I have to go back afterwards and delete replies.
As you can appreciate, with the sheer volume of comments, many of which contravene our policy, it takes time to clean the comments up.
Aoife
Thanks, Aoife. Totally appreciate the volume issue. Genuinely didn’t think a lot of the comments contravened your police but sure sin sceal eile.
It will never stop, end the chaotic sense among Middle East yet, will continue until end the beautiful Charms. Israel-Palestine’s movement immoral intrusion over Palestinians civilians. Israel still good because not using civilians only using military actions over Palestinians when they intensify.
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