Israeli military starts ground operation in Gaza
Israel’s latest ground operation comes after attempts to broker a cease-fire with Hamas failed to take hold. The last 10 days have seen both sides exchange rocket fire, resulting in the deaths of more than 220 Palestinians and one Israeli, with some attacks coming under intense scrutiny. Recently, four Palestinian children were killed by an Israeli airstrike while they were playing on a beach in Gaza.
Overall, Israel has struck more than 2,000 targets in Gaza, while Hamas has fired almost 1,500 rockets towards Israel.
Although both Israel and Hamas agreed to observe a brief suspension of hostilities following a request by the United Nations, reports indicated on Wednesday that Israel was considering sending boots on the ground in order to remove rockets and other weapons used by Hamas.
"The IDF's objective as defined by the Israeli government is to establish a reality in which Israeli residents can live in safety and security without continued indiscriminate terror, while striking a significant blow to Hamas's terror infrastructure,” the army said in its statement.
The last time Israel launched an extensive ground offensive in Gaza was back in January 2009, following an armed conflict that began the month prior in December. That offensive, known as Operation Cast Lead, began on January 3 and was tasked with a similar objective: to secure areas from which militants were launching rockets. The entire conflict – which ran from December 27, 2008 to January 18, 2009 –resulted in the deaths of up to 1,417 Palestinians and 13 Israelis.
Although both Israel and Hamas agreed to observe a brief suspension of hostilities following a request by the United Nations, reports indicated on Wednesday that Israel was considering sending boots on the ground in order to remove rockets and other weapons used by Hamas.
"The IDF's objective as defined by the Israeli government is to establish a reality in which Israeli residents can live in safety and security without continued indiscriminate terror, while striking a significant blow to Hamas's terror infrastructure,” the army said in its statement.
The last time Israel launched an extensive ground offensive in Gaza was back in January 2009, following an armed conflict that began the month prior in December. That offensive, known as Operation Cast Lead, began on January 3 and was tasked with a similar objective: to secure areas from which militants were launching rockets. The entire conflict – which ran from December 27, 2008 to January 18, 2009 –resulted in the deaths of up to 1,417 Palestinians and 13 Israelis.
In our millions, we’re all Palestinian’: Wave of protests worldwide demand end to Gaza slaughter.
a In France, things got very real in several cities, including Lyon, Toulouse and the capital, Paris, where last Sunday saw more than 10,000 take to the streets – an event that started out peacefully, but ended in stone-throwing between pro-Palestinian supporters and Jewish protesters. Some Jews were holed up in two synagogues guarded by the police against a furious crowd.
Since that incident, the remainder of the protests to be held until the end of the week have been canceled by the police in several cities at the behest of the government, amid fears that a sharp escalation in civilian violence in France is otherwise inevitable. The country is home to some of the largest Palestinian and Jewish communities outside their homeland and their animosity towards each other is beginning to reflect that which is witnessed in the One protester, however, was not swayed by calls for peace. Hamza asked RT: "Why should I accept it? Why should I accept it if Netanyahu tells his army 'kill everything that there is, kill everything.' A Jewish immigrant, do you know what he said to me? We will do with the Muslim women whatever we want as long as we want until they stop dancing with headscarves on our American tables. Yes, a Jewish immigrant. He can bury himself next to Hitler."
The demonstrators held signs with the names and ages of Palestinian citizens who have been killed as a result of airstrikes and artillery fire. The names of the dead were then read out.
Estimates now put the Palestinian dead at a minimum of 210, with one Israeli killed. Police surround demonstrators during a protest against Israel's air strikes, in Gaza in London July 11, 2014.
People protest on July 16, 2014 in the central French city of Lyon against Israel's deadly bombing of Gaza
Snowden: 'If I end up in chains in Guantanamo I can live with that'
“If I end up in chains in Guantanamo I can live with that,” Edward Snowden, the former intelligence contractor-turned-privacy advocate, told the Guardian newspaper during a recent interview released in part by the paper on Thursday.
Guardian editor-in-chief Alan Rusbridger and reporter Ewen MacAskill spent seven hours conducting an interview in Moscow earlier this month with Snowden, a former analyst for the United States National Security Agency now wanted in the US for espionage, and the newspaper plans to publish the full conversation at the end of the week.
Ahead of Friday’s release, the paper has published excerpts and a video of their July 10 interview with Snowden, and in it the former NSA worker stands by his decision last year to disclose US secrets to the media and advocates further for professionals around the world to adopt new security practices as government across the globe increasingly engage in surveillance against their own citizens.
Since that incident, the remainder of the protests to be held until the end of the week have been canceled by the police in several cities at the behest of the government, amid fears that a sharp escalation in civilian violence in France is otherwise inevitable. The country is home to some of the largest Palestinian and Jewish communities outside their homeland and their animosity towards each other is beginning to reflect that which is witnessed in the One protester, however, was not swayed by calls for peace. Hamza asked RT: "Why should I accept it? Why should I accept it if Netanyahu tells his army 'kill everything that there is, kill everything.' A Jewish immigrant, do you know what he said to me? We will do with the Muslim women whatever we want as long as we want until they stop dancing with headscarves on our American tables. Yes, a Jewish immigrant. He can bury himself next to Hitler."
The demonstrators held signs with the names and ages of Palestinian citizens who have been killed as a result of airstrikes and artillery fire. The names of the dead were then read out.
Estimates now put the Palestinian dead at a minimum of 210, with one Israeli killed. Police surround demonstrators during a protest against Israel's air strikes, in Gaza in London July 11, 2014.
People protest on July 16, 2014 in the central French city of Lyon against Israel's deadly bombing of Gaza
Snowden: 'If I end up in chains in Guantanamo I can live with that'
“If I end up in chains in Guantanamo I can live with that,” Edward Snowden, the former intelligence contractor-turned-privacy advocate, told the Guardian newspaper during a recent interview released in part by the paper on Thursday.
Guardian editor-in-chief Alan Rusbridger and reporter Ewen MacAskill spent seven hours conducting an interview in Moscow earlier this month with Snowden, a former analyst for the United States National Security Agency now wanted in the US for espionage, and the newspaper plans to publish the full conversation at the end of the week.
Ahead of Friday’s release, the paper has published excerpts and a video of their July 10 interview with Snowden, and in it the former NSA worker stands by his decision last year to disclose US secrets to the media and advocates further for professionals around the world to adopt new security practices as government across the globe increasingly engage in surveillance against their own citizens.
