The Gaza War Cost Billions

Israel Says Gaza War Cost $2.5 Billion -- Voice of America

Israel says its 50-day war against Hamas militants in Gaza cost more than $2.5 billion.

Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon told an economic conference in Tel Aviv this week that a large part of the cost came from more than 6,000 attacks Israeli forces carried out on targets in the Palestinian enclave along the Mediterranean, mostly airstrikes.

But he said the country also spent $100,000 each time its Iron Dome missile defense system shot down one of the 600 rockets the militants fired across the border at the Jewish state - a $60 million cost.

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More News On The Cost Of The Gaza War

The economic cost of the war in Gaza -- CNN
Israel estimates cost of Gaza conflict at £1.5bn -- The Guardian
Gaza war cost $2.5 billion, Ya’alon says -- Times of Israel
The High (Economic) Cost of the Gaza War -- Israel Today
Rebuilding Gaza to cost 6 billion euros: Palestinians -- AFP
Palestinians put Gaza reconstruction cost at $7.8 billion -- Reuters
Gaza rebuilding 'will cost $7.8 billion' -- The Telegraph
UN: Palestinian economy battered further -- i24 News

Hamas Spokeman: Long-Term Truce Agreed With Israel

Gaza Truce Reached, Hamas Says -- CNN

(CNN) -- Hamas officials said Tuesday that a truce has been reached that would end the fighting between Israel and militants in Gaza.

But Mark Regev, a spokesman for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said word of a deal was "just reports."

A senior Egyptian government official told CNN on Tuesday that there was no ceasefire deal, but added, "We may have an announcement later today or tomorrow."

Tuesday marks the 50th day of Israel's Operation Protective Edge. The Israel Defense Forces reported that militants destroyed a home in Ashkelon and fired a rocket that landed near a kindergarten in Ashdod.

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More News On Reports That Israel And Hamas Have Agreed To A Long Term Truce

Gaza conflict: Hamas says long-term truce agreed with Israel -- BBC
Gaza ceasefire deal reached, Palestinian groups say -- Reuters
Long-term Gaza truce agreed with Israel: Palestinians -- AFP
Palestinian officials: Cease-fire made with Israel -- AP
Hamas claims Gaza truce agreed with Israel -- Al Jazeera
Reports: Hamas says deal reached on extended cease-fire in Gaza -- USA Today
Hamas official: Extended cease-fire reached with Israel -- FOX News
Gaza truce agreed for 'permanent' ceasefire: Palestinian official -- Sydney Morning Herald

My Comment: This announcement is a surprise .... I expected a few more weeks of fighting. We shall see if it holds.

Israel And Hamas Are Now Fighting A War Of Attrition

Smoke and flames are seen following what police said was an Israeli air strike in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip July 8, 2014.(Reuters / Ibraheem Abu Mustafa)

Israel And Hamas Appear To Have Run Out Of Ideas, But Not Bombs -- Washington Post

JERUSALEM — After 49 days of war, the armies of Israel and Hamas appear to have run out of new ideas — but not bombs. They are now slugging it out in a lopsided war of attrition.

As rumors fly that another cease-fire could be imminent, Hamas and Israel are groping for a diplomatic solution that could allow both to declare victory — or in the case of Hamas, at least avoid an obvious loss.

But without a permanent truce, the war of attrition could drag on for weeks or longer. Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon said Sunday, “If the leaders of Hamas think they can wear us down, they are wrong.”

As the conflict enters its eighth week, the populations on both sides are less angry than exhausted.

In Israel, smartphone apps ping warnings of incoming rockets with the dull monotony of traffic updates.

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My Comment: Someone will eventually give ....but I suspect that it is going to take a long time.

Israel Received Signal Intelligence On Determining Where Hamas Military Chief Deif Was Hiding, And Not On the Men That Hamas Had Executed For Spying

Israel Reportedly Knew Hamas Chief’s Location Days Before It Struck -- Times of Israel

Jerusalem had intel on where Deif was hiding out, but waited for Hamas to breach truce before attacking, TV report says

Israel knew the whereabouts of Hamas terror chief Muhammad Deif last weekend, but waited to target his hideout until Hamas breached a temporary truce on Tuesday, local media reported.

According to a report Sunday on Israel’s Channel 10, Jerusalem received intelligence last weekend that the Hamas military wing head had emerged from his bunker during what was then a five-day truce to visit his wife and children. The government had solid evidence that Deif was in a building in the Sheikh Radwan neighborhood of Gaza City, it reported, and debated whether to launch an attack.

Israel ultimately decided to withhold a strike, assuming Hamas would breach the truce, as it had breached several previous truces. It targeted the building last Tuesday night, hours after Hamas resumed rocket fire at Israel.

It is still not clear if Deif survived the strike, which killed at least five people, including his wife and two children. Hamas claims he is alive, but has yet to give any proof of life. Israeli officials have said there was firm intelligence that Deif was there.

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My Comment:Hamas must not only be in disarray .... but it's commanders are probably deeply worried that they are the ones who are next on Israel's "hit list".

Israeli Airstrike Levels 12-Story Building In Gaza

Netanyahu Warns Gaza Civilians After Israel Destroys 13-Storey Building -- Reuters

(Reuters) - Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned Palestinian civilians on Sunday to leave immediately any site where militants are operating, one day after Israel took the Gaza war to a new level by flattening a 13-storey apartment tower.

Israeli aircraft first fired a non-explosive rocket at the building, a sign to residents to get out, before attacking it on Saturday. Seventeen people were wounded in the strike on the structure, which Israel said had housed a Hamas command centre.

"I call on the inhabitants of Gaza to evacuate immediately from every site from which Hamas is carrying out terrorist activity. Every one of these places is a target for us," Netanyahu said in public remarks at a cabinet meeting.

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More News On The Israel - Hamas War

In escalation, Israel continues to level large buildings in Gaza -- CBS/AP
Netanyahu Signals Expansion of Air Attacks in Gaza -- WSJ
Israeli Prime Minister Warns Gaza Operation May Last Past Start of School Year -- RIA Novosti
Israel levels high-rise buildings in Gaza: ‘They housed Hamas op centers’ -- RT
Israeli air strikes level 12-floor apartment block in Gaza after giving residents just ten minutes' warning to get out -- Daily Mail
New Video Shows Israeli Bombing of Gaza Apartment Tower -- AP
Israel Airstrikes Level Two More Large Buildings in Gaza, Expanding Targets -- Wire
8 killed in Israeli air strikes on 48th day of Gaza war -- Business Standard
Five Palestinians killed as Israeli aircraft bomb Gaza -- Irish Times
Israeli strikes on Gaza signal escalation of fighting -- Irish Times
Israel Warns of Expanded Air Strikes, Hints at Gaza Ground Move -- Bloomberg Businessweek
Netanyahu Warns Gazans to Leave Hamas Sites -- VOA
Netanyahu: Gaza operation to last as long as it takes -- Daily Star/AFP
Heavy Barrage Of Hamas Rockets Fired at Israel -- ABNA/Press TV
Hamas condemned over killing of 21 suspected informants -- Irish Times
Israel claims to find Hamas training manual in Gaza -- Haaretz
Ynet: “July War” Was Goal of Hamas Commander Killed This Week -- The Tower

Israel - Hamas War News Updates -- August 21, 2014

Israel Airstrike Kills Three Hamas Commanders in Gaza Strip -- Bloomberg

An Israeli airstrike killed three senior military commanders from the Gaza Strip’s ruling Hamas movement a day after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that forces would hunt militant leaders down.

The raid, coming close behind an apparent attempt on the life of Hamas’s top military chief, was followed by a barrage of rockets on Israel from Gaza and a wave of Israeli aerial attacks on the Palestinian territory. The surge in violence threatens to overwhelm Egyptian efforts to halt six weeks of hostilities that have killed 2,075 Palestinians, including 27 today, according to Gaza officials, and 67 on the Israeli side. The last in a series of Egypt-brokered truces unraveled Aug. 19.

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Israel - Hamas War News Updates -- August 21, 2014

LIVE BLOG: Israel's offensive in Gaza -- Jerusalem Post
Gaza Blog Live -- Al Jazeera
Operation Protective Edge -- Arutz Sheva

Iron Dome intercepts rocket near Modi'in -- Jerusalem Post
Gaza Terror Rockets Target Jerusalem Area -- Arutz Sheva
Phone Call from Mashaal Exposed Deif's Location? -- Arutz Sheva

Gaza crisis: Israel kills three top Hamas commanders -- BBC
Hamas leaders die in wave of Israeli strikes on Gaza -- The Guardian
Hamas says three top commanders killed by Israeli airstrike in Gaza -- FOX News
Israeli airstrike kills 3 commanders but Hamas seems unbowed -- CSM
Gaza: Thousands rally for Hamas leaders' funerals -- BBC
Hamas buries commanders killed by Israel -- Al Jazeera
Hamas vows revenge for commanders killed in Israeli strikes -- Euronews
Mashaal, Hamas defiant after assassinations -- Times of Israel
WATCH: IDF releases video of strike that killed top Hamas commanders in Gaza -- Jerusalem Post

Hamas executes 3 for 'collaboration' with Israel -- Daily Star/AFP
Hamas executes 3 Palestinians suspected of 'collaboration' with Israel -- Jerusalem Post
Hamas executes three on allegations of conspiring with Israel -- Al Bawaba
Hamas feels the corrosive effect of ‘grave betrayal’ -- Times of Israel

Senior Hamas official says group abducted Israeli teens -- Reuters
'We DID kidnap the three Israeli teens': Hamas veteran exiled in Turkey claims responsibility for 'heroic operation' that sparked Gaza conflict -- Daily Mail

Hamas warning: No flights into Tel Aviv -- UPI
Tel Aviv Airport Ignores Hamas Threat -- RIA Novosti

10,000 Reserve Soldiers Authorized for Emergency Draft -- Arutz Sheva
Israeli defense minister asks government to call up 10,000 reservists -- ITAR-TASS
Israel approves call up of 10,000 reservists in Gaza -- Xinhua

Israel ignores calls to lift Gaza siege -- Al-Monitor
Europeans to press for UN ceasefire resolution as rockets persist -- Times of Israel

Exclusive: Militants, weapons transit Gaza tunnels despite Egyptian crackdown -- Reuters
Retooled Hamas Bloodies Israel With Help From Hezbollah -- Bloomberg

Some see Qatar’s hand in collapse of Gaza talks -- AP
Killing of Hamas chiefs will spark desperate attacks against Israel -- Avi Issacharoff, Times of Israel

Israel - Hamas War News Updates -- August 20, 2014

Israel, Hamas Resume Fighting as Cairo Talks Break Down -- Voice of America

JERUSALEM — Israeli and Palestinian fighters in Gaza exchanged fire Tuesday night and Wednesday morning as cease-fire talks in Egypt broke down.

Palestinian authorities said at least 11 people were killed in the latest round of violence. There we no reported injuries in Israel.

Israel said it hit more than 90 targets in the Palestinian enclave along the Mediterranean, one of which struck the house of Hamas military commander Mohammed Deif. Hamas said he is still alive, but the raid killed his 27-year-old wife and seven-month-old son.

Several thousand mourners joined a funeral procession for them and shouted demands for revenge. Their bodies, wrapped in green Hamas flags, were carried from a mosque to a cemetery in a refugee camp in Jabaliya.

Hamas said that Israel had opened a "gateway to hell."

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Israel - Hamas War News Updates -- August 20, 2014

Iron Dome intercepts two rockets over greater Tel Aviv area -- Jerusalem Post
Hamas warns airlines not to land in Israel, disputes reports terror head Deif killed -- Times of Israel
Hamas says fired rockets at off-shore Israeli gas well -- Reuters
Israel steps up raids, Gaza buries dead -- AFP
Israel’s missile strikes kill 20 Palestinians after truce disruption -- ITAR-TASS
Gaza toll tops 2100 as war resumes; Hamas says its military chief still alive -- Zee News
Gaza truce fail: Israeli airstrikes kill 5yo child, Hamas barrages Tel Aviv -- RT
Gaza war rages on, Hamas says Israel tried to kill its military chief -- Reuters
Israeli officials acknowledge assassination attempt on Hamas military wing chief Deif -- Jerusalem Post
Gaza conflict: Israel 'targets Hamas leader Deif' -- BBC
Hamas leader's wife and child reported killed as Gaza war resumes -- The Guardian
Hundreds turn out for Gaza funeral of Hamas military chief's wife and son -- The Guardian
Family of Hamas military chief buried in Gaza -- Al Jazeera
In blow to Gaza’s economy, Israeli strikes have left industries hard-hit -- Washington Post
Palestinian president due in Doha to meet Emir and Hamas leader -- Reuters
Steep Obstacles to Any Gaza Deal -- AP

Who Gave Hamas All Of That Cement To Build Their Tunnel Network In Gaza?

Image from Others and Science News

Who Put The Cement Into Hamas' Hands? -- Arutz Sheva

A bombshell revelation.

Much has been said and written about the terror tunnels that Hamas built in Gaza. But too little has been said about who it was that put the cement into Hamas’ hands, thus making the construction of the tunnels possible in the first place.

Until now.

In a bombshell revelation, Dennis Ross, the senior Mideast policy adviser to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton from 2009 to 2011, has admitted that it was he who was assigned the task of pressuring Israel to ease up on its military blockade of Gaza, in the events after Israel's withdrawal from that region in 2005.

"I argued with Israeli leaders and security officials, telling them they needed to allow more construction materials, including cement, into Gaza so that housing, schools and basic infrastructure could be built," Ross revealed in the Washington Post on August 10. "They countered that Hamas would misuse it, and they were right."

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My Comment:  More proof that this White House (like previous administrations) have a problem in  understanding what is happening in the Middle East.

Reuters Given A Tour Of Hamas' Tunnel Complex

Palestinian fighters from the Izz el-Deen al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of the Hamas movement, stand inside an underground tunnel in Gaza August 18, 2014. Credit: Reuters/Mohammed Salem

Exclusive: Hamas Fighters Show Defiance In Gaza Tunnel Tour -- Reuters

(Reuters) - Hamas fighters, clad in black and armed with assault rifles, navigated the dimly lit tunnel with ease, saying they felt at home in their network of underground passages in the Gaza Strip.

A rare tour that Hamas granted to a Reuters reporter, photographer and cameraman appeared to be an attempt to dispute Israel's claim that it had demolished all of the Islamist group's border infiltration tunnels in the Gaza war.

"We are speaking to you today from inside one of those tunnels, which Israel said it had destroyed. Our men are still operating in those tunnels prepared for all options," said a masked fighter from Hamas's Izz el-Deen al-Qassam Brigades.

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My Comment: So much for claims that this network has been destroyed.

Update: Photo gallery inside Hamas tunnels.

Israel - Hamas Ceasefire Shattered. Both Sides Resume Attacks

Gaza Conflict: Israel Launches Strikes After Rocket Fire -- BBC

Israel's military says it has carried out air strikes in the Gaza Strip in response to fresh rocket fire, hours before a ceasefire was set to expire.

"Terror targets" were hit after three rockets were fired towards the towns of Beersheba and Netivot, officials said.

A five-day ceasefire was extended for 24 hours at midnight while delegations from both sides tried to negotiate a deal to end weeks of fighting.

More than 2,080 people, most of them Palestinians, have died since 8 July.

"This rocket attack was a grave and direct violation of the ceasefire," said Mark Regev, a spokesman for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

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More News On The End Of The Gaza Truce

LIVE UPDATES: Israeli army strikes Gaza in response to rocket fire -- Haaretz
Gaza Live Blog -- Al Jazeera
Israel launches fresh air strikes in Gaza in response to rocket fire -- The Guardian
Israel strikes after Hamas 'breaks ceasefire' -- The Telegraph
Gaza cease-fire breaks as militants’ rocket attacks spark retaliatory Israeli airstrikes -- Washington Post
Israel, militants trade rocket fire as Gaza truce broken -- FOX News
Gaza Rockets Rupture Truce, Triggering Israeli Air Strikes -- Bloomberg Businessweek
Israel strikes Gaza targets after rocket fire -- Al Jazeera
Israel Launches Airstrikes After Rockets Fired From Gaza -- VOA
Israel attacks Gaza targets after rockets fired, recalls Cairo negotiators -- Reuters
Cease-Fire Talks Suspended After Gaza Rocket Strikes -- WSJ

Hams Warns Israel To Accept Their Demands Or Expect A Long War

Hamas Says Israel Must Accept Palestinian Demands Or Face Long War -- Reuters

Reuters) - Offers made to the Palestinian delegation in Cairo do not meet the aspirations of the people, said Hamas's head of foreign affairs, Osama Hamdan, raising doubts about the chances of reaching a truce with Israel in the Cairo-brokered talks.

Hamdan said on his official Facebook page on Saturday: "Israel must accept the demands of the Palestinian people or face a long war."

Israel launched its military campaign on July 8 to quell cross-border rocket fire from Hamas in Gaza. The United Nations said 425,000 of 1.8 million population of Gaza have been displaced by the war, which has killed more than 1,900 Palestinians and 67 Israelis.

Most of the Palestinian dead have been civilians, hospital officials in the small, densely populated enclave say.

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More News On The Israeli - Hamas "Peace Talks"

As cease-fire nears end, optimism over Israel-Hamas talks fade -- CBS/AP
Israel and Hamas trade taunts as ceasefire deadline looms -- Financial Times
Hamas: Israel Will ‘Face a Long War’ If Palestinian Demands Not Met -- Time
If no acceptable deal, fighting may resume: Hamas, Israel warn -- Ahram Online
Hamas: Lifting the blockade of Gaza is the only way to ensure Israel's security -- Jerusalem Post
Hamas Rejects Egyptian Proposal for Long-Term Gaza Truce -- Bloomberg
Hamas Threatens Terror in Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria -- Arutz Sheva
Gaza Talks Resume in Cairo as Israel, Hamas Truce Nears End -- Bloomberg Businessweek
Undeterred by Hamas warnings: Israel -- Reuters
Netanyahu Issues Warning to Hamas on Rocket Fire From Gaza -- WSJ
Israel: No Gaza deal until security needs met -- Al Jazeera

Palestinian Interior Ministry In Gaza Accused Israel Of Violating Truce. Israel Denies

A Palestinian worker walks inside al-Awdah food factory, which witnesses said was shelled and torched by the Israeli army during the offensive, in Deirl al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip August 14, 2014. Credit: Reuters/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa

Palestinians Accuse Israel Of Violating Gaza Truce -- Reuters

(Reuters) - The Palestinian Interior Ministry in Gaza accused Israel on Friday of a cross-border shooting in violation of a truce that has largely held since getting off to a shaky start on Thursday.

An Israeli military spokeswoman said: "We have no knowledge of such an incident."

The Palestinian ministry in the coastal territory dominated by Hamas Islamists said Israeli troops shot at houses east of the town of Khan Younis.

The ceasefire, renewed on Thursday for five days after a previous truce expired, has largely halted more than a month of fighting in which 1,945 Palestinians, many of them civilians, 64 Israeli soldiers and three civilians in Israel were killed.

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Update: Gaza Truce Holds Amid Report of Egypt Offer -- Bloomberg

My Comment: It is amazing that the truce has been holding for as long as it has. The eprception is that both sides want to go back to war.

Israelis And The Palestinians Are Deadlocked With Only Hours Left before The Ceasefire Ends

Israeli soldiers rest just outside the border with the northern Gaza Strip August 12, 2014. Credit: REUTERS/ Amir Cohen

Time Running Out On Gaza Cease-Fire Between Israel And Hamas -- CNN

Gaza (CNN) -- Less than a day remains of a temporary cease-fire in Gaza.

Indirect talks between Israeli and Palestinian officials aimed at agreeing on a more lasting end to hostilities are expected to continue Wednesday in Cairo. The three-day truce is due to expire just after midnight local time (5 p.m. ET).

Egypt is pushing the Israelis and Palestinians to extend the cease-fire past its current deadline, a senior Egyptian government official told CNN on Wednesday.

"This is a very sensitive time in the negotiations, and it's hard to predict the outcome at this point," said the official, who asked not to be identified because he's not authorized to speak the media about the talks.

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More News On The Approaching End Of The Gaza Ceasefire

Israel, Palestinians pursue Gaza deal with ceasefire clock ticking -- Reuters
Israel-Hamas talks tackle Gaza blockade -- Al Jazeera
Israel, Hamas Talks Over Gaza Deadlocked -- WSJ
Israel-Hamas truce on the line as temporary cease-fire nears expiration -- Jerusalem Post
Gaza cease-fire holds as Israeli official warns of 'gaps' between sides in talks -- FOX News
As war with Israel shatters lives, more Gazans question Hamas decisions -- Washington Post

My Comment: It will not surprise me if later this evening both sides start to exchange missile/rocket fire again.

A New 3 Day Ceasefire Between Israel And Hamas Takes Hold In Gaza

Gaza Conflict: New Three-Day Ceasefire Holds -- BBC

A fresh three-day ceasefire agreed between Israel and Palestinian faction Hamas in Gaza was holding on Monday.

The agreement, which began at midnight (21:00 GMT Sunday), came after days of intense mediation by Egypt.

If the truce continues to hold, Israel will send negotiators to Cairo on Monday for talks on a longer-term deal.

About 2,000 people have died in the conflict, which began on 8 July when Israel launched an operation intended to deter militant attacks from Gaza.

Those killed include more than 1,900 Palestinians, mostly civilians, according to the UN. Sixty-seven people have died on the Israeli side, including three civilians.

Minutes before the ceasefire began, militants claimed to have fired several rockets at Israel, including one at Tel Aviv, but there were no reports of damage.

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More News On A New 3 Day Ceasefire Between Israel And Hamas

Israel, Palestinians launch new three-day truce -- Reuters
Israelis, Palestinians Begin New Truce -- VOA
Israel, Hamas agree to Egyptian-brokered cease-fire -- CSM
New Truce Comes Into Effect In Gaza -- Radio Free Europe
Gaza, Israel Cease-Fire Update 2014: New 72-Hour Truce Underway -- IBTimes
Israel and Palestinians agree to further 72-hour ceasefire -- Irish Times
Fresh 72-hour truce begins in Gaza -- News24
Gaza Truce Holds After Death Toll Tops 2,000 -- SKY News

Gaza Talks On Brink Of Collapse As Israel And Hamas Exchange Fire

Israel Says Won't Talk Under Fire, New Gaza Truce Plan Mulled -- Reuters

(Reuters) - Israel said on Sunday it was prepared for protracted military action in Gaza and would not negotiate under rocket fire as Egypt crafted a new truce plan to try to keep indirect Israeli-Palestinian talks alive.

Israeli air strikes and shelling killed three Palestinians in Gaza, including a boy of 14 and a woman, medics said, in a third day of renewed fighting that has jeopardized efforts by Egypt, which also borders the enclave, to end the month-old hostilities.

Since a three-day truce expired on Friday, Palestinian rocket and mortar salvoes have focused on Israeli kibbutzim, or collective farms, just across the border in what appeared to be a strategy of sapping the Jewish state's morale without triggering another ground invasion of the tiny Gaza Strip.

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More News On The Israel - Hamas War

Gaza Blog Live -- Al Jazeera
LIVE UPDATES: Rocket barrages strike south Israel as far as Ashkelon -- Haaretz
LIVE BLOG: Israel's Operation Protective Edge in Gaza -- Jerusalem Post
Hamas and Israel said to agree to 72-hour ceasefire in Gaza: Live -- Times of Israel

Amid Gaza Cease-Fire Talks, Israel and Palestinians Trade Blows -- New York Times
Palestinians threaten to quit talks if Israeli negotiators don't attend -- CNN
Gaza talks on brink of collapse as Israel and Hamas trade threats -- The Guardian
Gaza: Palestinians threaten to leave truce talks -- The Telegraph
Rockets pound Ashkelon as Palestinians mull new 72-hour truce -- Jerusalem Post
Palestinians accept new 72-hour cease-fire offer -- FOX News
Palestinian negotiators say willing to accept 72-hour truce -- Haaretz
Gaza conflict: Fresh fears for ceasefire talks in Cairo -- BBC
Hamas Slams ‘Loser’ Netanyahu as Israel Says No Talks Under Fire -- Bloomberg
Cairo talks in disarray amid Gaza violence -- Al Jazeera
Hamas threatens major escalation in rocket strikes on Israel -- The Guardian
Gaza talks: Hamas says Israel not serious about Cairo summit -- The Guardian

War Returns To Gaza

Cease-Fire In Gaza Expires, And Strikes Resume -- New York Times

JERUSALEM — As a 72-hour truce in Gaza expired at 8 a.m. Friday, Palestinian militants fired barrages of rockets into Israel and the Israeli military responded with airstrikes, one of which killed a 10-year-old boy, according to relatives.

The renewed hostilities interrupted the indirect talks in Cairo, brokered by Egypt and backed by the United States, for a more durable cease-fire agreement. While the rocket fire signaled Hamas’s refusal to extend the temporary lull and its desire to apply pressure for its demands to be met at the talks, the Israeli government said in a statement that “Israel will not hold negotiations under fire.”

Israel had said it was willing to extend the truce unconditionally, but the Cairo talks, which began on Wednesday, appeared to have yielded few results.

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More News On The Israel - Hamas War

Israel retaliates after rockets are fired from Gaza as ceasefire expires - live coverage -- The Guardian
Israel launches ground incursion in Gaza Strip LIVE UPDATES -- RT
LIVE UPDATES: Truce collapses; rocket strikes Sderot house -- Haaretz
LIVE BLOG: Israel's Operation Protective Edge in Gaza -- Jerusalem Post
Rocket hits Sderot home after Hamas ends truce, IDF strikes targets across Gaza -- Times of Israel
Gaza Live Blog -- Al Jazeera

Israel air strikes resume in Gaza amid rockets -- BBC
Israel strikes Gaza after militants resume rocket fire -- Reuters
Rockets fired into Israel as three-day truce expires -- Washington Post
Israeli Jets Strike Gaza Targets After Rockets Shatter Truce -- Bloomberg Businessweek
Gaza truce expires in exchange of shells, rockets -- USA Today
Israel resumes strikes on targets after rocket fire from Gaza -- FOX news
Israel, Hamas resume attacks after Gaza cease-fire expires -- AP
Deadly Israel-Gaza conflict resumes, talks in tatters -- AFP
Gaza fighting resumes after ceasefire ends -- Al Jazeera
Israel resumes air strikes after rockets fired from Gaza as ceasefire ends -- The Guardian
Israel launches air strikes on 'terror sites' in Gaza as ceasefire ends -- The Telegraph
In Gaza, Cease-Fire Expires As Rockets Fly -- NPR
Breaking: Hamas Violates Ceasefire, Fires 35 Rockets Into Israel -- The Tower
Israeli Airstrike Kills Palestinian Child in Gaza -- RIA Novsoti
Gaza war takes its toll on business and jobs -- Reuters
Israel won't negotiate while fire continues, boy dies in Gaza -- Reuters
Palestinians press on with Cairo talks despite end of Gaza truce -- Jerusalem Post/Reuters

Israel Confirms That Rockets Have Been Fired Form Gaza Thereby Violating The Cease-Fire (Updated)

Israeli military: Rockets fired from Gaza violate cease-fire -- CNN

Gaza City (CNN) -- Rockets from Gaza hit Israel early Friday morning, breaching a cease-fire that had held for more than two days, the Israeli military said.

"Moments ago, 2 rockets fired from Gaza hit southern Israel. Terrorists have violated the cease-fire," the Israel Defense Forces wrote on Twitter.

It wasn't immediately clear how Israel would respond. The IDF pulled its ground forces out of Gaza on Tuesday but said they were maintaining "defensive positions" around the territory.

Earlier, negotiators in Cairo had been scrambling to extend the Gaza cease-fire, which was set to expire at 8 a.m. Friday (1 a.m. ET). A Hamas official had told supporters in Gaza City that the group was ready to resume fighting if it didn't win key concessions in the talks.

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More News On Reports That The Gaza Ceasefire Has Been Broken

Rockets Break Gaza Cease-Fire -- NYT
Israel says 2 Gaza rockets violate truce -- USA Today
Israeli Army Says 2 Rockets Fired From Gaza -- AP
Israel Says Gaza Militants Broke Cease-fire -- VOA
IDF confirms two rockets land in Israel, breaking cease-fire before official end -- Jerusalem Post
2 Rockets Hit Israel Before Ceasefire Ends -- Jerusalem Post
LIVE UPDATES: Mortars fired at Israel, hours before end of cease-fire -- Haaretz
Two rockets strike near Eshkol, violating ceasefire -- Times of Israel

Breaking News: Gaza Ceasefire Broken. Mortars Have Been Fired At Israel Hours Before End Of Cease-Fire

WNU Editor: From Haretz: Mortars fired at Israel, hours before end of cease-fire

Update #1: Al Jazeera is reporting explosions in northern Gaza.

Update #2: Two rockets strike near Eshkol, violating ceasefire -- Times of Israel

WNU Editor: This ceasefire is collapsing.

No Agreement To Extend Gaza Cease-Fire As Deadline Looms (Update: Hamas Will Not Extend Cease-Fire)

Mediators Race Against Clock To Extend Gaza Truce -- Reuters

(Reuters) - Mediators worked against the clock on Thursday to extend a truce between Israel and Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip, as the three-day ceasefire entered its final hours.

Israel said it was ready to agree to an extension as Egyptian go-betweens pursued talks with Israeli and Palestinian delegates in Cairo on ending a war that has devastated the Hamas-controlled enclave.

Palestinians want an Israeli-Egyptian blockade on Gaza lifted and prisoners held by Israel to be freed. Hamas's armed wing said it was ready to resume fighting unless Palestinian demands were met, and Israel said it would respond forcefully if attacked.

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More News On The Approaching End Of The Gaza Cease-Fire

Gaza Blog Live -- Al Jazeera
Still no deal as the clock ticks down on truce: Live Updates -- Times of Israel
LIVE UPDATES: Israel - Gaza Conflict -- Haaretz

Tensions high as Gaza truce deadline looms -- AFP
Israel Gaza: Mediators seek to extend truce in Cairo -- BBC
Hamas rejects disarmament proposal -- AP
Hamas official at rally says Gaza war not over until demands met -- FOX News/AP
Hamas ‘ready to engage in a long war’ -- Irish Times
Hamas Says It Will Continue Fight After Ceasefire -- Time
Spokesman: Hamas will not extend cease-fire, 'we are ready for a long war' -- CNN
Twelve Hours Before Truce Ends, Israeli Official Says No Agreement On Extending Cease-Fire -- Haaretz
UN urges Gaza truce extension so aid can enter -- AFP
Residents of devastated Gaza sector wary as truce nears end -- AFP
The End of the Ceasefire Looms. Hamas’s Impossible Demands -- Marc Schulman, Newsweek

Israel Has Proposed An Extension To The Truce But Hamas Has Rejected It But Talks Are Continuing

Palestinians walk amid the ruins of destroyed homes in the Shejaia neighbourhood, which witnesses said was heavily hit by Israeli shelling and air strikes during an Israeli offensive, in Gaza City August 6, 2014. REUTERS/Finbarr O'Reilly

Gaza Ceasefire Holds On Second Day, Extension Talks Under Way -- Reuters

(Reuters) - A 72-hour Gaza truce held through its second day on Wednesday and Israel said it was ready to extend the deal as Egyptian mediators pursued talks with Israelis and Palestinians on an enduring end to a war that devastated the Hamas-ruled enclave.

Egypt's intelligence chief met a Palestinian delegation in Cairo, the state news agency MENA said, a day after he conferred with Israeli representatives. The Palestinian team, led by an official from Western-backed President Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah party, includes envoys from Hamas and the Islamic Jihad group.

"The indirect talks between the Palestinians and Israelis are moving forward," one Egyptian official said, making clear that the opposing sides were not meeting face to face. "It is still too early to talk about outcomes but we are optimistic."

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Update: Israel offers Gaza truce extension but Hamas rejection reported -- BBC

My Comment: I expect the ceasefire to hold .... the people in Gaza are exhausted after one month of war, and on the Israeli side .... all of their military objectives have been reached. So for both sides .... the stomach to continue the fight at this moment in time is no longer there.