A spokesman for Hamas’s armed wing, his face masked by a checkered Arab scarf, vowed it would replenish its arsenal of rockets and other weapons, in defiance of any Israeli or international efforts to cut off smuggling routes. for more click here
The full scale of devastation in Gaza following Israel’s three-week offensive is becoming clear, after both Israel and Hamas declared ceasefires.for more click here
No nation on Earth would accept being permanently bombed by a neighboring territory and remain impassive. Israel’s punishing assault against Hamas in Gaza should not, therefore, be a surprise. What is truly surprising is that it did not happen much earlier. Israel has endured the unendurable: more than four thousand Palestinian missiles, which have not caused more deaths because of the enormous passive protection efforts –in the form of bunkers- for the towns in southern Israel. Demanding that Israel cease its military operations is immoral and a serious strategic error. The political goal of the EU and the international community should not be a simple cease-fire, but putting a stop to terrorism from Gaza. for more click here
The Gaza strife will quickly test the new president’s national security team, which is still missing key players. for more click here
Preventing arms flow into Gaza from Egypt is a key Israeli condition for a cease-fire. But Hamas leaders reject talk of a truce, saying Israel must withdraw troops and lift a blockade. for more click here
Israeli is to halt its three-week military offensive against Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has said. for more click here
Israel’s military has carried out 50 air strikes in Gaza overnight as its cabinet prepares to vote on a proposal for a unilateral ceasefire.
Palestinians say a tank shell hit a UN school in northern Gaza, killing at least two people sheltering there. Israel says it is checking the report. for more click here
Hamas is inching closer towards accepting a 10-day ceasefire in Gaza, and Amos Gilad, head of the security-political bureau of the Defense Ministry, is to visit Cairo Thursday to hear details.
Israel has set its conditions for a halt to the fighting, and it is not yet clear what Hamas will accept and demand. for more click here
Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni heads to U.S. for talks. In Gaza, Israeli airstrike kills Hamas interior minister and his deputy. U.N. compound is hit by shells, destroying supplies. for more click here
