News Israel-Hamas 'Open War': LIVE UPDATES

VERSIONS:روسيا اليومNOTICIASFREEVIDEOИНОТВRTД LOG INSIGN UP RT live ScheduleWhere to Watch News Top Videos Programs Politics USA Business Sport Art&Culture All about Russia Learn Russian Community Meet Friends Online Exclusive Go to main page News Israel-Hamas 'Open War': LIVE UPDATES RT on MORE ON THE STORY 14.11, 18:30 91 comments Israel strikes Gaza, calls up reservists, ready to ‘expand’ operation The IDF announces a widespread campaign on “terror targets” and begins bombing the Gaza Strip, preparing for a ground operation. This comes after the head of Hamas’ military wing Ahmed Jabari was killed in an Israeli airstrike. 14.11, 20:04 106 comments Hamas says now in 'open war' with Israel, promises 'gates of hell' As Israel launched a full-scale attack on Gaza with frequent sounds of rockets still being heard in Gaza - killing 13 and injuring over 100 - Hamas vowed to avenge the Israeli strike and the assassination of its military leader Ahmed Jabari. Israel-Gaza strikes 14.11, 22:13 22 comments First Twitter war declaration? Israel announces Gaza operation on social media site The days of declaring way with a lengthy proclamation signed by a prime minister or president are in the past. Israel announced on Tuesday that it was launching a strike on the Gaza Strip with a single tweet. Israel-Gaza strikes Israel-Hamas 'Open War': LIVE UPDATES Get short URL email story to a friendprint version Published: 14 November, 2012, 19:52 Edited: 16 November, 2012, 06:22 TAGS: Arms, Conflict, Israel, Army, Violence TRENDS: Israel-Gaza strikes An Iron Dome launcher fires an interceptor rocket near the southern town of Sderot November 15, 2012. (Reuters/Ronen Zvulun) View more photos from the Israel-Hamas conflict in RT's gallery. Nov. 16, 01:15 GMT: Israeli Defense Force denies Hamas claims that an Israeli drone was downed. Nov. 16, 00:40 GMT: Death toll from Israeli strikes on Gaza has risen to 19, reportedly six of them are children. Nov. 16, 00:10 GMT: Israeli forces are searching homes in the al-Arroub refugee camp in the south of the West Bank, Maan news agency reports citing witnesses. This comes after Palestinians threw a Molotov cocktail at an Israeli settler bus in the area, injuring one passenger. Nov. 15, 23:00 GMT: IDF claims that since the start of the operation the Israeli Air Force has targeted 300 “terror activity sites” in the Gaza Strip. Nov. 15, 22:30 GMT: UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will visit Jerusalem, Cairo and Ramallah on Tuesday, Haaretz says. The UN chief however is not expected to visit the Gaza Strip. Nov. 15, 20:40 GMT: An Israeli strike killed a UN school teacher in Gaza. Marwan Abu El Qumsan, an Arabic teacher at a UN school, was killed as his car was hit by a bomb on Thursday, the UN Palestinian refugee agency, UNRWA, says on its website. Nov. 15, 20:35 GMT: During the past hour approximately 70 underground medium-range rocket launching sites in Gaza have been targeted by the IDF, the organization reported on Twitter. Nov. 15,19:59 GMT: Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah urges US oil embargo over Gaza violence. Nov. 15, 19:47 GMT: Israeli media reports indicate that an Israeli Navy warship launched a targeted missile strike that hit a Hamas jeep near the home of Hamas Prime Minister in Gaza, Ismail Haniyeh. No casualties have been reported. Palestinians extinguish a fire after Israeli air strikes targeted an electricity generator that fed the house of Hamas's Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh in Gaza City November 15, 2012. (Reuters/Majdi Fathi) Nov. 15, 19:46 GMT: Palestinian sources in Gaza have reported at least ten attacks on targets throughout the Gaza Strip. The targets were reportedly different positions and strongholds of Hamas' security forces, as well as missile launching sites. Nov. 15, 19:19 GMT: Witnesses on Twitter say a massive Israeli airstrike is underway in north Gaza, with dozens of explosions being heard. One witness says the Gaza sky is "filled with continuous flashes of explosions from F-16's." Nov. 15, 19:10 GMT: Power outages reported in Gaza, particularly Gaza City. Nov. 15, 18:29 GMT: An IDF spokesperson says 30,000 reserve soldiers could be called to participate in Gaza operation, Haaretz reports. A 155mm mobile cannon (front) is seen after it was transported to an area just outside the northern Gaza Strip November 15, 2012. (Reutrers/Amir Cohen) Men lower the body of Aaron Smadja, one of the three Israelis killed by a rocket fired from Gaza, during his funeral at a cemetery in the southern city of Kiryat Malachi November 15, 2012. (Reuters/Ronen Zvulun) Nov. 15,18:23 GMT: An IDF source says the air assault on Gaza will be renewed over the coming hours, says the IDF has approved plans for the next stage of the operation, Haaretz reports. Nov. 15, 18:14 GMT: Israel's defense minister says rocket fire on Tel Aviv is an escalation that will "exact a price." Nov. 15, 17:54 GMT: 250 sites have been targeted in Gaza since yesterday and 274 rockets have struck Israel in the past two days, according to an IDF spokesperson. There have also been 105 Iron Dome interceptions. Nov. 15, 17:53 GMT: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was at the IDF headquarters in Tel Aviv at time of rocket attack, went into bomb shelter with staff, Israeli media say. Nov. 15, 17:21 GMT: Conflicting reports say a rocket has hit near Tel Aviv, landing in the sea off Jaffa Beach. An IDF spokesperson says a rocket "did not strike the area." Nov. 15, 16:20 GMT: Twitter reportedly suspended the IDF's account earlier on Thursday after it posted updates on the Gaza Strip conflict which Twitter deemed to be "direct, specific threats of violence against others." Nov. 15, 16:00 GMT: A spokesperson for Hamas says Egypt will send a delegation headed by Prime Minister Hesham Kandil to Gaza on Friday. Nov. 15, 15:54 GMT: An IDF spokesperson has told RT that journalists have full access to the Erez crossing into Gaza, despite differing claims from reporters earlier on Thursday. Nov. 15, 15:28 GMT: Russian President Vladimir Putin discusses Gaza conflict with Netanyahu, urges both sides to avoid escalation of violence. Nov. 15, 15:26 GMT: The Israeli army says a rocket has struck near the southern Tel Aviv suburb of Rishon LeZion. No injuries have been reported. Nov. 15, 14:03 GMT: Hamas health officials in Gaza say a two-year-old Palestinian child was killed by an Israeli strike on Thursday. A man carries the body of Palestinian boy Walid al-Abadlah, who according to hospital officials was killed in an Israeli air strike in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip November 15, 2012. (Reuters / Ibraheem Abu Mustafa) Nov. 15,13:55 GMT: Unconfirmed reports say that electricity has been shut off in Gaza. Nov. 15, 13:46 GMT: Twenty foreign journalists were reportedly blocked by the Israeli military before reaching the Erez crossing point to enter Gaza. Nov. 15, 13:44 GMT: British Ambassador to Israel declares UK's full support for Israel's defensive actions and its right to self defense. Nov. 15, 13:43 GMT: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel will "continue to take whatever action is necessary to defend our people." Nov. 15, 13:00 GMT: Unconfirmed reports from Israeli media say that tanks are moving south towards the Gaza border. Israeli Defense Forces have refused to comment. Nov. 15, 12:44 GMT: Palestinian President Abbas says Hamas needs to stop its rocket fire on Israel, calls for both sides to end the violence. Nov. 15, 12:20 GMT: Sources claim Israel is offering a mutual ceasefire option in Gaza via European mediators. Nov. 15, 12:11 GMT: Hamas reports two more Palestinians killed in Israeli air strike on Gaza. Nov. 15, 11:50 GMT: UK Foreign Secretary William Hague stated that Hamas "bears principal responsibility" for the conflict between Gaza and Israel, and should move to cease attacks on Israeli territory. He appealed to Israel to do its utmost to “avoid the risk of a spiral of violence." ­Nov. 15, 11:34 GMT: Gaza prison has been evacuated and prisoners have either been sent home or escorted to other locations, reports RT’s Tom Barton. ­Nov. 15, 11:17 GMT: The wreckage of the apartment block in the southern Israeli city of Kiryat Malachi hit by a Hamas rocket. Three people were killed in the explosion because they did not make it to the building’s fortified stairwell. Three children were also injured in the attack. An Israeli soldier throws a blood-stained table out of a building damaged by a rocket, fired from Gaza, in the southern city of Kiryat Malachi November 15, 2012. (Reuters / Nir Elias) An injured Israeli baby is held by a security officer inside an ambulance at the scene where a rocket, fired from Gaza, landed in the southern city of Kiryat Malachi November 15, 2012. (Reuters) Nov. 15, 11:05 GMT: 4 children among the 13 Palestinians killed in Israeli air strikes on Gaza, reports Hamas Health Ministry. Nov. 15, 10:54 GMT: Israel’s Foreign Ministry says that 30 per cent of children in the south of Israel suffer from stress disorders in connection with rocket fire from Gaza. Nov. 15, 10:53 GMT: A Palestinian source says Israel is using drones armed with small missiles to execute their strikes in Gaza, writes RT’s Tom Barton on Twitter. ­Nov. 15, 10:15 GMT: The funeral of Hamas Military Chief Ahmed Jabari, killed in an Israeli strike, has begun and is attracting large crowds of angry protesters, tweets RT’s Tom Barton. Palestinian mourners carry the body of Ahmad Jaabari, head of the military wing of the Hamas movement, the Ezzedin Qassam Brigades, during his funeral in Gaza City, on November 15, 2012. (AFP Photo / Mohammed Abed) ­Nov. 15, 10:08 GMT: An emergency UN Security Council meeting on the crisis in Gaza called by Egypt has begun. It follows a meeting during the night that did not yield any palpable solutions to the conflict. ­Nov. 15, 09:57 GMT: Egyptian Foreign Minister Mohamed Kamel Amr has called on the US to “immediately intervene” to curb “Israeli aggression” in Gaza in a telephone conversation with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. ­Nov. 15, 09:49 GMT: President of the Palestinian Authority Mahmoud Abbas has cut short his tour of the EU to deal with the escalating crisis with Israel. ­Nov. 15, 09:47 GMT: The Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas has announced it is launching “Operation Shale Stones” in response to the Israeli “Pillar of Defense”. Nov. 15, 09:28 GMT: A crater caused by the impact of Israeli missiles in Gaza city, following a barrage of 60 rockets targeting Palestinian territory. A general view shows a crater at a spot targeted by an Israeli air strike in Gaza City in the early hours of November 15, 2012. (AFP Photo / Mahmud Hams) ­Nov. 15, 09:12 GMT: BBC correspondent Jihad Masharawi weeps as he cradles his 11-month-old son in his arms after he was burned alive during an Israeli rocket attack. (Image from twitter user@WalaaGh) Nov. 15,08:23 GMT: Egypt has opened the Rafah border crossing in preparation for possible inflow of injured from Gaza. Hospitals and ambulance service are on standby. Nov. 15, 08:19 GMT: Angry crowds are gathering in Gaza to participate in the funeral of Hamas military leader Ahmed Jabari, killed by an Israeli airstrike. ­Nov. 15, 08:11 GMT: Two women and a man were killed in the southern Israeli city of Kiryat Malachi when a rocket hit a building. A one-year old child and another infant were also injured in the strike. Additionally, 10 people suffered panic attacks, according to Israeli publication Ynet. embed video 07:48 GMT: The Israeli Defense Forces destroy Hamas "infrastructure" in the Gaza city of Khan Yunis. ­Nov. 15, 07:32 GMT: Alarm sirens are going off in a number of southern Israeli cities close to the border with Gaza, including Ashdod, Yavne and Kiryat Malakhi, reports RT’s Paula Slier. embed video 07:29 GMT: Rockets fire from the Gaza strip into southern Israel. Nov. 15, 07:06 MGT: Rocket strikes on the South of Israel have killed three people, reports Israeli television. Nov. 15, 07:05 GMT: A baby has been seriously injured by a rocket attack on a house in the South of Israel, tweets RT correspondent Tom Barton. A picture taken from the southern Israeli town of Sderot shows smoke billowing from a spot targeted by an Israeli air strike inside the Gaza strip on November 15, 2012. (AFP Photo / Jack Guez) Nov. 15,06:34 GMT: Hamas stated that they will avenge the assassination of one of the organization’s leaders, Ahmed al-Jabari, who was killed in the Israeli missile strike, by sending suicide bombers into Israel. Nov. 15, 06:19 GMT: Israel’s army has allowed journalists to go into Gaza, but police are not letting cars pass in order to get there, according to the BBC’s Middle East Bureau Chief Paul Danahar. Nov. 15, 06:16 GMT: All schools within a 40km range of Gaza have been closed. People living within a 7km range of the Gaza border are not allowed to leave their homes and gatherings of over 100 people in one place are prohibited, Yeshiva World News reports. A Palestinian man looks at the damage after Israeli air strikes in Gaza City November 15, 2012. (Reuters / Suhaib Salem) Nov. 15,05:58 GMT: Death toll from Israeli strike on Gaza Strip rises to 13 dead and more than 100 injured, PressTV reports. Nov. 15, 05:52 GMT: About 100 people protested outside Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak’s apartment in Tel Aviv Wednesday night following the start of the offensive on Gaza. The activists were shouting “money for welfare, not war." (Image from screenshot of youtube video user@SocialTV) Nov. 15, 05:41 GMT: IDF disperses leaflets over Gaza Strip, warning residents to stay away from Hamas and terror operatives because that would pose a risk to their safety and stating that Hamas is dragging the region into violence. A picture taken from the southern Israeli town of Sderot shows warning leaflets falling on the Gaza Strip dropped by Israeli military planes on November 15, 2012. (AFP Photo / Mohammed Abed) Nov. 15,05:24 GMT: Reports of civilian casualties in Israeli airstrikes: BBC Arabic journalist Jihad Masharawi lost his 11 month-old-son, sister-in-law and has a brother wounded in a Gaza strike. Nov. 15, 05:12 GMT: Israel continued its rocket attacks in Gaza overnight, according to Haaretz. Nov. 15, 05:09 GMT: Three Palestinian militants killed by Israeli strike in southern Gaza Strip, AFP reports. Nov. 15, 05:05 GMT: 25 rockets have been fired since midnight from Gaza, Haaretz reports. Nov. 15, 05:04 GMT: One million citizens in Israel spent the night in bomb shelters, hiding from dozens of rockets flying in from Gaza, according to the IDF. Israelis prepare to sleep in a bomb shelter in the southern town of Netivot November 14, 2012. (Reuters / Nir Elias) Nov. 15,04:40 GMT: Palestine says if Israel does not stop aggression, it will keep returning to UN Security Council seeking a resolution. Nov. 15, 04:15 GMT: The UN Security Council emergency meeting on Gaza ends with no concrete decision reached. Nov. 15, 03:55 GMT: Palestine warns UNSC that Israel is mobilizing on the ground as the emergency meeting is happening and that fear and panic engulf Gaza’s population. Nov. 15, 03:50 GMT: President of the Security Council Hardeep Singh Puri calls for the end of violence in Gaza during UNSC meeting. Nov. 15, 03:25 GMT: Internet hacktivist collective 'Anonymous' claims to have taken down the Israeli Defense Ministry website www.idf.il. In a message shared via one of the group's Twitter accounts, they posted the site address with a popular hashtag used for similar actions, 'tango down'. Nov. 15, 03:06 GMT: ­Increasing number of reports claim Israel is planning to shut down internet services in Gaza, citing IDF. Nov. 15, 02:34 GMT: Russia hopes the UNSC will convince Israel to cease fire, said the country's permanent representative in the United Nations Vitaly Churkin. Nov. 15, 01:57 GMT: Worldwide protests are being planned to protest Israeli strikes in Gaza. People in the US, the UK, Israel and many European countries plan to gather to show their concern over escalating violence in the Middle East. Nov. 15, 01:13 GMT: Diplomats say both the Israeli and Palestinian envoys are to speak at the emergency UNSC meeting. Nov. 15, 00:51 GMT: The United Nations Security Council has called an emergency meeting to discuss escalating tensions between Israel and the Palestinian territory of Gaza. The meeting is scheduled for 0200 GMT, and will take place behind closed doors. 22:43 GMT: Alarms sound in Be'er Sheva as two Gaza rockets hit city; no casualties reported. 22:26 GMT: Hamas' armed wing, the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, claims to be shelling "the occupied city of Tel Aviv". 21:37 GMT: Israeli National Security Minister Avi Dichter: "We have no intention to end this round of fighting and suffer more hits in the next" A rocket is launched from Rafah, in the southern Gaza strip towards Israel, on November 14, 2012. (AFP Photo/Said Khatib) Nov. 14, 21:06 GMT: The Israeli Security Cabinet has given the IDF permission to draft reservists and expand the Gaza operation. Nov. 14, 20:51 GMT: The Arab League will meet Saturday to discuss the Gaza attack, reports Egypt's news agency. Nov. 14, 20:43 GMT: Israel's ambassador to Egypt has left for Tel Aviv together with a number of the embassy's employees, claim some media reports. Others insist embassy functioning as usual. Nov. 14, 19:55 GMT: Israel is reportedly preparing for a ground operation into Gaza. ­Nov. 14, 19:48 GMT: According to AlJazeera, the Israeli army has reported a rocket from Gaza hitting a shopping center in a southern Israeli city. A Palestinian carries a wounded woman into a hospital after Israeli air strikes in Gaza City November 14, 2012. (Reuters/Saleh Salem) ­Nov. 14, 19:40 GMT: Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov calls for end to violence in Gaza. ­Nov. 14, 19:34 GMT: Egypt's president orders UN representative to call for emergency security council meeting over Israel Gaza strikes, spokesperson says, according to Egyptian state TV. ­Nov. 14, 19:27 GMT: Egypt has decided to withdraw its ambassador to Israel. ­Nov. 14, 19:22 GMT: Former US President Jimmy Carter was quoted by Israel's Haaretz daily as saying: “Both sides should cease all hostilities; Israel should end iblockade of Gaza". A Palestinian man helps a woman to evacuate following Israeli air strikes in Gaza City November 14, 2012. (Reuters/Ahmed Zakot) Smoke rises after Israeli air strikes in the northern Gaza Strip November 14, 2012. (Reuters/Darren Whiteside) ­Nov. 14, 19:20 GMT: People in Gaza describe how ships have been shelling the ground, they can hear bombs dropping, F16s flying above them all day and drones buzzing overhead, according to tweets from inside Gaza. ­Nov. 14, 19:15 GMT: Hamas has announced a state of emergency in Gaza, and evacuated all its security buildings, according to bloggers in Gaza. ­Nov. 14, 19:10 GMT: Locals inside Gaza take to Twiiter to claim that at least three children have already been killed in the attacks. ­Nov. 14, 19:06 GMT: Palestinians in the Gaza Strip fired a Grad rocket toward Dimona Wednesday night, Channel 2 reported. No injuries or damage were reported from the attack. It was not immediately clear where the rocket struck, according to the Jerusalem Post. ­Nov. 14, 19:00 GMT: Palestinians in Gaza fired two rockets in the Eshkol region of southern Israel Wednesday night. The rockets exploded in open areas and no injuries or damages were reported, according to AP. ­Nov. 14, 18:58 GMT: Israeli Defence Minster Ehud Barak says "We are at the start of the action, not the end. But in the long term, this military action will restore calm" according to the Jerusalem Post. Nov. 14, 18:54 GMT: Israeli prime minister says military is `prepared to expand' Gaza operation, according to AP. Palestinian medics carry a wounded baby into the al-shifa hospital in Gaza City following an Israeli air strike on November 14, 2012. (AFP Photo/Mahmud Hams) ­Nov. 14, 18:45 GMT: Palestinian health minister says 10 people killed in 20 airstrikes on Gaza Strip today, including two young children according to AP. ­Nov. 14, 18:40 GMT:"Israel's goal is to achieve a long-term ceasefire with Egyptian mediation. IDF will continue to pound Gaza until such a truce is reached" says Volunteers for Israel, a charity that connects Israel and the USA. ­Nov. 14, 18:35 GMT: Israeli Navy has struck terror sites in the Gaza Strip according to an IDF spokesperson. ­Nov. 14, 18:30 GMT: Medics in Gaza report more than 30 injuries in the last attack on Tal Al-Hawa most of whom are kids and women, according to tweets from inside Gaza. ­Nov. 14, 18:27 GMT: The Iron Dome rocket defense system successfully intercepted a total of 15 rockets on Wednesday evening, Israeli's Channel 2 reported. ­Nov. 14, 18:24 GMT: Six rockets from the Gaza strip hurled toward Beersheba on Wednesday evening, Army Radio and Jerusalem Post staff reported. Palestinian youths evacuate an elderly man following an Israeli air strike on November 14, 2012 in Gaza City. (AFP Photo/Mohammed Abed) ­Nov. 14, 18:20 GMT: the IDF has warned Hamas leaders not to show their faces above ground in the days ahead. ­Nov. 14, 18:15 GMT: Defense Minister Ehud Barak has declared a special situation in all Israeli territory, covering all Israeli cities up to a radius of 40 kilometers around the Gaza Strip. ­Nov.14, 18:04 GMT: PM Netanyahu & Defense Minister Barak to make a joint statement statement to the Israeli public at 2030. ­Nov. 14, 17:56 GMT: Pentagon: "We stand by our Israeli partners in their right to defend themselves against terrorism”, news agencies report. ­Nov. 14, 17:45 GMT: Big explosion near home of Hamas leader, Mahmoud Zahar according to Al Arabiya correspondent. ­Nov. 14, 17:40 GMT: Israel has carried out 2 new bombing raids in the Tel el-Hawa and Zetun districts of Gaza city, according to bloggers in Gaza. embed video Ambulances rush the insured to hospital in Gaza. ­Nov. 14, 17:38 GMT: UN Chief Ban Ki-moon reiterates call for de-escalation of tensions in Gaza on both sides, spokesperson says. ­17:32 GMT: Palestinian President Abbas calls for urgent Arab League meeting after Israeli strike on Gaza according to Alarabiya. ­17:30 GMT: Britain has called for restraint after Israeli strike on Gaza, saying that further violence was in no one's interests according to Al Arabiya. ­17:25 GMT: Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood says it "will not allow the Palestinians to be subjected to Israeli aggression". ­17:24 GMT: Israel confirms 10 dead in Gaza, reports say. 17:21 GMT: Medical sources in Gaza saying at least 9 dead and 20 wounded. Palestinians stand next to wounded children at a hospital after an Israeli air strike in Gaza City November 14, 2012. (Reuters/Mohammed Salem) ­17:15 GMT: Hamas official: Israel will 'pay a price for this cowardly assassination'. 17:12 GMT: Egypt's FM condemns Israeli strikes on Gaza, and urges Israel to end attacks immediately acording to Al Arabiya. 17:11 GMT: Egypt recalling ambassador to Israel. MB asking to review relationship with Israel, according to blogger Gaza Under Attack. ­17:00 GMT: IDF issues draft orders for Israeli Homefront Command reserve soldiers, according to Haaretz. 16:50 GMT: Haaretz reports that the IDF has hit Rafah again, with the IDF claiming that the strike killed "two terrorists" riding on motorcycles. Palestinian medics wheel a wounded boy into the al-shifa hospital in Gaza City following an Israeli air strike on November 14, 2012. (AFP Photo/Mahmud Hams) ­16:42 GMT: 7 year old Raneen Arafat killed says Al Shifa Hospita, Gaza, according to Palestinian activists. ­16:40 GMT: Israel Announces Gaza Invasion Via Twitter, Marks the first time a military campaign goes public via tweet, according to the fast company online magazine. ­16:35 GMT: The Israeli army plans to persist with a land and air military operation targeting 'all militants' in Gaza for 72 hours, al-Mayadeen. ­16:34 GMT: Iran Condemns Israel's Fresh Strikes on Gaza – Fars News Agency. ­16:32 GMT: Israel starts emergency call up of reservists, says they're prepared for ground invasion of Gaza. ­16:30 GMT: Palestinian health ministry in Gaza announces death toll so far is 9, including, at least, one kid. ­16:25 GMT: Israeli military starts emergency call up of reservists while saying they are prepared for a ground invasion of Gaza. 16:20 GMT: Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood calls on Egypt's president to review its relations with Israel following Israel's airstrikes on Gaza 16:15 GMT: Hamas says Israeli Prime Minister Nyetanyahu 'will regret this operation' as Israeli jets bomb over 20 sites in Gaza. embed video video courtesy Youtube user Mohammed Sbaita, showing chaos in Gaza. Smoke rises after an Israeli air strike in the northern Gaza Strip November 14, 2012. (Reuters / Amir Cohen) embed video video courtesy Youtube user Mohammed Sbaita 16:03 GMT :Netanyahu officially announces the military operation against the Palestinian military parties in Gaza 16:01 GMT: Hamas spokesman: "Netanyahu can kill Palestinians but struggle against occupation will continue" ­16:00 GMT: Netanyahu: The world must understand that Israel has the right and a total obligation to defend its citizens 15:58 GMT: The IDF has seriously damaged Hamas' long-range missile capabilities (40 km/25 mi range) & underground weapons storage facilities. 15:55 GMT: All options are on the table. If necessary, the IDF is ready to initiate a ground operation in Gaza. 15:53 GMT: IDF is moving army brigades to the South to prepare for a ground assault. Home Front Command meeting for possible attack on Tel Aviv 15:50 GMT: IDF declare the onset of a wide scale air, maritime and land military operation against Gaza. 15:47 GMT: Killing of top Hamas Ahmed Jabari brings Hamas into open war with Israel. 15:40 GMT: The death toll from the Israeli strikes on Gaza has risen to nine. Palestinian security forces wheel into a hospital the body of Ahmaed Jaabari, head of the military wing of the Hamas movement, the Ezzedin Qassam Brigades, after the car he was riding was hit by an Israeli air strike in Gaza City on November 14, 2012. (Reuters /Mohammed Abed) 15:40 GMT: Explosions rock Gaza as Israeli jets bomb Hamas positions, our correspondent reports. 15:35 GMT: Dozens of injuries in a strike on a HOUSE that belongs to Arafat family. Ambulances haven't arrived there yet. Palestinian youths look inside a building where the body of Ahmaed Jaabari, head of the military wing of the Hamas movement, the Ezzedin Qassam Brigades, was brought to after the car he was riding was hit by an Israeli air strike in Gaza City on November 14, 2012. (Reuters / Mohammed Abed) 15:20 GMT: Many of the buildings in the downtown Gaza city are on fire after being attacked by Israeli warplanes, RT`s Arabic correspondent Saed Swerky reports in his Twitter. 14:45 GMT: The IDF stated on its website that it has launched a "widespread campaign on terror sites and operatives in the Gaza Strip" and Jabari was its first target. He's the highest ranking Hamas official to be killed since 2009, when Israel conducted ground offensive against Gaza. 14:35 GMT: The crackdown follows the recent escalation of violence in the region. The conflict broke out last week when Palestinian militants attacked at an Israeli military jeep. Israel responded with retaliatory attacks, to which the Gaza Strip replied with heavy rocket fire at southern Israel. 14:30 GMT: Jabari was traveling in his vehicle in Gaza City when his car was struck. A Hamas policeman checks a destroyed car of Hamas's military chief following an Israeli air strike in Gaza City November 14, 2012. (Reuters / Mohammed Salem) 14:25 GMT: The head of Hamas’ military wing, Ahmed Jabari, has been killed in an Israeli airstrike, both Hamas and Israel confirm, as the IDF announces a widespread campaign on “terror targets” and begins bombing the Gaza Strip. Palestinian firefighters extinguish fire from the car of Ahmaed Jaabari, head of the military wing of the Hamas movement, the Ezzedin Qassam Brigades, after it was hit by an Israeli air strike in Gaza City on November 14, 2012. (AFP Photo / Mahmud Hams) +7(11 votes) Back to top Share on Tumblr digg previousnextMORE NEWS 14.11, 18:30 91 comments Israel strikes Gaza, calls up reservists, ready to ‘expand’ operation The IDF announces a widespread campaign on “terror targets” and begins bombing the Gaza Strip, preparing for a ground operation. This comes after the head of Hamas’ military wing Ahmed Jabari was killed in an Israeli airstrike. 14.11, 20:04 106 comments Hamas says now in 'open war' with Israel, promises 'gates of hell' As Israel launched a full-scale attack on Gaza with frequent sounds of rockets still being heard in Gaza - killing 13 and injuring over 100 - Hamas vowed to avenge the Israeli strike and the assassination of its military leader Ahmed Jabari. Israel-Gaza strikes 229 COMMENTS peter (unregistered)November 16, 2012, 06:28 0 @ME.... Very shallow argument. Why in the first place they short fireworks and hardly hits anything? Answer.... why are you making Gaza a huge prison and blockaged an entire population. Now let me ask you ... if I say If.... Iran , Syria , Iraq and other Muslim forces are to do to Israel as Israel has been doing to Gaza, West Bank etc ... i.e no one can go into Israel without Arab's permission ..what would you do? You would use nuke to nuke them ..right? Simple minds talk very simply without finding why the firing starts in the first place... they are trying get their freedom to live... and Israel by withdrawing fearful of occupation and get clobbered inside Gaza is making a huge prison for all the people of GAZA. Do you have that right? Hamas HAVE EVERY RIGHT TO FIGHT BACK BUT NOT ISRAEL AS SHE HAS NO EXCUSE TO GRAB THEIR LAND AND IMPRISON THEM....PERIOD abc (unregistered)November 16, 2012, 06:22 0 http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=63hTOaRu7h4 one side wants the other dead... educate yourselves. OMG (unregistered)November 16, 2012, 06:07 0 THE SHOCKING HISTORY ZIONISTS DON'T WANT YOU TO SEE! "Benjamin Freedman's 1961 Speech at the Willard Hotel" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HhFRGDyX48c On Air TalentCorporate profileJob opportunitiesPartnersЗакупкиPress releasesAdvertise with RTAll RT sites Legal disclaimerPrivacy PolicyFeedbackContact us© Autonomous Nonprofit Organization “TV-Novosti”, 2005–2012. All rights reserved.