Doctors tackle damaged minds amid Gaza's post-war destruction

Fri, Aug 15 07:09 AM EDT image By Nidal al-Mughrabi GAZA (Reuters) - In a ward at Shifa, Gaza's largest hospital, child therapist Rabeea Hamouda is trying to elicit a response from two small brothers, Omar and Mohammed, aged three and 18 months, hoping for some words or perhaps a smile. For seven straight minutes the children, peppered with burns and shrapnel wounds sustained in Israeli shelling that hit their home in north Gaza, stare at him blankly, emotionless. Eventually, as Hamouda gently teases them, pretending to mix up their names and holding out a present while another counselor sings quietly, a smile creeps across Mohammed's face and the older one, Omar, cries out his name. "At the beginning, Omar was not responding to us at all, he was not even willing to say his name," explains Hamouda, who heads a team of 150 psychotherapists working for the Palestinian Center for Democracy and Conflict Resolution in Gaza. "Big progress has been made with these children," he says with a sense of relief and quiet accomplishment. "At the beginning they did not talk, they refused to communicate. But now, with the sixth session, we are witnessing good progress." Omar and Mohammed are just two of the 400,000 Gazan children the United Nations estimates are in need of psychological care as a result of not just the latest war in the territory but the three previous conflicts fought with Israel since 2006. The most recent conflagration has been the deadliest, with 1,945 Palestinians killed, many of them civilians and including an estimated 457 children. On the other side of the border, some 64 Israeli soldiers and three civilians have been killed. Whether the result of Israeli air strikes, having parents or relatives killed before their eyes, hearing militants firing rockets from their own towns or themselves being wounded, the psychological trauma for Gaza's young is profound. The symptoms range from nightmares, bed-wetting and behavioral regression to more debilitating mental anxiety, including an inability to process or verbalize experiences. There is also deep trauma on the other side of the border, with tens of thousands of Israeli children mentally disturbed by the regular rocket fire from militants during the month-long war and over the seven years since Hamas seized control of Gaza. While the conflict's destruction of buildings and livelihoods is clear to see and documented daily in television footage, the damage to minds is mostly invisible, yet can have far more damaging and longer-lasting consequences. "The first time a child goes through a traumatic event like a war it's just deeply terrifying," said Chris Gunness, the spokesman of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, which has 200 psychotherapists working in up to 90 clinics in Gaza. "The second time is terrifying-plus-one because the child remembers the worst parts of the last war as well as the impact of the current one. Then the third time is plus-plus as the compounded memories of conflict build up. "This time, for an eight- or nine-year-old child in Gaza, it's very, very intense indeed because there is this cumulative toll of trauma from repeated conflicts since 2006." SMALL STEPS Hamouda and his team, like other psychotherapy units working across the small territory - home to an estimated 1.8 million people, more than half of whom are aged under 18 - can barely cope with the number of patients requiring help. The treatment is by necessity basic - an effort to draw children out, to have them paint pictures of their experiences or emotions, to get them to verbalize their circumstances. While a lot can be achieved with such simple techniques, many more require longer-term, personalized psychological care because of the enormity of the mental damage suffered. "First we provide wounded and traumatized children with immediate pyscho-social support and we give parents some guidance on how to deal with them," says Hamouda. Then there is home care and follow up for the more severe cases. "Houses can be rebuilt and some physical wounds can be healed, but the people's psychological condition needs more than money and time," he says. "It needs a big effort and persuasion, and overall it needs calm and stability." One of Gaza's most successful trauma assistance projects is the Gaza Community Mental Health Programme, launched in 1990. Hassan Zyada, a psychologist with the project, describes the latest conflict as easily the worst since 2006, with scores of Palestinians having lost multiple family members. "Our expectation is that more than 30 percent of the people here in Gaza will develop a psychiatric disorder," he said. Even health professionals are not immune. Six members of Zyada's own family were killed during the war: his mother, three brothers, a sister-in-law and a nephew. He is now receiving counseling from the clinic's chief therapist. "It is a really traumatic loss and it is not easy for me to deal with," he said, adding that several others on the team had suffered similar experiences. So widespread has the psychological damage become that UNRWA, which runs schools throughout the Gaza Strip, has now made psychotherapy a regular part of the curriculum. "We are rolling out a pretty massive program of parental and child therapy," said Gunness. "We're having to integrate this kind of therapy into our schools." (Additional reporting and editing by Luke Baker and Crispian Balmer)

Israel warns of long Gaza war as Palestinian fighters cross border

US Secretary of State John Kerry (C), speaks with Qatari Foreign Minister Khaled al-Attiyah (R) and Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu before they make statements to reporters during their meeting regarding a cease-fire between Hamas and Israel in Gaza, in Paris, July 26, 2014. (photo by REUTERS/Charles Dharapak) Israeli officials: United States chose Qatar over us The sense of security which Israelis felt until two weeks ago came tumbling down with a crash. Summary⎙ Print The Israeli leadership estimates that the cease-fire initiative of US Secretary of State John Kerry responds well to the interests of Qatar, Turkey, Hamas and its own interests with Qatar — but hardly addresses Israel's security needs. Author Ben Caspit Posted July 29, 2014 Translator(s)Simon Pompan Residents of Israel's southern communities who have been reporting for years that they were hearing digging noises at night are now living in an inconceivable, nightmarish reality. To date, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have unearthed 31 tunnels, but there is concern that the number runs much higher. Worse, even once all the tunnels are ostensibly exposed, there will always be that lingering possibility that one or two still remain. That alone is enough to spell catastrophe for the Israeli home front. Before noon on July 28, five Hamas terrorists burst out of one of these tunnels, not far from kibbutz Ein Hashlosha. Their element of surprise was impeccable. This tunnel had already been tracked down by the IDF and had been taken care of from the Gaza side. As a result, it was “checked off” from the list of effective tunnels. In IDF jargon, the tunnel was “cleared.” But it was anything but “cleared.” The five terrorists emerged from the tunnel with total surprise, killing five IDF soldiers and seizing, according to Hamas, the rifle of one of the Israeli fatalities. Then they fled. Only one terrorist was killed while his four comrades returned via this so-called “cleared” tunnel. But there's more to this story. In northern Israel, too, along the Lebanese border, residents have been reporting for years that they could hear digging noises at night. In the north, the terrain is much less amenable to digging than in loess [sediment of sand and silt] — the common soil in the south of Israel. But if the North Koreans were able to dig tunnels through granite, so can Hezbollah's Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah. It's all a matter of function and time. Why do they hear those digging noises especially at night? It's because the relative quiet at night augments your auditory sense. Incidentally, an interesting fact that was gleaned from the Israeli defense establishment is that women, more than men, report hearing digging noises at night. It turns out that women have a heightened auditory sensitivity in the wee hours of the night. Women are attuned to hearing their children sleeping in an adjacent room, whereas men tend to dive right into a deep slumber. Until two or three weeks ago, the women who were complaining about the digging noises were thought to exaggerate or “imagine” things. By now it has become clear that they did not. Even 22 days after the start of Operation Protective Edge, where dozens of Israeli soldiers have already been killed in this ongoing stagnation in Gaza, Israel still faces a threat to which a solution has yet to be found. The most difficult problem of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu these days is that he has already maxed out on the limited international credit he had, having wasted the precious time in which a decisive outcome in Gaza could have been reached. Furthermore, other Israeli prime ministers in similar situations always had Washington by their side. This was the case during the Second Lebanon War, Operation Cast Lead (2008) and also Operation Defensive Shield (2002). In all those pivotal events, there was an American president who backed Israel, bought it time, defended it at the UN Security Council and in other forums so that the IDF could complete its mission. This time around, however, that's not the case. Perhaps even the opposite is true. The cease-fire proposal made by US Secretary of State John Kerry was unanimously rejected by the Israeli cabinet on July 25. The rejection left the secretary and his entourage totally dumbstruck. From that point on, a diplomatic crisis — perhaps an unprecedented one — unfolded between Israel and the United Sates. It came to a crescendo with a double climax on the evening of July 27. A senior American official held a conference call with Israeli journalists during which he expressed displeasure, disappointment and perhaps even anger at the offensive and baseless statements made against John Kerry and his endeavors. "These were highly offensive allegations," he said. And at exactly the same time, President Barack Obama called Netanyahu and demanded that he reach a cease-fire immediately. A very high-ranking Israeli official — a member of the security cabinet — recapped for Al-Monitor the chain of events in this agonizing affair. What emerges from this recap is the frigid shoulder that the American administration has been giving Israel at its most difficult moments. On the other hand, we can't blame it. For the past five years, Netanyahu has been systematically sabotaging his relations with Obama, showing, among other things, his unwavering support for his Republican presidential rival Mitt Romney. The Israeli premier was actively involved in the campaign to oust Obama during the American presidential campaign. He endorsed business mogul Sheldon Adelson who put down $100 million to this end. Netanyahu also appointed Ron Dermer, a staunch Republican, as his ambassador to Washington. Dermer continues to attend functions held by Adelson ahead of the next attempt to remove Democrats from power. Given this state of affairs, Netanyahu made his own bed and now he's lying in it. “The diplomatic efforts began with the Egyptian initiative,” the senior Cabinet source recounted the chain of events. “Israel accepted it in full. What it meant was an unconditional cease-fire, after which everything was to be put on the table. The Egyptians made it clear that the Rafah crossing would remain closed to Hamas, which they consider to be an enemy. However, they would have no issue with opening the crossing if it were manned by Palestinian Authority officials. “Toeing the line with Israel," the source reported, "the Palestinian Authority also accepted this initiative, as did Jordan. The Egyptians also got the go-ahead from the Arab League. The entire moderate Arab world went along with the Egyptian initiative, except for Hamas and its patrons from Qatar. The Turks, who also represent the Muslim Brotherhood party, sided with the Qatari proposal. What we saw was a power struggle within the Arab world; the moderate Arab world pitted against those countries that still serve the Muslim Brotherhood. It was clear to us that the Americans would go along with us. It's the right thing to do. It makes sense and it's called for.” Well, Israel was in for a surprise. The first surprise was reported exclusively in my article here about two weeks ago, July 18, titled "Israeli Cabinet members blame US for failed cease-fire." "What happened," the cabinet source recounted, "is that John Kerry did back the Egyptian initiative but also added that if it did not work out, there were other options. In other words, he let Hamas understand that there was something to talk about and that the Americans would allow Qatar and Turkey to run the show. Kerry's statement is what unleashed all the problems." "According to our view," the Israeli source said, "there's no room for protection money. We have no intention of paying for a cease-fire. If they want quiet, they have to stop shooting. The lever Qatar has over Hamas should have been used, but not in the way Kerry chose to do it. What should have happened was for the Qataris to convey a message to Khaled Meshaal, Hamas' political bureau chief, that his conduct was unacceptable. No one was going to accept dictates from him in lieu of stopping the rockets on civilian communities. The Americans didn't do that." Off the record, Israelis list the many vested American interests in Qatar. In addition to the big American naval base there, there are also mega-arms deals in the pipeline. "The American concept is misguided," an Israeli source has said. "The Americans behave as if they are Qatar's envoys, instead of it being the other way around. If the Americans had told the Qataris that they were calling off the arms deals unless Qatar set Hamas straight immediately, this whole thing would have long been over. But the Americans did the exact opposite." “What the Americans did,” the Israeli source continued, "is to take the Egyptian initiative and add all the demands featured in the Qatari initiative. What they were trying in fact to create is a mechanism that would fund Hamas government the day after a cease-fire was brokered. They were doing this despite knowing full well that transferring or laundering money for Hamas is considered a criminal offense in the United States. We're still shocked by this conduct,” the source said. “How could the Americans,” the source added, "have turned overnight into collaborators at the command of Qatar, Turkey and Hamas? In the initial drafts that were published, they barely mentioned the issue of the tunnels. They talked about ‘security’ in vague terms, ignoring the Israeli need to eliminate [the threat of] the deadly tunnels.” “I went over Kerry's proposal,” the senior source said, “and I was shocked. It had a whole list of things that had to be discussed. The word ‘security’ was inserted toward the end by way of a generality. The strangest and most upsetting thing was the reference to an oversight mechanism with the participation of Qatar and Turkey. Yes, the only elements missing from this equation were Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Al Jazeera.” On July 25, as the Israeli cabinet was deliberating and looking ashen-faced at Kerry's initiative, the secretary of state picked up the phone to talk with Netanyahu. Justice Minister Tzipi Livni was in the room with Bibi (Netanyahu). According to sources, Netanyahu handed the phone over to her. “Listen,” said the Israeli justice minister, who is considered the staunchest supporter of peace in the Israeli government. “I'm looking at your proposal and right now I regret that I'm not Khaled Meshaal. He gets everything he wants. He gets a generous payment for a cease-fire, which strengthens the extremists and weakens the moderates. There is no response here to our security demands and to our right for self-defense.” It was agreed that the parties would continue to talk. A few hours later, as noted, the cabinet unanimously rejected Kerry's proposal. To save the face of the beleaguered Kerry, a briefing was held on July 27. Since I attended that briefing, I think that the objective was not accomplished. Kerry is a well-intentioned man, Israeli officials are saying, but for the time being the results leave a lot to be desired. The facts speak for themselves. Truth be told, Netanyahu isn't the most popular figure in Washington. Yet in these times, Israeli cabinet ministers are saying, we expect Obama and Kerry to draw a clear distinction between the bad guys and the good guys; between peace-seekers and death-seekers; between zealots and moderates; between democracy and Islamic theocracy. Unfortunately, we have been proven dead wrong. Read more: http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2014/07/netanyahu-abbas-kerry-protective-edge-gaza.html#ixzz38zUlW7T6 =============== Israel warns of long Gaza war as Palestinian fighters cross border Mon, Jul 28 19:59 PM EDT image 1 of 20 By Nidal al-Mughrabi and Crispian Balmer GAZA/JERUSALEM (Reuters) - A grim-faced Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned on Monday of a protracted war in Gaza, dashing any hopes of a swift end to the three-week conflict as Palestinian fighters launched an audacious cross-border raid. The Israeli army said five of its soldiers died in two separate incidents, including four in a mortar strike. Local media also reported casualties in the infiltration, but there was no immediate confirmation of this. Inside Gaza itself, eight children and two adults were killed by a blast in a park as an unofficial truce sought by the United Nations for the Muslim Eid al-Fitr festival collapsed. Residents blamed the explosion on an airstrike, but Israel said a misfiring militant rocket caused the carnage. "It has been a difficult, painful day," Netanyahu said in a televised address to the nation. "We need to be prepared for a protracted campaign. We will continue to act with force and discretion until our mission is accomplished," he said, adding that Israeli troops would not leave Gaza until they had destroyed Hamas's tunnel network. Some 1,060 Gazans, most of them civilians, have died in the conflagration. Israel has lost 48 soldiers and another three civilians have been killed by Palestinian shelling. As night fell over Gaza, army flares illuminated the sky and the sound of intense shelling could be heard. The military warned thousands of Palestinians to flee their homes in areas around Gaza City - usually the prelude to major army strikes. The explosion of violence, after a day of relative calm, appeared to wreck international hopes of turning a brief lull in fighting into a longer-term ceasefire. Gaza's dominant Hamas Islamists said they had accepted a U.N. call for a pause in hostilities on Monday to coincide with Eid, which marks the end of the fasting month of Ramadan. Israel initially balked, having abandoned its own offer to extend a 12-hour truce from Saturday when Palestinian rockets kept flying. However, calm gradually descended through the night with just the occasional exchange of fire heard until a series of blasts shook Gaza in the afternoon. TOY GUNS Pools of blood lay on the ground in the Beach refugee camp garden in northern Gaza after it was hit by a huge explosion. "We came out of the mosque when I saw the children playing with their toy guns. Seconds later a missile landed," said Munther Al-Derbi, a resident of the camp. "May God punish ... Netanyahu," he said. At roughly the same time, another blast shook the grounds of Gaza's main Shifa hospital, without causing any casualties. Israel, which has previously accused Hamas fighters of hiding in the hospital, again blamed an errant militant missile. Foreign pressure has been building on Netanyahu to muzzle his forces, with both U.S. President Barack Obama and the U.N. Security Council urging an immediate ceasefire that would allow relief to reach Gaza's 1.8 million Palestinians, followed by negotiations on a more durable cessation of hostilities. Israel wants guarantees Hamas will be stripped of its tunnels and rocket stocks. It worries the Palestinian Islamists will parlay the truce talks mediated by their friends in Qatar and Turkey into an easing of an Israeli-Egypt blockade on Gaza. In his television address, Netanyahu said any solution to the crisis would need to see Hamas stripped of its weapons. "The process of preventing the armament of the terror organization and demilitarization of the Gaza Strip must be part of any solution. And the international community must demand this forcefully," he said. Hamas said its forces had infiltrated Israel to retaliate for the killing of the children in the Beach camp. "His threats do not frighten either Hamas or the Palestinian people, and the (Israeli) occupation will pay the price for its massacres against children and civilians," Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri told Reuters. Speaking in New York, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon deplored what he described as a lack of resolve among all parties in the conflict. "It's a matter of their political will. They have to show their humanity as leaders, both Israeli and Palestinian," he told reporters. "Why these leaders are making their people to be killed by others? It's not responsible, (it's) morally wrong." SHELLING Some residents in Gaza reported they had received a recorded telephone message on Monday which said in Arabic: "Listen Hamas, if you are still alive, you should know that if you continue, we will respond, we will respond violently." In another attempt at psychological warfare, Israel dropped leaflets over Gaza listing dozens of names of gunmen from Hamas and its ally, Islamic Jihad, that the military says it has killed since the start of the offensive. An opinion poll broadcast by Channel 10 TV showed overwhelming Israeli public support for continuing the Gaza offensive until Hamas is "disarmed". Deputy Islamic Jihad chief Zeyad Al-Nakhala said mediation had made progress and the group was working with neighboring Egypt to craft a deal. "We are days away from the end of the battle, the clouds will clear and you (Palestinians) will see victory," he told Islamic Jihad's radio station Al-Quds. "We will not accept anything less than ending the blockade." U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry visited the region last week to try to stem the bloodshed, his contacts with Hamas - which Washington formally shuns - facilitated by Egypt, Turkey, Qatar and Western-backed Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Tension between Netanyahu's government and Washington has flared over U.S. mediation efforts, adding yet another chapter to the prickly relations between the Israeli leader and Obama. Repeated U.S.-led negotiations over 20 years have failed to broker a permanent peace deal. The most recent round collapsed in April, with Palestinians livid over Jewish settlement building in the occupied West Bank and Israelis furious that Abbas had signed a unity pact with old foe Hamas. Qatari Foreign Minister Khaled Al-Atteya said Israel had not respected a ceasefire agreement brokered by Cairo that ended the last Gaza war in 2012 and it was time the blockade of the coastal enclave - also enforced by next-door Egypt - was lifted. Israel has signaled it wants a de-facto halt to fighting rather than an agreement that would preserve Hamas's arsenals and shore up its status by improving Gaza's crippled economy. The main U.N. agency in Gaza, UNRWA, said more than 167,000 displaced Palestinians had taken shelter in its schools and buildings, following repeated calls by Israel for civilians to evacuate whole neighborhoods ahead of military operations. (Additional reporting by Amena Bakr in Doha; Writing by Maayan Lubell and Dan Williams; Editing by Crispian Balmer, Paul Taylor and Peter Graff) ============================= U.S. officials defend Kerry from Israeli criticism Mon, Jul 28 18:17 PM EDT image By Steve Holland WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Obama administration officials rallied to the defense of U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Monday after withering criticism in Israel of Kerry's failed attempt to secure a ceasefire between Israelis and Palestinians. The critiques of Kerry centered around ideas that U.S. officials say were sent to Israeli officials, based on an Egyptian draft ceasefire proposal, that would provide for an immediate end to hostilities and talks 48 hours later between Israeli, Palestinian and Egyptian officials in Cairo. The confidential draft was leaked to the Israeli news media, which interpreted the proposal as akin to a U.S. effort to get Israel to halt a military campaign aimed at destroying Hamas tunnels in Gaza that militants have used to launch attacks against Israeli soldiers. "John Kerry: The Betrayal," was the headline of an opinion piece in the Times of Israel about Kerry's attempt to secure a ceasefire. "Astoundingly, the secretary's intervention in the Hamas war empowers the Gaza terrorist government bent on destroying Israel," it said. "I must tell you: we’ve been dismayed by some press reports in Israel mischaracterizing his efforts last week to achieve a ceasefire," Obama's national security adviser, Susan Rice, told a conference of national Jewish leaders. "The reality is that John Kerry on behalf of the United States has been working every step of the way with Israel." The Israeli government has been suspicious of Kerry's motives, particularly after he was caught on a Fox News open mic earlier this month sarcastically describing Israel's offensive in Gaza as a "hell of a pinpoint operation." State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki rejected the criticism, saying Kerry's reason for engaging in the ceasefire effort is to end the rocket attacks against Israel from Hamas. She said she would not assign motivations behind the leaks, but added that "those who want to support a ceasefire should focus on efforts to put it in place and not on efforts to criticize or attack one of the very people who are playing a prominent role in getting it done." At the White House, Deputy National Security Adviser Tony Blinken said the proposal that was criticized was not a U.S. proposal, but a draft to elicit comment from the Israelis based on an original Egyptian initiative. "Virtually every element that unidentified sources complained about was in the initial Egyptian proposal and agreed to by Israel 10 days before," he said. The criticism from Israel has strained U.S. relations with the Jewish state at a crucial time as the death toll from Israeli-Palestinian violence in Gaza has climbed past 1,000, most of them civilians in Gaza. The United States is Israel's strongest military and financial backer, and successive U.S. presidents who have sought to mediate in the Middle East are always careful to avoid criticism of Israeli leaders. But in the current fighting, Washington has tried to straddle a line between reassuring Israel it has a right to defend itself while also trying to persuade the Israelis to adjust military tactics that are leading to the high death toll. Statements from the White House and the State Department reflect growing concern from U.S. officials about the scale of civilian casualties in Gaza, a death toll that White House national security adviser Susan Rice told MSNBC is of "grave and deepening concern." U.S. President Barack Obama held the latest in a series of phone conversations with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday. The White House statement from that conversation said that ultimately any lasting solution to the conflict must end "the disarmament of terrorist groups and the demilitarization of Gaza." (Additional reporting by Roberta Rampton; Editing by David Storey, G Crosse and Howard Goller)

Syrian opposition to attend peace conference

Jan. 18, 2014 5:26 PM ET Syrian opposition to attend peace conference By AYSE WIETING and BASSEM MROUE, Associated Press THE ASSOCIATED PRESS STATEMENT OF NEWS VALUES AND PRINCIPLES Syrian National Coalition Chief Ahmad al-Jarba, speaks during a press conference at the foreign ministry in Paris, Sunday, Jan. 12, 2014. The head of Syria’s main Western-backed opposition group says its international supporters agree that Bashar Assad has no future as the country’s leader. The statement Sunday from Ahmad al-Jarba comes as U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and top envoys from 10 other countries raised the pressure for peace talks that would bring his Syrian National Coalition face-to-face with the government the rebels are trying to overthrow. (AP Photo/Michel Euler) Warring South Sudanese close to signing cease-fire Jan. 18, 2014 11:49 AM ET UN: Aid blockage in Syria could be a war crime Jan. 17, 2014 11:25 AM ET Vatican comes under sharp criticism for sex abuse Jan. 16, 2014 11:53 AM ET Nowhere to go for S.Sudanese in C.African Republic Jan. 15, 2014 7:39 PM ET UN chief urges Syrian opposition to join talks Jan. 15, 2014 3:09 PM ET Buy AP Photo Reprints ISTANBUL (AP) — The main, Western-backed Syrian opposition group voted Saturday in favor of attending a coming peace conference aimed at ending the country's bloody civil war, paving the way for the first direct talks between the rival sides in the nearly three-year conflict. The vote in Istanbul came as food supplies began entering a besieged rebel-held Palestinian refugee camp in Syria's capital for the first time in months, an apparent goodwill gesture by President Bashar Assad's government ahead of the peace conference, Palestinian and United Nations officials said. The Syrian National Coalition was under huge pressure from its Western and Arab sponsors to attend the peace talks, scheduled to open Wednesday in the Swiss city of Montreux. The Syrian government has already said it will attend the U.N.-sponsored talks. The Coalition's leader, Ahmad al-Jarba, said in a speech late Saturday that they are heading to the conference "without any bargain regarding the principles of the revolution and we will not be cheated by Assad's regime." "The negotiating table for us is a track toward achieving the demands of the revolution — at the top of them removing the butcher from power," Jarba said. But many Coalition members are hesitant to attend a conference that has little chance of success and will burn the last shred of credibility the group has with powerful rebels on the ground, who reject the talks. Many members boycotted the Istanbul meetings that began on Friday, forcing the Coalition's legal committee to approve the decision in a simple majority vote. Although Islamic rebel groups reject any talks with the government, the head of the Western-backed Supreme Military Council, Gen. Salim Idris, said in a statement that he backs "a solution that guarantees a political transition of power." He called upon Coalition officials heading to Geneva to demand that Assad and his top officials leave power, have no role in Syria's future and set up a transitional government "with full powers" that include control of security agencies and open corridors to allow food into besieged areas. Maj. Issam el-Rayyes, a spokesman for the Syrian Revolutionary Front, also said they back a political solution that would include Assad leaving power. The Coalition's media office said there were 58 votes in favor of attending the conference and 14 votes against. It added that there were two abstentions and one blank ballot. The aim of the conference, dubbed Geneva 2, is to agree on a roadmap for Syria based on one adopted by the U.S., Russia and other major powers in June 2012. That plan includes the creation of a transitional government and eventual elections. The U.S. and Russia have been trying to hold the peace conference since last year and it has been repeatedly delayed. Both sides finally agreed to sit together on the negotiations table after dropping some of their conditions. One of the main demands of the opposition was that Assad agrees to step down before going to the conference. With his government troops keeping their momentum on the ground, Assad's government has said he will not surrender power and may run again in elections due in mid-2014. It will be the first face-to-face meeting between the representatives of the Syrian government and the opposition since the country's crisis began in March 2011. Activists say the fighting has killed more than 130,000 people while displacing millions. The U.S. and France welcomed the Coalition's vote. "This is a courageous vote in the interests of all the Syrian people who have suffered so horribly under the brutality of the Assad regime and a civil war without end," U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said in a statement. In Paris, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius applauded the vote in a statement as a "courageous choice, despite provocations and exactions of the regime." Meanwhile Saturday, some 200 food parcels were sent into the Yarmouk camp outside of Damascus, said Chris Gunness, a spokesman for UNRWA, the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees. Gunness said the Syrian government requested the delivery. Yarmouk is one of the areas hardest hit by food shortages in Syria. Residents there say 46 people have died since October of starvation, illnesses exacerbated by hunger or because they couldn't obtain medical aid. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which has a network of activists around the country, said an elderly man died in the camp earlier Saturday because of the food shortage. In the Syrian capital of Damascus, Anwar Raja, a spokesman for the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command, said hundreds of boxes of food entered the camp. He said much of the material was carried by members of PFLP-GC members and committees in the camp. "The process is moving slowly since they are being carried on the shoulder to avoid sniper fire," Raja told The Associated Press in Damascus by telephone. PFLP-GC members are fighting against Syrian opposition fighters who control most of the camp. Gunness said the U.N. laid down an express condition that the food "must be distributed exclusively to civilians in need of assistance" and that fighters shouldn't receive it. He also said the area should be opened for regular access by humanitarian groups. Meanwhile Saturday, violence continued. The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said a government air raid on the northern city of Aleppo killed 23 people. ___ Mroue reported from Beirut. Associated Press writer Albert Aji in Damascus, Syria, and Mohammed Daraghmeh in Ramallah, West Bank, and Elaine Ganley in Paris contributed to this report. Associated Press

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.

'Dad, why can't Ali Baba end the war in Gaza?'

Dad, why did my friend die?
29 Jan 2009 13:39:00 GMT
Written by: Jawad Harb


Jan. 29 2008

Saturday was the first day of school for my children. My 12-year-old son Yazan is in the 6th grade. He went to school and realized he lost six schoolmates. One of the boys used to sit in the desk behind Yazan, so every time he turns and looks behind him, the boy he used to talk to, to laugh with, is not there anymore.

The children lived through the air strikes, the danger, the lack of sleep, and now they have a world that they don't recognize. They can't understand why their classmates are dead. Yazan asks me, "Why did my friend die? Why was his house hit? What did he do wrong?"

They want to know why children were killed. They know that many adults were killed, but for them, it is more difficult to understand when it is children, children like them, who were hurt, or killed, or were in pain.

For Ziad, who is six, his school was destroyed in a bombing two weeks ago. They haven't found any place for the kids yet, so they sit in tents surrounded by rubble.

I sent Ziad to the tent school for two days, but I didn't like it. It's outside, so it's very cold, and it's in the middle of broken glass and brick and debris. I don't know what's in the rubble - we have heard that there could be remains of weapons like white phosphorous or depleted uranium, or unexploded bombs. It is not safe. So now, Ziad will stay home. He will miss his first year of school. He just started going to school in September.

He used to be so excited about going to school, but when I told him he would stay home from now on, he didn't say anything. Some of his friends have gone back to the tent school, but their parents are starting to think twice, too.

There are no temporary spaces for schools, but they will not allow construction material into Gaza. So many houses and schools are destroyed. The houses that remain standing are holding several families. It is a mess in Gaza, until we can start to rebuild. But how can we rebuild, without cement, or glass, or wood?

I can't tell you how agonizing these stories are that the kids are talking about. They keep talking about it - the war, what they saw on TV, their friends who died. They imagine how they died. Counsellors at the schools are doing activities for the children to talk to their sadness out. I hope these things work. It's a big trauma for the children. They are so young.

My daughters, who are older, don't open up to me. Maybe they talk to their mother. All my life I thought girls like to talk, but now I realize that sometimes it is hard to get girls to talk. They look so sad, but they only answer yes or no to my questions. They are still shocked. They smile less than usual.

One of my daughters is trying to write poems. She is talking about her experience in Gaza during the war, and how we Palestinians felt abandoned by the world. She wrote, "We were crying out for peace, we were crying out for help, but no one listened to us." She is 15 years old.

I am working again. It used to take me 30 minutes to get to work; now it takes one hour. The asphalt is destroyed. We drive slowly. There are holes everywhere.

At first, I was still shocked, especially seeing Gaza City for the first time, and the level of destruction - the houses, the schools, the buildings. At first, I couldn't work. I was sitting with my colleagues, asking about people, trying to find out who had died, because we couldn't find out during the war.

The one thing we all missed during the conflict was sleeping at night. At least now we are able to sleep peacefully again, and we all hope this will continue.

But there are many things ahead of us. CARE will continue to distribute food, and emergency supplies, and medicine. Gaza will need to rebuild. And children, like my children, will need help recovering from this trauma.
-------------
09 Jan 2009 12:42:00 GMT
Written by: Jawad Harb


Jan. 9, 2009 - 4 am, local time

This is the 14th day of the attack. It is 4 am.

My six children are so worried, restless and unable to close their eyes. With each airstrike, the house shakes right and left, and the children grab one another like cold rabbits seeking warmth.

We feel helpless and victimised. There is nothing worse than being unable to protect your children.

Airstrikes are becoming more violent and more horrible. They sound like they are very close to us, chasing us wherever we try to hide. The kind of psychological trauma Gaza's children have been exposed to is unbearable and incurable.

My sole objective and mission impossible as a father is to put my kids to sleep. During the past 13 days, I finished all the children's stories my mother used to tell me as a child.

The only story left untold is "Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves". My children seem interested to listen.

I reached the part: "Then Ali Baba climbed down and went to the door concealed among the bushes, and said, 'Open, Sesame!' and the door flew open."

Suddenly my six-year-old son opened his eyes, and asked me: "Dad, why can't Ali Baba appear in Gaza and say 'End the war, end the war!' - and then the war would be over?"

At night, we hear screaming and crying
Jan 8, 2009 - 4:45 am, local time

This is the 13th day of the attack. It is really more horrible than we could ever describe. We feel like the sky is going to attack us. There is nothing worse than being tired, needing to sleep so badly, but being unable to sleep. We feel if we close our eyes for a moment, we will die.

It is 4:45 am. My six-year-old son just woke up, and asked me: "Dad, why is it so loud tonight?" He used to hear the bombing further away, which was quieter. He doesn't know that they are targeting houses closer to us tonight.

It is the crying of children in the neighborhood with each bombing which hurts us the most. It is unbelievable, and this is the first night we have heard this screaming and crying. Everyone is exhausted.

I couldn't help but go downstairs, and was surprised to see almost all my neighbours gathered in the main road by their houses.

"It is safer out here. At least we will not be buried under a demolished house," said one of my neighbours.

Another bombing happened when I was in the street, and people raised their hands together simultaneously and looked at the sky seeking the help of God, and it looked like they all agreed to do this at the same time.

The air strikes kept coming, one after another, with people looking to the sky seeking the help of God. Children continued to scream and cry with every bombing, and I continued to recall the words of my youngest son: "Dad, why is it so loud tonight?"

For a few hours, life was almost normal
Jan 7, 2009 - 4:30 pm, local time

My children are all sleeping. They went to sleep three hours ago, when the bombs stopped for the ceasefire. For three hours, it was totally silent. No bombs. They look so peaceful.

Last night, none of us slept at all. The bombs were falling every five minutes. It was a terrible night. You can't sleep with the war going on.

As soon as the bombs stopped for the ceasefire, the shops in my neighbourhood opened. My neighbours rushed outside to buy food. They ran, because nobody believed that the ceasefire would last the full three hours. They were afraid there would be an airstrike anytime. People bought food - rice, macaroni, cheese, salt, sugar, eggs. These are the only things left in the stores. Food is now very expensive.

We had electricity for four hours today, which means we had water. We washed our clothes, pumped water, and bathed the children. This is the first time I have ever been excited to wash clothing! For a few hours, life was almost normal.

The airstrikes just started again. I can see the smoke through the window, a few hundred metres away. It's right in front of me - black smoke. I am afraid.

With the bombs, it's not what you hear, it's what you feel. It's like an earthquake. The houses is swinging, left to right. It's like an underground wave that moves under the houses.

My children are waking up. The ceasefire is over. We will hope again for tomorrow's ceasefire, when we can sleep for a few hours again. It will be another long night. === Fighting in Gaza abates, but truce hopes look fragile Sun, Jul 27 16:18 PM EDT image 1 of 12 By Nidal al-Mughrabi and Maayan Lubell GAZA/JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Fighting subsided in Gaza on Sunday after Hamas Islamist militants said they backed a 24-hour humanitarian truce, but there was no sign of any comprehensive deal to end their conflict with Israel. Hamas said it had endorsed a call by the United Nations for a pause in the fighting in light of the upcoming Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr, expected to start in the next couple of days. Some firing of rockets continued after the time that Hamas had announced it would put its guns aside and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu questioned the validity of the truce. Israeli artillery guns also fired barrages into the Gaza Strip, Israeli media reported, although the object of the fire was initially unclear. "Hamas doesn't even accept its own ceasefire, it's continuing to fire at us as we speak," Netanyahu said in an interview with CNN, adding that Israel would "take whatever action is necessary to protect our people". Nonetheless, Gaza Strip residents and Reuters witnesses said Israeli shelling and Hamas missile launches had slowly subsided through the afternoon, suggesting a de facto truce might be taking shape as international efforts to broker a permanent ceasefire appeared to flounder. However, Israel's military has said it will need more time to destroy a warren of tunnels that criss-cross the Gaza border that it says is one of its main objectives. Egypt had also destroyed 13 tunnels which crossed into its territory, an Egyptian general said on his Facebook page. It was "a continuation of the efforts by the armed forces in protecting the borders of the state from smugglers and terrorists," Brigadier General Mohamed Samir Abdulaziz Ghoneim said. Israel and the Hamas Islamists who control Gaza had agreed to a 12-hour ceasefire on Saturday to allow Palestinians to stock up on supplies and retrieve bodies from under the rubble. Netanyahu's cabinet voted to extend the truce until midnight on Sunday at the request of the United Nations, but called it off when Hamas launched rockets into Israel during the morning. Palestinian medics said at least 10 people had died in the wave of subsequent strikes that swept Gaza, including a Christian woman, Jalila Faraj Ayyad, whose house in Gaza City was struck by an Israeli bomb. Some 1,031 Palestinians, mainly civilians and including many children, have been killed in the 20-day conflict. A Gaza health ministry official issued revised figures of dead, saying that 30 fewer people than thought had died in the conflict. Israel says 43 of its soldiers have died, along with three civilians killed by rocket and mortar fire out of the Mediterranean enclave. DIPLOMATIC BLOCK Israel launched its Gaza offensive on July 8, saying its aim was to halt rocket attacks by Hamas and its allies. After aerial and naval bombardment failed to quell the outgunned guerrillas, Israel poured ground forces into the Gaza Strip 10 days later, looking to knock out Hamas's rocket stores and destroy the vast network of tunnels. The army says its drive to find and eliminate tunnels would continue through any temporary truce. Diplomatic efforts led by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry to end the 20-day conflict have shown little sign of progress. Israel and Hamas have set conditions that appear irreconcilable. Hamas wants an end to the Israeli-Egyptian economic blockade of Gaza before agreeing to halt hostilities. Israel has signaled it could make concessions toward that end, but only if Gaza's militant groups are stripped of their weapons. "Hamas must be permanently stripped of its missiles and tunnels in a supervised manner," Economy Minister Naftali Bennett said, "In return we will agree to a host of economic alleviations," the security cabinet member said on Facebook. Kerry flew back to Washington overnight after spending most of the week in Egypt trying to bridge the divide, putting forward some written proposals to Israel on Friday. Speaking off the record, cabinet ministers described his plan as "a disaster", saying it met all Hamas demands, such as lifting the Israeli-Egyptian blockade completely and ignored Israeli terms, such as stripping Hamas of its rockets. There was no immediate comment from U.S. officials. The obvious rancor added yet another difficult chapter to the already strained relations between Netanyahu and Kerry, whose energetic drive to broker a definitive peace deal between Israel and the Palestinians ended in acrimony in April. DESTRUCTION The main U.N. agency in Gaza, UNRWA, said 167,269 displaced Palestinians have taken shelter in its schools and buildings, following repeated calls by Israel for civilians to evacuate whole neighborhoods ahead of military operations. But in southern Gaza, residents of villages near the town of Khan Younis attacked the offices of the International Committee of the Red Cross, torching furniture and causing damage, saying the organization had not done enough to help them. During the lull in fighting inside Gaza on Saturday, residents flooded into the streets to discover scenes of massive destruction in some areas, including Beit Hanoun in the north and Shejaia in the east. An Israeli official said the army hoped the widespread desolation would persuade Gazans to put pressure on Hamas to stop the fighting for fear of yet more devastation. The Israeli military says its forces have uncovered more than 30 tunnels in Gaza, with some of the burrows reaching into Israeli territory and designed to launch surprise attacks on Jewish communities along the border. The military said on Sunday it found a tunnel that led directly into the dining room of an Israeli kibbutz. Other underground passages, the military says, serve as weapons caches and Hamas bunkers. One official said troops had found it easier to operate during the truce as the immediate threat to their safety was diminished. The Gaza turmoil has stoked tensions amongst Palestinians in mainly Arab East Jerusalem and the occupied West Bank. Medics said eight Palestinians were killed on Friday in incidents near the West Bank cities of Nablus and Hebron - the sort of death toll reminiscent of previous uprisings against Israel's prolonged military rule there. The violence has sparked protests outside the region. Demonstrators in London marched from the Israeli embassy to the Houses of Parliament and Whitehall, blocking traffic throughout the West End. French police clashed with pro-Palestinian protesters who defied a ban by authorities to march in central Paris. (Additional reporting by Ori Lewis and Ari Rabinovitch in Jerusalem, Noah Browning in Gaza, Ali Sawafta in Ramallah; Writing by Mayaan Lubell and Crispian Balmer; Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky and Stephen Powell) === "أوقاف الكويت" تمنع السويدان من اعتلاء المنابر تموز/يوليو 27, 2014 كتبه وطن الدبور "أوقاف الكويت" تمنع السويدان من اعتلاء المنابر منعت وزارة الأوقاف الكويتية، الداعية الإسلامي طارق سويدان، الموالي لجماعة الإخوان المسلمين من الخطابة في مساجدها. وكان الداعية الكويتي طارق سويدان، أعلن في أكثر من موقف تأييده الكامل لجماعة الإخوان المسلمين، وهو الأمر الذي أدى إلى الإطاحة به من قناة "الرسالة" التي كان يرأسها، والمملوكة لرجل الأعمال السعودي الوليد بن طلال. وكتب سويدان، في آخر تغريدة له عبر "تويتر": "طبعا أفرح بالعيد! فاليوم لنا أبطال يقولون للكيان الصهيوني "لا". واليوم لدينا شباب يصر على الحرية والكرامة، واليوم لدينا جيل ينشد العزة والنهضة لأمته، فتقبل الله تعالى منكم جميعا ، ولأهل ‫غزة بشكل خالص تهاني مضاعفة بعيد الفطر وعيد الصمود وعيد الجهاد وعيد إذلال بني صهيون". ===== Avashin ‏@Avashin · 22h Reports about failed attempt of SAA in brigade 93 to advance towards brigade 17. #Twitter, Retweeted by Wladimir Avashin ‏@Avashin · 27m YPG reinforcement arrived in Hassake. #TwitterKurds آخر تعديل علىالأحد, 27 تموز/يوليو 2014 ====