Israel, Palestinians battle as Egyptian-proposed

Gaza ceasefire collapses

1 OF 13. Israeli tanks and armoured personnel carriers (APCs) are seen at a staging area outside the central Gaza Strip July 15 !"1#$
BY NIDAL AL-MUGHRABI AND JEFFREY HELLER% GAZA/JERUSALEM Tue Jul
15, 2014
(&euters) % Israel resumed air strikes in the Gaza Strip on
'uesday si( hours a)ter agreeing to an *gyptian%proposed truce that )ailed to halt
+amas rocket attacks$
,+amas has )ired #- rockets since .e suspended our strikes in Gaza (this morning)$ As
a result .e ha/e resumed our operation against +amas, an Israeli military statement
said$
0nder a 1lueprint announced 1y *gypt % Gaza2s neigh1our and .hose military%1acked
go/ernment has 1een at odds .ith +amas Islamists % a mutual ,de%escalation, o)
.eek%old )ighting .as to ha/e 1egun at 3 a$m$ ("-"" 4S') .ith hostilities ceasing
.ithin 1! hours$
+amas2 armed .ing the Izz el%5een al%6assam 4rigades re7ected the cease)ire saying
its 1attle .ith Israel .ould ,increase in )erocity and intensity,$
4ut 8oussa A1u 8arzouk a top +amas o))icial .ho .as in Cairo had said the
mo/ement .hich is seeking a deal that .ould ease 1order restrictions imposed 1y
1oth *gypt and Israel had made no )inal decision on the proposal$
9i/e tele/ision sho.ed Israel2s Iron 5ome anti%missile system intercepting se/eral
rockets o/er the port city o) Ashdod .here a )actory .as hit$ *mergency ser/ices said
no one .as hurt$
Sirens also sounded in areas up to 1:" kilometres (;" miles)north o) the Gaza Strip$
'he 6assam 4rigades claimed responsi1ility )or some o) the rocket launchings$
Speaking in <ienna 0$S$ Secretary o) State John =erry supported Israel> ,I cannot
condemn strongly enough the actions o) +amas in so 1razenly )iring rockets in
multiple num1ers in the )ace o) a good.ill e))ort (to secure) a cease)ire$,
Gaza health o))icials said at least 1;# Palestinians most o) them ci/ilians ha/e 1een
killed in eight days o) )ighting the .orst Israel%Palestinian )lare%up in t.o years$
Prime 8inister 4en7amin ?etanyahu .hose security ca1inet /oted @%! earlier on
'uesday to accept the truce had cautioned that Israel .ould respond strongly i)
rockets continued to )ly$
An Israeli o))icial speaking as the Israeli strikes resumed said> ,'he prime minister
and the de)ence minister ha/e ordered the Israeli armed )orces to take po.er)ul action
against terrorist targets in Gaza$,
*arlier Sami A1u Auhri a +amas spokesman in Gaza said that demands the
mo/ement has made must 1e met 1e)ore it lays do.n its .eapons$
Bther Palestinian militant groups % Islamic Jihad the Popular Cront )or the 9i1eration
o) Palestine and the 5emocratic Cront )or the 9i1eration o) Palestine % also said they
had not yet agreed to the *gyptian o))er$
Palestinian President 8ahmoud A11as .ho reached an agreement .ith +amas in
April that led to the )ormation o) a unity go/ernment last month urged acceptance o)
the proposal the o))icial Palestinian ne.s agency DACA said$
CAI9*5 C*AS*CI&*
Amos Gilad a senior Israeli de)ence o))icial and en/oy to Cairo told Israel2s Army
&adio that +amas had 1een .eakened 1y the air and sea 1om1ardment o) Gaza
ha/ing tried ,e/ery possi1le means o) striking at Israel$,
+undreds o) rockets )ired at Israel ha/e caused no )atalities largely due to Iron 5ome$
4ut the strikes are a threat that send people rushing into shelters$
Israel had mo1ilised tens o) thousands o) troops )or a threatened Gaza in/asion i) the
rocket sal/oes persisted$
,De still ha/e the possi1ility o) going in under ca1inet authority and putting an end to
(the rockets), Gilad said$
In o/ernight attacks 1e)ore the 1rie) cease)ire Israel said it had 1om1ed !5 sites in
Gaza$ Palestinian medical o))icials said a @:%year%old man and a 5!%year%old .oman
.ere killed
0nder the cease)ire proposal announced 1y *gypt2s Coreign 8inistry high%le/el
delegations )rom Israel and the Palestinian )actions .ould hold separate talks in Cairo
.ithin #; hours to consolidate the cease)ire .ith ,con)idence%1uilding measures,$
'he surge in hostilities o/er the past .eek .as prompted 1y the murder last month o)
three Je.ish seminary students in the occupied Dest 4ank and the re/enge killing on
July ! o) a Palestinian youth in Jerusalem$
Israel said on 8onday three Je.s in police custody had con)essed to killing the
Palestinian$
+amas leaders ha/e said a cease)ire must include an end to Israel2s 1lockade o) Gaza
and a recommitment to a truce reached in an eight%day .ar there in !"1!$ +amas also
.ants *gypt to ease restrictions at its &a)ah crossing .ith Gaza imposed a)ter the
military toppled Islamist president 8ohamed 8ursi last July$
'he *gyptian proposal made no mention o) &a)ah or .hen restrictions might 1e eased$
+amas has )aced a cash crisis and Gaza2s economic hardship has deepened as a result
o) *gypt2s destruction o) cross%1order smuggling tunnels$ Cairo accuses +amas o)
aiding anti%go/ernment Islamist militants in *gypt2s Sinai peninsula an allegation the
Palestinian group denies$
+amas has said it also .ants the release o) hundreds o) its acti/ists arrested in the
Dest 4ank .hile Israel searched )or the three missing teens$
'he proposed truce also made no mention o) the detainees$
(Additional reporting 1y Allyn Cisher%Ilan 8aayan 9u1ell in Jerusalem ?oah
4ro.ning in Gaza and 8ichael Georgy and Easmine Saleh in CairoF Driting 1y Je))rey
+eller and 5an Dilliams *diting 1y Jeremy Gaunt)