Israel hits hundreds of targets in Gaza as soldier

is confirmed missing
Israeli soldier captured during intense battle in Shujai'iya
Palestinian death toll nears 600, with 27 Israeli soldiers killed
ohn !erry to "eet #$ chie% and &gyptian "ediators in 'airo
(ollow all the li)e de)elop"ents here
S"oke rises a%ter Israeli shelling at Shujai*iya neighbourhood in the east o% +a,a 'ity-
Photograph. Sa"eh /ah"i0$urPhoto0/e1
Israel continued to pound +a,a o)ernight, including hitting 200 targets in Shujai'iya, the scene
o% the "ost intense %ighting o% the con%lict, as the Israeli "ilitary con%ir"ed that one o% its
soldiers was "issing-
3a"as clai"ed on Sunday that it had captured an Israeli soldier during the intense battle in
Shujai'iya-
4he Israel 5e%ence (orces 6I5(7 na"ed the "issing soldier as Sergeant 8ron Shaul, 22, a
co"bat soldier o% the +olani brigade-
3a"as and Isla"ic ihad reportedly agreed to a %i)e9hour pause in the %ighting- 3owe)er,
3aaret, :uoted senior Israeli o%%icials as saying a hu"anitarian cease%ire was ;not on our
agenda right now;-
Palestinians take co)er a%ter
a warning o% an Israeli air strike in +a,a 'ity- Photograph. (inbarr 8'/eilly0/euters
<s diplo"atic e%%orts to broker a halt to the con%lict continued in &gypt, the Israeli "ilitary said
its %orces had struck al"ost =,000 targets in +a,a o)er the past two weeks > al"ost hal% since
the start o% the ground o%%ensi)e %our days ago-
4wenty9se)en soldiers ha)e been killed in %ighting, the I5( said in a state"ent- 4he Palestinian
death toll in +a,a was cli"bing steadily towards 600, a third o% who" are children, according
to the #$ children's agency #nice%-
<s the %ighting continued, ohn !erry, the #S secretary o% state, was due to "eet the #$
secretary general, ?an !i9"oon, and &gyptian "ediators in 'airo- ?arack 8ba"a said on
@onday that !erry had been authorised to do ;e)erything he can to help %acilitate a cessation
o% hostilities;, in a sign that international diplo"acy had been gal)anised by the weekend
carnage in Shujai'iya-
?o"b da"age in the streets
o% +a,a 'ity- Photograph. &,, al9Aanoun0$urPhoto0/&B
!erry described Israel's "ilitary o%%ensi)e as an ;appropriate and legiti"ate e%%ort; to de%end
itsel% but added that the conse:uences were o% deep concern-
3e pledged that the #S would pro)ide CD7" 6E2F"7 in hu"anitarian aid to help Palestinians-
3e said. ;8nly 3a"as now needs to "ake the decision to spare innocent ci)ilians %ro" this
)iolence-;
Se)en people, including %our wo"en %ro" one %a"ily, were killed in an air strike early on
4uesday, according to +a,a para"edics-
8n @onday, 2G "e"bers o% the <bu a"e' %a"ily were killed when Israeli %orces struck a
house near !han Hounis, apparently without warning, the Israeli hu"an rights organisation
?'4sele" said- < 3a"as "ilitant was also killed-
4he dead included 2F children and %i)e wo"en, three o% who" were pregnant- 4he %a"ily was
eating i%tar, the "eal that breaks the /a"adan %ast-
?'4sele" called %or an i""ediate cease%ire, saying. ;3orri%ic de)elop"ents in +a,a ha)e
reached intolerable heights. Israel is bo"bing houses with people in the", entire %a"ilies ha)e
been buried under rubble, and streets lie in ruins- 3undreds ha)e been killed so %ar, do,ens in
the last 2D hours only, "any o% the" wo"en and children- 4he nu"ber o% re%ugees is rising.
tens o% thousands o% people ha)e nowhere to go and no sa%e ha)en-;
4en Israeli hu"an rights organisations ha)e written to the attorney general to raise concerns
about gra)e )iolations o% international law in the con%lict- 4hey :uestioned the legality o%
Sunday's operation in Shujai'iya, ;in particular, the potential )iolation o% the %unda"ental
principles o% the laws o% war, speci%ically the principle o% distinguishing between co"batants
and ci)ilians;-
Israeli o%%icials continued to say that 3a"as was using ci)ilians as hu"an shields, and it was
gi)ing warnings to residents o% air strikes-
ohn !erry with &gypt's
%oreign "inister, Sa"eh Shukri, in 'airo on 4uesday. !erry described Israel's o%%ensi)e as an
'appropriate and legiti"ate e%%ort' to de%end itsel% Photograph. St%0<P
< senior o%%icer said there had been a signi%icant decline in rocket %ire %ro" +a,a o)er the past
%ew days, and that the scope o% the rocket %ire had decreased by =0I since the beginning o% the
ground operation-
In 'airo, ?an held talks on @onday with the &gyptian president, <bdel (atah al9Sisi, and the
head o% the <rab Jeague-
&gypt's pro1i"ity to +a,a, its peace treaty with Israel and good relations with the western9
backed Palestinian <uthority in the Kest ?ank ha)e "ade it the %ocus o% atte"pts to de%use the
crisis, though its relations with 3a"as > which it sees as an o%%shoot o% the banned @usli"
?rotherhood > are hostile-
3a"as rejected 'airo's original cease%ire proposal last week, though a senior o%%icial said
&gypt "ight be willing to alter its stance-
;&gypt does not "ind adding so"e o% 3a"as's conditions pro)ided that all in)ol)ed parties
appro)e,; the o%%icial told /euters- 3a"as is de"anding an end to the blockade o% +a,a, an end
to hostilities, opening the border to &gypt, the release o% prisoners held by Israel and other
conditions in e1change %or a truce-
Is"ail 3aniyeh, the %or"er 3a"as pri"e "inister, clai"ed that Israeli %orces were being beaten
in +a,a- ;4he Palestinian resistance will "eet the de"ands and e1pectations o% the Palestinian
people,; he said on @onday e)ening, adding that 3a"as's conditions were ;the "ini"u"
de"ands; %or any truce-
;8ur people's sacri%ices are heading %or triu"ph,; he said in a pre9recorded 4L broadcast- ;Ke
see the al9Massa" ?rigades and the erusale" ?rigades and all resistance %actions beating the
ene"y and attack hi" again and again, under the earth and sea- 4he ground operation is a
declaration o% %ailure on the part o% the ene"y aerial war against +a,a-;