Dick of the Week

http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/383286/secretary-kerrys-hot-mic-israel-critique-he-has-no-excuse-david-french

Secretary Kerry’s Hot-Mic Israel Critique: He Has No Excuse

By David French

July 21, 2014 3:57 PM


When Secretary of State Kerry criticized Israel’s military operations in Gaza by calling them a “hell of a pinpoint operation,” he not only validated Hamas’s human-shield strategy, he handed Hamas a key propaganda victory.
And he had no excuse for doing so.
Unlike the vast majority of Americans — including a vast majority of Americans in “public service” — Secretary Kerry has actual combat experience. He’s fully aware of the enormous destructive capability of a modern military, and he’s thus fully aware of what a truly unrestrained Israeli military operation would look like. Further, as a senior leader in the Obama administration, he’s aware — or should be aware — of our own rules of engagement and conduct in urban operations in Fallujah, Tal Afar, Najaf, and other recent urban fights. If he is aware, he’d know that the Israelis often take even greater precautions that our own military does to prevent civilian casualties.
The fact that he made such a statement on a day when 13 Israeli soldiers (two of them American citizens) died engaged in operations rendered far more dangerous because of the care Israel takes to avoid needless death only compounds Secretary Kerry’s error.
Here is a basic, undeniable fact: If Israel (or for that matter, America) showed anything approaching the same disregard for human life that its enemies do, then Gaza would be in flames from end to end. While the explosions and gunfire on television look impressive to the untrained, inexperienced observer, they represent the tiniest fraction of the full power of Israel’s military. Israeli soldiers — like American soldiers — voluntarily place themselves in harm’s way again and again to kill terrorists and only terrorists. The jihadists try as hard as they can again and again to make sure that Israeli soldiers kill civilians and only civilians.
Tonight, there are dozens of Israeli families suffering the ultimate anguish of the loss of a child. Many of those families know that if their military had exerted even a fraction more of its power, their kids would not have been directly in harm’s way. I can only pray that those families take solace in their sons’ courage, both physical and moral, as they gave the ultimate sacrifice in part to protect not just their own country but also to protect Palestinians from Hamas.
The anguish felt by these Israeli families has been shared by thousands of American families, as our own sons and daughters have died protecting Iraqi and Afghan civilians.
Secretary Kerry knows these facts, yet he still focuses his anger on Israel and not on the designated terrorist organization that views each civilian death as a tactical victory. This anger betrays his own fundamental failings, not Israel’s.

Not in My Name, Netanyahu

Quote :

Originally published in Tikkun Daily

As I write these words, my hands tremble from the unspeakable images and stories I've witnessed in Gaza. They tremble with worry that those young Israeli soldiers losing their lives, casualties in a war they did not create, will be among those families I know, and that their numbers will grow.

My hands also tremble because, during all this, Israel's leader – Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu – has repeatedly claimed to represent me, and all Jews, as Israel continues its brutal assault on Gaza, an assault which, as history shows, will neither achieve its strategic goals nor reap anything but heartache.

No, he does not speak for me.

When Netanyahu said on CNN that Palestinians benefit from "telegenically dead" civilians killed by Israel, that images of carnage helped Hamas because journalists would then ask about Israel's actions, he did not speak for me.

A doctor cries while standing among the bodies of dead children at Shifa Hospital's overflowing morgue. [Note: journalists have captured countless disturbing images today, though I've chosen not to show them here.

When he said that Palestinians "don't give any thought" about their children or their welfare, and that Palestinians use their children as though they are inanimate objects, he did not speak for me.

"Palestinian women react during the funeral of four boys, all from the Bakr family, killed during Israeli shelling, in Gaza City." Image via Time.

When Netanyahu blames Palestinians for their own deaths, dismissing them as "human shields" – including the over 100 children who have been lost – rather than note Israel's choice to obliterate homes in dense, urban areas when it's known innocents will die, he does not speak for me.

I look forward to surviving. If I don't, remember that I wasn't Hamas or a militant, nor was I used as a human shield. I was at home.
— Mohammed Suliman (@imPalestine) July 20, 2014

When Netanyahu dehumanizes Palestinians by saying their society celebrates death, whereas my people, Jewish Israelis, only celebrate life – while sending soldiers to war after calling for vengeance – he does not speak for me.

When a top minister in Netanyahu's cabinet says Palestinians are committing "self-genocide," admitting something atrocious is indeed occurring in Gaza, but blaming the victims for their plight, his government does not speak for me.

When the Deputy Speaker of the Knesset, in Netanyahu's ruling party, says without reproach that Israel should expel all Palestinians in Gaza and populate it with Jews, his government does not speak for me.

When far-right extremists, incited in part by their leaders' hateful rhetoric, chant "Death to Arabs" and violently attack anti-war protesters – as is now happening on a daily basis – they do not represent me.
--§--

More than anything, though, Netanyahu does not speak for me because, unlike him, I oppose this war.

I oppose it for many of the same reasons cited by Dahlia Scheindlin, an Israeli journalist whose latest piece, which Jeffery Goldberg has called the "best-argued Israeli-written anti-war argument," makes a compelling case for why the Gaza war is not just tragic, but a tragic mistake.

First, the disproportionate amount of force being used in dense, urban areas is resulting in shocking numbers of civilian casualties. To date, 470 Palestinians have been killed and over 3,000 injured, a staggering 80 percent of which are civilians, as estimated by the U.N.

Second, history has shown that this war will not achieve Israel's stated, strategic goals of achieving quiet on the border and a deescalation. The opposite has happened, in fact, the last two times Israel has done this to Gaza (in 2009 and 2012). And during all this time, Israel has imposed a blockade on Gaza that has collectively punished and virtually imprisoned nearly two-million people. Continuously bombing and impoverishing a people does not lead to quiet. It never has. This war is not only brutal and tragic, it's also pointless and even counterproductive.

Third, this war has greatly harmed the already-comatose two-state solution. Not only because it is undermining the Hamas-PA agreement which sidelined Hamas from government in the lead up to elections. It's harming the prospects for peace because of the ongoing national trauma Israel is inflicting upon Palestinians which will reverberate for years. On that, Scheindlin writes:

In the long term, I shudder to think about the souls of people who lost two, three, or 18 family members to Israeli bombs. The sobbing father who begged his child to wake up because he had brought new toys; the woman who told her sister in England to stay away and live, so that at least one of the family members would survive. I see what national trauma has done to the Jewish people more than 60 years following their darkest moments. The manifestations of Palestinian suffering in future generations will be terrible.

Israel is not making itself safe by its actions. Instead, it is tilling the ground for further violence, for further upheaval, and for further threats to its security, as history has shown.

Like Scheindlin, I was asked by a friend, who happened to have his children over for a playdate yesterday, the following question, "What do you want Israel to do today, right now, when Hamas is firing rockets?"

My answer is her answer, an admittedly unpopular one:

There is no such thing as today devoid of yesterday and tomorrow; it is a fiction. The measures of the last ten days grow directly out of the measures in recent years. They will have devastating consequences in years to come. My criticism of this war is not “I told you so,” because some of us have warned for years that the status quo is illusory. Opposition to this war means finding a different response to predictable situations, so that there won’t be a next time.

I'm not going to offer a full array of what those different responses should be – that's not my job nor within the scope of this piece. (Though embracing the unity deal and backing off unilateral agreements would be a good start.) I will say that Netanyahu's response, the ground, air and sea invasion of an impoverished, urban enclave for the third time in five yeas, is a response I oppose.

Netanyahu does not represent the Jewish people.

And he certainly doesn't represent me.



Author's Note:

As a preemptive strike, let me also say this, since the original post was directed toward Israeli policy and Netanyahu: I view Hamas as culpable as well for the firing of crude rockets into Israel (itself abhorrent), and for putting civilians in danger by provoking military responses Israel is currently eager to make.

Perhaps I can sum up my views in this way:

To those in #Gaza, from a US Jew: I'm so sorry.
To Netanyahu: this war of choice is inimical & a miserable tragedy.
To Hamas: go to hell.
— David Harris-Gershon (@David_EHG) July 17, 2014

Artie60438 wrote:

Not in My Name, Netanyahu

Quote :

Originally published in Tikkun Daily

As I write these words, my hands tremble from the unspeakable images and stories I've witnessed in Gaza. They tremble with worry that those young Israeli soldiers losing their lives, casualties in a war they did not create, will be among those families I know, and that their numbers will grow.

My hands also tremble because, during all this, Israel's leader – Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu – has repeatedly claimed to represent me, and all Jews, as Israel continues its brutal assault on Gaza, an assault which, as history shows, will neither achieve its strategic goals nor reap anything but heartache.

No, he does not speak for me.

When Netanyahu said on CNN that Palestinians benefit from "telegenically dead" civilians killed by Israel, that images of carnage helped Hamas because journalists would then ask about Israel's actions, he did not speak for me.

   A doctor cries while standing among the bodies of dead children at Shifa Hospital's overflowing morgue. [Note: journalists have captured countless disturbing images today, though I've chosen not to show them here.

When he said that Palestinians "don't give any thought" about their children or their welfare, and that Palestinians use their children as though they are inanimate objects, he did not speak for me.

   "Palestinian women react during the funeral of four boys, all from the Bakr family, killed during Israeli shelling, in Gaza City." Image via Time.

When Netanyahu blames Palestinians for their own deaths, dismissing them as "human shields" – including the over 100 children who have been lost – rather than note Israel's choice to obliterate homes in dense, urban areas when it's known innocents will die, he does not speak for me.

       I look forward to surviving. If I don't, remember that I wasn't Hamas or a militant, nor was I used as a human shield. I was at home.
       — Mohammed Suliman (@imPalestine) July 20, 2014

When Netanyahu dehumanizes Palestinians by saying their society celebrates death, whereas my people, Jewish Israelis, only celebrate life – while sending soldiers to war after calling for vengeance – he does not speak for me.

When a top minister in Netanyahu's cabinet says Palestinians are committing "self-genocide," admitting something atrocious is indeed occurring in Gaza, but blaming the victims for their plight, his government does not speak for me.

When the Deputy Speaker of the Knesset, in Netanyahu's ruling party, says without reproach that Israel should expel all Palestinians in Gaza and populate it with Jews, his government does not speak for me.

When far-right extremists, incited in part by their leaders' hateful rhetoric, chant "Death to Arabs" and violently attack anti-war protesters – as is now happening on a daily basis – they do not represent me.
--§--

More than anything, though, Netanyahu does not speak for me because, unlike him, I oppose this war.

I oppose it for many of the same reasons cited by Dahlia Scheindlin, an Israeli journalist whose latest piece, which Jeffery Goldberg has called the "best-argued Israeli-written anti-war argument," makes a compelling case for why the Gaza war is not just tragic, but a tragic mistake.  

First, the disproportionate amount of force being used in dense, urban areas is resulting in shocking numbers of civilian casualties. To date, 470 Palestinians have been killed and over 3,000 injured, a staggering 80 percent of which are civilians, as estimated by the U.N.

Second, history has shown that this war will not achieve Israel's stated, strategic goals of achieving quiet on the border and a deescalation. The opposite has happened, in fact, the last two times Israel has done this to Gaza (in 2009 and 2012). And during all this time, Israel has imposed a blockade on Gaza that has collectively punished and virtually imprisoned nearly two-million people. Continuously bombing and impoverishing a people does not lead to quiet. It never has. This war is not only brutal and tragic, it's also pointless and even counterproductive.

Third, this war has greatly harmed the already-comatose two-state solution. Not only because it is undermining the Hamas-PA agreement which sidelined Hamas from government in the lead up to elections. It's harming the prospects for peace because of the ongoing national trauma Israel is inflicting upon Palestinians which will reverberate for years. On that, Scheindlin writes:

   In the long term, I shudder to think about the souls of people who lost two, three, or 18 family members to Israeli bombs. The sobbing father who begged his child to wake up because he had brought new toys; the woman who told her sister in England to stay away and live, so that at least one of the family members would survive. I see what national trauma has done to the Jewish people more than 60 years following their darkest moments. The manifestations of Palestinian suffering in future generations will be terrible.

Israel is not making itself safe by its actions. Instead, it is tilling the ground for further violence, for further upheaval, and for further threats to its security, as history has shown.

Like Scheindlin, I was asked by a friend, who happened to have his children over for a playdate yesterday, the following question, "What do you want Israel to do today, right now, when Hamas is firing rockets?"

My answer is her answer, an admittedly unpopular one:

   There is no such thing as today devoid of yesterday and tomorrow; it is a fiction. The measures of the last ten days grow directly out of the measures in recent years. They will have devastating consequences in years to come. My criticism of this war is not “I told you so,” because some of us have warned for years that the status quo is illusory. Opposition to this war means finding a different response to predictable situations, so that there won’t be a next time.

I'm not going to offer a full array of what those different responses should be – that's not my job nor within the scope of this piece. (Though embracing the unity deal and backing off unilateral agreements would be a good start.) I will say that Netanyahu's response, the ground, air and sea invasion of an impoverished, urban enclave for the third time in five yeas, is a response I oppose.

Netanyahu does not represent the Jewish people.

And he certainly doesn't represent me.



   Author's Note:

   As a preemptive strike, let me also say this, since the original post was directed toward Israeli policy and Netanyahu: I view Hamas as culpable as well for the firing of crude rockets into Israel (itself abhorrent), and for putting civilians in danger by provoking military responses Israel is currently eager to make.

   Perhaps I can sum up my views in this way:

       To those in #Gaza, from a US Jew: I'm so sorry.
       To Netanyahu: this war of choice is inimical & a miserable tragedy.
       To Hamas: go to hell.
       — David Harris-Gershon (@David_EHG) July 17, 2014

It took this clown till the end of his article to acknowledge that, maybe, just maybe, Hamas bears a little bit of the responsibility for starting shit in the first place.
But Netanyahu ultimately said it best:



Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu discussed the current military crisis between Israel and Palestine and said, "The difference between us, we are using missile defense to protect our civilians, and they're using their civilians to protect their missiles."



If Hamas fires rockets at Israel from neighborhoods, schools, and hospitals, then Israel has every right to strike back at Hamas in those neighborhoods, schools, and hospitals. If Hamas is so amoral as to use their own people as human shields, then Israel should not be blamed for civilian deaths.

I do so love watching the "pro-life" crowd rationalize the murder of children.

Heretic wrote:

I do so love watching the "pro-life" crowd rationalize the murder of children.

Yeah, me too.
I good analogy would be a 7 year kicking an adult in the shin and then running into a classroom. The adult grabs a baseball bat, goes into the classroom looking for the 7 year old. Not sure who the 7 year old is, the adult does a "pinpoint operation", he beats every child in the classroom to death with the baseball bat.

happy jack wrote:

edge540 wrote:

Heretic wrote:

I do so love watching the "pro-life" crowd rationalize the murder of children.

Yeah, me too.
I good analogy would be a 7 year kicking an adult in the shin and then running into a classroom. The adult grabs a baseball bat, goes into the classroom looking for the 7 year old. Not sure who the 7 year old is, the adult does a "pinpoint operation", he beats every child in the classroom to death with the baseball bat.

Comparing Israel to an adult and Hamas to a bratty child?
Gotta give you some credit, edge - you're starting to see the light.

Likewise.
Good to see you agree with my analogy.

edge540 wrote:

happy jack wrote:

edge540 wrote:

Heretic wrote:

I do so love watching the "pro-life" crowd rationalize the murder of children.

Yeah, me too.
I good analogy would be a 7 year kicking an adult in the shin and then running into a classroom. The adult grabs a baseball bat, goes into the classroom looking for the 7 year old. Not sure who the 7 year old is, the adult does a "pinpoint operation", he beats every child in the classroom to death with the baseball bat.

Comparing Israel to an adult and Hamas to a bratty child?
Gotta give you some credit, edge - you're starting to see the light.

Likewise.
Good to see you agree with my analogy.

It certainly takes the guesswork out of it. 

"If Palestine were to lay down their guns tomorrow, there would be no war. If Israel were to lay down theirs, there would be no Israel." - Benjamin Netanyahu

happy jack wrote:

"If Palestine were to lay down their guns tomorrow, there would be no war. If Israel were to lay down theirs, there would be no Israel." - Benjamin Netanyahu

Maybe Palestinians would lay their guns and rockets down if Benjamin Netanyahu would stop stealing their land.

happy jack wrote:

edge540 wrote:

happy jack wrote:

"If Palestine were to lay down their guns tomorrow, there would be no war. If Israel were to lay down theirs, there would be no Israel." - Benjamin Netanyahu

Maybe Palestinians would lay their guns and rockets down if Benjamin Netanyahu would stop stealing their land.

The issue is a bit more complex than your map would indicate.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_the_history_of_the_region_of_Palestine

Well no actually it's pretty simple.
From the comments, this nails it:

Quote :

Israel holds total dominion over the West Bank and Gaza. Militarily, economically, geographically, population control. Freedom to build what they want, go where they want, destroy and take whatever Palestinian property they want.

Palestine is not a country. It is part of Israel where the people are oppressed, controlled and given no rights. This has lasted almost 50 years.

10 quotes that explain the history of the Gaza conflict
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2014/07/18/10-quotes-that-explain-the-history-of-the-gaza-conflict/

http://avalon.law.yale.edu/20th_century/hamas.asp


18 August 1988

In The Name Of The Most Merciful Allah

"Ye are the best nation that hath been raised up unto mankind: ye command that which is just, and ye forbid that which is unjust, and ye believe in Allah. And if they who have received the scriptures had believed, it had surely been the better for them: there are believers among them, but the greater part of them are transgressors. They shall not hurt you, unless with a slight hurt; and if they fight against you, they shall turn their backs to you, and they shall not be helped. They are smitten with vileness wheresoever they are found; unless they obtain security by entering into a treaty with Allah, and a treaty with men; and they draw on themselves indignation from Allah, and they are afflicted with poverty. This they suffer, because they disbelieved the signs of Allah, and slew the prophets unjustly; this, because they were rebellious, and transgressed." (Al-Imran - verses 109-111).
Israel will exist and will continue to exist until Islam will obliterate it, just as it obliterated others before it" (The Martyr, Imam Hassan al-Banna, of blessed memory).



………



For a long time, the enemies have been planning, skillfully and with precision, for the achievement of what they have attained. They took into consideration the causes affecting the current of events. They strived to amass great and substantive material wealth which they devoted to the realisation of their dream. With their money, they took control of the world media, news agencies, the press, publishing houses, broadcasting stations, and others. With their money they stirred revolutions in various parts of the world with the purpose of achieving their interests and reaping the fruit therein. They were behind the French Revolution, the Communist revolution and most of the revolutions we heard and hear about, here and there. With their money they formed secret societies, such as Freemasons, Rotary Clubs, the Lions and others in different parts of the world for the purpose of sabotaging societies and achieving Zionist interests.



.........



The Rotary Club and the Lions Club?
Gasp!!!!
Can the Kiwanis Club and the Knights of Columbus be far behind?
Thus is the twisted philosophy of your ‘victims’.

happy jack wrote:

The Rotary Club and the Lions Club?
Gasp!!!!
Can the Kiwanis Club and the Knights of Columbus be far behind?
Thus is the twisted philosophy of your ‘victims’.

Still desperately trying to rationalize the murder of children,as Heretic pointed out.

Heretic wrote:

I do so love watching the "pro-life" crowd rationalize the murder of children.

Another heartwarming story for phony pro-lifers.....
Ban Ki-moon: 'Nothing is more shameful than attacking sleeping children' "It is outrageous. It is unjustifiable. And it demands accountability and justice."

Quote :

SAN JOSE, Costa Rica, July 30 (UPI) --U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon denounced the Israeli bombing of a second U.N. school in Gaza Wednesday, saying there is "nothing more shameful."

He called the attack "unjustifiable" while speaking with reporters upon his arrival in Costa Rica. In addition to condemning the attack, Ban made it clear that the Israeli military knew the location of the school and that Palestinian civilians were told to seek shelter there.

   

Quote :

"Nothing is more shameful than attacking sleeping children. At least 16 civilians are dead and many more are injured. I want to make it clear that the precise location of this Jabalia Elementary Girls School had been communicated to the Israeli military authorities 17 times -- as recently ‎as last night, just a few hours before the attack. They were ‎aware of the coordinates and exact locations where these people are being sheltered."

Other U.N. sites have been designated as shelters and they, too, have been repeatedly shelled.

"I condemn this attack in the strongest possible terms. It is outrageous. It is unjustifiable. And it demands accountability and justice," he said.

Ban called for Israel to better guarantee the safety of Palestinian civilians who are seeking shelter from the attacks on Gaza. He also renewed the demand for an immediate and unconditional cease-fire.

right-wing dumbass wrote:

Civilized people don't put their women, their children, and their infirm on the front lines of a battle.
But the Palestinians do.

Another one of your phony outrages goes up in smoke  ...From Amnesty International...
Israel/Gaza conflict: Questions and Answers
25 July 2014

Quote :

The Israeli authorities claim that Hamas and Palestinian armed groups use Palestinian civilians in Gaza as “human shields”. Does Amnesty International have any evidence that this has occurred during the current hostilities?

Amnesty International is monitoring and investigating such reports, but does not have evidence at this point that Palestinian civilians have been intentionally used by Hamas or Palestinian armed groups during the current hostilities to “shield” specific locations or military personnel or equipment from Israeli attacks. In previous conflicts Amnesty International has documented that Palestinian armed groups have stored munitions in and fired indiscriminate rockets from residential areas in the Gaza Strip in violation of international humanitarian law. Reports have also emerged during the current conflict of Hamas urging residents to ignore Israeli warnings to evacuate. However, these calls may have been motivated by a desire to minimize panic and displacement, in any case, such statements are not the same as directing specific civilians to remain in their homes as “human shields” for fighters, munitions, or military equipment. Under international humanitarian law even if “human shields” are being used Israel’s obligations to protect these civilians would still apply.

Artie60438 wrote:

right-wing dumbass wrote:

Civilized people don't put their women, their children, and their infirm on the front lines of a battle.
But the Palestinians do.

Another one of your phony outrages goes up in smoke  ...From Amnesty International...
Israel/Gaza conflict: Questions and Answers
25 July 2014

Quote :

The Israeli authorities claim that Hamas and Palestinian armed groups use Palestinian civilians in Gaza as “human shields”. Does Amnesty International have any evidence that this has occurred during the current hostilities?

Amnesty International is monitoring and investigating such reports, but does not have evidence at this point that Palestinian civilians have been intentionally used by Hamas or Palestinian armed groups during the current hostilities to “shield” specific locations or military personnel or equipment from Israeli attacks. In previous conflicts Amnesty International has documented that Palestinian armed groups have stored munitions in and fired indiscriminate rockets from residential areas in the Gaza Strip in violation of international humanitarian law. Reports have also emerged during the current conflict of Hamas urging residents to ignore Israeli warnings to evacuate. However, these calls may have been motivated by a desire to minimize panic and displacement, in any case, such statements are not the same as directing specific civilians to remain in their homes as “human shields” for fighters, munitions, or military equipment. Under international humanitarian law even if “human shields” are being used Israel’s obligations to protect these civilians would still apply.

Under international humanitarian law, all sides in an armed conflict must distinguish between military targets and civilians and civilian structures, and direct attacks only at the former. Deliberate attacks on civilians or civilian objects – such as homes, medical facilities, schools, governmental buildings – that are not being used for military purposes are prohibited and are war crimes’.



Hamas has been using “homes, medical facilities, schools,” and mosques for “military purposes”.




All sides must take necessary precautions in attack to minimize harm to civilians and civilian objects. This includes giving civilians effective warnings ahead of attacks,



…. which Israel has been doing.



They also must take all feasible precautions to protect civilians under their control from the effects of attacks.



The aforementiioned civilians are under the control of Hamas, not Israel.



For example, warring parties should avoid endangering civilians by storing ammunition in, and launching attacks from, populated civilian areas.


…. which Hamas has been doing.



Statements by some leaders of Palestinian armed groups also indicate that they have no qualms about launching attacks against civilians and that they in fact carry out such attacks intending to kill and injure Israeli civilians. Attacks that directly target civilians and indiscriminate attacks that kill or injure civilians constitute war crimes.



Yeah.



And since you seem to have forgotten why Israel has been forced to engage in military activity in the first place ....



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palestinian_rocket_attacks_on_Israel

Since 2001, Palestinian militants have launched thousands of rocket and mortar attacks on Israel from the Gaza Strip as part of the continuing Arab–Israeli conflict. As of July 2014 the attacks have killed 28 people,[1] mostly civilians, and injured thousands, but their main effect is their creation of widespread psychological trauma and disruption of daily life among the Israeli populace.[2] Medical studies in Sderot, the Israeli city closest to the Gaza Strip, have documented a post-traumatic stress disorder incidence among young children of almost 50%, as well as high rates of depression and miscarriage.[3][4][5]A public opinion poll conducted in March 2013 found that most Palestinians do not support firing rockets at Israel from the Gaza Strip.[6] These rocket attacks have caused flight cancellations at Ben Gurion airport.[7]
The weapons, often generically referred to as Qassams, were initially crude and short-range, mainly affecting Sderot and other communities bordering the Gaza Strip. However, in 2006 more sophisticated rockets began to be deployed, reaching the larger coastal city of Ashkelon, and by early 2009 major cities Ashdod and Beersheba had been hit by Katyusha, WS-1B[8] and Grad rockets.[9] In 2012, Jerusalem and Israel's commercial center Tel Aviv were targeted with locally made "M-75" and Iranian Fajr-5 rockets, respectively,[10] and in July 2014, the northern city of Haifa was targeted for the first time.[11]A few projectiles have contained white phosphorus.[12][13][14][15][16][17][18]
Attacks have been carried out by all Palestinian armed groups,[19] and, prior to the 2008–2009 Gaza War, were consistently supported by most Palestinians,[20][21][22][23] although the stated goals have been mixed. The attacks, widely condemned for targeting civilians, have been described as terrorism by United Nations, European Union and Israeli officials, and are defined as war crimes by human rights groups Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch. Indiscriminate attacks on civilians and civilian structures that do not discriminate between civilians and military targets are illegal under international law.[24][25]





http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/24/world/middleeast/israel-says-hamas-is-using-civilians-as-shields-in-gaza.html?_r=0

Israel Says That Hamas Uses Civilian Shields, Reviving Debate

By ANNE BARNARD and JODI RUDORENJULY 23, 2014



GAZA CITY — Militant rockets can be seen launching from crowded neighborhoods, near apartment buildings, schools and hotels. Hamas fighters have set traps for Israeli soldiers in civilian homes and stored weapons in mosques and schools. Tunnels have been dug beneath private property.
With international condemnation rising over the death toll in Gaza exceeding 650 in the war’s 16th day, Israel points to its adversaries’ practice of embedding forces throughout the crowded, impoverished coastal enclave of 1.7 million people.
“Hamas uses schools, residential buildings, mosques and hospitals to fire rockets at Israeli civilians,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told his Canadian counterpart in a call over the weekend, according to a statement from Mr. Netanyahu’s office. “Hamas uses innocent civilians as a human shield for terrorist activity.”
Nothing is ever so clear in the complex and often brutal calculus of urban warfare. There is no evidence that Hamas and other militants force civilians to stay in areas that are under attack — the legal definition of a human shield under international law. But it is indisputable that Gaza militants operate in civilian areas, draw return fire to civilian structures, and on some level benefit in the diplomatic arena from the rising casualties. They also have at times encouraged residents not to flee their homes when alerted by Israel to a pending strike and, having prepared extensively for war, did not build civilian bomb shelters.

Israel, for its part, says it takes precautions to avoid killing civilians, but has also accepted as inevitable that there will be large numbers of civilian casualties when it strikes at certain targets, like Hamas members in their houses, or offices, or mosques.
“It’s a bit of a fluid concept,” said Bill Van Esveld, a lawyer and senior researcher in the Middle East division of Human Rights Watch. “If you have any choice in the matter, you should not be fighting from an apartment building full of civilians.”
Some of Hamas’s tactics mirror those of other insurgent groups, like the Irish Republican Army and Nicaraguan contras.
“Hamas knows that it works to its advantage, politically and diplomatically, as the civilian death toll mounts, there is increasing pressure to end the war immediately, and what that typically entails, if past is precedent, is making some concessions to Hamas,” said Nathan Thrall, co-author of a recent International Crisis Group report on Gaza. “Hamas deliberately buries the weapons in populated civilian areas hoping that will reduce the chance that those weapons will be taken out from the air — that’s a pretty clear-cut case.”
Experts in international law say that even as Hamas is legally obligated to minimize its operations near civilians — and is committing a war crime by firing rockets indiscriminately — so, too, is Israel obligated to identify specific military targets and keep the risk to civilians proportionate to the threats the targets pose.
Mr. Van Esveld said that while urban warfare was not itself illegal under international law, the law “does give you an obligation to do everything you can to minimize potential harm to civilians.”
Mr. Thrall said that for Hamas, as for insurgent groups throughout history, one of the few ways to “even attempt to level the playing field is to try and protect some of its weapons and fighters in civilian areas.”
But there is a question, Mr. Thrall added, of whether they do it deliberately, hoping for “diplomatic-political advantage” from the deaths of civilians, or “out of desperation.”
To underscore its message, Israeli leaders and their supporters point to rockets that the United Nations reported finding in two of its schools in Gaza in recent days. The Israeli military on Wednesday also sent a map to reporters that had red, highlighted areas that it said were “Hamas military compounds with rocket caches and openings to terror tunnels” next to blue-shaded civilian houses, a mosque, and Jabaliya Indonesian Hospital. Another showed what the military said were “rocket-launch sites” in a field adjacent to a complex of five Gaza City schools.
On Tuesday, the military said that a paratrooper had been killed and that several soldiers had been wounded by an antitank guided missile fired from within a Khan Younis mosque. On Wednesday, a news release said the military had struck Al-Wafa Hospital in the Shejaiya neighborhood of Gaza City after militants fired on troops from within its grounds, which it said had been “repeatedly used” by Hamas and Islamic Jihad as a command center, rocket-launching site and firing position.
Lt. Col. Peter Lerner, a military spokesman, said militants were “intentionally abusing the hospital and other international protected symbols to indiscriminately attack Israel.” The release said the military had raised concerns about the hospital on “numerous occasions” with international organizations, the hospital administration, and other Palestinian officials.
At the root of the dueling allegations are the two sides’ very different views. Many Palestinians see the militants as a legitimate resistance force, the closest thing they have to a national army, operating within its community and using what advantages it can against a far more powerful enemy. Israeli officials see the militants as terrorists guilty of what Mr. Netanyahu called a “double war crime,” launching indiscriminate attacks and cynically exploiting the deaths caused by the response to garner sympathy.
Neither side’s claims could immediately be verified as many of the relevant sites are now under Israeli shelling. Many Hamas militants, wary of interviews in normal times, are now virtually impossible to meet, either in hiding or on front lines. Those who launch rockets quickly disappear from the scene. Members of the political wing, like Bassem Naim, a former health minister, deny knowledge of military details.
Mr. Naim said that no civilian would be forced to take part in militant activities, and that the tunnels Hamas has dug — Israel’s stated target as it pushed into the neighborhood of Shejaiya, unleashing heavy shelling — are so deep that residents whose properties they might go under would not know they were there. He would not address whether that was unfairly endangering those residents.
But Hamas is also feeling the heat as the death toll is rising. Well into the conflict the Hamas radio station was telling civilians — already reluctant to leave homes given their history of displacement — not to heed Israeli warnings to flee, calling the warnings “psychological warfare.” That message has shifted in recent days as the station, perhaps with Hamas feeling pressure over the mounting death toll here, warned people to avoid “hot areas” and advised them to stay inside after 11 p.m.
Many say their relatives’ houses are full, and are reluctant to move in with strangers, or to strange neighborhoods, since they will not know if they are inadvertently moving closer to a Hamas member’s house or other potential target. And there is no certain safety.
Sami Abu Zuhri, a Hamas spokesman, denied that the earlier announcements were meant to endanger civilians, and said the message changed later because Hamas at first did not expect so many civilian houses to take direct hits.

happy jack wrote:

Artie60438 wrote:

right-wing dumbass wrote:

Civilized people don't put their women, their children, and their infirm on the front lines of a battle.
But the Palestinians do.

Another one of your phony outrages goes up in smoke  ...From Amnesty International...
Israel/Gaza conflict: Questions and Answers
25 July 2014

Quote :

The Israeli authorities claim that Hamas and Palestinian armed groups use Palestinian civilians in Gaza as “human shields”. Does Amnesty International have any evidence that this has occurred during the current hostilities?

Amnesty International is monitoring and investigating such reports, but does not have evidence at this point that Palestinian civilians have been intentionally used by Hamas or Palestinian armed groups during the current hostilities to “shield” specific locations or military personnel or equipment from Israeli attacks. In previous conflicts Amnesty International has documented that Palestinian armed groups have stored munitions in and fired indiscriminate rockets from residential areas in the Gaza Strip in violation of international humanitarian law. Reports have also emerged during the current conflict of Hamas urging residents to ignore Israeli warnings to evacuate. However, these calls may have been motivated by a desire to minimize panic and displacement, in any case, such statements are not the same as directing specific civilians to remain in their homes as “human shields” for fighters, munitions, or military equipment. Under international humanitarian law even if “human shields” are being used Israel’s obligations to protect these civilians would still apply.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/24/world/middleeast/israel-says-hamas-is-using-civilians-as-shields-in-gaza.html?_r=0

Israel Says That Hamas Uses Civilian Shields, Reviving Debate

Israel says so?
I think I'll take the word of Amnesty International who are independent of any government, political ideology, economic interest or religion

Now move along troll  

Artie60438 wrote:

happy jack wrote:

Artie60438 wrote:

right-wing dumbass wrote:

Civilized people don't put their women, their children, and their infirm on the front lines of a battle.
But the Palestinians do.

Another one of your phony outrages goes up in smoke  ...From Amnesty International...
Israel/Gaza conflict: Questions and Answers
25 July 2014

Quote :

The Israeli authorities claim that Hamas and Palestinian armed groups use Palestinian civilians in Gaza as “human shields”. Does Amnesty International have any evidence that this has occurred during the current hostilities?

Amnesty International is monitoring and investigating such reports, but does not have evidence at this point that Palestinian civilians have been intentionally used by Hamas or Palestinian armed groups during the current hostilities to “shield” specific locations or military personnel or equipment from Israeli attacks. In previous conflicts Amnesty International has documented that Palestinian armed groups have stored munitions in and fired indiscriminate rockets from residential areas in the Gaza Strip in violation of international humanitarian law. Reports have also emerged during the current conflict of Hamas urging residents to ignore Israeli warnings to evacuate. However, these calls may have been motivated by a desire to minimize panic and displacement, in any case, such statements are not the same as directing specific civilians to remain in their homes as “human shields” for fighters, munitions, or military equipment. Under international humanitarian law even if “human shields” are being used Israel’s obligations to protect these civilians would still apply.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/24/world/middleeast/israel-says-hamas-is-using-civilians-as-shields-in-gaza.html?_r=0

Israel Says That Hamas Uses Civilian Shields, Reviving Debate

Israel says so?
I think I'll take the word of Amnesty International who are independent of any government, political ideology, economic interest or religion

Now move along troll  

Hmmm...Looks the author of the NYT article that right-wing dumbass tried to use as a talking point doesn't have her facts straight  
In Gaza-Israel Coverage, The New York Times Purveys Pro-War Propaganda on Page One

Quote :

The July 23 article "Hamas Gambled on War as Its Woes Grew in Gaza" by New York Times reporter Anne Barnard wrongly states, "When Hamas sent a barrage of rockets into Israel, simmering hostilities, and back and forth strikes, erupted into war." That statement about the war's origin is pro-war propaganda. It has no basis in fact.

The statement contradicts the report issued by the authoritative "Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center" (ITIC), a private Israeli think tank that "has close ties with the country's military leadership," according to The Washington Post.

The ITIC July 8, 2014, report, "News of Terrorism and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict (July 2 - 8, 2014)," states: "For the first time since Operation Pillar of Defense [November 2012], Hamas participated in and claimed responsibility for rocket fire [on July 7, 2014]."

Thus, Hamas rocket fire only restarted on July 7 after a 19-month cease-fire. As we will see, this was nearly a month after Israeli forces launched massive military operations in the West Bank and Gaza starting on June 12. But those Israeli military operations were not the only provocation.

The full article is loaded with source links.

Artie60438 wrote:

Artie60438 wrote:

happy jack wrote:

Artie60438 wrote:

right-wing dumbass wrote:

Civilized people don't put their women, their children, and their infirm on the front lines of a battle.
But the Palestinians do.

Another one of your phony outrages goes up in smoke  ...From Amnesty International...
Israel/Gaza conflict: Questions and Answers
25 July 2014

Quote :

The Israeli authorities claim that Hamas and Palestinian armed groups use Palestinian civilians in Gaza as “human shields”. Does Amnesty International have any evidence that this has occurred during the current hostilities?

Amnesty International is monitoring and investigating such reports, but does not have evidence at this point that Palestinian civilians have been intentionally used by Hamas or Palestinian armed groups during the current hostilities to “shield” specific locations or military personnel or equipment from Israeli attacks. In previous conflicts Amnesty International has documented that Palestinian armed groups have stored munitions in and fired indiscriminate rockets from residential areas in the Gaza Strip in violation of international humanitarian law. Reports have also emerged during the current conflict of Hamas urging residents to ignore Israeli warnings to evacuate. However, these calls may have been motivated by a desire to minimize panic and displacement, in any case, such statements are not the same as directing specific civilians to remain in their homes as “human shields” for fighters, munitions, or military equipment. Under international humanitarian law even if “human shields” are being used Israel’s obligations to protect these civilians would still apply.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/24/world/middleeast/israel-says-hamas-is-using-civilians-as-shields-in-gaza.html?_r=0

Israel Says That Hamas Uses Civilian Shields, Reviving Debate

Israel says so?
I think I'll take the word of Amnesty International who are independent of any government, political ideology, economic interest or religion

Now move along troll  

Hmmm...Looks the author of the NYT article that right-wing dumbass tried to use as a talking point doesn't have her facts straight  
In Gaza-Israel Coverage, The New York Times Purveys Pro-War Propaganda on Page One

Quote :

The July 23 article "Hamas Gambled on War as Its Woes Grew in Gaza" by New York Times reporter Anne Barnard wrongly states, "When Hamas sent a barrage of rockets into Israel, simmering hostilities, and back and forth strikes, erupted into war." That statement about the war's origin is pro-war propaganda. It has no basis in fact.

The statement contradicts the report issued by the authoritative "Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center" (ITIC), a private Israeli think tank that "has close ties with the country's military leadership," according to The Washington Post.

The ITIC July 8, 2014, report, "News of Terrorism and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict (July 2 - 8, 2014)," states: "For the first time since Operation Pillar of Defense [November 2012], Hamas participated in and claimed responsibility for rocket fire [on July 7, 2014]."

Thus, Hamas rocket fire only restarted on July 7 after a 19-month cease-fire. As we will see, this was nearly a month after Israeli forces launched massive military operations in the West Bank and Gaza starting on June 12. But those Israeli military operations were not the only provocation.

The full article is loaded with source links.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Palestinian_rocket_attacks_on_Israel,_2014

This is a detailed list of Palestinian rocket and mortar attacks on Israel in 2014. All of the attacks originated in the Gaza Strip, unless stated otherwise.

.........

January 13
Two rockets were launched to the Northern Negev desert, near Sderot. There were no injuries or damage reported.[8]
January 16
At 2am, five rockets were fired into Israel. The Iron Dome eliminated all rockets, as they would have hit Ashkelon. No injuries or damage were reported.[8]
January 30
A rocket exploded in a non-inhabited area of Sdot Negev Regional Council. No injuries or damage were reported.[11]
January 31
From the Sinai Peninsula a rocket was launched towards Eilat. The Iron Dome intercepted the rocket. The radical Salafi organization Ansar Bait al-Maqdis took responsibility for the launch.[12]
February[edit]
February 6
A Color Red siren alerting residents of a rocket launch from Gaza has been sounded in Ashkelon, followed by an explosion.[19]
A further rocket launched from the Gaza Strip exploded in the Eshkol Regional Council. No injuries or damage were reported.[20]
February 8
A red alert siren sounded in Sha'ar Hanegev and Sdot Negev Regional Councils. A rocket hit an open area in Sha'ar HaNegev. No injuries or damages were reported.[21]
February 10
Palestinians fired a rocket into the Ashkelon Coast Regional Council, triggering sirens. After nightfall, a second rocket was launched into the same area. No injuries or damage were reported. Israel responded with an air strike on an underground rocket launcher in the central Gaza Strip.[22][23]
February 14
In the evening, Palestinian Militants launched two rockets into Israel. One landed in the Ashkelon Coast Regional Council, the other in the Eshkol Regional Council. No injuries or damage were reported.[24]
March[edit]
In March, Palestinians launched 65 rockets and mortar shell, in 23 attacks.[25]
March 1
In the night on Mount Hermon were heard loud blasts. The IDF checked the area and found the remains of two rockets near an IDF outpost. No injuries or damage were reported.[26]
March 3
Mosaab Zaaneen, a 25-year-old militant from Palestinian Islamic Jihad, was killed in an Israeli air strike as he was attempting to launch rockets from Beit Hanoun in the northern Gaza Strip. The Israel Defense Forces stated that the strike "was carried out in order to eliminate an imminent attack targeting civilian communities of southern Israel".[27]
March 5
Palestinians fired a rocket towards the Sha'ar Hanegev Regional Council, triggering sirens in local communities. The projectile landed within the Gaza Strip. Later, after nightfall, a second rocket was fired at Sderot. No injuries or damage were reported in either attack.[28]
March 11
After nightfall, Palestinians fired a rocket into the Sha'ar Hanegev Regional Council. The projectile landed in an open area, causing no injuries or damage.[29]
March 12–14
Palestinian Islamic Jihad Militants fired at least 60 rockets at Israeli cities and towns, in the heaviest barrage since 2012. No direct injuries were reported, but a 57-year-old woman was lightly injured while taking cover in Sderot. At least eight rockets fell within communities, with one exploding near a gas station and another near a public library. Explosions rocked the cities of Sderot and Netivot, and sirens sounded as far away as Beersheba.[30][31]
April[edit]
This section is incomplete. (April 2014)
In April, There were 19 rockets and 5 mortar shell in 14 attacks towards Israel. These attacks caused property damage, but no deaths or injuries. [32]
April 1
Residents heard massive detonations. Three rockets were fired at Eilat, which were intercepted by the Iron Dome.[33]
April 3
The "Code Red" siren was heard 3 times in a row in the evening. No rocket landing were identified, therefore the rockets came down within Gaza.[34]
April 4
In the Hof Ashkelon Regional Council a rocket exploded in the open area, close to the border fence. No injuries or damage were reported.[35]
April 5
Militants in Gaza fired a rocket into Israel. No injuries or damage were reported.[36]
April 6
In the Sha'ar HaNegev Regional Council, near a kibbuz, was heard an explosion of a mortar shell. No red alert siren sounded before. No one was hurt, no damage reported.[37]
April 9
In the early afternoon a Color Red siren alerting residents of a rocket launch from Gaza has been sounded in Hof Ashkelon Regional Council. The rocket came down within the Gaza strip.[38] Later in the evening a mortar rocket hit a kibbutz in the Sha'ar Hanegev Regional Council. It caused material damage, but no one was injured. No Red Siren sounded prior to the rockets landing.[39]
April 13
Very early in the morning a mortar shell exploded close to the security fence in the open field, prior to a "red alert".[40] In the late night two more mortars were launched targeting Israeli soldiers, operating at the security fence in the Southern Gaza area. No one got injured.[41]
April 16
In the night, Militants launched several rockets at Southern Israel. No injuries or damage were reported.[42]
April 21
Militants in Gaza fired seven rockets into Israel during the last day of the Passover holiday. The first three projectiles struck uninhabited areas in the Sha'ar Hanegev Regional Council, activating "Code Red" sirens. No damage was reported in the attack. Another two rockets caused light damage in Sderot. Israel responded by striking three terrorist targets in the Gaza Strip.[43]
April 23
3 rockets were fired from Gaza at the Hof Ashkelon and Sha'ar HaNegev Regional Councils, after rocket alert sirens sounded. No injuries were reported.[44]
April 24
A mortar shell exploded near the fence in Southern Gaza.[45] Later in the day explosive device exploded near IDF force at the Northern Gaza border.[46] No injuries or damage were reported
May[edit]
Throughout May 4 rockets and 3 mortar shells were launched from Gaza in 5 attacks towards Israel.[47]
May 1
A rocket hit an open area in Eshkol. No one were hurt, no damage was reported.[48]
May 21
Several mortar rounds were fired at IDF forces on the Gaza boarder. No injuries, damages in attack.[49]
May 23
A rocket exploded in open field in Sha'ar HaNegev Regional Council. No reports of damages or injuries.[50]

June[edit]


Burning factory in Sderot, which was hit by a rocket from Gaza on June 28
Throughout June about 62 rockets and 3 mortar shells were launched from Gaza in about 17 attacks towards Israel. These attacks caused property damage, but no deaths. Four were injured as a result of fire started by a rocket launch.[51]
June 1
A rocket was fired early Sunday morning at the Eshkol region. The rocket landed in a field and no casualties were reported.[52]
June 11
A rocket fired from Gaza narrowly missed a main artery in southern Israel as it landed in a nearby dirt field without causing any injuries.[53]
June 14
2 of 3 rockets fired from Gaza fell in the Hof Ashkelon regional council in the afternoon. No injuries or damage were reported.[54]
June 15
In Ashkelon a series of explosions were heard in the evening. 4 rockets were fired from Gaza, 2 of them were intercepted by the Iron Dome. Fragments of the rockets fell across the city. There were no reports of injuries or material damages.[55]
June 16
A rocket from Gaza landed in an open area in the Ashkelon area. No damage or injuries.[56]
June 18
2 rockets fired from Gaza hit into a Sha'ar Hanegev Regional Council community and caused light damage to a structure.[57]
June 19
In the evening a rocket was fired from Gaza. It struck an open field near Sderot.[58] Later again a rocket was fired at the city of Ashkelon. It was successfully intercepted by Iron Dome.[59]
June 20
A Color Red siren alerting residents of a rocket launch from Gaza has been sounded in the Hof Ashkelon area, but the rocket didn't make it outside of the Gaza strip.[60]
June 21
Gaza Militants fired a rocket into direction of Hof Ashkelon Regional Council in southern Israel. No injuries, but damage caused to a road in Hof Ashkelon. In the evening three rockets were fired at the Sdot Negev and Sha'ar HaNegev Regional Councils. All rockets exploded in the open area. No damages or injuries were reported.[61]
June 24
In the early evening Gaza Militants fired several rockets into Southern Israel. Two of the rockets were intercepted by the Iron Dome Missile Defense System, as the rockets would have hit inhabited areas. Targets have been Ashkelon and Sha’ar Hanegev Regional Council.[62] Again a rocket landed in the South, in the Sdot Negev Regional Council. There were light damage, but no injuries were reported.[63]
June 27
In the morning a mortar shell exploded near the border fence between Gaza and Israel. No one was hurt. A military vehicle operating in the area was lightly damaged.[64] In the evening 6 rockets were launched from the Gaza strip. Sirens were heard in many areas to warn for incoming fire. 4 rockets fell in the open field. 2 were intercepted by the Iron Dome anti-missile system, as these rockets would have landed in populated areas of Ashekelon.[65]
June 28
In the evening several rockets were fired from the Gaza strip. 2 rockets struck an industrial factory in Sderot, causing a fire. No one was hurt from any of the rockets, but the factory was burned to the ground. All other rockets exploded in the open area in Sdot Negev.[66]
June 29
4 rockets were fired from Gaza into the South of Israel in the evening. 2 were intercepted by the Iron Dome. 2 fell in open area near the border fence.[67]
June 30
All night the "Code Red" siren was heard. 16 rockets were launched from Gaza in the early morning hours. Most of the rockets landed in open areas of the Eshkol Regional Council region. Some went down in the Sedot Negev Regional Council community. One rocket caused light damage to a home. No people were thought to have been hurt.[68] In the late night Gaza militants fired a rocket at Israel. The rocket landed in the open field in the Eshkol Regional Council. No injuries or damage were reported.[69]

July[edit]
In July, tensions in the area erupted into conventional warfare (Operation Protective Edge). The number of attacks launched toward Israel increased dramatically and may be difficult to count with complete accuracy.


July 1
In the morning 4 more rockets were fired. One fell in an open area in Sdot Negev. Another caused damage to several vehicles in the Eshkol Regional Council. A third rocket exploded in the area Hof Ashkelon Regional Council. No injuries were reported[115] The fourth rocket caused a fire near a packaging factory in Eshkol. Though it looked like the fire were turned off, it has spread. Firefighting planes and additional squads try to stop the flames. So far no injuries are reported.[116] In the evening a salvo of mortar shells was launched at the Eshkol Regional Council area. No red alert in advance, but Explosions were heard. Security forces are inspecting the area. No reports of inuries or damages.[117]
July 2
Shortly after midnight two mortar shells exploded in open areas in the Eshkol Regional Council. No damage or injuries are reported.[118] In the afternoon three mortar shells were fired at the same region. All exploded in open fields. No injuries or damage reported.[119] Again four mortar shells were fired in the Eshkol Regional Council. No one was hurt and no damage reported.[120] In the evening code red alarm was heard in the Ashkelon area. One rocket was intercepted by the Iron Dome Missile Defense System, one exploded in open field.[121] Red alert siren blared in the Eshkol and Sha'ar HaNegev Regional Councils.[122] Minutes after 2 rockets landed in open areas around.[123] Five rockets were launched on the Sdot Negev Regional Council, three were launched towards Ofakim. One was shot down by Iron Dome, the others hit open fields. No damage or injuries were reported.[124] A rocket was fired on Eshkol Regional Council. No damages, no injuries.[125]
July 3
1 hour past midnight the color red siren is heard in Sderot and Sha'ar HaNegev Regional Council.[126] One rocket exploded in Sderot. None was hurt, but structures got damaged.[127] In the night and morning more than 10 rockets were fired at Southern Israel. Four of them hit homes in Sderot. One of the was a summer camp, but the rocket failed to explode, no one was injured.[128] In the early afternoon a rocket from Gaza exploded near Sderot's industrial area. No injuries or damages were reported. Another one fell in an open area near Ofakim.[129] Code Red sirens alerting residents of rocket launches from Gaza has been sounded in Sderot and the Sha'ar HaNegev Regional Council in the evening[130] and later again in Sderot and the Eshkol Regional Council[131]
July 4
This morning three rockets were fired at Sderot. Iron Dome intercepted one rocket, that would have hit the city. no injuries or damage were reported.[132] Around noon two mortar shells fired from the Gaza Strip exploded near a community in the Eshkol Regional Council. No injuries or damages were reported.[133] In the afternoon a rocket from Gaza came down just on the Israeli side of the border fence, aimed at IDF forces.[134] Not long afterwards two rockets were intercepted by the Iron Dome, which would have hit Ofakim. Another one fell in the open field around. Several mortar rounds were also fired towards Keren Shalom, but only one fell in Israeli territory.[135] A rocket was fired into the Eshkol Regional Council, it came down near the border fence.[136] Another rocket fell in an open area.[137] Five more rockets hit open fields in Eshkol.[138] Another rocket hit Israel in the open area of Sderot. 25 rockets hit Israel today.[139]
July 5
In the morning a rocket launched from Gaza exploded in the open field in the Eshkol Regional Council. No injuries were reported.[140] In the afternoon a salvo of rockets and mortar shells was fired into Southern Israel. Two rockets and four mortar shells exploded in the Eshkol Regional Council, an IDF soldier got light injuries from shrapnel. A Color Red rocket alert sounded in Ofakim and the Merhavim Regional Council and shortly after a salvo of rockets was fired towards Ofakim, a city relatively distant from the Gaza Strip. One was intercepted by the Iron Dome, the others fell in open areas. In the evening rockets continued raining down at Southern Israel. The Iron Dome intercepted three rockets over the Hof Asheklon Regional Council. Two mortar shells fell in the Eshkol Regional Council. Another rocket hit Sha'ar HaNegev. One rocket was fired at the Negev's capital Beesheba, which was intercepted by the Iron Dome. It was the first time since the 2012 Peration Pillar of Defense that the Negev's capital was targeted by Gaza militants.[141][142]
July 6
Around noon a rocket launched from Gaza exploded near a town in Sha'ar HaNegev Regional Council. No injuries and damages were reported.[143] In the morning two rockets were launched towards Sderot. They fell in open areas. Around noon more than three rockets hit open areas in the Hof Ashkelon Regional Council. In the early afternoon at least four rockets hit a kibbutz in the Sha'ar Hanegev Regional Council. No injuries or damage were reported. Two rockets from Gaza landed in Eshkol. One of the rockets caused a small fire that was quickly extinguished. Two rocket hit the Sha'ar Hanegev Regional Council. In the afternoon and evening more than 25 rockets were fired from Gaza at Southern Israel.[144]
July 7
In the morning a rocket launched from Gaza exploded at a community in Eshkol Regional Council. A soldier got lightly wounded. Several vehicles were damaged. Another rocket exploded in an open area.[145] Prior to a Code Red alert a rocket exploded in an open area of Beersheba, one of Israel's largest cities, 50 kilometers away from the Gaza Strip. No injuries were reported.[146] Around noon two rockets exploded in Southern Israel. One was intercepted over a local kibbutz by the Iron Dome, the second fell in an open area. No injuries were reported.[147] Two more rockets landed in open fields of the Eshkol Regional Council.[148] Additional rockets hit the Eshkol Region Council, adding up to 9.[149] Several more times the Code Red alarm was heard in Eshkol and Sha'ar Hanegev regions. Since midnight 33 rockets and mortars hit Israel.[150] In the evening Palestinians fired a barrage of 20–30 rockets at Southern Israel. There were no immediate reports of injuries.[151] In this attack the Iron Dome defense system intercepted seven rockets over Ashdod and five over Ntivot.[152] The military wing of Hamas Iz al-Din al-Qassam has officially taken responsibility for the latest barrage of rocket fire. They claim that they had shot about 100 rockets within a few minutes at Southern Israel.[153] Three more rockets exploded in open terrain near Sderot and Sha'ar HaNegev.[154] Iron Dome downs a rocket over Sderot.[155] A Grade rocket exploded in a town next to Kiryat Malakhi causing damage.[156] Today 80 rockets were launched by Palestinians from Gaza towards Israel.[157]
July 8
157 rockets were fired from Gaza.[70] In the early hours a rocket exploded in an open area in the Hof Ashkelon Regional Council.[158] A rocket fired from Gaza was intercepted by the Iron Dome over the Sderot region.[159] After strong increasing rocketfire attacks in the preceding days from Gaza towards Israel's Southern communities, the IDF announced the start of a military operation "Protective Edge" to stop the attacks Israel's citizens face on a daily basis.[160] Rocket lands near empty house in a community in Hof Ashkelon Regional Council, fire erupts nearby. Two additional rockets exploded in open areas between Ashdod and Ashkelon.[161] From the last 16 rockets, fired at Israel, 5 rockets were intercepted by the Iron Dome over Ashdod and Ashkelon.[162] A Rocket exploded in open area south of Ashdod.[163] The Islamic Jihad, the second most prominent militant group in the Gaza Strip after Hamas, has taken responsibility for at least 60 of the rockets fired at Israel.[164] The Iron Dome intercepted a rocket over Ashkelon.[165] Three rockets exploded in open areas in Eshkol Regional Council.[166] Five more rockets exploded in open areas in Eshkol Regional Council.[167] Red Color alert sounded in Ashdod. Iron Dome most likely intercepted the rocket over the city.[168] Over Beersheba one rocket was intercepted by Iron Dome. A second rocket exploded in an open area outside the city. The Iron Dome intercepted two rockets over the city of Ashkelon. Two more rockets landed in open fields in the Eshkol Regional Council. No injuries or damages were reported. Code Red sirens were also heard over Sha'ar Hanegev and Ashkelon with a rocket exploding in an open area of Sdot HaNegev. The Iron Dome shot down a rocket over Ashkelon. An Iron Dome battery intercepted a rocket over Gedera. Code Red sounded in Tel Aviv for the first time since Operation Pillar of Defense in 2012. Iron Dome intercepted the rocket south of Tel Aviv.[165] Islamic Jihad takes responsibility for firing rocket at Tel Aviv.[169] Public bomb shelters are not only opened in Israel's South, but also in bigger cities in central Israel, like Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.[165] Tel Aviv municipality now operating under emergency procedures.[170] Rocket intercepted by Iron Dome over Ashkelon.[171] Again Code Red siren in Tel Aviv, Givatayim, Rishon LeZion.[172] Iron Dome intercepts rocket over Tel Aviv metropolitan area.[173] Huge barrage of long-range rockets fired from the northern Gaza Strip.[174] Rocket sirens sounding all across Israel.[175] including Jerusalem [176] and Tel Aviv.[177] About 30 rockets fired at Israel in latest volley,[178] at least 7 of them were long-range rockets.[179] A rocket hits house in Mateh Yehuda Regional Council in Jerusalem district; no injuries.[180] One rocket explodes in Jerusalem area; no injuries or damage.[181] The IDF confirms that a rocket fired from Gaza hit the city of Hadera, 100 km away from Gaza.[182] The rocket that hit Hadera is an M-302 type rocket, similar to the ones found on board the Klos-c, a vessel on which was an Iranian shipment of advanced weaponry intended for militant organizations operating in the Gaza Strip the IDF intercepted on March 5. On board the Klos-C were forty M-302 rockets reaching up-to the range of 160 kilometers.[183] The Iron Dome intercepted rockets over the City Rishon Lezion, which is close to Tel Aviv.[165] Rocket exploded in open area near Pisgat Zeev in East Jerusalem.[184] Iron Dome intercepts at least one rocket over Southern Tel Aviv.[185] Rocket explodes near Nizanim junction in south; no injuries.[186] A grade rocket was located in Ashdod; no injuries.[187] After a rocket exploded near Rishon LeZion a fire broke out. No injuries.[188] 117 rockets struck Israel in the past 24 hours & an additional 29 were intercepted by the Iron Dome.[189]
July 9
130 rockets were fired from Gaza.[70] A rocket was fired at the Eshkol Regional Council shortly after midnight.[190] The Iron Dome intercepted at least 2 rockets over Be'er Sheva.[191] Three rockets exploded in open areas around. No injuries.[192] In the morning around 8.30am local time, rocket sirens sound in 20 different localities in Israel, so it was heard in Tel Aviv, Modi'in, Rishon Letzion, Ashdod, Ashkelon, Rehovot, the Eshkol regional council, and Sha'ar Hanegev. The Iron Dome intercepted five missiles over the Tel Aviv area.[193] The Iron Dome intercepted 3 rockets over the city of Ashkelon.[194] Since early hours of Wednesday morning 22 rockets exploded in the Negev and Hevel Lakhish (Part of the southern Shfela).[195] A rocket barrage was fired at Eshkol Regional Council, two rockets exploded in open areas.[196] The Iron Dome intercepted again 3 rockets over Ashdod.[197] A rocket explosion caused a fire in Shaffir Regional Council.[198] Two Rockets exploded in Eshkol Regionl Council, no injuries reported.[199][200] Three rockets exploded in an open area in Kiryat Malachi and Be'er Tuvia. No injuries reported.[201] A Rocket exploded in open terrain in Sha'ar HaNegev Regional Council.[202] Iron Dome intercepted 3 rockets over Kiryat Gat.[203][204] Iron Dome intercepted rocket over Sderot.[205] Two rockets exploded in Hof Hacarmel Regional Council.[206] A rocket explosion caused a fire in a field near Sderot.[207] Four rockets landed in Eshkol Regional Council, one of them started a fire, which was extinguished shortly after. [208][209] A rocket fired at Ashkelon was shot down by Iron Dome.[210] Iron Dome intercepts rocket fired at Mateh Yehuda Regional Council.[211] Sirens blared in Holon, Bat Yam, Rishon LeZion, Tel Aviv. The Iron Dome intercepted a rocket over Tel Aviv.[212][213] Six rockets fall in open areas in Eshkol; no injuries.[214] Rocket fell in open area in Sdot Negev Regional Council.[215]Three additional rockets exploded in Eshkol, one hits house, no injuries.[216] Three rockets exploded in open fields in Merhavim Regional Council.[217] Rocket landed in open area in Sdot Negev Regional Council.[218] 2 mortar shells hit house and structure in community in Sha'ar HaNegev.[219] Iron Dome intercepts rocket over Ashkelon.[220] Sirens were heard in Dimona, which is the location of a nuclear reactor, and Yeruham for the first time since the beginning of Operation Protective Edge. Three rockets were launched. One was intercepted by the Iron Dome, two land in open areas. There was no indication that rockets damaged any part of the reactor.[221][222] Iron Dome intercepts rocket over the area of Rehovot.[223] Fire breaks out in Hof Ashkelon Regional Council following explosion of rocket in open area.[224] A rocket exploded in open terrain in Yeruham, caused brush fire.[225] The Iron Dome missile defense system has achieved a nearly 90% success rate since Monday night, an improvement over its performance during Operation Pillar of Defense in November 2012[226] Rocket exploded in open area in Netivot.[227]Sirens sound in many different locations. Shortly after a salvo of 15 rockets were fired at Israel. All of them were either intercepted or fell in open areas.[228] Today over 100 rockets were launched from Gaza. 82 hit Israel, 21 rockets were intercepted by the Iron Dome.[229]
July 10
197 rockets were fired from Gaza.[70] Shortly after midnight two rockets are intercepted by the Iron Dome over Kiryat Malachi.[230] 10 cows killed, caused by a rocket exploding in Be'er Tuvia Regional Council.[231] The Iron Dome intercepted 3 rockets over Beersheba.[232] Two more rockets were shot down by Iron Dome over Beesheba, one other landed in open area. No injuries were reported. A number of rockets aiming on Ashkelon were intercepted by Iron Dome. Four missiles were intercepted over Tel Aviv. The sirens were immedieately followed by explosions, most likely the sound of the rocket being intercepted.[230] Large pieces of shrapnels fell on streets of Southern Tel Aviv. No injuries were reported.[233] Iron intercepted two rockets in central Israel.[234] A rocket fired from Gaza exploded in open territory in the Merhavim Regional. No injuries were reported. Council.[235] The Iron Dome intercepted a rocket above the community of Netivot.[236] Two fell in open areas nearby.[237] A rocket fired from the Gaza fell in open territory in the Sdot Negev Regional Council causing a brush fire. No one was injured.[230] Two mortar rounds from Gaza hit Eshkol. No injuries were reported.[238] A rocket fell in the garden of a home in the Netivot area of southern Israel. A woman got lightly injured in the attack. Three rockets land in open territory in Sde Boker in the Negev after Code Red sirens had earlier gone off  in Dimona, Yeruham and Mitzpe Ramon. Around noon A code red siren sounded in the Greater Tel Aviv area. At least two audible explosions were heard following the alarm. Two rockets land in the Eshkol Regional Council area. No injuries or damage reported. Two rockets land in the Eshkol Regional Council area. No injuries or damage reported. A wheat field in the Sha'ar Hanegev Regional Council caught fire as the result of a rocket. Rockets fired at Tel Aviv area landed in uninhabited region. No injuries or damage reported.[230] A salvo of about 20 rockets were fired at central and southern Israel. The Iron Dome intercepted 8 of them above the Shfela area (Judean foothills).[239] Explosions were heard in Tel Aviv. A rocket fired at the Merhavim region of the South sparked a brush fire. Firefighters were on the scene. The Iron Dome intercepted three rockets over Beersheba.[230] Iron Dome shot down a rocket over Sdot Negev Regional Council.[240] Iron Dome intercepted two rockets over Ashdod.[241] A rocket exploded in open area in Eshkol starting a fire.[242] 3 mortars strike open area in Eshkol causing again fire.[243] Iron Dome intercepted a rocket over Ashkelon.[244] A rocket exploded just outside of a town in Eshkol. No injuries were reported.[245] A rocket fell in open area in Sdot Negev Regional Council.[246]A rocket exploded in Sderot area, caused damage to nearby vehicles.[247] A rocket landed in a Ramle market injuring one man.[248] Four rockets fell in open area of Sdot Negev Regional Council.[249][250][251] Nine rockets landed in Eshkol Regional Council, two of them landed in a community. There were no injuries reported, but a road has been damaged.[252] A rocket struck a home in the Sha'ar Hanegev Regional Council. No injuries were reported. In the early evening Tel Aviv residents reported about hearing two explosions, though no siren was heard. Later it is reported that the Iron Dome defense system intercepted a number of rockets at the greater Tel Aviv area. A volley of rockets targeted the Ashdod area. The Iron Dome made several interceptions. A number of rockets were fired at the area again minutes later. A home was struck. 2 soldiers got injured, one moderately, one lightly from Eshkol mortar.[230] Rocket hit home in Sha'ar HaNegev Regional Council, no injuries reported.[253] Iron dome intercepted two rockets over Jerusalem.[254] There were reports about loud explosions in Gush Dan.[255] Iron Dome intercepted six rockets over Gush Dan.[256] Four people were injured following rocket fire on Be'er Sheva.[257] Rocket landed near gymnasium in Be'er Sheva, several people treated for anxiety.[258] A barrage of 20 long range rockets were fired at Negev.[259] Rockets land in Bedouin communities Lakia, Aroer; no injuries reported.[260] The Iron Dome intercepted two rockets above Kiryat Malakhi.[261] A rocket exploded in open area in Gan Yavne.[262] In Ashdod a house got a direct hit. A fire broke out, nearby gas tanks exploded.[263] Also with a direct hit a vehicle were set on fire. No injuries were reported.[264] Three rockets land in open area in Sdot Negev.[265][266] Today, 192 rockets were fired towards Israel. 141 of them hit Israel, and an additional 44 were intercepted by Iron Dome.[267]
July 11
137 rockets were fired from Gaza.[70] The Iron Dome intercepted a rocket over Ashkelon.[268] Rockets were fired from Gaza on Haifa, Hadera, and Zichron Yaakov. It was not yet clear how many rockets were fired or where they landed. A volley of rockets was launched from the Gaza Strip at southern and central Israel. One rocket struck a fuel tank next to a gas station in Ashdod, causing serious damage and a fire. Eight people were evacuated to a nearby hospital, one critically injured.[269]
July 12
125 rockets were fired from Gaza.[70]
July 13
130 rockets were fired from Gaza.[70]
July 14
115 rockets were fired from Gaza.[70]
July 15
156 rockets were fired from Gaza.[70]
July 16
132 rockets were fired from Gaza.[70]
July 17
162 rockets were fired from Gaza.[70]
July 18
124 rockets were fired from Gaza.[70]
July 19
116 rockets were fired from Gaza, one killing an Israeli in a Bedouin village near Dimona.[70]
July 20
87 rockets were fired from Gaza. [107]
July 21
82 rockets were fired from Gaza, 14 of which were intercepted by Iron Dome. Rocket strikes were reported in Sderot, Ashkelon, near Rosh Ha'ayin, and in Shaar Hanegev, causing damage to an empty kindergarten.[107]
July 22
87 rockets were fired from Gaza, 18 of which were intercepted. [110]
July 23
98 rockets were fired from Gaza. A foreign laborer was killed in Ashkelon by a rocket.[70]
July 24
63 rockets were fired from Gaza.[70]
July 25
80 rockets were fired from Gaza.[70]
July 26
22 rockets were fired from Gaza.[70]
July 27
71 rockets were fired from Gaza.[70]
July 28
66 rockets were fired from Gaza.[70]
July 29
79 rockets were fired from Gaza.[70]
July 30
141 rockets were fired from Gaza.[70]










Also, thanks for turning me on to the "authoritative Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center". I poked around their web site and found this.
Go figure.



http://www.terrorism-info.org.il/en/article/20669

Hamas again uses Gazan civilians as human shields to prevent the Israeli Air Force from attacking operatives' houses.


Overview
1.   During confrontations with Israel, Hamas and the other terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip have adopted various tactics of using civilians as human shields. One of them isencouraging civilians to gather on roofs to prevent operatives and their houses from being attacked by the Israeli Air Force (IAF). Such a tactic is aimed at deterring Israel from attacking and was used by the terrorist organizations in Operation Cast Lead, and now again in Operation Protective Edge (on July 8, 2014).
2.   It can be expected that Hamas and the other terrorist organizations will use this and other tactics to encourage Palestinian civilians to protect their terrorist operatives and infrastructures. In ITIC assessment, the use of civilians as human shields is likely to increase as the IDF expands the scope of Operation Protective Edge. The organization's objectives are to make it difficult for the IDF to operate and to exploit civilian casualties for political, propaganda and legal purposes when it ends. (For examples of the tactic of using civilians as human shields, see Appendix B).
Using Civilians as Human Shields to Prevent Air Strikes
Attacking a Terrorist Operative from the Kaware Clan – Initial Update
3.   On July 8, 2014, during Operation Protective Edge, the IAF attacked the house of Odeh Kaware, a senior Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades Hamas terrorist operative from the Kaware clan in Khan Yunis. After the attack an Egyptian media website reported that eye witnesses told the Turkish news agency Anadolu that the IDF had warned the members of the household of Odeh Kaware, a senior terrorist operative in the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, to vacate the house because it was going to be attacked (Masralarabia.com, July 9, 2014). According to the Israeli newspaper Haaretz (July 9, 2014), an IDF source had reported that the house was used as an operations room by a company commander in the Hamas brigade in Khan Yunis.
4.   The Palestinian media reported that many civilians had gathered around the house and mounted the roof to serve as human shields for the Hamas operative and to prevent the IDF from attacking (Paltimes.net and Watan TV, July 8, 2014). According to the Palestinian media, seven Palestinians were killed in the attack and several others were wounded.
Hamas Spokesman Appeals to Civilians to Serve as Human Shields to Prevent Air Strikes
5.   On July 8, 2014, Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri called on civilians in the Gaza Strip to serve as human shields for operatives attacked by the IAF. Interviewed by Al-Aqsa TV, he mentioned the attack on the Kaware house, during which, he said, "bare-chested men" had gathered to face Israeli war planes "to defend their homes." He said the tactic had already proved itself and called on the Palestinian people to use it again (Video of the interview aired by Zvi Yehezkeli, Israel Channel 10 TV, July 8, 2014; MEMRI, July 9, 2014).


6.   In the interview with Sami Abu Zuhri, the interviewer said that a large number of people had gathered [near the Karawe house] and were mounting the roof to prevent IAF planes from attacking it. He added that the tactic had proved highly successful in the past, in the case of the martyr Nizar Riyan, and asked Sami Abu Zuhri to comment. Sami Abu Zuhrireplied that the jihad-fighting Palestinian people defended their homes and blood with "bare chests." The tactic had proved effective against the [so-called Israeli] "occupation" and Hamas, he said, called on the Palestinian people to use it to protect their homes. (For information about Sheikh Nizar Riyan, who developed the concept of using civilians as human shields for terrorist operatives in the Gaza Strip, see Appendix A).


Sami Abu Zuhri calls on the Palestinian people to use the tactic to defend their homes: "We in the Hamas movement call on our people to adopt this procedure" (Israel Channel 10 video, used with the kind permission of Zvi Yehezkeli. It can be viewed at www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ejXZuvQ52E&feature=youtu.be)
7.   Following the attack on Odeh Kaware's house in Khan Yunis, Sami Abu Zuhri issued a statement condemning it. He stressed that as a result all Israeli civilians had become legal targets (Zamnpress.com, July 8, 2014). (Note: In any case Hamas regards every Israeli civilian as a legitimate target and indiscriminately launches rockets at civilian population centers.)
Announcement from the Palestinian Ministry of the Interior in the Gaza Strip
8.   After the interview with Sami Abu Zuhri, the ministry of the interior in the Gaza Strip issued "an important announcement" calling on civilians not to pay attention to IDF announcements about vacating their homes (July 10, 2014). It read as follows (Facebook page of the ministry of the interior in the Gaza Strip, July 10, 2014) (ITIC translation):
"The army of the occupation [i.e., the IDF] has recorded a telephone message and used it to call tens of thousands of residents in all areas of the Gaza Strip, calling on them to vacate their homes immediately. We hereby note that these recorded messages [have as their objective] to frighten the residents, to sow terror and weaken the internal front in the shadow of the enemy's failure. We call on our dear residents to reject these messages, not to vacate their homes and to conduct themselves calmly. Should the need arise, call the following toll free numbers: Central Operations 109, the Ministry of the Interior 1800131313..."

Announcement from the ministry of the interior to the residents of the Gaza Strip, telling them not to pay attention to IDF announcements about vacating their homes (Facebook page of the ministry of the interior in the Gaza Strip, July 10, 2014)