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Welcome to this Week in Palestine – Gaza Special Coverage, a service of the International Middle East Media Center, www.imemc.org, for August 2nd , to the 8th, 2014.
This week Israeli attacks resumed after three days ceasefire ended without reaching any deal between Israeli and Palestinian delegation in Cairo. Death toll in Gaza have reached over 1898 with no end to Israeli attacks on the coastal region. These stories and more, coming up, stay tuned.
On Friday morning the Israeli army resumed it air, sea, and ground bombardment targeting the Gaza strip. Up until the time of this report five civilians including a child were killed and at least 11 other civilians were injured. Before the ceasefire took effect on Tuesday of this week the Palestinian health ministry reported that Israeli attacks has left more than 1898 killed and at least 9800 injured. IMEMC’s Rami Al Meghari with updates from Gaza:
“Israeli air strikes resumed in Gaza, and no one can predict what is going to happen next, what the upcoming hours holds for the people in Gaza. It seems there is an escalation on the ground that is gradual and deliberate, that’s what we can understand from this escalation that seems to be deliberate by both sides, which means that both sides are apparently pressuring each other into accepting longer term truce based on each’s conditions. The people in Gaza are looking for real change in their lives, and the demands of the resistance is the same demands of the people here, the demands are very clear, ending the siege, allowing the Gaza fishermen to have a small seaport, and reconstructing the international airport of Gaza that has been long destroyed and abandoned.”
The latest wave of Israeli attacks came shortly after a three days ceasefire was mediated by Egypt and gave way for indirect talks between Palestinian and Israeli officials hosted by Cairo.
Palestinian official, Azam Al Ahmad, leading the Palestinian delegation in Cairo, announced on Thursday that no extension of the ceasefire was reached. Representative of the al-Qassam Brigades, Abu Obaidah, stated on Thursday that no extension of ceasefire If Israel does not accept the Palestinian demands:
< Actuality – in Arabic – 27sec>
“We strongly believe our demands do not need negotiations, they are humanitarian rights, basic rights, guaranteed by international law, and therefore, we call on the Palestinian negotiators not to accept any extension of ceasefire without achieving our legitimate demands. If our demands are met, we can extend the truce, then hold talks on details”
Israel refused Palestinian demands such as lifting the 8 years-long Israeli siege on Gaza, halt of all Israeli attacks on the coastal region and establishing seaport and airport in Gaza. Palestinian political analyst, Ghassan Andoni, spoke to IMEMC:
“Israel understood that this truce is paving the way for a long talks about the requests of the resistance in Gaza, I think the Israeli approach includes that with time the purser will mount on the resistance in Gaza because of the human condition and finally will force them to knee on the Israeli conditions, and I think that was a trap and this is why in my opinion it was wise from a political point of view for the resistance not to accept a continued extension of the truce.”
The Palestinian resistance demands are consistent with the terms of the Oslo Accords, local sources reported. The agreement was jointly signed between Israeli and Palestinian officials in the 1990s, but Israel has failed to abide, and continues to publicly denounce armed Palestinian groups as a terrorist organizations.
Elsewhere Israeli army forces conducted night invasions targeting communities all over the West Bank all week long. On Friday Israeli troops shot and killed a Palestinian teenager during Gaza solidarity protest organized in Al Berih town in central West Bank. Such protests were reported in the southern West Bank city of Bethlehem and Hebron, many residents were treated for the effects of tear gas inhalation.
Earlier in the week an 8 year old child was seriously injured after being rammed by an Israeli settler’s vehicle, in the Old City of Hebron, in the southern part of the West Bank. The boy suffered serious injury, and was moved to the Hebron Governmental Hospital. According witnesses the child was deliberately attacked while walking near the main street of the Old City of Hebron.
Conclusion
And that’s all for today from This Week in Palestine – Gaza Special Coverage . This was the Weekly report for August 2nd, to the 8th, 2014 from the Occupied Palestinian Territories. For more news and updates please visit our website atwww.imemc.org. This week’s report has been brought to you by George Rishmawi, and me Ghassan Bannoura.
