Hamas rockets claim first Israeli fatality
Renewed fire from the Gaza Strip has claimed its first Israeli fatality in more than a week of fighting, police said, after both sides resumed firing following the failure of an Egyptian truce proposal.
An Israeli man in his 30s was delivering food to soldiers at the Erez Crossing with Gaza when he was struck by a mortar, police said.
Nearly 200 Palestinians have been killed in strikes in Gaza since Israel launched the campaign more than a week ago to stop rocket fire at its citizens.
Gaza terrorists have fired more than 1,100 rockets towardsIsrael in the fighting, but no Israelis were killed until today, largely thanks to the Iron Dome defence system.
Police said at least 15 Israelis, including several children, have been injured by the Palestinian rocket fire since the fighting began.
Islamic terrorist group Hamas rejected the Egyptian plan and Gaza militants launched scores of rockets at Israel, which after halting fire for hours finally responded with what Hamas security said were more than two dozen air strikes.
The speedy resumption of violence, less than a day after Egypt presented its ceasefire plan, illustrated that it will be harder than in the past to negotiate an end to Israel-Hamas fighting.
A key difference to a previous truce in 2012 is that Hamas does not trust the current rulers of Egypt who deposed a Hamas-friendly government in Cairo a year ago.
Palestinian health officials say 194 Palestinians have been killed and more than 1,400 wounded over the past week.
Hamas believes it has little to lose by continuing to fight while a truce on unfavourable terms could further weaken its grip on the Islamic group in the Gaza Strip, a territory it seized in 2007.
The Egyptian plan asked both sides to halt hostilities without preconditions and then to try to negotiate a new border regime easing the blockade of Gaza, with Cairo’s mediation.
Hamas wants a significant easing of the blockade, enforced by Israel and Egypt by varying degrees since 2007.
Egypt tightened the closure over the past year by shutting down smuggling tunnels that were crucial for Gaza’s economy, pushing Hamas into a severe financial crisis.
Israel agreed to the Egyptian plan and for about six hours complied with an Egyptian call for de-escalation. But after the continued rocket fire from Gaza, Israel resumed air strikes at its previous heavy pace.
After the renewed rocket fire from Gaza, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and defence minister Moshe Yaalon “directed the military to act with intensity against terror targets in Gaza”, said an Israeli official.
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
