Gaza Open War: LIVE UPDATES (3) ~ 19/11/2012 ~ 17:35 GMT ~ (+5Videos) ~ 101 palestinians murdered, 24 kids

Posted on 19 November 2012 by terrasantalibera

A Palestinian man carries the dead body of a child from the al-Dallu family out from the rubble after an Israeli missile struck a family home killing at least seven members of the same family in Gaza City on November 18, 2012. AFP PHOTO/MAHMUD HAMS

Nov. 19, 17:35 GMT: A senior Egyptian official has reportedly told Haaretz that Cairo is very close to brokering a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas. He said further cooperation from Israel was needed to help bring an end to the current hostilities.

Nov. 19, 17:30 GMT: UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon arrived in Cairo in a bid to bolster Egyptian efforts to broker a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. Ki-Moon is set to meet with both Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas.

Nov. 19, 14:20 GMT: The Israeli Air Force (IAF) has targeted the Al-Sharouk compound, which houses local and foreign media outlets, for a second day straight. One person was reportedly killed and several more injured in the attack.

Nov. 19, 13:30 GMT: Rival Palestinian faction Fatah – which maintains control of the West Bank – has closed ranks with Hamas over the ongoing Gaza crisis. Top Hamas and Fatah officials gathered at a thousand-strong rally in Ramallah, the West Bank’s political capital, in a show of solidarity. Senior Fatah official Jibril Rajoub told the crowd “we are ending the division,” and Hamas leader Mahmud Ramahi said anyone who mentions “the division after today is a criminal,” AFP cites them as saying.

Nov. 19, 12:50 GMT: The Russian Foreign Ministry has issued a statement urging an immediate ceasefire between the Israeli military and militants in the Gaza Strip to stop the violence from further spiraling out of control. Moscow promised to work through the Quartet on the Middle East – the United Nations, the United States, Russia, and the European Union – and the UNSC to help normalize the situation in Gaza. It also welcomed peace efforts carried out by Egypt.

Nov. 19, 11:40 GMT: Israel is poised for a ground invasion of Gaza but prefers to pursue a diplomatic solution for the time being, an official close to PM Netanyahu has said.

Nov. 16, 10:29 GMT: The death toll in Gaza has risen to 95 people, 23 of which are children, report Palestinian medical officials.

Nov. 19, 09:23 GMT: Although progress has been made in the weekend talks between Hamas and Israel in Cairo, an imminent ceasefire looks “unlikely,” said senior Palestinian official Nabil Shaath to Palestinian news agency Ma’an. He stressed that Israel was trying to impose its own conditions while ignoring those of Hamas and other Palestinian factions.

Nov. 19, 09:00 GMT: A rocket has slammed into a school in Ashkelon, southern Israel, causing significant damage. The building was empty at the time of the attack, tweets RT’s Paula Slier.

Nov. 19, 08:51 GMT: The death toll on the sixth day of the Israeli offensive into Gaza has risen to 84 Palestinians, despite calls for a ceasefire. Three Israelis have been killed so far in rocket fire from the Gaza strip.

Nov. 19, 07:13 GMT: Israel has warned Hamas that it will step up its offensive in the Gaza Strip in 36 hours if they do not cease rocket fire and arms smuggling. Israeli Finance Minister Yuval Steinitz told IDF radio that the time left before Israel escalates its attacks can be measured in “hours, not days.”

Palestinians gather around a destroyed house after an Israeli air strike in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip November 19, 2012. (Reuters/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa)

Nov.19,06:55 GMT: Israel is rerouting flights from Tel Aviv airport as a safety measure after rockets were fired at the coastal city from Gaza, announced the country’s civil aviation chief on Israel’s Army Radio.

Nov.19, 06:39 GMT: Over 90 per cent of Israeli Jews support the IDF’s Pillar of Defense operation in Gaza, according to a poll carried out by Israeli publication Haaretz. The poll also notes that only 30 per cent of the public is in favor of a ground invasion.

Nov.19, 05:55 GMT: The IDF say that they have opened the Kerem Shalom crossing into Gaza despite rocket fire and are delivering 124 trucks of humanitarian aid, including medical supplies, food, and gas.

Nov. 19 05:37 GMT: Hamas spokesperson, Ghazi Hamad says that 90 per cent of the terms of ceasefire between Israel and Gaza have been agreed upon in a meeting in Egypt, reports AlJazeera.

A Palestinian walks past a destroyed Hamas security site after an Israeli air strike in Gaza City November 19, 2012. (Reuters/Yasser Gdeeh)

Palestinians search the debris of a destroyed home following an Israeli air strike in Gaza City, on November 19, 2012. (AFP Photo/Mahmud Hams)

Nov. 19, 05:23 GMT: Palestinian sources report that 29 people, including women and children, died in Israeli strikes on the Gaza Strip on Sunday, tweets RT’s Paula Slier. The IDF says that attacks on Sunday night targeted “underground rocket launchers, terror tunnels and training bases.”

Nov. 19, 05:15 GMT: The IDF has released a statement, decrying Hamas’ use of the civilian population in Gaza to hide themselves as “undoubtedly a war crime.” The statement also claimed that if there are civilian casualties then Hamas is to blame for purposely orchestrating them.

Nov. 19, 03:40 GMT: Palestinian death toll rises to at least 82 as the Israeli Air Force continues to batter the Gaza Strip with airstrikes for the sixth day.

Nov. 19, 02:40 GMT: UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has urged both Israeli and Hamas officials to implement an immediate ceasefire. “I am heading to the region to appeal personally for an end to the violence and contribute to ongoing efforts to achieve that,” he said in a statement.

Nov. 19, 02:19 GMT: More than 90 per cent of Israeli Jews support Operation Pillar of Defense, as the assault on Gaza is known, a Haaretz poll shows. However, only 30 per cent reported support for a ground invasion of Gaza.

Nov. 19, 01:44 GMT: BBC journalists Jon Donnison and Paul Danahar, who are in the area, both report a massive barrage on Northern Gaza by the Israeli Navy. “Dozens of shells fired in last few minutes,” @JonDonnison tweeted.

Nov. 19, 01:08 GMT: The Palestinian Authority has urged the Arab League to convene an emergency summit to discuss Israel’s assault on Gaza, the League’s secretariat says.

Nov. 19, 00:25 GMT: Palestinian media report three people have been killed in an Israeli Air Force strike on Rafah’s Miraj neighborhood. The deaths include a 60-year-old woman, a 20-year-old man and a third unidentified person.

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