Israel launches airstrikes after Gaza rocket fire

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP-EXCITE

By JOSEF FEDERMAN

JERUSALEM (AP) — The Israeli military says it has carried out a series of airstrikes across the Gaza Strip in response to renewed rocket fire. There was no immediate word on casualties from the strikes.

In a statement Tuesday, the military accused Palestinian militants of violating a cease-fire and said it maintains "both defense and striking capabilities in order to address the renewed aggression."

The airstrikes came minutes after Palestinian militants fired three rockets into Israel, breaking a temporary cease-fire and endangering negotiations in Egypt over ending a monthling war between Israel and Hamas. Authorities said the rockets landed in open areas and caused no injuries.


Read more: http://apnews.excite.com/article/20140819/ml--israel-palestinians-8879e7e37c.html

[MrNJ]

1. Palestinians in Gaza break yet another cease-fire.

Like every cease-fire before that.
Whodda thunk

Can't wait for the Israel-hating crowd to explain away this one.

In the meanwhile, the Palestinians will die in Israel's return fire.
Their blood is on the terrorists who launched the rockets that prompted the Israel's response.

[still_one]

2. more like Hamas apologists

[Galraedia]

5. It hasn't been confirmed yet if it was Hamas

[Iamthetruth]

24. who else has rockets to fire at Israel

Please stop, everyone knows hamas runs Gaza and no one moves without their approval.

[Galraedia]

4. The rockets didn't land on Israel, they landed on illegally occupied Palestinian territory

The rockets landed in open ground near the cities of Beersheba and Netivot, both of which legally belong to the Palestinians. Since 1920, the acquiring of territory through war is illegal under international law. Israel broke international law when they destroyed civilian homes with the so-called intention of creating a buffer zone and then began building Israeli settlements on that land.

[leftynyc]

13. They broke ANOTHER ceasefire

and you still want to blame Israel - that's pretty pathetic.

[Galraedia]

16. Israel broke the cease fire when they started flying drones over Gaza.

Gaza, 23 Shawal 1435/19 August 2014 (MINA) - Israeli occupation regime unmanned aircrafts (drones) have been flying over Gaza skies since the beginning of the ceasefire agreed between the Palestine and Israel five days ago.

The drone flew over the Gaza sky with a noise like an electric generator and very disturbing noise for 24 hours non-stop, Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA) correspondent in Gaza reported.

Gazans deeply disturbed, especially at night when residents are resting during the latest war. However, some of them started to be used to its noisy situation.

The spy plane was equipped with surveillance cameras. It records every movement of Gazans. More than that, the aircraft could launch missiles.

Read more: http://mirajnews.com/palestine/israeli-drones-fly-gaza-skies-ceasefire/

[leftynyc]

17. Only someone here at DU,

the far left, would try and make that argument. Good luck with it.

[Galraedia]

19. How do facts make me far-left? You said THEY broke the ceasefire. They didn't.

Israel broke it when they started flying armed drones over Gaza, which provoked the Palestinians to launch rockets to try to shoot it down. Whether the rockets that landed in open ground near the cities of Beersheba and Netivot were intentional or caused by them trying to shoot down the drone, is irrelevant. Israel still broke the ceasefire when they sent an armed drone over Gaza in the first place.

[leftynyc]

20. No, they didn't

You are the only one making that claim.

[IronGate]

7. Didn't take very long, did it? nt.

[Marrah_G]

8. Ah yes- Israel is forced to kill civilians!

Three rockets that land harmlessly in a field (like almost all of them) definitely forces the IDF to make airstrikes on populated cities.

If my neighbor throws a rock onto my lawn I should get to shoot a grenade into their house....

I am not Israel-hating- I am blowing-people-up-hating.

[MrNJ]

9. As much as Hamas is forced to fire rockets

The proper neighbor analogy goes like this:

- Your neighbor announces that he will kill you
- Your neighbor keeps shooting in your direction aiming at you.
- Most of the time your neighbor misses
- Eventually he will not miss.
- You can wait until you are hit. Or you can try to stop your neighbor from shooting at you.
- If you choose the latter, I will support you. But others here will accuse you of crimes.

[Fred Sanders]

11. Except your whole backyard into which the rockets fall is an entire nation and occupied lands...and

your enemy is in a prison....very weak.

Very weak...back to logical connections school for you!

[Marrah_G]

12. But do you stop your neighbor by blowing up his family and a few others "by accident"?

A couple things:

There is nothing saying Hamas fired those rocket. in fact they probably did not. There are some fringe nut groups in Gaza that shoots off these homemade rockets. Right now Hamas is busy trying to fix all the damage from the last month and there is an election coming up this fall for Gaza/WB.

The issue here is that Israel is trying to stop the rockets through collective punishment of civilians. Over the last decade the numbers of Palestinian civilians killed vs. Israeli civilians killed is VASTLY different. Israel has weapons and intelligence information that should make limiting civilian casualties any easy thing to do with, of course, some accidental casualties here and there. What they have done instead is destroy food, water, power, infrastructure, homes, education, hospitals, places of employment and thousands of lives.

[MrNJ]

22. My first concern would be to stop being shot

As much as I would hate to injure or kill innocents, that comes second after stopping the repeated assault on my family and myself.

In other words, I will not roll over and die just so that someone somewhere approves the proportionality of my response.

[Marrah_G]

23. That's pretty fucked up, in my opinion.

[Fred Sanders]

10. Good analogy. Throw a rocket into a field, kill a bunch of civilians for balance....

[Fred Sanders]

3. Three rockets into an open field..time for the IDF to kill at least 2 children and a few civilians.

Palestinian life is less precious than Israeli dirt to the criminal IDF...good thing they banned
Amnesty International, human rights groups and journalists from going into the ghetto reporting on how humane an army they are....most humane ever they say, they say and no one else you notice.....would not want too much World love due to the overwhelmingly IDF humanity of 434 dead children.

The IDF lies. And when they are not lying and propagandizing they pay people to do it for them.

[Marrah_G]

6. ^this

[leftynyc]

14. But you believe what the hamas

terrorist government has to say without question. Whatever.

[Fred Sanders]

15. Not near as much as you believe the terrorist IDF.........which is believed by a scant few.

[leftynyc]

18. That you would believe

anything a terrorist organization has to say tells me I need to know. One day DU will understand why the majority of Americans, and the majority of Democrats feel the way they do.

[Rhinodawg]

21. Hamas never learns.

[pampango]

25. American conservatives believe the US is never at fault. We ridicule that yet

"my side" can never be at fault in the Middle East, Ukraine or elsewhere. Every bad event HAS to be the fault of the "other side".

Conservatives look at things as black-or-white, good-guy or bad-guy; no nuance; no shared responsibity.

I'm glad we are not like that.

[Bosonic]

26. Hamas charges Israel targeted militant leader in attack

Hamas charges Israel targeted militant leader in attack

CAIRO (Reuters) - Hamas leader Mousa Abu Marzouk charged on Wednesday after Gaza truce talks collapsed in a spasm of violence that Israel had targeted the group's armed wing leader Mohammed Deif in one of its air strikes on Tuesday in the coastal territory.

The Israeli military would not specify any of the targets of some 30 attacks across Gaza in response to rocket fire aimed at Israel. Marzouk said Israel had ruptured the truce alleging it was in order "to assassinate Mohammed Deif," but that civilians were killed at the site of the attack.

Palestinian health officials said three people were killed in a strike on a house in Gaza City, including a child and a woman. The third victim was not identified.

Israeli media said Israel had been targeting another leading Hamas militant in charge of rocket fire, but did not know whether or not he had survived the attack.

http://news.yahoo.com/hamas-charges-israel-targeted-militant-leader-attack-224310587.html

[SnakeEyes]

27. This can't be true

Because I thought the IDF was too busy slaughtering civilians indiscriminately to take the time to plan a specific strike