Israel claims to have killed Islamic Jihad leader Abu Harbid in Gaza
The Israeli army claimed Monday to have killed in Gaza a commander of the Islamist militia Islamic Jihad, responsible for the launching of anti-tank missiles in this escalation of war that began a week ago.
"Fighter jets took out Hasam Abu Harbid of Islamic Jihad's Northern Division, a commander of the organization for more than 15 years," the army said in a statement.
Israel has attacked, by land and air, a total of 766 targets in Gaza since the beginning of the escalation last Monday, infrastructures and operatives of the Palestinian militias of Hamas and Islamic Jihad, a senior military commander said Monday.
The attacks consisted, on a multitude of occasions, of more than one bombardment and reflect one of the worst clashes in seven years, with 3,110 rockets fired in just one week from the enclave, approaching the 3,393 the militias fired in fifty days during the 2014 Protective Edge war.
The Israeli military campaign has destroyed a total of 31 Palestinian militia infrastructures - 24 from Hamas and 7 from Islamic Jihad, the same source detailed.
An Israeli air strike today killed the commander of the Islamic Jihad's Northern Division, Abu Harbid, a 15-year leader of the militia who has "systematically" led the firing of rockets into Israel.
The early morning operations also focused on the network of subway tunnels, known as "Metro", where militiamen hide and which they use to move and transport weapons and projectiles to and from the strip, Israel said.
The Israeli army said that, according to the preliminary investigation into last Sunday's lethal offensive, "the subway military tunnel installations (they were attacking) collapsed, resulting in the collapse of the foundations of civilian homes and unintended casualties."
He further accused "Hamas of intentionally placing military infrastructure under civilian homes" and assured that it aborts attacks if they believe they can harm civilians.
Regarding the destruction of the tower, headquarters of the American news agency AP and the Al Jazeera network, he insisted that it housed Hamas' "intelligence and communication" offices.
The high command said they are prepared to continue the military operation against "indiscriminate" rocket fire from Gaza, which he described as "unacceptable".
Israel estimates it has killed 75 Hamas militiamen and "dozens" of Islamic Jihad militiamen. Ten Israelis have so far been killed by Hamas and Islamic Jihad rockets fired at several Israeli cities from Gaza, causing considerable damage.
Palestinians killed in Gaza rise to 200, including 59 minors.
The number of Palestinians killed in Gaza in a week in the ongoing escalation rose to 200 on Monday, including 59 minors, the enclave's Health Ministry said.
Despite heavy shelling on the strip early this morning, the Ministry reported, for the time being, only one more fatality than last night, in addition to the 1,305 Palestinians who were wounded since Monday by the exchange of fire.
Witnesses in the strip claimed that Israeli aircraft carried out more than a hundred strikes across the enclave, home to more than two million Palestinians, causing loud explosions and widespread panic throughout the early hours of the morning.
Ambulances and civil defense faced great difficulty in access and movement to treat the wounded.
The Gaza Electricity Company reported that transmission lines from the only power plant to Gaza were severely damaged as a result of the latest shelling which has increased power outages.
No prospect of an immediate end to the Israel-Hamas crisis
The international community is contemplating this Monday the beginning of the second week of the escalation of the war between Israel and the Palestinian militias Hamas and Islamic Jihad, without the possibility of reaching a cease-fire soon to stop a situation which, so far, has already cost the lives of 200 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and ten Israelis, according to official figures from both sides.
NATO calls for "moderation", "dialogue" and "de-escalation" in Gaza
NATO Deputy Secretary General Mircea Geoana called Monday for "restraint" and advocated "dialogue" and "de-escalation" to end the conflict between Israel and Hamas and Islamic Jihad militias, which have already killed 200 Palestinians in Gaza, including 59 minors, and ten Israelis.
"NATO is not directly involved. We also call for restraint and de-escalation," the Romanian politician declared during the NATO Parliamentary Assembly.
He stressed that many NATO member states are currently trying to contribute to such a de-escalation of the conflict.
"It is a very important discussion for the broader implications of stability in the Greater Middle East. This is something that we are also adding our voice to, calling for restraint, calling for de-escalation and calling for the resumption of dialogue because, in the end, that is the only way to forge a political solution to a very complex and long-standing issue," he expounded.
In any case, Geoana acknowledged that NATO has "a very strong partnership with Israel."
EU "extremely concerned about attacks on the media
The European Union (EU) expressed its "extreme concern" over Israel's attacks on media outlets reporting from Gaza, in particular the U.S. news agency AP and the Qatari television network Al Jazeera, whose offices were destroyed in a bombing on the 15th against a twelve-storey building which, according to Israeli authorities, also housed the offices of Hamas' intelligence section.
Four days earlier Israel had bombed another building in Gaza, the headquarters of 13 media outlets. In neither case were there any fatalities because the Israeli army gave advance warning of its intentions, so they were able to evacuate.
"The destruction of media offices is extremely worrying and the safety of journalists is essential," said European External Action Service Foreign Affairs spokesman Peter Stano.
US reiterates Israel's right to defend itself, but asks it to avoid civilian casualties
U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken today reiterated Israel's right to "defend itself," but reminded it of its responsibility to avoid civilian casualties, an appeal he extended to all parties.
"Israel has the right to defend itself, you can't make an equivalence with a terrorist group like Hamas. But as a democracy it has an extra burden to do everything possible to avoid civilian casualties," Blinken told a press conference in Copenhagen, where he urged the Palestinian group to stop "immediately" launching missiles.
France and Egypt call for immediate cessation of hostilities
French President Emmanuel Macron and Egyptian President Abdelfatah al Sisi stressed "the absolute necessity of a cessation of hostilities" between Israel and Hamas before the conflict spreads.
Macron and Al Sisi, on an official visit to France, shared their "grave concern" over the escalation of violence and deplored the "numerous civilian casualties" of the current outbreak of violence and stressed the need to continue working in a coordinated manner to "favor a rapid ceasefire and prevent the conflict from spreading," a statement from the French presidency said.
Russia condemns the attacks on both sides
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov today condemned the attacks by both Hamas and Israel, which he urged for an immediate cessation of hostilities, necessary for the resumption of eventual direct talks between Israel and the Palestinian authorities.
Lavrov welcomed the fact that the UN Security Council finally discussed the issue the day before and noted that "everything will now depend on the readiness of the parties to dialogue and their willingness" to reduce tensions.
Germany expresses solidarity with Israel and condemns Gaza attacks
German Chancellor Angela Merkel today expressed her solidarity with Israel and her hope for an early end to the escalation in the Middle East.
In a telephone conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, "the Chancellor once again strongly condemned the continued rocket attacks from Gaza into Israel and expressed the government's solidarity with the Prime Minister. He reiterated Israel's right to act in self-defense against the attacks," German government spokesman Steffen Seibert said in a statement.
UK says Israel has "legitimate right" to defend itself
The British Executive said today that Israel has a "legitimate right to defend its citizens" from attacks, but must at the same time try to do what it can to "avoid civilian casualties" and resort to "proportionate military action".
A British government spokesman said that "Israel has a legitimate right to defend its citizens from attack, but in doing so it must make the effort to avoid civilian casualties and military action must be proportionate and in line with international humanitarian law."
Erdogan thanks the Pope for his call for an end to violence and accuses Israel of "attacking humanity."
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan spoke by telephone today with Pope Francis, thanking him for his call for a cessation of violence in the Gaza Strip, while accusing Israel of attacking "all Muslims, Christians and humanity."
"President Erdogan emphasized the importance of Pope Francis' message to Israel in mobilizing the Christian world and the international community," the Turkish presidency said in a statement.
ICRC calls for access to the area to help civilians
Palestinians and Israelis are facing the most intense cycle of hostilities in recent years and the constant flow of shelling is preventing humanitarian organizations from getting aid to the needy population in the Gaza Strip, so the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) today called for access to the area.
"There is no time to lose, we call on all relevant parties to proactively protect civilians, reduce tension and allow us to help people," ICRC Director General Robert Mardini said in a statement, stressing that "the intensity of the conflict is something we have not seen before: uninterrupted air strikes in densely populated Gaza and rockets hitting major cities in Israel. As a result, children are being killed on both sides."
Jordanian Parliament calls for breaking peace agreement with Israel
As a result of the situation in Gaza, all 130 members of Jordan's Parliament signed a memorandum urging the government to sever diplomatic relations with Israel, with whom it signed a peace agreement in 1994.
For his part, Jordanian Prime Minister Bisher al-Jasauneh assured that his government had received the request to sever ties with Israel and said that "a number of options are currently being considered".
Disunity in the UN Security Council
In the midst of the accusations exchanged between Israel and Palestine, the UN Security Council has so far been unable to reach a common position, among other reasons because of the strong support of the United States for Israeli theses.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres stressed that the first priority is to stop the violence as soon as possible.
"The fighting must stop. It must stop immediately. Rockets and mortars on one side and aerial and artillery shelling on the other must stop," said Guterres, who warned that the fighting could drag "Israelis and Palestinians into a spiral of violence with devastating consequences for the two communities and for the entire region."