© Reuters / Saleh SalemSmoke rises following what witnesses said was an Israeli air strike on a house, which took place after the end of a five-hour humanitarian ceasefire, in Gaza City July 17, 2014
Friday, July 25 19:58 GMT:
Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon said IDF may soon broaden its ground operation in the Gaza Strip significantly.
The troops on the ground "need to be ready for the possibility that very soon we will instruct the military to significantly broaden the ground operation in Gaza," Yaalon said, as quoted by the Defense Ministry.
Comment: "significantly broaden"? Current Israeli atrocities are reminiscent of (in some cases surpassing) Nazi atrocities.
The statement comes shortly after US Secretary of State John Kerry announced in Cairo that he has been unable to facilitate an agreement for a temporary week long ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.
A ground operation in the Gaza Strip has been launched by Tel Aviv following more than a week of Hamas shelling the country and the IDF responding with air strikes. Over 800 people, both Palestinians and Israelis, have died in the violence.
Friday, July 25 19:58 GMT:
Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon said IDF may soon broaden its ground operation in the Gaza Strip significantly.
The troops on the ground "need to be ready for the possibility that very soon we will instruct the military to significantly broaden the ground operation in Gaza," Yaalon said, as quoted by the Defense Ministry.
The statement comes shortly after US Secretary of State John Kerry announced in Cairo that he has been unable to facilitate an agreement for a temporary weeklong ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.
19:03 GMT:
US Secretary of State John Kerry has stated that he is confident Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu is committed to reaching a resolution with regards to the Gaza conflict and potential ceasefire.
Comment: As repeatedly happened before, ceasing of fire will happen when Israeli wants it, not when Palestinians or world community wants it.
He added that "serious progress" had been made but there was more work to do. He made the comments during a press conference in Cairo.
© ReutersU.S. Secretary of State John Kerry (L) and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
Air France has begun flying to Tel Aviv once more after halting all of its Israel-bound flights on Tuesday when a rocket fired from Gaza landed near Ben Gurion airport. The first flight will depart at 9pm GMT.
18:56 GMT:
Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shokri had made calls for a week long humanitarian ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, reports AFP.
Comment: 'Stop the genocide" may be better words than 'ceasefire'.
17:48 GMT:
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's security cabinet has rejected proposals for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, a government source told Reuters.
US Secretary of State John Kerry had been hoping for 18 days of fighting and exchanges of rocket fire to draw to a close.
However, the official, who expressed a wish to remain anonymous, stated that Israel was seeking changes to proposed agreements. Hamas is yet to respond.
15:38 GMT:
A French lawyer has filed a complaint on behalf of the Palestinian justice minister at the International Criminal Court (ICC), accusing the Israeli military of carrying out "war crimes" during its ongoing military operation in the Gaza Strip, AFP reports. The complaint targets "war crimes committed by the Israeli army in June and July 2014 in Palestine" in the context of the operation known as Protective Edge, Gilles Devers told reporters.
"Israel, the occupying power, is carrying out a military operation which in principle and form violates the basis of international law," he said. "Every day new crimes are committed and over 80 percent of the victims are civilians. Children, women, hospitals, UN schools... the Israeli soldiers respect nothing.
"This is a military attack against the Palestinian population."
© Reuters/Bogdan CristelPro-Palestinian demonstrators hold banners in downtown Bucharest during a protest against Israel's military action in Gaza, July 25, 2014.
14:39 GMT:
The Israeli Defense Force (IDF) has confirmed that Sgt. Oron Shaul, who had previously been declared missing, did not survive the attack on his APC in Gaza on Sunday, Haaretz reports.
A special committee established by IDF Chief Rabbi Rafi Peretz concluded that Shaul has been defined as "a soldier killed in action whose burial site is unknown".
Shaul's family has been notified.
Hamas had initially reported that it had captured Shaul and was holding him hostage, citing his alleged military ID. Having an Israeli soldier as a hostage could have proved a significant bargaining chip for Hamas in future negotiations to end the ongoing military operation.
13:21 GMT:
Three Palestinians were shot dead in separate incidents occurring in the West Bank, according to medics and witnesses. A man who appeared to be a Jewish settler had killed a Pelestinian in Nabrus, while another was killed shortly after clashes with the military close by. The third death occurred near the city of Hebron, medica said, according to Reuters.
Rising tensions among civilians are beginning to be a reflection of the 18-day conflict at this point.
11:46 GMT:
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