Post by Mohammed Zeyara.
Thursday, August 7, 2014
GAZA 2014 | Jon Snow 'annihilates' Israeli spokesperson Mark Regev
Channel 4 News anchor Jon Snow destroys the Prime Minister of Israel's Chief Spokesperson, Mark Regev, live on air on British television; questioning Israeli military attacks on Al-Wafa hospital and an attack which killed three young boys playing ball on a Gaza beach while Regev continues to claim "the Israeli military does not target civilians."
No difference when it comes to blood
"There is no difference when it comes to blood. Murder is murder; there is no justification, forgiveness or atonement for any murder.”
Slain Israeli teen’s uncle consoles murdered Palestinian’s father Read more: Slain Israeli teen's uncle consoles murdered Palestinian's father | The Times of Israel
Slain Israeli teen’s uncle consoles murdered Palestinian’s father Read more: Slain Israeli teen's uncle consoles murdered Palestinian's father | The Times of Israel
Images from Gaza that are too graphic for many US news outlets to publish
I had to stop less than half-way through...more than I can handle right now esp. of ones with children. God have mercy on us all.
Graphic Images from Gaza
Graphic Images from Gaza
The end of 'both sides' Israel's occupation of the West Bank is indefensible
Sharing a perspective from a respected friend of mine Sarah Brown whose background includes a good mix of interacting with and understanding both sides. Take from it whatever you want. "This is one of the most thoughtful and insightful articles I have come across. As someone who was raised in a pre-millenial dispensationalist Zionist church yet simultaneously grew up with Muslim Arabs through public school, later studied at a university with a huge and highly influential Jewish population (many of whom became dear friends), and then worked in a Palestinian refugee camp for 2 yrs thereafter, my understanding of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict simply can't be contained by a particular paradigm, label, or ideology. This writer hits the nail on the head though:
'But while it's accurate to say that "both sides" participate in this awful cycle, that "both sides" indulge their worst habits in ways that perpetuate the conflict, there is an essential truth that is not about "both sides": it is utterly disproportionate. Only the Palestinians are under military occupation. While the conflict hurts everyone here, any one Palestinian is far more likely to be hurt than any one Israeli, and is apt to be hurt more deeply.
This leads to other kinds of asymmetry in the conflict: while there are certainly exceptions to this, individual incidents of violence are often touched off by a Palestinian attack. Israelis may tell you this is because Palestinian extremist groups such as Hamas have embraced terrorism as a strategy, and this is true, but there's a structural cause as well.
The Israelis want to enforce the status quo, because they see the status quo as succeeding for them, while Palestinians want to blow it up. This makes the Palestinians the frequent instigator, as with Thursday's kidnapping, but Israelis' disproportionately greater power and their willingness to use it makes them the cause of on-net greater suffering and more numerous abuses. This is not a point about who is more or less morally righteous, but an observation on the structure of the conflict and how it shapes Israeli and Palestinian political behavior in such a way that hurts both and serves neither, but it hurts Palestinians much more and serves them even less.'
The end of 'both sides' Israel's occupation of the West Bank is indefensible
'But while it's accurate to say that "both sides" participate in this awful cycle, that "both sides" indulge their worst habits in ways that perpetuate the conflict, there is an essential truth that is not about "both sides": it is utterly disproportionate. Only the Palestinians are under military occupation. While the conflict hurts everyone here, any one Palestinian is far more likely to be hurt than any one Israeli, and is apt to be hurt more deeply.
This leads to other kinds of asymmetry in the conflict: while there are certainly exceptions to this, individual incidents of violence are often touched off by a Palestinian attack. Israelis may tell you this is because Palestinian extremist groups such as Hamas have embraced terrorism as a strategy, and this is true, but there's a structural cause as well.
The Israelis want to enforce the status quo, because they see the status quo as succeeding for them, while Palestinians want to blow it up. This makes the Palestinians the frequent instigator, as with Thursday's kidnapping, but Israelis' disproportionately greater power and their willingness to use it makes them the cause of on-net greater suffering and more numerous abuses. This is not a point about who is more or less morally righteous, but an observation on the structure of the conflict and how it shapes Israeli and Palestinian political behavior in such a way that hurts both and serves neither, but it hurts Palestinians much more and serves them even less.'
The end of 'both sides' Israel's occupation of the West Bank is indefensible
Claims Refuted from an IDF Supporter
Any historians or people with knowledge who can help out? A friend asked if a post from some Israel/IDF page or supporter was true. If you can comment on any of these, please help provide some insight. I can't say I'm an expert so I don't want to give incorrect information but I can already see that most of these come with a huge slant.
1. Israel became a nation in 1312 BCE, two thousand years before the rise of Islam.
Refuteed #1: Israel became a nation in 1312 BCE, two thousand years before the rise of Islam.
True, but Arab tribes have existed in the area since this time period and before. Philistines and the tribe of Moab are mentioned in the Old Testament, which also inhabited the same land, along with multiple other pre-Islamic Arab tribes, including the Ishmaelites. Philistine = Falasteen = Palestine.
2. Arab refugees in Israel began identifying themselves as part of a Palestinian people in 1967, two decades after the establishment of the modern State of Israel.
Refuted # 2. Arab refugees in Israel began identifying themselves as part of a Palestinian people in 1967, two decades after the establishment of the modern State of Israel.
False, the land was referred to as Palestine by the British and by the Ottomans. Even the Romans referred to the Levant, which includes today’s Israel, as the province of SyriaPalestina. As such, Palestinians are inhabitants of the land of Palestine, which has been the recognized name of the land for thousands of years by multiple empires.
3. Since the Jewish conquest in 1272 BCE, the Jews have had dominion over the land for one thousand years with a continuous presence in the land for the past 3,300 years.
Refuted #3 Since the Jewish conquest in 1272 BCE, the Jews have had dominion over the land for one thousand years with a continuous presence in the land for the past 3,300 years.
Of course there have been Jews in the area for millennia, as there have been Arabs and the pre-cursor Arab tribes mentioned above. Arab and Muslim cannot be used interchangeably - Arab is an ethnicity, Muslim is a follower of Islam. There are significant numbers of Palestinian Christians that have also been there since the time of Jesus for the last 2000+ years. And in pre-Christian and pre-Islamic times there were Palestinian and Arab pagan tribes inhabiting the area.
4. The only Arab dominion since the conquest in 635 CE lasted no more than 22 years.
Refuted #4 The only Arab dominion since the conquest in 635 CE lasted no more than 22 years.
False, the first period of Arab rule lasted from 636 to 1099 and the second period was from 1187 to 1486. Total of about 660+ years of Arab rule. Then the Ottoman Turks ruled from 1516 to 1919, so another 400+ years – a total of over 1000 years of Muslim rule.
5. For over 3,300 years, Jerusalem has been the Jewish capital Jerusalem has never been the capital of any Arab or Muslim entity. Even when the Jordanians occupied Jerusalem, they never sought to make it their capital, and Arab leaders did not come to visit.
Refuted #5 For over 3,300 years, Jerusalem has been the Jewish capital Jerusalem has never been the capital of any Arab or Muslim entity. Even when the Jordanians occupied Jerusalem, they never sought to make it their capital, and Arab leaders did not come to visit.
This is ridiculous. The capital of the US is Washington DC, but New York City is arguably its most important city. Would anyone make the argument that NYC is not important because it’s not the capital?
6. Jerusalem is mentioned over 700 times in Tanach, the Jewish Holy Scriptures. Jerusalem is not mentioned once in the Koran.
Refuted: #6 Mosque of Al-aqsa is synonymous with Jerusalem and mentioned in the Qur'an.
7. King David founded the city of Jerusalem. Mohammed never came to Jerusalem.
Refuted: #7 David is in the Qur'an and is considered a prophet that Muslims recognize. If you look at Islamic history, the events of Isra and Mir'aj, Prophet Muhammad did travel to Masjid al aqsa (see earlier post) Exalted is He who took His Servant by night from al-Masjid al-Haram to al-Masjid al-Aqsa, whose surroundings We have blessed, to show him of Our signs. Indeed, He is the Hearing, the Seeing.—Quran, Chapter 17 (Al-Isra) verse 1[2]
8. Jews pray facing Jerusalem. Muslims pray with their backs toward Jerusalem.
#8 Muslims prayed toward Jeuresleum until it was revealed that we could change toward Mecca.
9. In 1948 the Arab refugees were encouraged to leave Israel by Arab leaders promising to purge the land of Jews. Sixty-eight percent left without ever seeing an Israeli soldier.
10. The Jewish refugees were forced to flee from Arab lands due to Arab brutality, persecution, and slaughter.
11. The number of Arab refugees who left Israel in 1948 is estimated to be around 630,000. The number of Jewish refugees from Arab lands is estimated to be the same.
12. Arab refugees were intentionally not absorbed or integrated into the Arab lands to which they fled, despite the vast Arab territory. Out of the 100,000,000 refugees since World War II, theirs is the only refugee group in the world that has never been absorbed or integrated into their own people's lands. Jewish refugees were completely absorbed into Israel, a country no larger than the state of New Jersey.
13. The Arabs are represented by eight separate nations, not including the Palestinians. There is only one Jewish nation. The Arab nations initiated all five wars and lost. Israel defended itself each time and won.
14. The PLO's Charter still calls for the destruction of the State of Israel. Israel has given the Palestinians most of the West Bank land, autonomy under the Palestinian Authority, and has supplied them.
15. Under Jordanian rule, Jewish holy sites were desecrated and the Jews were denied access to places of worship. Under Israeli rule, all Muslim and Christian sites have been preserved and made accessible to people of all faiths.
16. The UN Record on Israel and the Arabs: of the 175 Security Council resolutions passed before 1990, 97 were directed against Israel.
17. Of the 690 General Assembly resolutions voted on before 1990, 429 were directed against Israel.
18. The UN was silent while 58 Jerusalem Synagogues were destroyed by the Jordanians.
19. The UN was silent while the Jordanians systematically desecrated the ancient Jewish cemetery on the Mount of Olives.
20. The UN was silent while the Jordanians enforced an apartheid-like a policy of preventing Jews from visiting the Temple Mount and the Western Wall.
1. Israel became a nation in 1312 BCE, two thousand years before the rise of Islam.
Refuteed #1: Israel became a nation in 1312 BCE, two thousand years before the rise of Islam.
True, but Arab tribes have existed in the area since this time period and before. Philistines and the tribe of Moab are mentioned in the Old Testament, which also inhabited the same land, along with multiple other pre-Islamic Arab tribes, including the Ishmaelites. Philistine = Falasteen = Palestine.
2. Arab refugees in Israel began identifying themselves as part of a Palestinian people in 1967, two decades after the establishment of the modern State of Israel.
Refuted # 2. Arab refugees in Israel began identifying themselves as part of a Palestinian people in 1967, two decades after the establishment of the modern State of Israel.
False, the land was referred to as Palestine by the British and by the Ottomans. Even the Romans referred to the Levant, which includes today’s Israel, as the province of SyriaPalestina. As such, Palestinians are inhabitants of the land of Palestine, which has been the recognized name of the land for thousands of years by multiple empires.
3. Since the Jewish conquest in 1272 BCE, the Jews have had dominion over the land for one thousand years with a continuous presence in the land for the past 3,300 years.
Refuted #3 Since the Jewish conquest in 1272 BCE, the Jews have had dominion over the land for one thousand years with a continuous presence in the land for the past 3,300 years.
Of course there have been Jews in the area for millennia, as there have been Arabs and the pre-cursor Arab tribes mentioned above. Arab and Muslim cannot be used interchangeably - Arab is an ethnicity, Muslim is a follower of Islam. There are significant numbers of Palestinian Christians that have also been there since the time of Jesus for the last 2000+ years. And in pre-Christian and pre-Islamic times there were Palestinian and Arab pagan tribes inhabiting the area.
4. The only Arab dominion since the conquest in 635 CE lasted no more than 22 years.
Refuted #4 The only Arab dominion since the conquest in 635 CE lasted no more than 22 years.
False, the first period of Arab rule lasted from 636 to 1099 and the second period was from 1187 to 1486. Total of about 660+ years of Arab rule. Then the Ottoman Turks ruled from 1516 to 1919, so another 400+ years – a total of over 1000 years of Muslim rule.
5. For over 3,300 years, Jerusalem has been the Jewish capital Jerusalem has never been the capital of any Arab or Muslim entity. Even when the Jordanians occupied Jerusalem, they never sought to make it their capital, and Arab leaders did not come to visit.
Refuted #5 For over 3,300 years, Jerusalem has been the Jewish capital Jerusalem has never been the capital of any Arab or Muslim entity. Even when the Jordanians occupied Jerusalem, they never sought to make it their capital, and Arab leaders did not come to visit.
This is ridiculous. The capital of the US is Washington DC, but New York City is arguably its most important city. Would anyone make the argument that NYC is not important because it’s not the capital?
6. Jerusalem is mentioned over 700 times in Tanach, the Jewish Holy Scriptures. Jerusalem is not mentioned once in the Koran.
Refuted: #6 Mosque of Al-aqsa is synonymous with Jerusalem and mentioned in the Qur'an.
7. King David founded the city of Jerusalem. Mohammed never came to Jerusalem.
Refuted: #7 David is in the Qur'an and is considered a prophet that Muslims recognize. If you look at Islamic history, the events of Isra and Mir'aj, Prophet Muhammad did travel to Masjid al aqsa (see earlier post) Exalted is He who took His Servant by night from al-Masjid al-Haram to al-Masjid al-Aqsa, whose surroundings We have blessed, to show him of Our signs. Indeed, He is the Hearing, the Seeing.—Quran, Chapter 17 (Al-Isra) verse 1[2]
8. Jews pray facing Jerusalem. Muslims pray with their backs toward Jerusalem.
#8 Muslims prayed toward Jeuresleum until it was revealed that we could change toward Mecca.
9. In 1948 the Arab refugees were encouraged to leave Israel by Arab leaders promising to purge the land of Jews. Sixty-eight percent left without ever seeing an Israeli soldier.
10. The Jewish refugees were forced to flee from Arab lands due to Arab brutality, persecution, and slaughter.
11. The number of Arab refugees who left Israel in 1948 is estimated to be around 630,000. The number of Jewish refugees from Arab lands is estimated to be the same.
12. Arab refugees were intentionally not absorbed or integrated into the Arab lands to which they fled, despite the vast Arab territory. Out of the 100,000,000 refugees since World War II, theirs is the only refugee group in the world that has never been absorbed or integrated into their own people's lands. Jewish refugees were completely absorbed into Israel, a country no larger than the state of New Jersey.
13. The Arabs are represented by eight separate nations, not including the Palestinians. There is only one Jewish nation. The Arab nations initiated all five wars and lost. Israel defended itself each time and won.
14. The PLO's Charter still calls for the destruction of the State of Israel. Israel has given the Palestinians most of the West Bank land, autonomy under the Palestinian Authority, and has supplied them.
15. Under Jordanian rule, Jewish holy sites were desecrated and the Jews were denied access to places of worship. Under Israeli rule, all Muslim and Christian sites have been preserved and made accessible to people of all faiths.
16. The UN Record on Israel and the Arabs: of the 175 Security Council resolutions passed before 1990, 97 were directed against Israel.
17. Of the 690 General Assembly resolutions voted on before 1990, 429 were directed against Israel.
18. The UN was silent while 58 Jerusalem Synagogues were destroyed by the Jordanians.
19. The UN was silent while the Jordanians systematically desecrated the ancient Jewish cemetery on the Mount of Olives.
20. The UN was silent while the Jordanians enforced an apartheid-like a policy of preventing Jews from visiting the Temple Mount and the Western Wall.
Conscience Effort to Differentiate
I want to make a conscience effort and be aware of my rhetoric because otherwise I will not be any different from those spewing hatred about Muslims and Islam based upon a few radicals. Judaism and Jews practicing Judasim are not and have not ever been the problem. They are a peace loving group just like the majority of Muslims and Christians who seek justice especially as it pertains to Palestine. The problem has been Zionism and its never ending quest for racism and causing a cultural and religious divide. Zionism hopes and works toward planting the seeds of hatred. This will no longer be tolerated. Everyone, including Americans, are starting to wake up to this and work toward justice.
White Chemical Gas Used by Israel on Gaza
"Multiple reports and witnesses have confirmed that almost half of Gaza city is now covered with white phosphorus gas." Anyone have more information on this white gas? #PalestinianGraveyard #EndZionistIsraelOccupation
Post by Mohammed Zeyara.
Israeli Sniper Shooting Civilian
This is a disturbing video. This is the truth of what is happening in Gaza right now. The Israeli military has no respect for life - not for children, the young, old, the pregnant - and in this video you see first hand that they don't even respect municipality workers, international human rights defenders, and a man trying to find his family among the aftermath of their destruction.
Sniper Shooting Civilian Looking for Family
Sniper Shooting Civilian Looking for Family
‘Telegenically Dead Palestinians’: Why Israel Is Losing the American Media War
If Netanyahu is so bothered by how dead Palestinians look on television then he should stop killing so many of them. But his complaint is in itself a concession. The story of the conflict between Israel and Palestine looks a little bit different this time around. Social media have helped allow us to see more deeply inside war zones — in this case, inside Gaza — and allowed viewers much fuller access to the terror that grips a population under military attack.
‘Telegenically Dead Palestinians’: Why Israel Is Losing the American Media War
‘Telegenically Dead Palestinians’: Why Israel Is Losing the American Media War
Bolivia representing July 23, 2014
Bolivia representing. The world is waking up people to Zionist Israel's atrocities!
#FreePalestine #PalestinianGraveyard
#FreePalestine #PalestinianGraveyard
Students offered grants if they tweet pro-Israeli propaganda
Students offered grants if they tweet pro-Israeli propaganda
Free grants given to anyone who posts pro-Israel propaganda. That's how desperate they are to get people on their side....ummmm...this is what it has come down to? The truth cannot be bought. #FreePalestine#PalestinianGraveyard
But Alon Liel, the doveish former director-general of the Israeli foreign ministry, criticised the plan as “quite disgusting”. “University students should be educated to think freely. When you buy the mind of a student, he becomes a puppet of the Israeli government grant,” he said. “You can give a grant to do social work or teach but not to do propaganda on controversial issues for the government.”
Free grants given to anyone who posts pro-Israel propaganda. That's how desperate they are to get people on their side....ummmm...this is what it has come down to? The truth cannot be bought. #FreePalestine#PalestinianGraveyard
But Alon Liel, the doveish former director-general of the Israeli foreign ministry, criticised the plan as “quite disgusting”. “University students should be educated to think freely. When you buy the mind of a student, he becomes a puppet of the Israeli government grant,” he said. “You can give a grant to do social work or teach but not to do propaganda on controversial issues for the government.”
Unintended consequences - Israel is safe to fly
Unintended consequences. #Israel is in a Panic, the FAA canceled all American flights in/out of Israel because they heard and believed Israeli talking points (lies) that thousands of rockets are raining down on Israel. They also heard John Kerry say "Israel is under Siege by Hamas." Now Israel is in trouble, they just wanted to scare the world (to justify killing Palestinians) they didn't actually want anything shutdown. Now Israelis are unable to leave Israel? Now ultra-Zionists like Mike Bloomberg are trying to convince the world that Israel is safe enough to fly in and out of. But that will raise another question: IF ISRAEL IS SAFE, WHY ARE THEY KILLING CHILDREN IN GAZA???
Israel to pay students to defend it online
Israel to pay students to defend it online
Desperate times requires...
....grant money paid to Israeli students to create (i.e. lie) pro-Zionist Israel Propaganda #FreePalestine
Desperate times requires...
....grant money paid to Israeli students to create (i.e. lie) pro-Zionist Israel Propaganda #FreePalestine
400,000 Palestinian Christians
Not that should this make a difference but to provide some light on a misconception: Not all Palestinians are Muslim. According to the CIA World Factbook, as of 2013 there are close to 400,000 Palestinian Christians.
Look the other way?
I'm so tired. All of this violence is taking a toll and I'm not directly impacted compared to the innocent Palestinians. A part of me is telling me to just give it a break. Look the other way. Stop worrying. It isn't happening to me. Be like so many others who remain "neutral" or silent. Yet, I can't. There is enough injustice taking place. If I were to stop doing what little I am to help create awareness, it will just add to the injustice. I don't want that on my conscience. I am tired.
American Narcissism and Palestinian Injustice
It is being asserted that we as Americans have become too narcissistic that we don't care about the pain and suffering of others. We only care about our own self interests.
I cannot allow myself to believe that.
Humans are good. Humans care.
Some humans are just temporarily asleep by distractions.
Yes, silence is acceptance.
But already there are a lot of people breaking their silence.
I personally have received messages from friends (some who have even surprised me) who tell me they are starting to open their eyes, look at different perspectives, and make their own decisions instead of agreeing with the status quo our government wants us to believe.
This isn't a Muslim thing. This isn't a Jewish thing. This isn't a Christian thing.
This isn't even a believer versus non-believer thing.
This is a Human thing.
We as humans genuinely care about each other, and when we see another human in pain, we will do what is in our power to help.
If you have been silent, break your silence.
Let your voice be heard!
Don't be a part of the cause for the suffering. Become a part of the solution to end the suffering
I cannot allow myself to believe that.
Humans are good. Humans care.
Some humans are just temporarily asleep by distractions.
Yes, silence is acceptance.
But already there are a lot of people breaking their silence.
I personally have received messages from friends (some who have even surprised me) who tell me they are starting to open their eyes, look at different perspectives, and make their own decisions instead of agreeing with the status quo our government wants us to believe.
This isn't a Muslim thing. This isn't a Jewish thing. This isn't a Christian thing.
This isn't even a believer versus non-believer thing.
This is a Human thing.
We as humans genuinely care about each other, and when we see another human in pain, we will do what is in our power to help.
If you have been silent, break your silence.
Let your voice be heard!
Don't be a part of the cause for the suffering. Become a part of the solution to end the suffering
Mark Alan Ruffalo American actor, director, producer and screenwriter on Gaza and Human Shields
BTW: Mark Alan Ruffalo is an American actor, director, producer and screenwriter. He is known for portraying the Marvel Comics character, Bruce Banner / The Hulk in The Avengers)
Gaza dead reach 78 as Israelis hint at invasion
Gaza dead reach 78 as Israelis hint at invasion
GAZA/JERUSALEM
(Reuters) - At least 78 Palestinians, most of them civilians, have been killed in Israel's Gaza offensive, Palestinian officials said on Thursday as militants in the enclave kept up rocket attacks on Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and other cities.
As Israeli officials seemed to hint at a possible invasion by ground forces, eight members of one family, including five children, were killed in an early morning air strike that levelled two homes at Khan Younis in the south of the Gaza Strip near the Egyptian border, the Palestinian Health ministry said.
Israel's military made no comment on what would be the deadliest strike since its began its assault on Tuesday. The defence minister spoke of "long days of fighting ahead".
U.S. President Barack Obama told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a phone call that the United States was willing to help negotiate a ceasefire, the White House said.
French President Francois Hollande voiced his concern at the civilian deaths in the Palestinian enclave and called for a truce. A spokeswoman for U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, who like Hollande spoke to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, said of possible escalation: "Nobody wants to see a ground invasion."
The offensive followed a build-up in violence after three Jewish students were killed in the occupied West Bank last month and a Palestinian youth died in a suspected revenge attack.
Medical officials in Hamas-dominated Gaza said at least 60 civilians, including a four-year-old girl and a boy aged five who were killed on Thursday, were among the 78 Palestinians who have died in Israeli attacks since Tuesday.
Netanyahu said in a televised statement: "So far the battle is progressing as planned but we can expect further stages in future. Up to now, we have hit Hamas and the terror organisations hard and as the battle continues we will increase strikes at them."
Netanyahu discussed options with his security cabinet as air strikes continued and officials hinted at a possible ground offensive. There was no word on when or if this would happen.
"We have long days of fighting ahead of us," Defence Minister Moshe Yaalon said.
"KNIFE EDGE"
Sirens sounded in and around Jerusalem in the evening and residents ran for cover as a number of rockets were launched towards the holy city. Two were intercepted and others fell in open ground. The remnants of one rocket fell on a building in an Israeli community in the hills near Jerusalem, police said.
Militants from Hamas's Qassam Brigades and the smaller Islamic Jihad group said they had launched separate strikes.
The only Israeli casualties on Thursday were two people who had minor wounds when a mortar exploded near the Gaza border.
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon briefed the Security Council on Thursday, condemned the rocket attacks and urged Israel to show restraint. "Gaza is on a knife edge," he told reporters.
Israel says it has struck more than 860 targets in an offensive intended to halt persistent rocket fire at its own civilian population. The rocket fire escalated after Israeli forces arrested hundreds of Hamas activists in the West Bank while hunting for the abducted teenagers.
Israel says Hamas Islamists put innocent Palestinians in harm's way by placing weaponry and gunmen in residential areas. The movement has wide support among Palestinians.
SMOKE AND RUBBLE
Across the Gaza Strip, smoke and rubble marked the aftermath of Israeli attacks in the most serious hostilities in two years between the militants and Israel's powerful armed forces.
"The Jews say they are fighting Hamas and fighting gunmen while all the bodies we have seen on television are those of women and children," said Khaled Ali, 45, a Gaza taxi driver.
The military said more than 470 projectiles have been fired at Israel since Tuesday, including some 170 on Thursday alone. The rocket salvoes have caused no fatalities or serious injuries, due in part to interception by Israel's partly U.S.-funded Iron Dome aerial defence system.
The wail of air raid sirens has paralysed business in southern communities and sent hundreds of thousands of people scrambling for shelter in Tel Aviv, the commercial capital where two rockets were shot down on Thursday. But offices and shops remained open and roads were clogged with traffic.
One rocket fell in the West Bank between Jerusalem and Abbas's administrative centre Ramallah. It landed in open ground close to a Palestinian home. Some rockets have landed more than 100 km (60 miles) from Gaza.
Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri sounded a defiant note, when asked about defence minister Yaalon's remarks of further action to come. "Our backs are to the wall and we have nothing to lose," he said. "We are ready to battle until the end."
"KNOCK ON THE DOOR"
Israel's targets in the Gaza Strip have included militant commanders' homes, which it described as command and control centres. Palestinian officials put the number of dwellings either destroyed or damaged at more than 120. Local residents said some of the houses did not belong to fighters.
Netanyahu has accused Hamas of committing "a double war crime" by targeting Israeli civilians "while hiding behind Palestinian civilians".
Owners of some of the targeted homes received telephoned warnings from Israel to get out. In other cases, so-called "knock-on-the-door" missiles, which do not carry explosive warheads, were first fired as a signal to evacuate. Scenes of families fleeing their homes have played out daily.
Israeli leaders, who have popular support for the Gaza offensive, have mobilised some 20,000 army reservists, giving them the means, if they choose, to mount a land offensive in one of the world's most densely populated territories.
The last time they did that was in early 2009. Ground troops did not cross into the Strip during the last major exchange of rockets and missiles in October 2012.
U.S.-backed Palestinian President Abbas, who is based in the West Bank and entered a power-sharing deal with Hamas in April after years of feuding, has denounced the Israeli offensive. In telephone calls with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan, Abbas "stressed the need to achieve a ceasefire immediately", the official Palestinian news agency WAFA said.
(Additional reporting by Ori Lewis, Dan Williams and Allyn Fisher-Ilan in Jerusalem andAli Sawafta in Ramallah; Writing by Jeffrey Heller; Editing by Alastair Macdonald andDavid Gregorio)
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