It’s up to Israel to stop war on Gaza: Hamas leader

Gaza-based Hamas will not yield to any Israeli conditions for truce, the movement’s exiled leader Khaled Meshaal said on Monday, adding that Palestinian weapons had caught Israel “off guard.”

Speaking at a news conference in Cairo, Meshaal also said the two sides could reach a truce but there could also be an escalation and Hamas was ready for all possibilities.

“Whoever started the war must end it,” Meshaal said, adding that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had requested a ceasefire - an assertion the Jewish state immediately denied.

Israel bombed dozens of targets in Gaza on Monday for a sixth day on Monday, but mediator Egypt said a deal to end the fighting could be close.

Meshaal said Hamas did not want an escalation or to draw Israel into a land invasion. But he said Israel had failed to achieve its objectives in Gaza.

“The weapons of the resistance have caught the enemy off guard,” he said.

Ban Ki-moon in Cairo

U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon arrived in Cairo Monday on the first leg of a visit in support of Egyptian-mediated efforts for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, an AFP correspondent at the airport said.

Ban is scheduled to meet Egyptian Foreign Minister Mohammed Kamel Amr later in the evening and Arab League chief Nabil al-Arabi on Tuesday.

He will also meet Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas as part of a growing push for a Gaza ceasefire, his spokesman said Monday.

“The secretary general wishes to add his diplomatic weight to these efforts, which are considerable and extremely important,” U.N. spokesman Martin Nesirky told reporters from Cairo, where Ban arrived Monday.

The European Union foreign ministers Monday also called for an “immediate” halt to hostilities in Gaza and Israel.

“An immediate cessation of hostilities is in everyone’s interest, particularly at a time of instability in the region,” the bloc’s 27 ministers said in a statement.

“All attacks must end immediately as they cause unjustifiable suffering of innocent civilians.”

The statement said the EU backed the efforts of Egypt and others to mediate for a rapid ceasefire.

Alarming death toll

Two Palestinians were killed in a new Israeli air strike on central Gaza on Monday, pushing the death toll in six days of violence to more than 100, emergency services said.

“Two martyrs killed in a new Israeli strike east of al-Bureij (refugee camp) were taken to the al-Aqsa hospital in Deir al-Balah,” an emergency services statement said. The deaths pushed the overall Gaza toll to 101.

On his Facebook page, health ministry spokesman Ashraf Al-Qidra listed Mohammed Tbail, killed in an air strike in Nusseirat refugee camp, as the 100th Palestinian fatality.

Qidra said the Palestinian dead included 24 children and 10 women. Ministry figures for the number of men killed in the conflict with Israel make no distinction between civilians and militants.

According to the ministry, 850 people have been wounded in Gaza since the hostilities began on Wednesday. They included 260 children and 140 women.

Israel puts its death toll since Wednesday at three civilians - two men and a woman killed by a rocket fired from Gaza. Police said more than 60 people have been wounded.

Meanwhile, a Palestinian shot by Israeli security forces during a weekend protest in the West Bank over Israel’s air campaign on Gaza, died on Monday of his injuries, hospital officials said.

“Rushdi al-Tamimi died today from his wounds,” Ahmed al-Betawi, director of the Ramallah hospital said. Friends told AFP he was 31.

Hundreds march in Cairo to demand an end to diplomatic ties with Israel

Hundreds of angry protesters march on Wednesday evening from Talaat Harb Square in downtown Cairo heading towards the ministry of foreign affairs near Tahrir Square to condemn the ongoing brutal attacks on the Gaza Strip by the Israeli forces.

Protesters chanted “Gaza Gaza, You’re the pride,“ “Arab states are cowardly,” “Palestinian blood is our blood,” as they carried Palestinian flags.
Protesters are demanding Egypt cut diplomatic ties with Israel and close down the Israeli embassy in Cairo.
A number of Egyptian political forces including the National Front for Justice and Democracy and Hamdeen Sabbahi's popular Current have called for the protest.
On Wednesday night, president Mohamed Morsi recalled Egypt’s envoy in Israel following the Israeli attack that killed at least seven Palestinians, including Hamas leading figure Ahmed Al-Jaabari.

Israel: A rich history of assassinating Palestinian leaders

The list of Palestinian leaders assassinated by Israel over the years covers tens of Palestinian leaders and activists from all political backgrounds and on many different continents.

Ghassan Kanafani (April 9, 1936 – July 8, 1972)

Ghassan Kanafani

Kanafani was a prominent Palestinian writer and a leading member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. He was killed in a car bomb in Beirut on July 8, 1972 at the age of 36 years. Israeli intelligence agency Mossad was widely believed to have carried out the assassination.

Abu Jihad (October 10, 1935 – April 16, 1988)

Khalil Al-WAzir

Khalil Ibrahim al-Wazir, known as Abu Jihad, was a senior Palestinian leader and a close aide to late president Yasser Arafat. He was killed on April 16, 1988 at the age of 52 after being assassinated by an Israeli commando team in Tunis.


Abu Ali Mustafa (1938 – August 27, 2001)

Abou Ali Mustafa

He was the Secretary General of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) from July 2000. He was killed by a missile attack on his office in the West Bank city of Ramallah in August 2001.

Ahmed Yassin (1 January, 1937 – 22 March, 2004)
Yassin was the co-founder of Islamist organization Hamas and its spiritual leader. He survived an Israeli attempt to kill him in September 2003 but was assassinated on 22 March 2004 after being hit with a missile strike while being wheeled out of an early morning prayer in Gaza.
Abdel Aziz Ali Abdulmajid al-Rantissi (23 October, 1947 – 17 April, 2004)

Rantissi was the co-founder of the Palestinian Islamist organization Hamas with Sheikh Ahmed Yassin. He became its leader following Yassin’s assassination in March 2004 but was killed just one month later at the age of 57 after his car was targeted by missiles fired from an Apache helicopter.

Egypt's president Morsi recalls ambassador from Israel

The Egyptian State TV announced shortly after 9pm that President Mohamed Morsi has recalled the Egyptian ambassaor to Israel, Atef Mohamed Salem.

In a televised statement, presidential spokesperson Yasser Ali said that Morsi has also summoned the Israeli ambassador in Cairo to convey Egypt's rejection of continued Israeli attacks on gaza.

"The president has ordered the Egyptian representative at the United Nations to call for an emergency meeting at the Security Council. In a phone call with the Arab League general-secretary, the president has also called for an emergency meeting for the Arab foreign ministers," Ali said.
Earlier Wednesday, Israel killed seven Palestinians in air raid on the besieged Strip including a leading commander Hamas's military wing, Ahmed Al-Jaabari.
Under ousted president Mubarak, Egypt has recalled its ambassador to Israel over Israeli aggression against Palestinians and Lebanese in 1982, 1988, 2001 and 2005.
Relations between Egypt and Israel have been relatively strained since the onset of the 25 January revolution as many Egyptians have raised voives to demand Egypt stop natural gas sales to Tel Aviv and modify the 1978 Camp David peace treaty.
In 2011, a number of bloody protests by pro-Palestinian youths were organised at the Israeli embassy to pressure the then-ruling military council to shut down the mission.
Protesters managed to break into the embassy in September 2011 forcing the Tel Aviv diplomats to seek a new home - a challenge it has not been able to meet yet.

Hamas military chief killed in Israeli attack

A top Hamas commander and six others have been killed in a series of Israeli air strikes on the Gaza Strip, as Israel began an operation targeting armed groups. Ahmad Jabari, the operational commander of Hamas's armed wing, the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, was killed on Wednesday alongside his bodyguard, Mohammed al-Hams, in an initial Israeli strike on a car in Gaza City which took place just before 4:00pm (14:00GMT), the Palestinian movement said. Shortly afterwards, Israel pounded the Gaza Strip with another 20 air strikes, killing five more people, two of them children, Hamas health minister Mufid Mukhalalati said in a televised press conference at Gaza City's Shifa hospital. He said another 30 people had been injured in the wave of strikes on targets across the territory which hit Gaza City, the northern town of Beit Lahiya and the southern city of Khan Yunis. "The Israeli occupation has carried out more than 20 air strikes on targets and headquarters of the police and security in the Gaza Strip," interior ministry spokesman Islam Shahwan said. The attacks on Wednesday marked the biggest escalation between Israel and Gaza fighters since the 2008-2009 conflict and came despite signs on Tuesday that neighbouring Egypt had managed to broker a truce in the territory after a five-day surge of violence. Israel's military confirmed the operation, saying: "Jabari "was a senior Hamas operative... directly responsible for executing terror attacks against the State of Israel in the past number of years. "The purpose of this operation was to severely impair the command and control chain of the Hamas leadership, as well as its terrorist infrastructure," it said in a statement. 'Start of operation' Israel sent a "clear message" to Hamas through the killing of its top military commander and is ready to "expand" its operation in Gaza if necessary, Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said. "Today we sent a clear message to Hamas and other terrorist organisations, and if it becomes necessary we are prepared to expand the operation," he said in a televised address. Military spokeswoman Avital Leibovich said the strike was the start of an operation targeting armed groups in Gaza following multiple rocket attacks on southern Israel. Leibovich confirmed to Al Jazeera that Jabari was targeted specifically. "The first target we targeted was Ahmad Jabari. A short time ago we completed another phase in the operation which included 20 different targets of rocket launcher pads," she said. "Israel is exercising its right to protect itself, and Jabari has a lot of Israeli blood on his hands." She went on to say that "there are 1.5 million people in Gaza, and even though we were targeted on a daily basis, we still helped Gazans in our hospitals because we are humanitarian people." Asked whether Israel was ready to initiate a ground operation in Gaza, Leibovich said: "All options are on the table for us. We will do whatever necessary to protect the people of Israel." Responding to the killing, the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades said its fighters would "continue the path of resistance". "The occupation has opened the gates of hell on itself," it said in a statement. Al Jazeera's Nadim Baba, reporting from Gaza, said Israeli strikes were still going on into Wednesday evening. "We have been hearing of strikes in different areas of the Gaza Strip," he said. "For the civilian population here it is a very worrying time. People have deserted the streets, and it is very quiet and very tense." He added that eye witnesses have reported seeing the Israeli navy off the coast of Gaza, further increasing their concerns. Calls for revenge Jabari co-ordinated much of Hamas's military capability, its military strategy, and the transformation of the military wing. He also led the final negotiations in Cairo that concluded the prisoner swap between Hamas and Israel in 2011. The killing of Jabari sparked furious protests in Gaza City, with hundreds of members of Hamas and the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades chanting for revenge inside Shifa hospital. Al Jazeera's Nadim Baba reports from Gaza Outside, armed men fired weapons into the air, and mosques throughout the city called prayers to mourn the commander's death. Osama Hamdan, a Hamas representative talking to Al Jazeera in Doha, said: "we will respond [to the assassination], this I have to say clearly." "The Israelis are working to target the local leaders and political leaders in Gaza. We are expecting acts and reactions from the Palestinians." Saeb Erekat, a Palestinian negotiator based in the West Bank, condemned the killing. "We are witnessing a major escalation against our people in Gaza, and it seems to me the Israeli agenda is war, not truce or a ceasefire," he told Al Jazeera. We hold the Israeli government responsible." Air strikes Al Jazeera’s Rula Amin, reporting from Beirut, Lebanon, said Jabari had been a target for Israel for a long time. "This is a big loss for Hamas, and a success for Israel, who have been after him for a while." she said. “We will see an escalation for sure within the immediate future.” “People in Gaza know him. He was considered very smart, very shrewd, considered to be a hero because he had managed until now to escape numerous assassination attempts by Israel.” “People will be bracing for more violence, not just against Hamas but against the civilians too.” Wednesday's attacks come after several days worth of Israeli air strikes on the Gaza Strip, leaving at least seven Palestinians dead and several more wounded. The strikes started after Palestinians fired an anti-tank missile at an Israeli jeep on Saturday, wounding four soldiers. More than 120 rockets have hit Israel in recent days, lightly injuring another four.

Israel 'prepared to expand' Gaza operation

Israel sent a "clear message" to Hamas through the killing of its top military commander and is ready to widen its operation in Gaza if necessary, Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has warned. "Today we sent a clear message to Hamas and other terrorist organisations, and if it becomes necessary we are prepared to expand the operation," he said in a televised address on Wednesday evening. Speaking hours after a major wave of air strikes pounded targets in the Palestinian Gaza Strip, killing Hamas's military chief Ahmad Jabari and six other people, Netanyahu vowed that Israel would not tolerate any further rocket fire on its territory. "Hamas and the terror organisations have chosen to escalate their attacks on the citizens of Israel in recent days. We will not tolerate a situation in which Israeli citizens are threatened by rocket fire," he said after consultations with his security cabinet. Al Jazeera's Nadim Baba, reporting from Gaza, said, "In the last 30 seconds there was another big blast. [The strikes] have been going on all evening." "It is not just air strikes, but also strikes from Israeli naval ships just off the coast of Gaza." He went on to say the streets of Gaza City on Wednesday evening were "eerily quiet, except for the sound of ambulances." "The latest from medical sources is that at least seven people have been killed, including two children, and at least 60 people have been wounded, including 10 children." Mark Regev, spokesperson for the Israeli prime minister's office, told Al Jazeera, "We are continuing to hit Hamas targets, and their missile sites, because we knew they would responding immediately....Ultimately we did not want this round of fighting, it was forced upon us. "We will not allow Hamas to terrorise our civilian population," he said. "All the options are open. Our most important goal is to protect our people. Hamas has deliberately targeted civilians. They deliberately use Gaza civilians as human shields, too." Rising tensions The strikes came after five days of rising tensions along the Gaza border which began on Saturday when Palestinian fighters fired an anti-tank rocket at an army jeep, sparking Israeli fire which killed seven. Defence Minister Ehud Barak said the strike was only the beginning of an operation with the goal of strengthening Israel's deterrence, damage armed groups' rocket-firing capabilities and stamp out attacks on southern Israel. "Israel doesn't want a war but the Hamas provocation of recent weeks, with recurring, frequent rounds of mortar and rockets fired at southern Israel, an explosive tunnel that was activated.. and anti-tank fire at a jeep in Israel, forced us to act sharply and decisively," Barak said. "We are at the beginning, not end of this action," he said, stressing the need to be "on high alert in Israel and West Bank... It won't be a quick fix.. but we'll reach goals we set for this operation." He urged regional leaders to act "judiciously and with a cool head to promote stability and return of quiet, and not to be dragged to their deterioration." The operation prompted widespread condemnation, with Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi recalling Cairo's envoy to Israel and summoning the Israeli ambassador for consultations, his spokesman said. Following a request from Morsi, Arab League chief Nabil el-Arabi said the organisation was preparing to hold an emergency meeting over the violence. Britain also urged restraint and Russia said it was "very concerned" about the escalation, while Washington said it was watching developments in Gaza "closely." Israeli army spokeswoman Avital Leibovich said the operation, code named "Pillar of Defence," had only just begun with the air force hitting "close to 20 targets" used for launching rockets, especially those with a range of 40km, and causing "significant damage." The Qassam Brigades issued a furious communique, saying Israel had "opened the gates of hell on itself," and Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhum said the strike was tantamount to a "declaration of war." "The occupation committed a dangerous crime and crossed all the red lines, which is considered a declaration of war," he said in a statement. "The occupation will pay dearly for this and we will make it regret the moment they thought about it."

Saudi tells U.N. Iran trespassing on its territory

Saudi Arabia has accused Iran of straying onto its territory near oil and gas fields in the Gulf and warned it was looking at how to respond, the Saudi ambassador to the United Nations said.

In a letter to U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Saudi authorities said Iranian helicopters flew several times over a gas field at Hasba, Abdullah al-Mualimi was quoted as saying in the daily newspaper Okaz on Monday.

The letter also said two Iranian navy boats intercepted a vessel belonging to state-owned oil giant Saudi Aramco.

“I have submitted to Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon a letter that details Iran’s breaches of the official conventions and treaties between it and Saudi Arabia,” Okaz quoted Mualimi as saying.

A Foreign Ministry spokesman declined to comment, saying the issue was under the jurisdiction of the Defense Ministry. A Defense Ministry spokesman was not available to comment.

Mualimi was quoted as saying the Saudi government had not requested international intervention but was “studying the appropriate practical steps to deal with the issue”. He said the kingdom reserved the right to respond with appropriate action to protect its territory and oil.

The Saudi Foreign Ministry has sent a letter to the Iranian Foreign Ministry asking that such incidents are not repeated and stressing that the areas where the incidents occurred are Saudi-owned under agreements signed between the two countries in 1968, Mualimi said.

Separated by about 250 km (150 miles) of Gulf waters, Shi’ite Muslim power Iran and Sunni-led Saudi Arabia have often tense relations. Saudi Arabia has accused Iran of fomenting unrest among Shi’ites in its oil-rich Eastern Province, a charge Iran denies.