Fires burn in Gaza city, the result of the 1st wave of yesterday's air strikes.
See also Israel-Palestine Special: Getting the Truth in a Phone Call from Gaza
Gaza Feature: Timeline of Events Leading to Israel's "Operation Pillar of Stone"
Wednesday's Live Coverage of the Middle East.
Today's Syria (and Beyond) Live Coverage: Insurgent Success on the Turkish Border
2239 GMT: It's been hard to balance the reports of intense bombing and explosions in Gaza with the similar reports from Israel. The clearest reason for this is that most rockets fired from Gaza do not appear to have landed near residences. Contrast this with the explosions in Gaza which are happening in the center of heavily populated areas.
One need look no further than Israel's own IDF Spokesperson Twitter account to see this play out. Below is their latest summary:
Since start of the operation: 300 terrorist sites targeted in #Gaza. +300 rockets struck #Israel. +130 missiles intercepted by Iron Dome
— IDF (@IDFSpokesperson) November 15, 2012
If this is true, then the number of rockets that have been launched from Gaza are equal to the amount of sites in Gaza that Israel says it has hit. However, the IDF has barely produced any pictures or video of the damage on the groun in Israel. Instead, they have focused on how effective their own airstrikes have been:
Video: IDF targeting rocket launching sites in #Gaza youtu.be/nlWiZeR0OoI #Hamas
— IDF (@IDFSpokesperson) November 15, 2012
We've contacted IDF's spokesperson and asked them to post more videos from inside Israel. So far we have received no response.
2140 GMT: Earlier we reported that the US had called upon Egypt to use its influence in Gaza. That call has been widened to Turkey and "some ... European partners". Speaking to reporters, Deputy National Security Advisor Ben Rhodes said:
We've ... urged those that have a degree of influence with Hamas such as Turkey, and Egypt and some of our European partners to use that influence to urge Hamas to de-escalate.
2104 GMT: Reuters reports on tonight's airstrikes by Israel:
Israel's military said that in the space of an hour it had targeted approximately 70 underground launching sites for medium-range rockets.
"The sites that have been targeted were positively identified by precise intelligence collected over the course of months." it said in a statement.
Residents said the military assault also destroyed an electricity generator that fed the house of Hamas's prime minister in Gaza, Ismail Haniyeh. It was unclear whether he was at home at the time.
Israeli aircraft also bombed a police station in central Gaza and tunnels on Gaza's border with Egypt through which basic civilian goods and arms destined for militant groups pass into the Strip, which is under a tight blockade by Israel and Egypt.
2058 GMT: A UN spokesperson has confirmed that a UN schoolteacher was amongst those killed by Israeli airstrikes in Gaza yesterday. Marwan Abu al-Qumsan, 50, was in his car at the time of the attack. He died midday today from his injuries, according to the Ministry of Health in Gaza. His brother was also severely injured. The Ministry also reported that two year old Mohamed Al Abadlah also died from wounds sustained yesterday.
2047 GMT: Now the spokesman for the Israeli Prime Minister denies an earlier claim:
Confirmed: Hamas did NOT shoot down an IDF drone. Don't believe Hamas' disinformation #PillarOfDefense
— Ofir Gendelman (@ofirgendelman) November 15, 2012
Hamas has broadcast this image, however, which claims to show the "Skylight" drone:
2039 GMT: Reuters reports that French President Francois Hollande "has begun talks" with Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli Prime Minister, along with President Morsi of Egypt, intended to stop any escalation of violence. France's Prime Minister Jean-Francois Ayrault told reporters:
It's time to stop this escalation, which is dangerous for the security of Israel and its people and for that of the Palestinian people.
At his press conference this morning, Netanyahu had said that he had the support of Hollande. The Guardian noted that this seemed to go against the grain of previous statements from France. Yesterday, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said:
It would be a catastrophe if there is an escalation in the region. Israel has the right to security but it won't achieve it through violence. The Palestinians also have the right to a state.
2034 GMT: Hamas may have shot down an Israeli drone over Gaza.
#Hamas showing footage of downed Israeli drone which they call "Sky Light" (not plane as in previous). #Gaza
— Ghanem Nuseibeh غانم (@gnuseibeh) November 15, 2012
Hamas TV channel in Gaza. RT @alihashem_tv AlAqsa channel is showing now footage of a downed Israeli drone
— Doug Pologe (@DougPologe) November 15, 2012
2023 GMT: This is "what it sounds like in Tel Aviv," the Washington Post reports. This video was uploaded to Facebook about 3 hours ago.
2016 GMT: According to Haaretz, the " most recent comprehensive aerial attack" conducted by the IDF have hit 70 targets across Gaza and have wounded 20 Palestinians.
2000 GMT: The latest scandal to hit the BBC is not about pedophilia (or necrophilia), but is about their coverage of the conflict in Palestine. Despite the fact that a BBC colleague's 11 year old son was killed by Israeli airstrikes last night, some who have been watching the channel all day report that there has been no mention of this event on air (though a reader says it was mentioned once at 3 PM) or on their website (their journalists have done an excellent job on Twitter, presumably away from the reaches of the editorial staff). Furthermore, some see a clear bias in their coverage of the conflict that has claimed 3-5+ times more Palestinians than Israelis:
@mehdirhasan BBC's top 5 stories on situation in #Gaza now, difficult to work out #Israel's done anything wrong at all twitter.com/nour_bakr/stat…
— Nour Bakr (@nour_bakr) November 15, 2012
In the past, the BBC had refused to air a humanitarian appeal for aid to Gaza, costing a major charity millions of pounds in donations:
The Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC), an umbrella group for 13 aid charities, launched its appeal yesterday saying the devastation in Gaza was "so huge British aid agencies were compelled to act".
But the BBC made a rare breach of an agreement dating to 1963, saying it would not give free airtime to the appeal. Other broadcasters followed suit. Previously, broadcasters had agreed on the video and script to be used with the DEC, to be shown after primetime news bulletins.
The BBC, which has been criticised in the past over alleged bias in its coverage of the Middle East, said it did not want to risk public confidence in its impartiality. A BBC spokesperson said: "The decision was made because of question marks about the delivery of aid in a volatile situation and also to avoid any risk of compromising public confidence in the BBC's impartiality in the context of [a] news story."
Other reporters we've spoken to today remember with disgust how biased the coverage of the 2008/2009 Gaza war was. If the BBC was accused of bias in the past, this specter is only going to get worse, especially with the network already in the spotlight because of bad behavior off camera.
1945 GMT: In a further sign that escalation is expected, in the last 20 minutes the British Foreign Office has revised an earlier travel warning, saying:
We now advise against all but essential travel to areas within 40km of Israel's border with Gaza; we continue to advise against all travel to Gaza (including the waters off Gaza) and to the Sheba’a Farms and Ghajjar along the border with Lebanon.
1932 GMT: A miracle in southern Israel?
#Israel media reporting direct hit on house in Beer Sheva- family was inside but only sustained shock. #miracle. #Gaza #Hamas #IDF
— Daniel Nisman(@DannyNis) November 15, 2012
Maybe this is not a miracle, but a reminder of the scale of what is happening tonight. While those firing rockets at Israel are doing so with the intention of killing civilians, most of the weapons used by Palestinian insurgents are not capable of widespread damage. Most of the ordinance used needs to score a direct hit in order to do significant damage.
On the other hand, the ordinance dropped by the Israeli war planes are highly sophisticated, military grade weaponry, capable of destroying entire buildings, or damaging large amounts of targets if they were to fall in the open street.
This is evidenced by the pictures of the damage in the two territories. While Israeli civilians are at risk, these weapons launched by the Gazan insurgents rarely are rarely effective.
1928 GMT: Now, reports of a potential target of Israeli strikes in Gaza:
#AlJazeera reporter in #Gaza: #Israeli war boats shelled area where home of Ismail Haniyyeh is located in Gaza
— Alaa Bayoumi (@Alaabayoumi) November 15, 2012
1924 GMT: Two videos. The first, footage from Tel Aviv, shot earlier tonight, capuring people taking cover as air raid sirens blare:
Journalist Sheera Frenkel notes it was shown earlier on Israeli channel 2 with their correspondent confirming it was Tel Aviv.
The second, claimed footage from Gaza tonight, uploaded less than 30 minutes ago, capturing a continual stream of explosions reverberating at night. The uploader notes in the comments that the electricity is down, hence the added darkness:
1920 GMT: A stern warning from the Israeli government:
Israeli defense minister Ehud Barak said Hamas has a price to pay for firing rockets at Tel Aviv.
"This escalation will exact a price that the other side will have to pay," Reuters quotes Barak as saying.
Barak also announced that 30,000 additional reservists had been put on notice "so that we can prepare for any development". It was unclear whether the reservists have in fact been called to duty.
1914 GMT: A report from Tel Aviv, which is now being hit by long-range rockets fired from Gaza:
Air raid sirens went off about ten minutes ago. Rockets hit #TelAviv. Wish I wasn't part of this bullshit war.
— JonathanKeith Paxton (@JonathanKPaxton) November 15, 2012
Been told not to tweet about sirens or rockets...IDF orders. I guess it's good, though. Don't want to unnecessarily alarm folks. We're fine.
— JonathanKeith Paxton (@JonathanKPaxton) November 15, 2012
1907 GMT: A snap bulletin from Associated Press:
Israeli forces move towards the Gaza border in prelude to possible ground offensive.
1905 GMT: Dozens of similar tweets, from credible sources, have been sent out in the last 5 minutes:
Biggest explosion I've heard in past 2 days just now. And another. very close to our office. Israeli air strikes. #Gaza
— Jon Donnison (@JonDonnison) November 15, 2012
HUGE explosion, biggest yet near our office and another. I can hear kids crying in flats next door from fear
— Paul Danahar (@pdanahar) November 15, 2012
It appears that the situation in Gaza city is more intense than it was yesterday, not less.
1901 GMT: The US has called upon Egypt to use its influence in Gaza to end the violence. Deputy State Department spokesperson Mark Toner said, "We ask Egypt to use its influence in the region to help de-escalate the situation". Tonor added that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has spoken to the Egyptian Foreign Minister. The comments come shortly after Egypt announced its Prime Minister will be visiting Gaza tomorrow. Tonor also called for Hamas to stop its rocket attacks.
1856 GMT: Despite suggestions that things were calming a bit, there is now escalation on both sides of the border, with the latest round of airstrikes in Gaza city really getting everyone's attention:
Gigantic explosions and fireballs just now in #Gaza. Planes sweeping low over Gaza City.#Israel
— Noah Browning (@sheikhNB) November 15, 2012
1826 GMT: An Israel Defense Forces source has told Haaretz that the air assault on Gaza will be renewed over the coming hours and that the IDF has approved plans for the "next stage of the operation".
An IDF officer tweets a photo of the build-up of forces near the Gaza border:
صورة:جيش الدفاع يبدأ بحشد قوات برية في محيط قطاع #غزة في اطار عملية #عامود_السحاب twitter.com/AvichayAdraee/…
— افيخاي ادرعي (@AvichayAdraee) November 15, 2012
1814 GMT: Journalist Barak Ravid breaks news pointing to an expansion of the conflict:
MoD Barak authorized the mobilization of 30,000 reservists as part of broadening the Gaza operation. Ground campaign here we go
— Barak Ravid (@BarakRavid) November 15, 2012
1737 GMT: Turkey's President Abdullah Gul has strongly condemned the Israeli attacks and said that everyone expects the US to warn Israel. Speaking at a joint press conference with the Congolese President, Gul told reporters that it was impossible to tolerate such attacks and that they threatened to destabalise the region.
Turkey's Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu also spoke of the attacks today , citing the Palestinian cause for statehood as one of "three important challenges" facing the international community. Speaking at the meeting of the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers, Davutoğlu said:
An internationally recognized State of Palestine at the UN, voted as 'non-member observer state' can serve as a game changer. From here today, our message should be clear to the outside world that the State of Palestine cannot wait for another 60 years.
Earlier this week, Israels Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman threatened to overthrow Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas if he continued his plan to seek recognition of Palestinian statehood at the UN General Assembly in a fortnight.
1735 GMT: An anti-war protest in Tel Aviv:
1725 GMT: Citing Israeli Radio, The Guardian reports that "IDF [Israel Defense Forces] Chief Binyamin Gantz is convening a meeting of his general staff." They add, "The possibility of a ground invasion of Gaza appears to move a step closer."
1715 GMT: BBC Middle East Bureau Chief Paul Danahar tweets from Gaza:
Huge explosion near our bureau in #Gaza few moments ago not sure what got hit
— Paul Danahar (@pdanahar) November 15, 2012
And missile just took off not far from our bureau in #Gaza going in other direction
— Paul Danahar (@pdanahar) November 15, 2012
1654 GMT: Haaretz reports that a rocket has landed in Holon, just south of Tel Aviv.
The IDF have said a rocket from Gaza hit the town of Rishon LeZion, 12 kilometres south of Tel Aviv.
AFP and an Israeli diplomat have said that another rocket landed in the water off the Jaffa port near Tel Aviv.
Reuters reports that Islamic Jihad has claimed responsibility for the rocket which landed in the sea, saying it was a Fajr 5.
1645 GMT: An EA reader --- see Comments --- and Haaretz reports air raid sirens have been set off in Tel Aviv.
A graphic of the range of rockets fired from Gaza:
1631 GMT: Egyptian authorities have opened the Rafah border crossing to allow injured Palestinains to cross into Egypt and seek help at the Al-Arish General Hospital, according to Ahram Online.
1614 GMT: Al Jazeera English confirms that Egyptian Prime Minister Hesham Kandil, not President Morsi, will be traveling to Gaza tomorrow.
Either way, this is a significant development. It has been a long time since a high-ranking official from Egypt visited Gaza, and certainly it's even more significant that the visit will come during what is essentially a war.
1606 GMT: Social media tools were not designed specifically for reporting wars or advancing official positions of governments. This has been clearly demonstrated by two examples in the last 24 hours. First, Twitter temporarily suspended the account of the Israeli IDF spokesperson for making specific threats - namely against Hamas whom it is at war with. So while Twitter policies say nothing of reporting airstrikes on Twitter, once governments specifically threaten to make air strikes, this crosses the line.
Also, the video uploaded by the IDF which shows an airstrike killing Hamas leader Ahmed Al-Jabari has been removed for violation of terms of service.
1556 GMT: A news story that, if true, could send shock-waves through the geopolitical community:
Israel ch. 10 reporting #Egypt President Muhammad Morsi to visit #Gaza tomorrow. A way of telling #Israel "you can't just bomb" @globalpost
— Noga Tarnopolsky (@NTarnopolsky) November 15, 2012
1520 GMT: Israeli spokesperson Mark Regev speaks to AL Jazeera about the aims of Pillars of Cloud, the "surgical" strikes that have killed both insurgents and civilians in Gaza, and the rockets that have fallen on southern Israel.
1516 GMT: Grad rockets are reported just south of Tel Aviv.
Breaking: Sirens in Rishon Lezion, near Tel Aviv. #Israel #Gaza
— Ghanem Nuseibeh غانم (@gnuseibeh) November 15, 2012
According to Haaretz, 2 rockets have fallen near the town, but no injuries are reported.
1454 GMT: More Grad rockets fired into southern Israel:
Just took off from #Gaza in last 30 secs twitter.com/pdanahar/statu…
— Paul Danahar (@pdanahar) November 15, 2012
And Iron Dome is getting a workout:
Iron Dome interceptions right above us. Kind of scary. twitter.com/scottroth76/st…
— Scott Roth (@scottroth76) November 15, 2012
1446 GMT: Yesterday, Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood strongly condemned actions taken by Israel, and President Morsi withdrew his ambassador from Tel Aviv (Israel's Ambassador also reportedly left Cairo last night). Hamas, for its part, is happy with the Egyptian response.
However, it seems that the closed-door diplomatic maneuverings may be more complicated than this, according to the BBC:
BBC in #Gaza understands that #egypt is actively trying to mediate between #Israel & #Hamas over fighting
— Paul Danahar (@pdanahar) November 15, 2012
1438 GMT: The latest video report from the AP - most notable are the images at the beginning that show a home that hit by a rocket from Gaza. Three people died:
Maoz Israel Ministries has posted pictures of some of the rocket sites, including this one, on their blog, "Eyewitness to Horror."
1428 GMT: As we've been reporting, last night an Israeli bomb fell through the roof of this building, killing the 11 year old son of a BBC colleague:
This was where my BBC colleague Jihad's 11 month old son Omar was when an #israel shell came through the roof. 1/2 twitter.com/pdanahar/statu…
— Paul Danahar (@pdanahar) November 15, 2012
1415 GMT: Israel's intention in this campaign was to knock out the rockets that have been so often fired at towns on southern Israel. But as many experts point out, if the plan is to make Israel safer, then the plan may not work in the long-term. Certainly, things have gotten worse in the short term as well.
20% of rockets fired at Israel from Gaza in past year have been fired in the past 24 hrs (you know, after the "deterrent" strikes started)
— Dan Murphy (@bungdan) November 15, 2012
1403 GMT: The latest updates from Haaretz, the last one coming less than 10 minutes ago:
3:53 P.M. IDF: Since beginning of Operation Pillar of Defense, Iron Dome systems intercepted 87 rockets, with 138 projectiles exploding in Israeli territory. IDF attacked 227 Gaza targets.
3:09 P.M. A barrage of 5 rockets fired at Eskhol Regional Council. All five exploded in open areas, no damage or casualties reported. (Haaretz)
3:00 P.M. Two soldiers lightly wounded, one moderately wounded, in rocket attack on Eshkol Regional Council (Gili Cohen and Yanir Yagna)
1335 GMT: Yesterday we carried a report that the son of a BBC colleague was killed in Gaza. Today it is front-page news:
Heartbreaking: our #BBC colleague Jihad Misharawi weeping for 11 month old Omar on front page of WaPo #Gaza twitter.com/WilliamsJon/st…
— Jon Williams(@WilliamsJon) November 15, 2012
1330 GMT: The Israeli newspaper Haaretz makes a bold claim:
Hours before Hamas strongman Ahmed Jabari was assassinated, he received the draft of a permanent truce agreement with Israel, which included mechanisms for maintaining the ceasefire in the case of a flare-up between Israel and the factions in the Gaza Strip. This, according to Israeli peace activist Gershon Baskin, who helped mediate between Israel and Hamas in the deal to release [kidnapped Israeli soldier] Gilad Shalit and has since then maintained a relationship with Hamas leaders.
Baskin told Haaretz on Thursday that senior officials in Israel knew about his contacts with Hamas and Egyptian intelligence aimed at formulating the permanent truce, but nevertheless approved the assassination.
“I think that they have made a strategic mistake," Baskin said, an error "which will cost the lives of quite a number of innocent people on both sides."
"This blood could have been spared. Those who made the decision must be judged by the voters, but to my regret they will get more votes because of this,” he added.
On Wednesday, Haaretz columnist Aluf Benn warned that Israel, with the assassination of al-Jabari, had killed its "subcontractor" for security in Gaza.
1326 GMT: Anyone who reads Josh Shahryar's enlightening and moving article (a must-read) can get the sense of just how used to these levels of violence many in Gaza have become. But nothing drives this point home like this video. While explosions ring through the air, and smoke rises in the background, the children of Gaza play football - because they're used to this:
#Breaking::: Despite the explosions everywhere, the children of #Gaza are playing football..youtube.com/watch?v=c0LjNZ…
— Gaza Youth Break Out (@GazaYBO) November 15, 2012
1318 GMT: Harriet Sharwood of The Guardian reports from the funeral of Ahmad al-Jabari, the senior Hamas military commander killed on Tuesday by an Israeli airstrike:
1308 GMT: Matt Sienkiewicz, an expert of Palestine who teaches at Boston College, and a self-described "Prof @BostonCollege. Liberal Modern Orthodox Jew," succinctly lays out (in a series of Tweets) what will be one of the central questions moving forward after this military campaign has stopped:
The question is not whether rockets from Gaza are unacceptable. It's whether the response solves problems or creates them.
Let's say there was such a thing as a totally precise missile. The explosion might be contained but the terror would be just as ubiquitous. Still waiting for step 2 in plan that starts w/bombing the hell out of Gaza. Makes it hard to understand how step 3 could be 'make peace.'
What I want from @IDFSpokesperson is explanation of how this attack will prevent and not necessitate future ones.
1300 GMT: BBC reporters Yolande Knell reports from he town of Kiryat Malachi on the Israeli-Gaza border, and John Donnison reports from in Gaza. The audio is chilling, as explosions go off in the background of Knell's report. 3 Palestinian militants and at least 11 people across Gaza have been killed, and 3 people in Israel have been killed in rocket attacks, according to this report - though that number may be low:
1157 GMT: Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian Authority President, has cut short a trip to Europe to return to the West Bank.
Senior PA official Saeb Erekat condemned the military offensive in Gaza and said Palestinians "hold Israel fully responsible for the consequences of this act of aggression".
1153 GMT: Egyptian Foreign Minister Mohamed Kamel Amr, speaking to US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton by phone, “requested that the United States immediately intervene to stop Israeli aggression on the Palestinian people in Gaza”.
In a televised address, President Mohamed Morsi, said:
We are in contact with the people of Gaza and with Palestinians and we stand by them until we stop the aggression and we do not accept under any circumstances the continuation of this aggression on the Strip.
The Israelis must realise that this aggression is unacceptable and would only lead to instability in the region and would negatively and greatly impact the security of the region.
1103 GMT: About 400 mourners braved the streets to bury Ahmed Al-Jabari, the Hamas military commander who was killed yesterday in the first wave of Israeli airstrikes.
Accompanying Jabari's body, draped in the green flag of Hamas, men fired guns in the air and chanted, "God is Great, the revenge is coming".
Senior Hamas figures stayed away from the procession because of the fear of more Israeli strikes.
1101 GMT: Israel Defense Forces' footage of the dropping of warning leaflets over the Gaza Strip (see 0639 GMT):
0928 GMT: The "readout" of President Obama's phone calls to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi leave no doubt of Washington's backing for West Jerusalem:
The President reiterated to Prime Minister Netanyahu the United States’ support for Israel’s right to self-defense in light of the barrage of rocket attacks being launched from Gaza against Israeli civilians. The President urged Prime Minister Netanyahu to make every effort to avoid civilian casualties. The two agreed that Hamas needs to stop its attacks on Israel to allow the situation to de-escalate. The two leaders agreed to stay in close touch in the coming days. Earlier today, Vice President Biden received a briefing from Prime Minister Netanyahu on the events in Gaza.
The President also spoke with President Morsi given Egypt’s central role in preserving regional security. In their conversation, President Obama condemned the rocket fire from Gaza into Israel and reiterated Israel’s right to self-defense. The two leaders agreed on the importance of working to de-escalate the situation as quickly as possible and agreed to stay in close touch in the days ahead.
0831 GMT: The Twitter feed of the Al Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, claims that they have shelled Tel Aviv for the first time, hitting it with one Fajr 5 missile and one homemade projectile.
0822 GMT: Israeli police have now confirmed that three people were killed and four wounded in the southern town of Kiryat Malachi by a rocket strike.
The Israeli military said 132 rockets had been fired from Gaza over the last 24 hours.
At least 13 Gazans have been killed since Tuesday.
0731 GMT: Israeli media are reporting casualties in the southern town of Kiryat Malachi from a rocket strike: some say three Israelis have been seriously wounded, others says three dead and one wounded.
0639 GMT: Speaking on BBC radio just now, correspondent Jon Donnison reported long-range Palestinian rocket fire in response to further Israeli airstrikes, which killed three more people this morning.
Medics said senior police official Habes Masmah and two members of Hamas' al-Qassam Brigades were slain.
The Israeli army said 100 "rocket launch and infrastructure sites" were targeted overnight: "This has significantly damaged the rocket launch capabilities and munitions warehouses operated by Hamas and other terror organizations. The aim of targeting these sites is to impair the rocket launching capability of terror organizations in the Gaza strip and damage their further build up."
Israeli planes have dropped warning leaflets:
Important announcement for the residents of the Gaza Strip:
For your own safety, take responsibility for yourselves and avoid being present in the vicinity of Hamas operatives and facilities and those of other terror organizations that pose a risk to your safety.
Hamas is once again dragging the region to violence and bloodshed. The IDF is determined to defend the residents of the State of Israel. This announcement is valid until quiet is restored to the region. Israel Defense Forces Command.
0334 GMT: Bombs were falling on Gaza long before the sun came up this morning. Not only that, but based on the amount of fires, and burn victims, being reported, there are concerns that white phosphorous has been used in at least some of the explosions over the last 24 hours, though this has been unconfirmed.
Reports like the one below, with images of burning buildings, are widespread.
Some of the loudest explosions southeast of the #Gaza Seaport yet were followed by strange, arcing firework effects. #GazaUnderAttack
— Joe Catron (@jncatron) November 15, 2012
"@tareqnser: صورة من القصف على مدينة #غزة #GazaUnderAttack #Gaza twitter.com/Tareqnser/stat…"
— Nour Abed (@NourGaza) November 15, 2012
0154 GMT: But Israel's air strikes are not the only ones getting an early start on the day. Already there are reports that after a few hours of relative quiet, rockets are once again entering Israel:
#BREAKING: 5 rockets fired at #Beersheba #Israel in 30 minutes 2 intercepted #GAZA #HAMAS
— Zaid Benjamin (@zaidbenjamin) November 15, 2012
0137 GMT: The State Department has released a summary of Barack Obama's phone conversations with both Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu and Egypt's Mohamed Morsi:
Today, the President spoke with Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Morsi about the rocket attacks being launched from Gaza into Israel, and the escalating violence in Gaza.
The President reiterated to Prime Minister Netanyahu the United States’ support for Israel’s right to self-defense in light of the barrage of rocket attacks being launched from Gaza against Israeli civilians. The President urged Prime Minister Netanyahu to make every effort to avoid civilian casualties. The two agreed that Hamas needs to stop its attacks on Israel to allow the situation to de-escalate. The two leaders agreed to stay in close touch in the coming days. Earlier today, Vice President Biden received a briefing from Prime Minister Netanyahu on the events in Gaza.
The President also spoke with President Morsi given Egypt’s central role in preserving regional security. In their conversation, President Obama condemned the rocket fire from Gaza into Israel and reiterated Israel’s right to self-defense. The two leaders agreed on the importance of working to de-escalate the situation as quickly as possible and agreed to stay in close touch in the days ahead.
0122 GMT: EA's John Horne reports:
In a statement, Canadian Foreign Minister affairs minister John Baird adds his country's support for Israeli actions against Hamas:
We fundamentally believe that Israel has the right to defend itself and its citizens from terrorist threats.
Far too often, the Jewish people find themselves on the front lines in the struggle against terrorism, the great struggle of our generation. Just last weekend, more than 100 rockets rained down on civilians in southern Israel from positions in the Gaza Strip.
Canada condemns the terrorist group Hamas and stands with Israel as it deals with regional threats to peace and security.
0111 GMT: Yesterday's Israeli mission to kill top Hamas leaders and neutralize long-range missiles was called "Pillar of Cloud," which also translates to "Pillar of Defense." The name comes from the Book of Exodus, where God led the Israelites out of Egypt:
Exodus 13:21-22. By day the Lord went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night. Neither the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night left its place in front of the people.
The name raised concerns, and questions. First, why was Israel naming their military operations after religious references? Some remarked that this was what Jihadi Muslims do. Furthermore, in the Book of Exodus, Egypt is the enemy. Was this a reference in some way to the Muslim Brotherhood and President Morsi?
Either way, by all accounts (except the official Israeli reports), the Egyptian government kicked the Israeli ambassador out of Cairo (though not the embassy staff) and withdrew its own ambassador from Tel Aviv. The Muslim Brotherhood slammed the Israeli action, and called on President Morsi to "reconsider" official policy towards Israel. At the end of this conflict, Israel may have to deal with an Arab world that it hasn't been so isolated from since the early 1970s, though it's still too early to dwell on geopolitical fallout of these events.
In fact, it's too early to tell where this conflict is headed. Yesterday, the Israeli leadership made it clear that all Hamas leaders were in the crosshairs. The US State Department backed the Israeli actions 100%. However, there were still others, experts on the situation in Israel and Palestine, who quietly confessed to me that they thought this would blow over in a few days.
All we know is that already today the bombs are falling in Gaza (at least according to one source). And the casualties are mounting fast:
#Palestinians report 15 dead in #Gaza, 118 wounded, since Operation Pillar of Defense was launched
— Haaretz.com (@haaretzcom) November 15, 2012
Forces inside Gaza have hit back. Haaretz gives the day this headline (with this graphic):
Over 80 rockets fired at Israel on Wednesday; more than 20 rockets intercepted by Iron Dome System; Israeli cabinet authorizes IDF to expand operations if needed.
The bottom line - with Hamas (and their suspected weapons depots and rocket launchers) carefully embedded with the civilian populous, more people will die today. The questions are how many, what the international response will be, and how Hamas will respond.
So far, rumours of an Israeli ground invasion have been just that --- rumours. If there is an escalation today, the consequences could be extreme, not just for Israel and Palestine, but potentially for the entire region which is at one of its most volatile points in recent history.