DEVELOPMENTS
— Israeli President Shimon Peres said the killing of Palestinian civilians by air raids on Gaza presents a moral dilemma, but argued there is scant alternative as long as the Islamic militants who rule the strip refuse to stop firing rockets at Israel. “There is a moral problem, but I don’t have a moral answer to it,” the 1994 Nobel Peace laureate said. “If they are shooting at us, and don’t let our mothers and their children … have a full night’s sleep, what can we do?”
— Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu fired Deputy Defense Minister Danny Danon, one of his fiercest critics. Netanyahu said that by attacking the government at a time of war, Danon played into the hands of Hamas.
Associated Press
Israel resumed its bombardment of Gaza on Tuesday and warned that Hamas “would pay the price” after the Islamic militant group rejected an Egyptian truce plan and instead unleashed more rocket barrages at the Jewish state.
Late Tuesday, the military urged tens of thousands of residents of northern and eastern Gaza to leave their homes by this morning, presumably a prelude to air strikes there.
Rocket fire from militants killed an Israeli man who was delivering food to soldiers near the border with Gaza. It was the first Israeli fatality in eight days of fighting.
In Gaza, 197 people have been killed and close to 1,500 wounded so far, Palestinian officials said, making it the deadliest Israel-Hamas confrontation in just over five years.
The Egyptian proposal, initially accepted by Israel, had been the first attempt to end the fighting.
It unraveled in less than a day, a sign that it may be harder than before to reach a truce. Hamas does not trust Egypt’s current rulers, who deposed a Hamas-friendly government in Cairo a year ago.
Hamas believes it has little to lose by continuing to fight, while a truce with unfavorable terms could further weaken its grip on the Gaza Strip, a territory it seized in 2007.
Underscoring that position, Gaza militants fired more than 120 rockets and mortar rounds at Israel on Tuesday.
A particularly heavy barrage came around dusk, with more than 40 rockets hitting Israel in just a few minutes, including one that fell on an empty school. TV footage showed children cowering behind a wall in Tel Aviv’s main square as sirens went off.
Hamas’ defiance prompted Israeli warnings. In an evening address aired live on TV, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that after Hamas’ rejection of the truce, Israel had “no choice” but to respond more forcefully.
“Hamas chose to continue fighting and will pay the price for that decision,” he said. “When there is no cease-fire, our answer is fire.”
After holding its fire for six hours, the Israeli air force resumed its bombardment of Gaza, launching 33 strikes starting at midafternoon, the military said. In all, Israeli aircraft have struck close to 1,700 times since July 8, while Gaza militants fired more than 1,200 rockets at Israel.
Netanyahu said Israel wants a diplomatic solution, but would keep attacking until the rocket fire stops and Hamas’ military capabilities are diminished. The Israeli leader said he would “widen and increase” the campaign against Hamas, but it remains unclear if that will include a ground offensive.
Israel has warned it might send troops into Gaza and has massed thousands of soldiers on the border. However, entering Gaza would likely drive up casualties on both sides. Israel has hesitated in the past to embark on ground operations for fear of getting entangled in the densely populated territory of 1.7 million.
In Washington, State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said Israel has the right to defend itself, but that “no one wants to see a ground war.”
“Our effort remains focused on seeing if we can return to a cease-fire,” she said.
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