{"id":17983,"date":"2014-08-29T17:32:40","date_gmt":"2014-08-29T23:32:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/?p=17983"},"modified":"2014-08-29T17:37:10","modified_gmt":"2014-08-29T23:37:10","slug":"cease-fire-marks-end-to-israels-longest-bloodiest-war-in-gaza","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/cease-fire-marks-end-to-israels-longest-bloodiest-war-in-gaza\/","title":{"rendered":"Cease-fire marks end to Israel\u2019s longest, bloodiest war in Gaza"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"color: #222222;\">By BEN SALES<\/p>\n<p style=\"color: #222222;\">TEL AVIV (JTA) \u2014 A rocket barrage fell on Israel, a boom sounded over Tel Aviv and then it was over \u2014 at least for now.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_17984\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><a title=\"Destruction in Gaza\" href=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/F140826EN005.jpg\" target=\"_blank\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-17984\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-17984 lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/F140826EN005-300x206.jpg\" alt=\"Palestinians viewing a building in Gaza City witnesses said was destroyed by an Israeli airstrike, Aug. 26, 2014. (Emad Nassar\/Flash90\/JTA)\" width=\"300\" height=\"206\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/F140826EN005-300x206.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/F140826EN005-1024x705.jpg 1024w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 300px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 300\/206;\" \/><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-17984\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-17984\" src=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/F140826EN005-300x206.jpg\" alt=\"Palestinians viewing a building in Gaza City witnesses said was destroyed by an Israeli airstrike, Aug. 26, 2014. (Emad Nassar\/Flash90\/JTA)\" width=\"300\" height=\"206\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/F140826EN005-300x206.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/F140826EN005-1024x705.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/noscript><\/a><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-17984\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Palestinians viewing a building in Gaza City witnesses said was destroyed by an Israeli airstrike, Aug. 26, 2014. (Emad Nassar\/Flash90\/JTA)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p style=\"color: #222222;\">After 50 days of missiles, airstrikes, ground operations, tunnel incursions, truce talks, cease-fire proposals, death and destruction, Israel and Hamas agreed to an open-ended truce on Tuesday.<\/p>\n<p style=\"color: #222222;\">The cease-fire announced by Egypt stipulates that Israel and Egypt will open all border crossings to allow international humanitarian\u00a0aid and construction materials to enter the Gaza Strip.<\/p>\n<p style=\"color: #222222;\">The agreement requires Israel and Hamas to cease hostilities but, according to reports, does not include commitments to allow an international\u00a0airport and seaport in Gaza. After a month, should the quiet hold, Israel and Hamas will restart indirect negotiations in Cairo on easing Israel\u2019s blockade of the coastal strip and disarming the enclave.<\/p>\n<p style=\"color: #222222;\">The end of the operation should not include &#8220;any significant political achievements for Hamas, which is a terrorist organization which doesn&#8217;t accept our existence here,\u201d said Tzipi Livni, Israel\u2019s justice minister.<\/p>\n<p style=\"color: #222222;\">\u202aLivni added that the truce should be &#8220;part of an overall accord with those who seek peace.&#8221;<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_17985\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><a title=\"Watching rockets\" href=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/F140825YS61.jpg\" target=\"_blank\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-17985\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-17985 lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/F140825YS61-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"Israeli youths sitting on a bluff in southern Israel near the Gaza border watch as Gazans fire rockets into Israel, Aug. 25, 2014. (Yonatan Sindel\/Flash90\/JTA)\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/F140825YS61-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/F140825YS61-1024x682.jpg 1024w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 300px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 300\/200;\" \/><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-17985\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-17985\" src=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/F140825YS61-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"Israeli youths sitting on a bluff in southern Israel near the Gaza border watch as Gazans fire rockets into Israel, Aug. 25, 2014. (Yonatan Sindel\/Flash90\/JTA)\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/F140825YS61-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/F140825YS61-1024x682.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/noscript><\/a><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-17985\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Israeli youths sitting on a bluff in southern Israel near the Gaza border watch as Gazans fire rockets into Israel, Aug. 25, 2014. (Yonatan Sindel\/Flash90\/JTA)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p style=\"color: #222222;\">Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel had not spoken publicly or released a statement about the cease-fire as of press time. Two days prior, though, during a Cabinet meeting, he said: &#8220;We embarked on Operation Protective Edge in order to restore quiet and security to you and to all Israeli citizens. The more determined and patient we are, the more our enemies will understand that they will not succeed in wearing us down.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p style=\"color: #222222;\">The agreement is the culmination of Egyptian-led cease-fire efforts that have been ongoing throughout the conflict. Earlier this month, Israel and Hamas had agreed to a string of temporary cease-fires. The lull ended with Hamas rocket fire on Israel last week.<\/p>\n<p style=\"color: #222222;\">The fighting is Israel\u2019s third major conflict with Hamas since 2008, following conflicts in 2008\u201309 and 2012. This one, however, was the longest and costliest between the sides since Israel withdrew from Gaza in 2005.<\/p>\n<p style=\"color: #222222;\">More than 2,000 Palestinians and 70 Israelis died in the latest conflict, which wounded more than 10,000 Gazans and 500 Israelis, according to Israel&#8217;s Foreign Ministry. Also, 20 Palestinians died in protests in the West Bank against\u00a0Israel&#8217;s\u00a0operation, according to a report in the Guardian.<\/p>\n<p style=\"color: #222222;\">The fighting created ghost towns across Israel&#8217;s South and devastated Gaza, destroying thousands of homes. Israeli forces delivered a punishing blow to Hamas during the conflict, with airstrikes destroying thousands of rockets and ground troops eliminating much of its tunnel infrastructure both under the Israel-Gaza border and across Gaza.<\/p>\n<p style=\"color: #222222;\">Last week, an Israeli airstrike killed three senior Hamas commanders. The chief of Hamas\u2019 military wing, Mohammed Deif, may have been killed in a separate attack last week.<\/p>\n<p style=\"color: #222222;\">Israel\u2019s aggressive military tactics, along with a high Palestinian civilian death toll, drew widespread international criticism. Last month, the United Nations Human Rights Council said it would send a fact-finding mission to investigate possible war crimes committed during the fighting. Israel has indicated that it likely would not cooperate with the investigation, alleging anti-Israel bias.<\/p>\n<p style=\"color: #222222;\">Even the United States, an Israel ally, issued harsh criticism following an Israeli airstrike that hit a United Nations school on Aug. 3,\u00a0and tightened its controls on weapons shipments to Israel. American assistance to Israel continued during the conflict, though, as the U.S. approved an added $225 million for Israel\u2019s Iron Dome missile defense system.<\/p>\n<p style=\"color: #222222;\">On Tuesday, State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said the U.S. \u201cstrongly supports\u201d the cease-fire.<\/p>\n<p style=\"color: #222222;\">&#8220;We view this as an opportunity, not a certainty,&#8221; Psaki said, according to reports. &#8220;Today&#8217;s agreement comes after many hours and days of negotiations and discussions. But certainly there&#8217;s a long road ahead. And we&#8217;re aware of that and we&#8217;re going into this eyes wide open.&#8221;<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_17986\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><a title=\"Palestinians mourning\" href=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/F140821EN051.jpg\" target=\"_blank\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-17986\" class=\"wp-image-17986 size-medium lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/F140821EN051-300x189.jpg\" alt=\"Relatives of three Palestinian boys killed by an Israeli airstrike visiting their bodies at the morgue of al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City, Aug. 21, 2014. (Emad Nassar\/Flash90\/JTA)\" width=\"300\" height=\"189\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/F140821EN051-300x189.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/F140821EN051-1024x647.jpg 1024w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 300px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 300\/189;\" \/><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-17986\" class=\"wp-image-17986 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/F140821EN051-300x189.jpg\" alt=\"Relatives of three Palestinian boys killed by an Israeli airstrike visiting their bodies at the morgue of al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City, Aug. 21, 2014. (Emad Nassar\/Flash90\/JTA)\" width=\"300\" height=\"189\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/F140821EN051-300x189.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/F140821EN051-1024x647.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/noscript><\/a><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-17986\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Relatives of three Palestinian boys killed by an Israeli airstrike visiting their bodies at the morgue of al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City, Aug. 21, 2014. (Emad Nassar\/Flash90\/JTA)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p style=\"color: #222222;\">Hamas saw many of its attempted attacks on Israel frustrated. Iron Dome intercepted nearly all of the rockets Hamas aimed at city centers, and the Israel Defense Forces stopped Hamas\u2019 infiltrations into Israel close to the border.<\/p>\n<p style=\"color: #222222;\">Nevertheless, Hamas killed 64 Israeli soldiers in Israel\u2019s ground invasion of Gaza &#8212; the highest death toll for Israel since the Second Lebanon War in 2006 &#8212; in addition to six civilians.<\/p>\n<p style=\"color: #222222;\">Despite being ineffective, Hamas rockets proved to have an increasingly long range \u2014 mortar fire reached nearly all of Israel for the first time. While residents of Tel Aviv and Jerusalem were able to largely carry on with life under the protection of Iron Dome, they found themselves running for shelter daily at the sound of warning sirens, an experience that had previously been largely confined to southern Israel.<\/p>\n<p style=\"color: #222222;\">And Hamas rocket fire last month on central Israel led a number of international airlines to cancel flights to and from Israel for two days, leaving Israelis feeling isolated. The U.S. Federal Aviation Authority instituted a 24-hour ban on flights to Israel, which some criticized as unwarranted. Hamas celebrated the cancellations in a statement\u00a0Tuesday\u00a0as an \u201cair blockade.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"color: #222222;\">The conflict began on\u00a0July 8\u00a0following a barrage of Hamas rockets on Israel. Tensions between the sides had risen after Hamas operatives in the West Bank kidnapped and murdered three Israeli teens on\u00a0June 12. Israeli troops swept the West Bank in the ensuing weeks, arresting hundreds of Hamas members, according to Israel. The July 2 kidnapping and murder of a Palestinian teen, who was burned alive by a group of Israeli extremists in a likely revenge attack,\u00a0further stoked the flames.<\/p>\n<p style=\"color: #222222;\">Israel began its campaign with airstrikes across Gaza, targeting Hamas weapons and infrastructure but also killing hundreds of civilians. But following Hamas attempts to infiltrate Israel by tunnel and sea, Israel launched a ground invasion of Gaza on July 17\u00a0that lasted two weeks.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_17988\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><a title=\"Mourning the dead in Israel\" href=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/F140821HP18.jpg\" target=\"_blank\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-17988\" class=\"wp-image-17988 size-medium lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/F140821HP18-300x200.jpg\" alt=\".\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/F140821HP18-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/F140821HP18-1024x682.jpg 1024w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 300px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 300\/200;\" \/><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-17988\" class=\"wp-image-17988 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/F140821HP18-300x200.jpg\" alt=\".\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/F140821HP18-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/F140821HP18-1024x682.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/noscript><\/a><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-17988\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Israeli soldiers attending a ceremony at the Mount Herzl Military Cemetery in Jerusalem honoring Lee Matt, who died in July while fighting in Gaza, Aug. 21, 2014. (Hadas Parush\/Flash90\/JTA)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p style=\"color: #222222;\">The ground operation ended as Israel and Hamas agreed to the first in a string of temporary cease-fires. During the calm, the sides engaged in Egyptian-mediated negotiations begun early in the conflict on a long-term truce. But the talks ended Aug. 19 without an agreement as Hamas resumed rocket fire.<\/p>\n<p style=\"color: #222222;\">As in previous conflicts, a vast majority of Israelis supported the operation, with 95 percent of Israeli Jews in favor, according to the Israel Democracy Institute. But the conflict also opened divisions within Israel\u2019s governing coalition, as more hawkish ministers called for the IDF to deal a harsher blow to Hamas and opposed the various cease-fires. Residents of the South, who have withstood rocket fire for more than a decade, also have called for a continued operation.<\/p>\n<p style=\"color: #222222;\">&#8220;Any concession to Hamas is a surrender to terrorism,&#8221; Ashkelon Mayor Itamar Shimoni said Tuesday, according to Haaretz. &#8220;The residents of the South wanted to see this campaign resolved, but that will probably not happen.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div style=\"padding-bottom:20px; padding-top:10px;\" class=\"hupso-share-buttons\"><!-- Hupso Share Buttons - https:\/\/www.hupso.com\/share\/ --><a class=\"hupso_toolbar\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hupso.com\/share\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-src=\"https:\/\/static.hupso.com\/share\/buttons\/share-medium.png\" style=\"border:0px; padding-top: 5px; float:left;\" alt=\"Share Button\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" class=\"lazyload\" \/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/static.hupso.com\/share\/buttons\/share-medium.png\" style=\"border:0px; padding-top: 5px; float:left;\" alt=\"Share Button\"\/><\/noscript><\/a><script type=\"text\/javascript\">var hupso_services_t=new Array(\"Twitter\",\"Facebook\",\"Google Plus\",\"Pinterest\",\"Linkedin\",\"Tumblr\",\"Email\");var hupso_background_t=\"#EAF4FF\";var hupso_border_t=\"#66CCFF\";var hupso_toolbar_size_t=\"medium\";var hupso_image_folder_url = \"\";var hupso_url_t=\"\";var hupso_title_t=\"Cease-fire%20marks%20end%20to%20Israel%E2%80%99s%20longest%2C%20bloodiest%20war%20in%20Gaza\";<\/script><script type=\"text\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/static.hupso.com\/share\/js\/share_toolbar.js\"><\/script><!-- Hupso Share Buttons --><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":17984,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[1016,663,40,8781,8790,8795,8788,946],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17983"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17983"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17983\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17991,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17983\/revisions\/17991"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/17984"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17983"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17983"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17983"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}