Israel-Gaza live: Egypt mediates ceasefire to end Israel's assault on Gaza

Good morning MEE readers,

The fourth day of Israel's offensive in Gaza began with a tense calm as the prospect of a ceasefire grew overnight. 

After heavy Israeli bombardment throughout Thursday, Palestinian armed groups launched hundreds of long-range rockets, with dozens of them falling in southern Israel and Tel Aviv suburbs. 

At least 30 Palestinians have been killed in the Israeli shelling so far, with nearly 100 more wounded. Palestinian rockets killed one Israeli and wounded at least seven others. 

After the rockets, the Palestinian Joint Command, an umbrella body of armed factions in Gaza, including Hamas and the Islamic Jihad, said rockets would continue if Israel did not stop targeting civilian homes. 

Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the offensive would continue for as long as necessary.

Israeli fight jets continued to pummel Gaza overnight but largely left little damage and a few injuries. 

The relative quiet overnight has boosted hopes that a ceasefire could be brokered soon. Media reports suggest that Egypt has resumed efforts to mediate a truce between the Israelis and the Palestinians after earlier indirect talks failed to end hostilities. 

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Hello MEE readers,

As the third day of Israeli air strikes on Gaza concluded with the Palestinian death toll reaching 29 people, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said its offensive would continue for as long as necessary.

Several leaders of Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), the second-largest armed group operating in Gaza, have been killed in the Israeli bombardment. And Gaza's Joint Operations Room, the umbrella body of armed factions in Gaza that includes PIJ, said that it would continue to respond to the attacks.

Hundreds of rockets have been launched from Gaza into Israel, with at least one Israeli citizen having been killed.

"We will not retreat and the assassinations will only make us stronger. Our revenge continues," Islamic Jihad said in a communique.

The US State Department commenting on the escalation said the casualties are “tragic and heartbreaking”.

Washington called on both sides “to take prudent steps to ensure the loss of civilian life is prevented and that steps are taken to ensure that violence is reduced”. But in its message, the US referenced the Israeli government and the Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority, of which neither Hamas nor Palestinian Islamic Jihad fall under.

And despite early reports of a potential ceasefire and international calls to end the fighting, the Egyptian foreign minister said on Thursday that the current prospects for a negotiated peace are wary and circumspect.

"Egypt's efforts to calm things down and resume the political process have not yet borne fruit," Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry told reporters.

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The Israeli prime minister's office has issued a statement following a security assessment, saying that Israel will “continue to make Islamic Jihad pay a heavy price for its aggression against Israeli citizens”.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Yoav Gallant added that the operation would continue for as long as necessary, as reported by Haaretz.

One Palestinian has been killed in the latest Israeli air strike that hit northern Gaza on Thursday night, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.

The individual was brought to the Indonesia Hospital in Gaza, where they were pronounced dead.

Earlier today, an Israeli air strike hit the area of Khan Younis in Gaza, killing several people.

Middle East Eye spoke to several people who had witnessed the strikes, including two children, who shared the horrors of witnessing their family members under the rubble caused by the explosion.

"I was in my room sleeping with my mama and sister when I heard the sound of the bombing. I was scared. I opened my eyes, started crying and ran to mama," said Tasneem al-Dahdouh, the niece of Abdallah Nakhala, who lives next to the Palestinian Islamic Jihad commander Ali Ghali who was killed in the strike.

'I'm still scared of playing with my friends outdoors'

- Tasneem al-Dahdouh

"I cried a lot when I saw my uncle, Abdul Karim [Abdallah's younger brother], under the rubble. I'm still scared of playing with my friends outdoors," said Dahdouh, who is nine years old. Abdul Karim was slightly injured in the strike after a wall collapsed on him.

Wissam al-Hindi, a 41-year-old father of four, lives on the 4th floor, directly under the flat that was bombed. Also asleep at the time of the strike, he woke to the sight and sound of stones falling on him and his wife. He quickly went to see his daughter, Maya, in her room.

"Many stones fell on her. She had a lot of bruises. The sight of the rubble was terrifying. I still don't know how she got out from under the rubble alive," Hindi said."She had two stitches in the head. Thanks to Allah our wounds were light."

Hindi's six-year-old son, Mahmoud, who was sleeping in his parents' room, woke to the sound of her sister Maya crying.

"When I saw my sister, Maya, I cried a lot. My elder sister carried me on the street while running to our relatives’ house. The ambulance took baba and Maya," Mahmoud told MEE.

"I was scared as they went to the hospital. I was deeply sad when I saw Maya’s wounds. I can’t play with her now as she is in pain. I'm still afraid of going to buy chips from a grocery and going back to our house. My toys, school books, and jacket were ruined by the bombing."

Maya, who was crying from pain, wasn't able to speak about what happened.

Palestinian armed groups launched heavy rocket barrages towards Israel for the second time within hours, triggering sirens in central and south Israel.

The Israeli military said on Twitter the Tel Aviv area was being struck with a barrage of rockets, while similar attacks were reported in Sderot, Netivot and Ashkelon. 

There are no immediate reports of injuries or damage.

At least 800 rockets have been fired from Gaza towards Israel since Wednesday, with only 179 being intercepted, according to the Israeli military. Earlier on Thursday, rockets killed one Israeli, wounded seven others and damaged several buildings across Israel. 

A Middle East Eye contributor said in a new column on Thursday that the brief spell of unity the attack on Gaza has provoked in Israel won't last for the long term.

"Although there is no proof that Israel’s latest aggression is a direct consequence of its profound internal turmoil, the state’s diminishing power of deterrence can certainly be attributed to the current political climate and domestic crisis. Consequently, the aggression must be considered within this context.

"Should this aggressive strategy prove fruitful from an Israeli standpoint, the primary political beneficiary will be Netanyahu, whose approval ratings are poised to climb. 

"But this popularity boost will not hold for the long term, nor will it ensure the longevity of Netanyahu’s government, given the deep-rooted domestic conflicts and ongoing public demonstrations. It will not ultimately extricate Netanyahu from his most pressing challenges. And at the same time, polls have shown that the confidence of Israeli citizens in opposition leader Benny Gantz is growing."

Read more: Gaza: Israel's unity over new aggression won't last

Gaza's Joint Operations Room has warned that Israel is "miscalculating" with its targeted attacks on the besieged enclave

The umbrella body of armed factions in Gaza said it mourned the deaths of senior Islamic Jihad leaders and others killed in Israeli bombardment and would continue to respond to the attacks.

"Our revenge continues, and the heavy hand of the resistance is capable of inflicting pain on the enemy," read the statement.

Rockets fired from Gaza towards Israel have killed one person and wounded seven others, the first casualties in Israel since the start the offensive on Tuesday.

The European Union said it was "deeply concerned" by the violence in Gaza and the "unacceptable" death of civilians, including children.

At least 28 Palestinians have been killed in three days of fighting, including at least six children. One person has been killed in Israel.

"The EU is deeply alarmed by this new round of violence and the deteriorating security situation in the occupied Palestinian territories and Israel, and by ongoing developments in an around Gaza, which has claimed unacceptable civilian casualties including children," the bloc said in a statement. 

"We urge an immediate comprehensive ceasefire which will end Israeli military operations in Gaza and current rocket firing against Israel, which is unacceptable. International humanitarian law must be respected."

At least one Israeli was killed after rockets launched by Palestinian groups in Gaza hit a building in central Israel. 

A heavy salvo was fired from the besieged Strip towards several cities in Israel, including Rehovot, Ramla, Ashkelon, Sderot, and other towns in southern Israel. 

A number of buildings were directly hit in Sderot and Rehovot. 

One person was killed in Rehovot and at least seven others were wounded. 

A salvo of rockets was launched from Gaza towards central Israel for the first time on Thursday, targeting cities near Tel Aviv. 

A four-storey building was directly hit in Rehovot city, leaving significant damage in the area.

Israeli medics said at least two people were wounded from the rocket barrage, which targeted Rehovot and Ramla.

Another barrage of rockets at Ashkelon and other southern towns and cities was launched shortly after. 

On Monday night, Tamim Daoud, a four-year old Palestinian boy, went to bed at home in al-Remal, a neighbourhood in the centre of the Gaza Strip.

Daoud, who was eagerly awaiting his fifth birthday next month, was woken along with his family at 2am by the sound of Israeli bombs. 

The sound of the bombing was deafening, and even after the air strikes had finished the Daoud family’s building still reverberated. Windows had been shattered. The neighbourhood was blasted apart. 

Tamim wept heavily. He was having a panic attack. His mother Lina, 29, who is eight months pregnant, tried to soothe him back to sleep but the boy continued to cry. He grew short of breath, gasping desperately to take in air.

In the end, Tamim returned to sleep. But about five hours later, he began to struggle again. He experienced another panic attack.

“I rushed him to the hospital,” his father said. “But his heart stopped functioning on the way there.”

At the hospital, Tamim received medical treatment, but his heartbeat was very faint. “My son was admitted to the intensive care unit. The doctors told me that he died at dawn,” Mohammed told MEE.

The father paused. “My little son’s heart could not bear the horror of the bombing.” 

Read more: 'His heart couldn't bear it': Palestinian boy dies after panic attack from bombing

An Israeli air strike in the Gaza Strip killed two more people, taking the total death toll to 28 since Tuesday, as heavy Israeli shelling continues for a third day. 

The latest deadly raid struck a residential home in the Shujaiya neighbourhood, northeastern Gaza, local and medical sources have said.

Meanwhile, expulsions have continued to ring out throughout the day across the besieged enclave as ceasefire talks have stalled. 

The Israeli military said 547 rockets were fired from the Gaza Strip toward Israel since Wednesday, whith at least 219 of them falling inside Israel.

Some damages to roads and properties were reported in Israeli cities near the frontier with Gaza as a result.   

There have been no reports of casualties from the rockets. 

Meanwhile, the Israeli military said it struck 166 targets in the besieged strip since Tuesday.