THE WORLD AT A GLANCE
Thousands turn out for burial of three Hamas commanders as IDF claims more than 300 rockets have been fired at Israel since ceasefire ended two days ago
The bodies of Mohammed Abu Shamaleh, Mohammed Barhoum and
Raed al-Attar were carried aloft through the crowd on stretchers wrapped
in green Hamas flags (main). Thousands of Palestinians marched
alongside, firing guns, waving flags of different militant groups and
chanting religious slogans. Sami Abu Zuhri, a Hamas spokesman, said
Israel 'will not succeed in breaking the will of our people or weaken
the resistance', adding that their enemies 'will pay the price.'
Meanwhile, Palestinian women (inset) mourned the deaths of members of
the Al-Reafi family who also died in Israeli air strikes.
Thousands of Palestinians marched through Gaza today firing guns, waving flags of different militant groups and chanting religious slogans in a funeral procession for three Hamas military leaders who were killed in an Israeli air strike.
The bodies of Mohammed Abu Shamaleh, Mohammed Barhoum and Raed al-Attar were carried aloft through the crowd on stretchers wrapped in green Hamas flags.
Sami Abu Zuhri, a Hamas spokesman, said Israel 'will not succeed in breaking the will of our people or weaken the resistance', adding that their enemies 'will pay the price.'
A spokesman for the Israeli Defence Force countered by claiming that Hamas militants had fired more than 300 rockets since the end of the ceasfire two days ago.
Israel said the trio had played a key role in expanding Hamas's military capabilities in recent years, including digging attack tunnels leading to Israel, training fighters and smuggling weapons to Gaza.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised the 'superior intelligence' of the Shin Bet security service and the military's 'precise execution' of the attack.
An Israeli defense official said that tens of thousands of reserve soldiers would be called up for duty later today.
About 2,000 reservists who were sent home about two weeks ago, when the violence appeared to have subsided, were called back for service yesterday.
Earlier, Israel's Ben Gurion international airport near Tel Aviv was placed on high alert following a warning by Hamas that it would be targeted.
In a televised address late on Wednesday, a spokesman for the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades had warned foreign airlines against flying into Tel Aviv from 6am (0400 BST) in a bid to disrupt air traffic.
But all flights were operating normally early today, officials said.
Ofer Lefler, spokesman for the Israel Airports Authority (IAA), told the AFP news agency that flights had been disrupted for a brief 10-minute pause but aside from that, everything was operating normally.
'There has been no change to take offs or landings. Flights were interrupted for 10 minutes for security reasons but I cannot give any details on that,' he said.
The strike near Rafah, a town in the southern part of the coastal territory, was one of 20 the Israeli military said it carried out after midnight on Wednesday.
Gaza police and medical officials said scores more people remained under the rubble of a four-story structure destroyed in the airstrike.
The three Hamas leaders are considered to be at the senior levels of its military leadership and were involved in a number of high profile attacks on Israeli targets.
Their deaths are likely to be a major blow to the organisation's morale and a significant scoop for Israeli intelligence.
The Israeli security agency Shin Bet confirmed the deaths of Shamaleh and al-Attar in an email, but did not mention Barhoum.
The strikes followed the breakdown of Egyptian-mediated talks in Cairo aimed at producing a long-term truce and a future roadmap for Gaza after more than a month of fighting between Israel and Hamas-led Islamic militants.
The Gaza war has so far killed more than 2,000 Palestinians, mostly civilians. Israel has lost 67 people, all but three of them soldiers.
Palestinian health official Ashraf Al-Kidra put the number of those missing at the site of eh Rafah airstrike in the 'dozens.'
Israel also hit at smuggling tunnels along the Gaza border with Egypt and at agricultural lands west of Rafah in the latest airstrikes.
Israel says the airstrikes are in response to a resumption of Hamas rocket fire that on Tuesday scuttled a six-day cease-fire.
The military says that only one rocket launch was registered since midnight, compared to more than 210 over the previous 30 hours.
On Wednesday, in the most spectacular Israeli strike since the cease-fire was breached, Hamas's shadowy military chief, Mohammed Deifm, was the object of an apparent assassination attempt that killed his wife and infant son.
After remaining quiet for most of the day Wednesday, Hamas officials announced that Deif was not in the targeted home at the time and was still alive. Deif has survived multiple assassination attempts, lives in hiding and is believed to be paralyzed from previous attempts on his life.
In a nationally televised address Wednesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu showed little willingness to return to the negotiating table after six weeks of war with Hamas.
'We are determined to continue the campaign with all means and as is needed,' he said, his defense minister by his side. 'We will not stop until we guarantee full security and quiet for the residents of the south and all citizens of Israel.'
The Egyptian Foreign Ministry expressed 'deep regret' over the breaking of the cease-fire.
It said in a statement Wednesday that it 'continues bilateral contacts' with both sides aimed at restoring calm and securing a lasting truce that 'serves the interest of the Palestinian people, especially in relation to the opening of the crossings and reconstruction.'
An Egyptian compromise proposal calls for easing the Gaza blockade but not lifting it altogether or opening the territory's air and seaports, as Hamas has demanded.
While the plan does not require Hamas to give up its weapons, it would give Western-backed Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, whose forces were ousted by Hamas, a foothold back in Gaza running border crossings and overseeing internationally backed reconstruction.
The Gaza blockade has greatly limited the movement of Palestinians in and out of the territory of 1.8 million people, restricted the flow of goods into Gaza and blocked virtually all exports.
Israel says the blockade is needed to prevent Hamas and other militant groups from getting weapons. Critics say the measures amount to collective punishment.
housands turn out for burial of three Hamas commanders as IDF claims more than 300 rockets have been fired at Israel since ceasefire ended two days ago
- Hamas leaders Mohammed Abu Shamaleh, Mohammed Barhoum and Raed al-Attar killed in strike in town of Rafah
- Considered to be senior figures in military wing and were involved in several high-profile attacks on Israeli targets
- Hamas warned foreign airlines against flying into Tel Aviv airport from 6am (4am BST) in a bid to disrupt air traffic
Thousands of Palestinians marched through Gaza today firing guns, waving flags of different militant groups and chanting religious slogans in a funeral procession for three Hamas military leaders who were killed in an Israeli air strike.
The bodies of Mohammed Abu Shamaleh, Mohammed Barhoum and Raed al-Attar were carried aloft through the crowd on stretchers wrapped in green Hamas flags.
Sami Abu Zuhri, a Hamas spokesman, said Israel 'will not succeed in breaking the will of our people or weaken the resistance', adding that their enemies 'will pay the price.'
A spokesman for the Israeli Defence Force countered by claiming that Hamas militants had fired more than 300 rockets since the end of the ceasfire two days ago.
Outpouring of emotion: Palestinians carry the
bodies of three senior Hamas commanders who were killed in an Israeli
air strike during their funeral in Rafah
Fury: Hamas supporters attend the funeral of
three senior military commanders - Mohammed Abu Shamaleh, Mohammed
Barhoum and Raed al-Attar - in Rafah
Show of solidarity: Thousands of Palestinians
took to the streets firing guns, waving flags of different militant
groups and chanting religious slogans
Up in arms: Sami Abu Zuhri, a Hamas spokesman,
said Israel 'will not succeed in breaking the will of our people or
weaken the resistance'
Laid to rest: A team of Palestinian first responders carry the body of one of three commanders into a cemetery for the burial
Taken out: A picture showing Raed al-Attar
(left) and Mohammed Abu Shamaleh (centre), who were killed in an Israeli
airstrike in Gaza. The third man (right) is Osama Abu Atah. The three
men are pictured in a Palestinian Authority Court in Gaza in 1999
The pre-dawn strike levelled a four-story
house in a densely populated neighborhood of the southern town of
Rafah, killing six people, including the three senior Hamas commanders. Israel said the trio had played a key role in expanding Hamas's military capabilities in recent years, including digging attack tunnels leading to Israel, training fighters and smuggling weapons to Gaza.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised the 'superior intelligence' of the Shin Bet security service and the military's 'precise execution' of the attack.
An Israeli defense official said that tens of thousands of reserve soldiers would be called up for duty later today.
Sorrow: The wife of Raed al-Attar (centre)
attends her husband's funeral and those of the other two senior Hamas
leaders killed in the air strike
Despair: A Palestinian man mourns the death of
their relative Rami Abu Nahel who was killed in an Israeli military
strike in Gaza
Grieving: Palestinian women mourn the deaths of members of the Al-Reafi family who died in an Israeli air strike in Gaza
Agony: Palestinians mourn the deaths of three children who medics say were killed in an Israeli air strike
About 2,000 reservists who were sent home about two weeks ago, when the violence appeared to have subsided, were called back for service yesterday.
Earlier, Israel's Ben Gurion international airport near Tel Aviv was placed on high alert following a warning by Hamas that it would be targeted.
In a televised address late on Wednesday, a spokesman for the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades had warned foreign airlines against flying into Tel Aviv from 6am (0400 BST) in a bid to disrupt air traffic.
But all flights were operating normally early today, officials said.
More destruction: Palestinian emergency services
dig through the rubble of a building destroyed by an Israeli military
strike in Rafah in the south of the Gaza Strip
Destroyed: Palestinians sift through rubble in
Rafah, where Islamic militant group Hamas said three of its senior
military leaders were killed by an Israeli air strike in Gaza
Ofer Lefler, spokesman for the Israel Airports Authority (IAA), told the AFP news agency that flights had been disrupted for a brief 10-minute pause but aside from that, everything was operating normally.
'There has been no change to take offs or landings. Flights were interrupted for 10 minutes for security reasons but I cannot give any details on that,' he said.
The strike near Rafah, a town in the southern part of the coastal territory, was one of 20 the Israeli military said it carried out after midnight on Wednesday.
Gaza police and medical officials said scores more people remained under the rubble of a four-story structure destroyed in the airstrike.
Blitzed: Six people were killed in the Rafah
strike and dozens of others remain trapped in the rubble of a
four-storey building targeted by Israel
Up in arms: Palestinian militants (left) hold
weapons aloft during a protest against Israeli airstrikes in the Gaza
strip (right) in the West Bank refugee camp of Jenin
The three Hamas leaders are considered to be at the senior levels of its military leadership and were involved in a number of high profile attacks on Israeli targets.
Their deaths are likely to be a major blow to the organisation's morale and a significant scoop for Israeli intelligence.
The Israeli security agency Shin Bet confirmed the deaths of Shamaleh and al-Attar in an email, but did not mention Barhoum.
The strikes followed the breakdown of Egyptian-mediated talks in Cairo aimed at producing a long-term truce and a future roadmap for Gaza after more than a month of fighting between Israel and Hamas-led Islamic militants.
The Gaza war has so far killed more than 2,000 Palestinians, mostly civilians. Israel has lost 67 people, all but three of them soldiers.
Palestinian health official Ashraf Al-Kidra put the number of those missing at the site of eh Rafah airstrike in the 'dozens.'
Carnage: Gaza police and medical officials said
scores more people remained under the rubble of a four-story structure
destroyed in the airstrike
The strikes followed the breakdown of
Egyptian-mediated talks in Cairo aimed at producing a long-term truce
and a roadmap for Gaza after more than a month of fighting
Elsewhere, another Israeli airstrike killed a 27-year-old man in central Gaza identified as Jomma Anwar Mayar, police said. Israel also hit at smuggling tunnels along the Gaza border with Egypt and at agricultural lands west of Rafah in the latest airstrikes.
Israel says the airstrikes are in response to a resumption of Hamas rocket fire that on Tuesday scuttled a six-day cease-fire.
The military says that only one rocket launch was registered since midnight, compared to more than 210 over the previous 30 hours.
On Wednesday, in the most spectacular Israeli strike since the cease-fire was breached, Hamas's shadowy military chief, Mohammed Deifm, was the object of an apparent assassination attempt that killed his wife and infant son.
After remaining quiet for most of the day Wednesday, Hamas officials announced that Deif was not in the targeted home at the time and was still alive. Deif has survived multiple assassination attempts, lives in hiding and is believed to be paralyzed from previous attempts on his life.
In a nationally televised address Wednesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu showed little willingness to return to the negotiating table after six weeks of war with Hamas.
'We are determined to continue the campaign with all means and as is needed,' he said, his defense minister by his side. 'We will not stop until we guarantee full security and quiet for the residents of the south and all citizens of Israel.'
The Egyptian Foreign Ministry expressed 'deep regret' over the breaking of the cease-fire.
Grounded: Planes sit on the tarmac at Ben Gurion
airport near Tel Aviv following a warning by Hamas that they will
target the site in a bid to disrupt air traffic
On alert: A sign directing passengers to a
shelter is placed at Ben Gurion International airport, which Hamas
warned would be targeted
On guard: A security officer leads a dog as they
patrol the entrance of Ben Gurion International airport, near the
Mediterranean Israeli coastal city of Tel Aviv
It said in a statement Wednesday that it 'continues bilateral contacts' with both sides aimed at restoring calm and securing a lasting truce that 'serves the interest of the Palestinian people, especially in relation to the opening of the crossings and reconstruction.'
An Egyptian compromise proposal calls for easing the Gaza blockade but not lifting it altogether or opening the territory's air and seaports, as Hamas has demanded.
While the plan does not require Hamas to give up its weapons, it would give Western-backed Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, whose forces were ousted by Hamas, a foothold back in Gaza running border crossings and overseeing internationally backed reconstruction.
The Gaza blockade has greatly limited the movement of Palestinians in and out of the territory of 1.8 million people, restricted the flow of goods into Gaza and blocked virtually all exports.
Israel says the blockade is needed to prevent Hamas and other militant groups from getting weapons. Critics say the measures amount to collective punishment.
HOW MUCH OF A ROLE DID QATAR PLAY IN THE GAZA PEACE TALKS COLLAPSE?
The
explosions rocking the Gaza Strip may seem far removed from the flashy
cars and skyscrapers of ultra-rich Qatar, but efforts to end fighting
between Hamas and Israel could hinge on how the tiny Gulf Arab state
wields its influence over a Palestinian militant group with few friends
left.
Qatar has been home to Hamas chief-in-exile Khaled Mashaal since 2012 and has carved out a role as a key financial patron for Gaza, buying influence while shoring up an economy overseen by Hamas.
That support is prompting accusations that Qatar helped scuttle a lasting truce in the monthlong Gaza war, piling on pressure as the U.S. ally finds itself increasingly isolated as larger Mideast powers marginalize Islamists following the Arab Spring.
An official from Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah movement suggested Wednesday that Qatar torpedoed the peace talks. After signs of progress last week, Hamas negotiators returned to the table after consultations in Qatar with new conditions — prompting a similar response by Israel, he said.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to discuss the negotiations publicly, said the experience indicated the Qataris 'have no interest' in seeing Egyptian-led talks succeed, and that Qatar and the Muslim Brotherhood are working together to undermine Egypt.
The London-based pan-Arabic newspaper Al-Hayat separately quoted a senior Fatah official saying Qatar threatened to expel Mashaal if Hamas accepted an Egyptian peace proposal.
It said Hamas demanded that Egypt grant Qatar a role in resolving the Gaza crisis, but Cairo rejected the idea until Qatar formally apologizes for its policies in Egypt since the military overthrow of Brotherhood-backed President Mohammed Morsi last summer.
Qatari officials could not be reached to comment on the claims. A Qatar-based spokesman for Hamas dismissed the Al-Hayat report as baseless and said it was an attempt to sabotage the negotiations.
'This is nonsense ... The nature of relations between Qatar and Hamas are not like that,' Hamas spokesman Husam Badran told The Associated Press.
Khaled al-Batsch, a representative of the Islamic Jihad militant group, also denied Qatari interference. 'We never felt at any point that there was a Qatari presence in the talks,' he said.
An Israeli government official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the matter with journalists, said he did not know if Qatar actively encouraged Hamas to take a hard line, but said Qatar was at least indirectly responsible for the talks' failure.
'Qatar unfortunately has been part of the problem. They are the major supporter of Hamas,' the Israeli official said.
Qatar at one point allowed an Israeli trade office to operate there — a rarity in the Arab world — before ordering it closed following a 2008 Israeli conflict with Hamas.
The outpost's former head, Eli Avidar, told the AP that he believes Qatar has 'enormous influence' over Hamas and has been pushing Mashaal to take a much more extreme position in negotiations.
'Right now Qatar is the main problem and definitely not part of the solution,' he wrote in an email.
'The ruling family in Qatar should understand that this is a dangerous game their emir is playing.'
But in a development reflecting both Qatar's significance and influence over Hamas, the Gulf country's news agency reported that Abbas arrived Wednesday in Doha, where he was due to hold talks with Mashaal and the emir.
It is hardly the first time Qatar has been accused of taking an unpopular stance in the region.
Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain recalled their ambassadors from Qatar in March, saying it failed to uphold its end of a security agreement to stop meddling in other nations' politics and backing groups threatening regional stability. Analysts widely saw that as a rebuke of Qatar's support for Islamist groups and its activist foreign policy, including its backing of the Al-Jazeera satellite network, which has nettled governments across the region.
Qatar's leaders reject suggestions that they are behind Hamas, and insist that the Gaza funding is intended for those who live there.
'Qatar does not support Hamas. Qatar supports the Palestinians,' Qatari Foreign Minister Khalid al-Attiyah told CNN in late July.
The former Qatari emir, Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, has at least publicly attempted to promote reconciliation between Hamas and the Western-backed Palestinian Authority that governs the West Bank. He brokered an interim unity government between Abbas and Hamas in early 2012, but that was never implemented.
Before the year was out, the emir traveled to Gaza, becoming the first head of state to visit the seaside territory since Hamas militants seized control in 2007. He launched more than $400 million worth of projects, including plans for housing, a hospital and roads, and called for Palestinian unity.
Khalil Shaheen, a political analyst in Ramallah, suggested the idea that Qatar is solely in Hamas' camp is overblown. He said it has also provided funding for Abbas' government and has not tried to tie its Gaza aid to Hamas' military activities.
'There never was a real crisis between Qatar and the Palestinian Authority even during the worst times between Fatah and Hamas,' Shaheen said.
He said Qatar wanted a role in the ceasefire talks based on its good relations with Hamas and to show that Egypt is 'not the only dominant player in the region.'
For the U.S., Qatar plays a role that it often can't by acting as a go-between with groups deemed unsavory by Washington. It earlier this year brokered the release of U.S. Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl in exchange for five Taliban operatives in Afghanistan.
U.S. State Dept. spokeswoman Marie Harf described the Qataris as 'a key partner' in the effort to forge a peace deal in Gaza earlier this week, before talks collapsed. Responding to questions about whether they support terrorism and Hamas, she said they play a key role in getting Hamas to agree to a cease-fire.
'We need countries that have leverage over the leaders of Hamas who can help get a cease-fire in place, and Qatar certainly plays that role,' she said.
Qatar has been home to Hamas chief-in-exile Khaled Mashaal since 2012 and has carved out a role as a key financial patron for Gaza, buying influence while shoring up an economy overseen by Hamas.
That support is prompting accusations that Qatar helped scuttle a lasting truce in the monthlong Gaza war, piling on pressure as the U.S. ally finds itself increasingly isolated as larger Mideast powers marginalize Islamists following the Arab Spring.
An official from Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah movement suggested Wednesday that Qatar torpedoed the peace talks. After signs of progress last week, Hamas negotiators returned to the table after consultations in Qatar with new conditions — prompting a similar response by Israel, he said.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to discuss the negotiations publicly, said the experience indicated the Qataris 'have no interest' in seeing Egyptian-led talks succeed, and that Qatar and the Muslim Brotherhood are working together to undermine Egypt.
The London-based pan-Arabic newspaper Al-Hayat separately quoted a senior Fatah official saying Qatar threatened to expel Mashaal if Hamas accepted an Egyptian peace proposal.
It said Hamas demanded that Egypt grant Qatar a role in resolving the Gaza crisis, but Cairo rejected the idea until Qatar formally apologizes for its policies in Egypt since the military overthrow of Brotherhood-backed President Mohammed Morsi last summer.
Qatari officials could not be reached to comment on the claims. A Qatar-based spokesman for Hamas dismissed the Al-Hayat report as baseless and said it was an attempt to sabotage the negotiations.
'This is nonsense ... The nature of relations between Qatar and Hamas are not like that,' Hamas spokesman Husam Badran told The Associated Press.
Khaled al-Batsch, a representative of the Islamic Jihad militant group, also denied Qatari interference. 'We never felt at any point that there was a Qatari presence in the talks,' he said.
An Israeli government official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the matter with journalists, said he did not know if Qatar actively encouraged Hamas to take a hard line, but said Qatar was at least indirectly responsible for the talks' failure.
'Qatar unfortunately has been part of the problem. They are the major supporter of Hamas,' the Israeli official said.
Qatar at one point allowed an Israeli trade office to operate there — a rarity in the Arab world — before ordering it closed following a 2008 Israeli conflict with Hamas.
The outpost's former head, Eli Avidar, told the AP that he believes Qatar has 'enormous influence' over Hamas and has been pushing Mashaal to take a much more extreme position in negotiations.
'Right now Qatar is the main problem and definitely not part of the solution,' he wrote in an email.
'The ruling family in Qatar should understand that this is a dangerous game their emir is playing.'
But in a development reflecting both Qatar's significance and influence over Hamas, the Gulf country's news agency reported that Abbas arrived Wednesday in Doha, where he was due to hold talks with Mashaal and the emir.
It is hardly the first time Qatar has been accused of taking an unpopular stance in the region.
Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain recalled their ambassadors from Qatar in March, saying it failed to uphold its end of a security agreement to stop meddling in other nations' politics and backing groups threatening regional stability. Analysts widely saw that as a rebuke of Qatar's support for Islamist groups and its activist foreign policy, including its backing of the Al-Jazeera satellite network, which has nettled governments across the region.
Qatar's leaders reject suggestions that they are behind Hamas, and insist that the Gaza funding is intended for those who live there.
'Qatar does not support Hamas. Qatar supports the Palestinians,' Qatari Foreign Minister Khalid al-Attiyah told CNN in late July.
The former Qatari emir, Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, has at least publicly attempted to promote reconciliation between Hamas and the Western-backed Palestinian Authority that governs the West Bank. He brokered an interim unity government between Abbas and Hamas in early 2012, but that was never implemented.
Before the year was out, the emir traveled to Gaza, becoming the first head of state to visit the seaside territory since Hamas militants seized control in 2007. He launched more than $400 million worth of projects, including plans for housing, a hospital and roads, and called for Palestinian unity.
Khalil Shaheen, a political analyst in Ramallah, suggested the idea that Qatar is solely in Hamas' camp is overblown. He said it has also provided funding for Abbas' government and has not tried to tie its Gaza aid to Hamas' military activities.
'There never was a real crisis between Qatar and the Palestinian Authority even during the worst times between Fatah and Hamas,' Shaheen said.
He said Qatar wanted a role in the ceasefire talks based on its good relations with Hamas and to show that Egypt is 'not the only dominant player in the region.'
For the U.S., Qatar plays a role that it often can't by acting as a go-between with groups deemed unsavory by Washington. It earlier this year brokered the release of U.S. Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl in exchange for five Taliban operatives in Afghanistan.
U.S. State Dept. spokeswoman Marie Harf described the Qataris as 'a key partner' in the effort to forge a peace deal in Gaza earlier this week, before talks collapsed. Responding to questions about whether they support terrorism and Hamas, she said they play a key role in getting Hamas to agree to a cease-fire.
'We need countries that have leverage over the leaders of Hamas who can help get a cease-fire in place, and Qatar certainly plays that role,' she said.
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