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Day 38 – Shaky Ceasefire Begins; Pro-Kurd, Pro-Israel Demos; Undiplomatic Khamenei

Today was the thirty-eighth day of Operation Protective Edge.

The Tower Today covered the violence marred start to a new five day ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. During the last hours of the previous ceasefire and the early hours of the new one, eight rockets and a number of mortars were fired from Gaza into Israel, causing property damage but no injuries. Israel said that it reserves the right to strike back for any further violations over the next five days.

In recent days, Pro-Kurdish and pro-Israel activists demonstrated together in both Washington D.C. and Tel Aviv.

In addition to stating his objections to rapprochement with the United States on anything other than Iran’s nuclear program, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei undercut his nation’s foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif. While Khamenei praised Zarif’s efforts in the nuclear talks he second guessed Zarif’s hopes to engage with the United States on other issues, “Some people were under the impression that sitting down to talk with America would solve all our problems. I knew that wouldn’t be the case…”

Israel Hayom reported that for the first time in history, the IDF has deployed unmanned transport vehicles to deliver supplies to troops in Gaza during Operation Protective Edge. These vehicles, usually called armored personnel carriers (APC), can deliver up to four tons of supplies. By directing the vehicles remotely delivering supplies endangers fewer soldiers.

Al Aqsa television, the official Hamas station and a designated terrorist organization, broadcast video of a Hamas workshop where terrorists were manufacturing M-75, medium range, rockets during a ceasefire last week. The M-75 is capable of reaching Tel Aviv.

France and Germany are set to follow America’s lead and offer support – humanitarian and military – to the Kurds in an effort to roll back the gains of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) in northern Iraq.

The Daily Beast listed Qods Force commander Qassem Suleimani’s five favorite Palestinian terror organizations. As we’ve seen in recent weeks Iran’s support for Palestinian terror is more than just rhetorical.

[Photo: Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs / Flickr ]