Today was the thirty-second day of Operation Protective Edge.
Today The Tower covered Hamas’ immediate abrogation of the Egyptian sponsored 72-hour ceasefire immediately upon its expiration. Hamas fired at least 35 rockets towards Israel, three of which were reported intercepted by the Iron Dome system. Two of the rockets crashed into Gaza. Two Israelis were injured by the barrage.
72 hr ceasefire advanced #Israel interests in multiple ways. One not being discussed enough: shows Hamas can stop rockets when they want.
— Omri Ceren (@cerenomri) August 8, 2014
A reporter who had been stationed in Gaza, Christian Stephen, who was interviewed by The Jerusalem Post, said that Hamas wanted reporters to “only show the damage.” Of ten journalists whose experience were sought by the Post, Stephen was the only one who agreed to be interviewed demonstrating the intimidation that reporters are subjected to by Hamas.
Amb Prosor's letter to the Security council: Calls for Council to condemn Hamas for violating another cease-fire pic.twitter.com/IMk4Hhr1wt
— Israel Mission to UN (@IsraelinUN) August 8, 2014
A BBC statistician concluded that the casualty figures for Gaza provided by the United Nations were not sufficient to prove that Israel had attacked Gaza “indiscriminately.” Anthony Reuben concluded that based on the proportion of men to women killed “some of the conclusions … may be premature.” Rueben’s analysis is consistent with one published yesterday by The New York T imes.
Please RETWEET: BBC and the New York Times admit Gazan civilian casualty stats not credible http://t.co/3hFCvqx15s
— Andreas Fagerbakke (@afagerbakke) August 8, 2014
In the wake of gains made by the Islamic State of Iraq and Shams (ISIS) in northern Iraq, analysts are calling for greater American support for the Kurds. For example, Michael Knights of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy wrote, “The Kurds control the only intact forces in Iraq and have a history of confronting and defeating Salafi terrorist groups in northern Iraq.”
Isis takes Iraq’s largest Christian town as residents told – 'leave, convert or die' http://t.co/Umy9kkqeuo
— Danny Gold (@DGisSERIOUS) August 7, 2014
In addition to the Kurds and Yazidis, ISIS threatens Iraq’s Christians, one of the oldest Christian communities in the world. This week ISIS overran Qaraqosh, the largest Christian city in Iraq, forcing thousands more Christians from their home.
Egyptian columnist Dina Sharaf al-Din: Hamas are idiots and cowards; don't know meaning of humanity. http://t.co/bDwpVf6l55
— Khaled Abu Toameh (@KhaledAbuToameh) August 8, 2014
Israel21C reports that Israeli social workers use a “huggy dog” called Hibuki to help children cope the trauma of being subjected to rocket attacks. The idea came from 2006 when residents of northern Israel were subjected to hundreds of rockets fired at them from Hezbollah in Lebanon. Tel Aviv University Prof. Avi Sadeh and his student Shai Hen-Gal developed the strategy of turning a child into the doll’s “protector.”
[Photo: DW (English) / YouTube ]