Death toll of strikes climbs to 23

On Monday 3 Palestinian civilians have been killed Gaza – Mohammed Habib Israeli war planes struck at the Gaza Strip and Palestinians fired more rockets against southern Israel Monday in a fourth day of hostilities in which 23 Palestinians have been killed. Egyptian efforts to broker a cease fire appeared to be stuck over a demand by the Islamic Jihad group that Israel first promise not to target the group leaders for future attack. The violence also drew condemnation from US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and United Nations Secretary-General Ban ki-Moon, who called for restraint. The Arab League also urged the United Nations to intervene and stop the conflict.
Israel has continued the military offensive on the Gaza Strip, which it initiated on Friday evening. On Monday 3 Palestinian civilians (a child and an old man and his daughter) have been killed and 36 others, including 19 children and 7 women, have been wounded. Two members of resistance have been killed, and two others have been also wounded by a series of Israeli air strikes.  Thus, the number of Palestinians killed since the beginning of this offensive has risen to 23 and the number of those wounded has risen to 73, most of them civilians.  
On Monday an Israeli warplane fired a missile at an agricultural plot on Oujan Street in the east of al-Shujaaiya neighborhood in the east of Gaza City.  A number of nearby houses were damaged, and Ahlam Arraf Jundiya, 18, was injured in her forehead by fragments of glass while she was at home.  
An Israeli warplane also fired a missile at a house belonging to Bahjat Mohammed Hammad near Jabalya Martyrs Elementary School in ‘Izbat ‘Abed Rabbu in the northern Gaza Strip town of Jabalya.  The missile hit the first floor of the three-storey house, where 9 individuals, including 3 children live.  As a result, the house was completely destroyed and 7 members of the family, including 3 children and 3 women, were wounded.  Eighteen neighboring houses were also affected by the missile, 3 of them sustained heavy damages.  Twelve members of the Abu al-Eish family, including 3 children and two women, and 7 members of the Sukkar family, including 5 children, were also wounded.  The houses of the two families are adjacent to the targeted house.   
On Monday too an Israeli warplane fired a missile at Hamada Salman Ahmed Abu Mutlaq, 20, from Abassan village east of Khan Yunis, a member of the al-Quds Brigades, the armed wing of Islamic Jihad,  when he was near Abu Bakr al-Siddiq Mosque in Abassan village.  Abu Mutlaq was instantly killed by shrapnel throughout the body.  Additionally, windows of three nearby houses were destroyed, injuring the head of two-year-old Muhannad Eyad Abu Hamad.
Three members of the al-Quds Brigades, the armed wing of Islamic Jihad, who were traveling on a 3-wheel motorcycle near al-Radwan Mosque in al-Qarara village, northeast of Khan Yunis were hit by Israeli missile.  One of the members of resistance, Raafat Jawad Adeeb Abu Eid, 25, was killed by shrapnel throughout the body, while the two other members of resistance were wounded; one of them is in a serious condition as his legs were amputated.  
A gathering of Palestinian civilians, mostly children, near al-Khuzondar fuel station in the west of the northern Gaza Strip town of Jabalya were hit by missiles.  As a result, Nayef Shaaban Nayef Qarmout, 14, was killed, and another 5 children were wounded by shrapnel.
Another Israeli warplane fired a missile at Mohammed Mustafa al-Hussoumi, 65, and his daughter Faiza, 30, when they were on their agricultural plot near Tal al-Zaatar School in the northern Gaza Strip town of Beit Lahia.  The old man was instantly killed, and his daughter died a few minutes after her admission in Kamal Edwan Hospital in Beit Lahia.
For its part, Hamas movement in Gaza said on Sunday neighbouring Egypt was working to stop the violence and consulting with other militants. A Palestinian official close to the mediation told Reuters Israel had agreed to a midnight ceasefire. But Islamic Jihad said any truce should include an undertaking by Israel “to end assassinations”.
The exchanges began after two chiefs of the Popular Resistance Committees (PRC) faction, accused by Israel of planning to attack it through Egypt’s Sinai desert, were killed in an Israeli strike on Friday. Israel signalled that it would not halt what it calls “preventive targeting” operations aimed at stopping rocket fire and cross-border attacks. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told members of his Likud party in Parliament: “The Israeli army will continue to attack the “terrorists” in Gaza with strength and determination.” He also said the Israeli military was prepared to widen its operations and continue them for as long as necessary.
The Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR), which holds consultative status with the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) of the United Nations reiterated condemnation of Israeli crimes and expressed utmost concern over such escalation, especially in light to continuous Israeli threats, and stressed that Israel is committing grave breaches of international humanitarian law for using excessive and disproportional force in disregard for the lives of Palestinian civilians.
It also called upon the international community to immediately take an action to stop such crimes and reiterated its call for the High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention to fulfill their obligations under Article 1 which stipulates "the High Contracting Parties undertake to respect and to ensure respect for the present Convention in all circumstances," and their obligations under Article 146 which requires that the Contracting Parties prosecute persons alleged to commit grave breaches of the Fourth Geneva Convention.  These grave breaches constitute war crimes under Article 147 and Protocol I Additional of the Geneva Conventions.
Washington – Israel’s principle ally – and the United Nations expressed concern at the violence. “Once again civilians are paying a terrible price,” Ban told the UN Security Council. He denounced rocket attacks on Israel as “unacceptable” and urged Israel to “exercise maximum restraint”. In her remarks to the council, Clinton condemned the rocket fire at Israel and urged both sides to restore calm. But she did not specifically mention the Israeli air strikes nor the dozens of Palestinian casualties.
France and Russia also both appealed for an end to the fighting and stressed the need to avoid civilian suffering. Arab League Secretary-General Nabil al-Araby issued a statement in Cairo condemning the Israeli raids and urged the Security Council to step in and “stop the aggression”. Gaza, home to 1.7 million people, was under Israeli occupation from 1967 until 2005 and remains under blockade. Hamas has controlled Gaza since 2007 and is fighting for an independent Palestinian state but has shunned the stalled peace process supervised by international powers and refuses to recognise the Jewish state. Islamic Jihad is less influential than Hamas but shares the same ideology, which advocates Israel’s ultimate destruction.
On the other hand, Israeli Army said Monday it will continue air raids on Gaza Strip to bring Palestinian factions to their knees.
The Israeli Army website reported that Chief-of-Staff Benny Gantz has ordered forces to continue their attacks on Palestinian groups in the coastal strip.
Moreover, Deputy Prime Minister Moshe Yaalon told Israeli Radio that the assaults "won't stop till the other side understands well its rocket firing won't do it good." He unveiled that Hamas, which rules Gaza Strip, has asked Egypt to broker a ceasefire with Israel, adding that Israel will accept the lull if Hamas started it first.
Meanwhile, Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement said it won't accept unfair truce with Israel.
"We say to those who are running after any truce with the enemy that a truce with the conditions of the resistance groups is acceptable and not the 'unfair' truce of enemy's conditions" the group spokesman said in a press conference on Monday.
The Islamic Jihad demands that Israel halt all airstrikes as a condition for any ceasefire.