Palestinians.
Israel blamed the school attack on Hamas , claiming that gunmen were inside the school , but The United Nations denied the Israeli army allegations and said the "UN was 99.99 % sure that there were no gunmen inside the school ".
The killing of civilians prompted US president-elect Barack Obama to speak up against the death of civilians. This was the first time he commented on the war.
The UN security council met last night to discuss an Arab plan to end the war in Gaza , but the meeting was adjourned late last night without reaching any agreement on a resolution. The meeting will resume today
French President Nicolas Sarkozy left Beirut in the afternoon and headed to Sharm el Sheikh where he and the Egyptian president Mubarak met with reporters to present their ceasefire plan.
It appears that the French Egyptian peace plan has been accepted by the Palestinian authorities and Israel .
The plan calls for the following :
1- Immediate ceasefire
2- Return to the truce
3- Opening the crossings between Gaza and Israel
4- Providing international observers to observe the implementation of the ceasefire and to report any violations
Israeli Prime minister Ehud Olmert will send Thursday several advisors to Cairo to discuss Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak’s initiative according to Israeli government sources.
It appears that Hamas is opposed to the stationing of international observers. Yesterday Hamas representative in Lebanon Osama Hamdan said the European delegation that is visiting the region should "forget about the deployment of international troops in Gaza Strip, because we have a bitter experience with that."
But Al Arabiyeh TV has reported that a Hamas official said "The Egyptian proposal regarding the truce is still under discussion."
The only good news in Gaza is the 3 hour break . Both Israel and Hamas accepted a 3 hour truce. Israel will halt bombing Gaza for three hours every day starting Wednesday, an Israeli army spokeswoman said to allow residents of the Hamas-ruled Palestinian territory to obtain supplies.
The temporary cease-fire will take place in the "whole of the Gaza Strip" from 1 p.m. until 4 p.m. local time today, Israeli Defense Ministry spokesman Peter Lerner told CNN.
The three-hour truce is scheduled to take place every other day.
But according to al-Jazeera, Qassam Brigades fired a rocket into Israel despite the announcement of a 3-hour ceasefire.
In Lebanon it is the last day of Ashoura . In his televised speech , Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah , Secretary General of Hezbollah said:
Arab leaders and populations should end any ties with Israel. Some countries do not have the courage to expel Israeli ambassadors, similar to Venezuela (which expelled the Israeli ambassador in Caracas yesterday ).Israel should be strongly punished. The Arabs should help the Resistance fight Israel and put an end to the siege on Gaza instead of putting pressure on the Resistance.
We affirm our call on all the Palestinian factions to unite because they should support the Palestinian cause. I believe that the July War and the Gaza crisis should be considered proof that the choice of resistance is the best way to confront the enemy. This issue ends the debates about the defense strategy.
Thursday
3:21 al Jazeera: An American -European proposal was presented to the security council to confirm the need for immediate and permanent ceasefire and declares its support for the Egyptian - French ceasefire proposal as a replacement to the Arab FM proposal.
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3:09 al Jazeera: Heavy clashes between the Palestinians and Israeli forces north east of Khan Younis
3:06 Future TV: UN sec Gen Ban- Ki Moon will expanding his Lebanon trip next week by including Palestinian territories and Israel
3:00 A Palestinian student was sentenced to 4 years in Jail by Israeli court for giving Hezbollah important and sensitive information
2:38 Future TV: The meeting is adjourned . Rice , Miliband and Kouchner plan to extend their stay to meet with the Arab groups later
2:31 Future TV: the Israeli government decided to begin stage 3 of the attack against Gaza
2:14 Rice, Miliband and Kouchner are meeting with the Arab groups
2:12 The Arab groups end their meeting and decided to amend the Arab FM proposal
1:45 Future TV: Israel is raiding Rafah area
1:42 Future: Iranian Parliament speaker Larijani is meeting Hamas leader Khaled Mishaal in Damascus
1:34 Twelve Israeli tanks entered the southern part of Gaza strip
1:32 Baroud : Lebanon will not be a battleground for any force that wants to mess with the security of the nation
1:16 Al Arabiyeh: The ASrab groups are continuing their efforts for a Gaza ceasefire resolution
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0:59 Israeli president Peres : We don’t want Gaza to be in the Iranian orbit
Wednesday
21:31 future TV : the death toll of Palestinians killed since the start of the Israeli aggression has reached 700
20:06 Rice : Israel should study and seriously consider the Egyptian proposal for ceasefire
20:02 al-Arabiya: Israeli Aircraft dropped shock bombs on Rafah area
20:00 Future TV : The Arab group rejects settling for a U.N. Security Council presidential statement concerning Gaza.
19:26 Hadley : Bush has set up the foundation of future peace between Israel and the Palestinians , but the biggest challenge is Iran ( In refence to Iran's support to Hamas )
19:21 Israel plans to file a complaint against Hamas at the UN for using the UNRWA schools to attack Israeli army
18:42 Czech Republic representative at the UN : The EU is extremely concerned about the civilian loss of life and urges all parties concerned to immediately cease fire
18:32 Egyptian Foreign ministry : we are encouraged by the Israeli response to the Egyptian ceasefire proposal
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18:31 3 Palestinian children and their father were killed in an Israeli airstrike in north Gaza
18:30 Vatican : both parties that are fighting in Gaza are guilty ( In reference to Israel and Hamas )
18:13 United Nations Security Council resumes its meeting to discuss a ceasefire proposal to end the Israeli aggression in Gaza
18:12 Four Palestinians killed in an Israeli air-strike of Beit Lahia
17:45 President Elect Obama: I am extremely concerned over what is happening and will happen in Gaza and will do whatever I can to resolve the issue as soon as I assume the presidency . Today I cannot do anything because it is not possible for 2 US administrations to manage the US foreign policy according to our constitution
17:30 The Arab representatives at the UN are meeting with Rice, US secretary of State
17:17 Olmert's adviser is heading to Cairo to discuss the Egyptian French ceasefire proposal
17:16 Turkey will be asked to put together the UN Observers force that is to be stationed in Gaza as soon as a ceasefire resolution is issued by the UN accepted by all parties , according to MID East diplomatic sources
17:03 Lebanon's FM Salloukh is still at the UN. He attended the UN security council meeting and met with Rice
17:02 White House signaled Wednesday that it open to Franco-Egyptian ceasefire proposal
16:47 Abbas to head to Cairo on Friday for talks on Saturday with Mubarak on ceasefire proposal
16:43 Moqtada al-Sadr urges “Iraqi resisters” to resume “reprisal operations” inside Iraq against US targets "the biggest partner of the Zionist enemy" he said in protest against Gaza crisis
16:13 Israel resumes military attacks on Gaza after three-hour bombing suspension.
16:11 Hamas Representative in Lebanon Osama Hamdan tells Hezbollah's Al-Manar TV that Palestinian resistance is sole decision maker on whether to accept or refuse plans, and no one cares about the position of Ramallah’s cabinet.
16:06 Israel postpones vote on expanding Gaza ground operation as truce efforts grow.
15:29 Children make up a third of Palestinians killed. 220 children have been killed since Israel unleashed its Operation on December 27, according to Gaza emergency services chief Muawiya Hassanein.
15:10 AFP: French President Nicolas Sarkozy hails Israel and the Palestinian Authority's "acceptance of a Franco-Egyptian plan" for a ceasefire in Gaza.
14: 40 al-Jazeera: Qassam Brigades said it fired a rocket into Israel despite the announcement of a 3-hour ceasefire.
14:14 AFP Israel welcomed the Egyptian initiative that aimed to end the fighting in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip, an Israeli government spokesman said Wednesday.
13: 40 Al-Arabiya: Several advisors to Israeli PM Ehud Olmert will head to Cairo on Thursday to discuss Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak’s initiative.
13:37 Education Minister Bahiya Hariri during Sidon rally: Solidarity with Gaza can only be achieved through confronting the aggression.
13:28 Hamas representative in Lebanon Ossama Hamdan during the Sidon rally: I say with confidence that the resistance is holding out in Gaza.
13:20 PLO representative in Lebanon Abbas Zaki at the Sidon rally: the PLO has presented itself as a victim for the sake of our brethren in Hamas and we are willing to make compromises for each other so as not to offer Israel compromises.
13:20 Hamas announces end of missiles-launching during suspension of Israeli attacks.
13:10 Rally in support of Gaza launched in Sidon upon request by the Lebanese-Palestinian Committee.
13:09 AFP: Israel temporarily stops bombing over Gaza for three hours to allow the passage of humanitarian aid, a military spokesman said
11:50 The Maronite Bishops warned after their monthly meeting against spread of Gaza war to Lebanon and against a Lebanese split.
11:13 Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said on the last day of Ashoura: Arab leaders and populations should end any ties with Israel. Some countries do not have the courage to expel Israeli ambassadors, similar to Venezuela (which expelled the Israeli ambassador in Caracas yesterday ).Israel should be strongly punished. The Arabs should help the Resistance fight Israel and put an end to the siege on Gaza instead of putting pressure on the Resistance. We affirm our call on all the Palestinian factions to unite because they should support the Palestinian cause. I believe that the July War and the Gaza crisis should be considered proof that the choice of resistance is the best way to confront the enemy. This issue ends the debates about the defense strategy.
10:43 UN denies militants inside school hit by Israeli strike on Tuesday
10:26 Israel will halt bombing Gaza for three hours every day starting Wednesday, an Israeli army spokeswoman tells AFP.
9:50 Ashoura commemoration launched with tens of thousands of people taking part in a rally in Beirut’s southern suburbs in response to a call by Hezbollah.
09:41 Death toll in Gaza reaches 666 with 2,950 wounded, according to AFP.
09:13 Israeli security cabinet meets to discuss possibility of broadening operations in Gaza.
8:45 VDL: Unknown assailants threw 2 hand grenades last night on an empty lot in Muhajereen street in Tripoli’s Bab al-Tabbaneh area. One of the grenades exploded while an army sapper worked on defusing the other.
08:41 Israel expels Venezuelan charge d’affaires after Israeli ambassador’s expulsion from Caracas
3:56 Arab diplomats told Al Arabiyeh : There is no resolution to end the war in Gaza
3:52 The UN security council adjourns its meeting on Gaza till tomorrow
3:40 Qatar foreign Minister : It is inevitable that the occupation should end in order to restore calm
3:34 Moroccan Foreign Minister: We call upon the Security Council to respond positively to the Arab draft resolution on Gaza
3:33 Israeli ambassador to the United Nations: We are taking the Egyptian initiative seriously
3:30 A Palestinian was killed in Israeli raid in the Zeitoun neighborhood of Gaza
3:30 Lebanese Foreign Minister Fawzi Salloukh: each additional minute we see more innocent victims in Gaza. Israel's aggression has not started 11 days ago, but since the beginning of the occupation dozens of years ago. Israel cannot achieve any security by using blockades and brutal force. There must be an immediate cease-fire , Israel should withdraw and the lift the blockade
3:15 Jordanian Foreign Minister Salah Eddin Bashir: Jordan denounce the Israeli aggression and demands that the Security Council to shoulder its responsibilities and stop the war. Israel will not achieve any peace by killing innocent people in Gaza
3:05 Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul-Gheit: Does the security council want more deaths before it decides to stop the aggression . Informed the Security Council on the Egyptian vision on how to get out of the crisis . The real objective is to establish an independent Palestinian state
02:50 Arab League Chief Amr Moussa: It is time to stop the Israeli aggression and siege. The whole is the Israeli occupation and the people want freedom from this occupation. The Arab League is for the protection of all civilians, Palestinians and Israelis. Lets not havea repeat of what has happened in Lebanon
2:31 Saudi Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal: Israel is responsible for the deterioration of the situation in Gaza. Israel has dealt with the people of Gaza without any human conscience. There must be a ceasefire and the opening of the crossings
2:30 Russian Ambassador: We support the Franco-Egyptian initiative for a ceasefire. We call for the cessation of violence in Gaza
2:14 Turkish PM Erdogan: Israel's aggression against the people of Gaza is a black point in the history of humanity
1:24 Libyan Foreign Minister Abdel Rahman Shalgam: Israel bombed the Gaza Strip after months of full blockade. Israel is only interested in the seizure of more Palestinian land and is not interested in peace. The Palestinian response to Israeli blockade and attacks was natural
1:10 The Security Council is meeting to consider the draft Arab resolution for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip
00:05 Future TV: Israel is bombing the underground Tunnels in Gaza
Tuesday
23:05 Minister Mitri told Future TV: there is a Lebanese consensus on maintaining security in Lebanon . This consensus also calls for caution in order not to fall into the Israeli trap .... since Israel continues to create excuses to involve Lebanon in the war .
21:55 protesters burnt tires on the Qubaiaat - Halba road to protest against electricity power cuts
22:52 Al Jazeera: Venezuela has decided to expel the Israeli ambassador in protest against the Israeli Gaza Strip offensive
22:46 Hamas: The Arab peace initiative is worthy of consideration.
22:24 Sarkozy and Mubarak announced their initiative to end the war in Gaza . The initiative calls for immediate ceasefire by both parties . Muarak said he will call both parties for special talks over the future relations. Mubarak urged all the Palestinians to respond positively to the reconciliation effort of the Palestinian authorities . Sarkozy confirmed that their initiative calls for an end to the rocket attacks by Hamas
21:06 US President-Elect Barack Obama Tuesday vowed to speak out about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict once he takes office, but insisted until then, only President George W. Bush spoke for the US stressing " One president at a time "
21;03 The UN demanded on Tuesday an investigation into deadly attacks near UN-run schools ( UNRWA) and into other civilian deaths in the Israeli onslaught on the Hamas-run Palestinian enclave.
20: 59 Hezbollah's Nasrallah : Some Arab regimes are trying to hurt the Palestinian resistance and its leaders . The same thing happened during the 2006 July war. Some Arab leaders are trying to hold Hamas responsible of the war, as they did to us during the 2006 War through the unjust UN Resolution 1701. The real aim of the war on Gaza is to strip the Resistance of its decision making power.
20:55 Al Qaeda's second in command Ayman al Zawahiri: The attack against Gaza is part of the Crusade war against Islam
20:44 The roads in the Taabaneh district of Tripoli were closed by protesters who protested against the power blackouts. They hurled stones at the army and attacked a Future TV photographer
20:21 Israeli army announced that six Israeli soldiers were killed and 60 others were injured since the beginning of its ground offensive on Gaza.
20: 17 Israeli army : we fired at gunmen at the UNRWA school
20:15 Muslim brotherhood in Egypt declares that it is ready to send 10, 000 volunteers to Gaza
20:11 Egypt denied making any statements preventing Hamas from victory in the war
20:00 President Suleiman and Solana discussed the situation in Gaza and the region . Solana later met with PM Siniora in an office at the Baabda palace
19:52 Iran considers any agreement to resolve the dispute between the Islamic movements and Israel will be catastrophic for its strategy in the region
19:42 Obama said he is concerned over the death of civilians in both Gaza and Israel
19:10 Hamas representative in Lebanon Osama Hamdan said the European delegation that is visiting the region should "forget about the deployment of international troops in Gaza Strip, because we have a bitter experience with that."
19:00 pm: French President Sarkozy concluded his visit to Lebanon and left to Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt.
18:10 Future TV: Israeli army breaks into homes at Al-Shujaiyah.
18:01 Israeli Army Command says one Israeli soldier is killed north of Gaza City and four others are injured.
17:34 Palestinian Gaza death toll has reached 635. Another 2,900 people were wounded, the Gaza emergency services chief said. The toll shot up after Israeli forces attacked three schools, killing at least 45 people.
17:33 The Egyptian negotiator is urging the Damascus based Hamas leaders to accept " truce" as a condition to ending the Gaza violence
17:28 The Lebanese army units deployed around the camp of the Popular Front for Libation of Palestine - General Command ( PFLP-GC ) in Deir el-Ghazal - Qusaya ( near the Syrian borders), after the news of extensive movements of the gunmen. The leader of PFLP Ahmad Jibril , who is based in Damascus has threatened to open another front against Israel
17:19 Unidentified attackers attacked a synagogue in the French city of Toulouse with a car loaded with a Molotov cocktail, causing no injuries.
17:05 : President Sarkozy addressed the French troops working with UNIFIL: "Be proud of the work you do here... I know that you have been away from your families but you chose this profession to show the world what you can do... France has a capable army and enjoys diplomatic capabilities... We must form the military of the future."
17:00 Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek denied on Tuesday that the current EU president had a "plan" for a truce in the Gaza conflict, saying he simply had a scenario for talks to open border crossings. "I read in the newspapers today that we have launched a plan for peace. I never said anything of the sort," Topolanek said
16:50 About 40 Palestinians killed by Israeli air strikes near the UNRWA school in Jabalaya according to latest information
16:44 Sarkozy arrived at the command center of the French forces in south Lebanon
16:19 US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is to go to New York on Tuesday to consult with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and others to "further efforts" on a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel.
