Latest News : Palestinians Killed

More than 120 Palestinians killed today in Gaza

  29 July 2014 : - The Ministry of Health in Gaza has informed this afternoon that over 100 Palestinians have been killed today in Gaza by the Israeli Occupation Forces. Local media claims that the total number is 122, bringing the death toll to more than 1,200 killed since the beginning of the offensive.

The latest Israeli attack has taken place in Jabaliya, north of the Gaza Strip, where more than 14 Palestinians have been killed according to Ma’an.

Also this morning the Israeli army opened fire against the only power plant in the Gaza Strip, which caused a fire that ended up shutting down the plant. Experts claim they will need at least a year to fully repair the plant, which will considerably worsen the living conditions in Gaza and thousands will not have electricity.

Local sources say over 215,000 Palestinians have been displaced from their homes during these three weeks, and the Israeli Occupation Forces have been issuing leaflets to different areas of the Gaza Strip warning them to leave their homes.

These leaflets have been dispatched by military airplanes in the north of the Gaza Strip, in the Zeytoun neighborhood of Gaza City, central Gaza, and in Khan Younis, southern Gaza.

5 Palestinians killed during the 4-hour ceasefire announced by Israel

30 July 2014: -The Ministry of Health of Gaza has announced that at least 5 Palestinians have been killed since the beginning of the humanitarian ceasefire at 3 p.m. One of them was identified as Wissam Dardona while the others are yet to be identified.

Local sources inform that the Israeli army has continued shelling Palestinians houses during the ceasefire all over the Gaza Strip. The Israeli website Ynet reported earlier that the areas where the ceasefire will be implemented are those where the Israeli Occupation Forces are not deployed, and that the army will continue operating uninterrupted in the rest of the Strip during the ceasefire.

The Israeli army also added that they will repond to all the rockets and attacks from the Palestinian resistance during these four hours, and that Palestinians should not go back to the places from which they were ask to leave. 

The Israeli government agreed to a humanitarian ceasefire from 3 to 7 p.m. earlier today as requested by the UN. The envoy of the UN to the Middle East, Robert Serry, made the request for this ceasefire that will be implemented only in some areas of the Strip.

Moreover, the Israeli cabinet is scheduled to meet this afternoon to discuss the military operation in Gaza, and decide whether to expand it or pull back.

Moe than 75 Palestinians have been killed today and more than a hundred have been injured in different Israeli airstrikes and tank attacks.

Yesterday was the deadliest day in the Gaza Strip since the Israeli offensive began the 8^th of July. The Ministry of Health reported that 128 were killed, bringing the overall Palestinian death toll to at least 1,310, with more than 7,100 wounded.

Netanyahu rejected a plan to kill Hamas leaders Meshaal and Haniyeh in Gaza

 




















30 July 2014: - The newspaper Israel today reported this morning that the Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu rejected a proposal to assassinate Hamas political leaders in response to the ongoing firing of rockets from Gaza to Israel.

According to the newspaper, a proposal was presented to Netanyahu with a plan to kill the heads of Hamas, Khaled Meshaal and Ismail Haniyeh. The Israeli Minister of Finance Yair Lapid, the Minister of Economy Naftali Bennett, the Minister of Foreign Affairs Avigdor Lieberman, and the leaders of the Israeli army supported this plan, but reportedly, Netanyahu rejected it because it would negatively affect Israel in the international arena.

Yair Lapid claimed that Hamas leaders are responsible for the attacks against Israel and that Israel should hold them accountable for what they are doing to harm the Jewish state.

The newspaper said Netanyahu agreed to the bombing of the homes of Hamas political leaders only if they had confirmation that they were not in the house.

An Israeli aircraft fired a missile at the house of Hamas Gaza leader Ismail Haniyeh before dawn on Tuesday, causing damage but no casualties, Gaza's interior ministry said.

22 JUL : Kebakaran Di Tol KESAS Petang Tadi

Sebuah lori yang penuh dengan muatan tanah terbakar selepas merempuh tembok penghadang di Plaza Tol Sunway (arah barat) di Lebuhraya KESAS.

Kejadian dalam jam 4 petang tadi melibatkan dua buah kenderaan termasuk sebuah kenderaan MPV yang berada di laluan sama turut terbakar selepas berlanggar dengan lori terbabit.

Bagaimanapun, pemandu lori dipercayai telah melarikan diri selepas kemalangan itu.

“Pemandu ketiga-tiga kereta berkenaan termasuk seorang jurutol yang sedang bertugas di plaza tol berkenaan sempat menyelamatkan diri,” katanya.

Difahamkan jurutol berkenaan bersama dua pemandu yang cedera dikejarkan ke Pusat Perubatan Universiti Malaya akibat kecederaan yang dialami. Manakala pemandu lori berkenaan tidak dapat dikesan dipercayai melarikan diri.

“Sepasukan anggota dari Balai Bomba Penchala dan Puchong dikejarkan ke lokasi kejadian dan api dapat dipadam sepenuhnya dalam tempoh 10 minit,” katanya.

 

Two Israeli soldiers killed; Palestinian toll in Gaza tops 300

GAZA/JERUSALEM - Two Israeli soldiers were killed in a cross-border attack by Hamas militants on Saturday, the army said, as the Palestinian death toll from the conflict rose above 300 with no diplomatic solution in sight.

The Israeli military said four other soldiers were wounded in the raid by fighters who had used a concealed tunnel to reach Israel. One Hamas gunman was killed, while the rest of the group managed to escape back into the Gaza Strip, the military added.

Israel sent ground forces into Hamas-controlled Gaza on Thursday after 10 days of air and naval barrages failed to stop rocket fire from the Palestinian territory.

It has vowed to destroy the tunnel network and hunt down the militants' stockpiles of missiles.
The land incursion has so far failed to subdue Hamas and its allies, who fired more than 90 rockets into Israel on Saturday, the Israeli army said. One killed a man and wounded two children in a southern Bedouin Arab village in Israel, police said.

Gaza officials said at least 335 Palestinians, including 70 children, have been killed in the 12-day conflict - about 100 in the last 48 hours alone. On Israel's side, three soldiers and two civilians have died.

Diplomatic efforts to secure a ceasefire involving, amongst others, Egypt, Qatar, France and the United Nations, have failed to make headway. Hamas rejected an initial attempt by Cairo last week to end the fighting.

The sound of explosions rocked Gaza through the day, while sirens repeatedly sounded in towns and cities in southern and central Israel, warning of approaching missiles.

Eight members of a Palestinian family, including a six-month old baby and two children aged three and 13, died overnight when an Israeli shell hit their house in Beit Hanoun, in northeastern Gaza, officials said.

"Oh, God. Oh, God," a shocked relative said, repeatedly knocking his head against a wall as rescuers searched for survivors.

Hostilities between the two sides escalated following the killing last month of three Jewish students that Israel blames on Hamas. Hamas neither confirmed nor denied involvement. The apparent revenge murder of a Palestinian youth in Jerusalem, for which Israel has charged three Jews, further fueled tensions.

BULLDOZERS, TUNNELS

Israeli bulldozers and engineers worked along a mile-wide strip of Gaza's eastern frontier, uncovering 13 tunnels, at least one of them 30 meters (90 feet) deep, military spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel Peter Lerner said.

About 95 rocket launchers were also found and destroyed in the sweep, he added.
Searches were continuing on what he described as an open-ended mission that had "severely impeded Hamas capabilities".

Israel says more than 1,500 rockets have been fired out of Gaza during this month's fighting, and between 3,000-4,000 others destroyed in military strikes - together almost half of the militants' original estimated arsenal.

Hamas says it is continuously replenishing its stock of weapons and is ready for a prolonged conflict.
The Israeli death toll has been kept low due to the rockets' relative inaccuracy, a network of air raid sirens and shelters and the Iron Dome rocket interceptor's 90 percent success rate.

The Israeli military urged Palestinians to flee an ever-growing area of Gaza ahead of further military action in the Mediterranean enclave. Locals say about half of the territory's 1.8-million population have been told to move.

With both the Israeli and Egyptian borders sealed off, Gazans say they have few places to escape to

MH17 : Kotak hitam dipercayai sudah berada di Moscow

Ukraine: Permainan tarik tali untuk memiliki kotak hitam pesawat MH17 kini bermula dengan laporan menyatakan alat itu yang satu-satunya boleh merungkai kepada kejadian sebenar insiden kemalangan pesawat malang berkenaan, sedang dibawa ke Moscow.

Pakar penerbangan berkata, kotak hitam itu yang mengandungi rakaman suara dan data kokpit boleh memberikan keputusan jelas sama ada ia ditembak jatuh atau dari arah mana misil peluru berpandu dilancarkan.

Memetik laporan The Telegraph menyebut alat rakaman suara dan data dalam pesawat Boeing 777 seperti dimiliki MH17 adalah antara yang tercanggih dalam kelas penggunaan pesawat awam.

"Kami sudah tentu akan memberikan (kotak rakaman) kepada IAC di Moscow” Andrei Purgin, Timbalan Perdana Menteri Republik Donetsk"

Bagaimanapun, ia mungkin sudah terlambat untuk mendapatkan semua kotak hitam berkenaan walaupun ada gesaan daripada pemimpin seluruh dunia seperti Presiden Amerika Syarikat (AS) Barack Obama yang mahukan penyiasat antarabangsa diberikan akses sepenuhnya kepada lokasi nahas.

Agensi berita Interfax melaporkan puak pemisah Russia di Ukraine sudah menemui kotak hitam itu dan bersetuju untuk menyerahkannya kepada pihak berkuasa keselamatan udara Russia.

Timbalan Perdana Menteri Republik Donetsk yang diiktiraf sendiri oleh pemisah, Andrei Purgin memberitahu Interfax; “Sudah tentu, kami sudah tentu akan memberikan (kotak rakaman) kepada Jawatankuasa Penerbangan Antara Negeri (IAC) di Moscow”.

Jawatankuasa itu menempatkan pakar bertaraf tinggi yang boleh menentukan dengan tepat punca kemalangan.
Mana-mana pakar yang mempunyai akses kepada kotak hitam mampu memanipulasi maklumat yang terkandung di dalam alat berkenaan daripada saat-saat akhir penerbangan dan boleh menghalang penyiasat daripada melakukan analisis yang telus.

Stesen radio Russia, Kommersant FM juga melaporkan kotak hitam itu kini dibawa ke Moscow.

Perlu ada akses sepenuhnya

Sementara itu, Perdana Menteri Malaysia, Datuk Seri Najib Razak berkata; “Sebuah badan antarabangsa mesti mempunyai akses sepenuhnya kepada lokasi nahas dan tiada sesiapa pun boleh masuk ke dalam kawasan itu, atau memindahkan mana-mana sisa nahas termasuk kotak hitam.”

Beliau berkata, pihak berkuasa Ukraine berjanji untuk memasukkan pasukan Malaysia menyertai pasukan siasatan nahas selain mengadakan rundingan dengan tentera pemisah untuk mewujudkan ‘koridor misi kemanusiaan’ di lokasi nahas.

Bekas Pengerusi Lembaga Keselamatan Pengangkutan Nasional Amerika Syarikat (NTSB), Deborah Hersman yang juga salah seorang penyiasat kemalangan utama dunia, memberitahu NBC; “Dalam tempoh 24 hingga 48 jam seterusnya, perkara utama ialah untuk mencari empat bahagian pesawat dan yang paling penting ialah rakaman data pesawat serta rakaman suara kokpit.”

“Dua alat itu akan memberikan maklumat paling berguna mengenai apa yang sebenarnya terjadi pada saat-saat akhir sebelum nahas berlaku.”

Hersman berkata, konflik di Ukraine sedikit sebanyak akan menjejaskan proses siasatan.

Katanya, adalah penting supaya tiada bahan bukti yang diusik dalam apa cara sekali pun di lokasi nahas.

MH17 : 80 Children Killed

 

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The devastating tragedy of flight MH17 took the lives of 298 people, including 80 small children. Of those children, three of them were Australian siblings traveling with their grandfather. So sad.

 

Flight MH17 was carrying 80 children when it was allegedly shot down and destroyed by Russian rebels on Thursday, July 17. The horrific incident killed all of the plane’s passengers, including an entire Indonesian family and three Australian siblings who were on their way home, accompanied only by their grandfather. The plane’s wreckage — including body parts of the passengers — reportedly spreads over a 9 mile area.

MH17: 80 Children Killed When Malaysia Airlines Flight Shot Down

 

As more and more information about flight MH17 continues to be released, few details are more heartbreaking than the news that 80 children were aboard the doomed flight.

The flight was on it’s way to Kuala Lumpur from Amsterdam when it was ripped from the sky by what the Daily Mail is referring to as a “sophisticated surface-to-air” missile.

Sadly, of the 298 passengers on board MH17, 80 innocent children lost their lives due to the malicious pro-Russian rebels launching an unwarranted attack on the flight.

Of the 80 children lost, three beautiful Australian siblings were killed. Mo, 12, Otis, 8, & Evie Maslin, 10, were traveling home to Australia with their beloved grandfather, Nick Norris.

The family had been on vacation together in Amsterdam, and their parents decided to stay behind for a couple of days while their children and father went back home without them. Reports claim that the children needed to be back in time to start school, which is why they did not stay behind with their parents.

Family photos of the Maslin children show that they were three adorable dark blonde-haired siblings who were extremely playful. Otis, the youngest, seemed to enjoy making silly faces when posing in front of the camera.

There was also an Indonesian family of four who were killed, including two small children ages 3 and 5. John and Yuli Paulissen, plus their son and daughter, Martin & Sri, were traveling together on MH17 when it was shot down from the sky.

Information and photos of the other 75 children aboard MH17 has yet to be released.
Our thoughts go out to all of the families of the victims of flight MH17 during this devastating time.

 

MH17 : Commander of Donetsk People’s Army, Igor Strelkov, Says They Shot Down Malaysia Airlines MH17

Russian-backed separatist leader Igor Girkin (who also goes by the name of Strelkov) has claimed credit for shooting down Malaysia Airlines MH17.

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The plane went down over eastern Ukraine near the border of Russia. It took off from Amsterdam and was headed to Kuala Lumpur.

“The plane has just been taken down somewhere around Torez (Donetsk Oblast). It lays there behind the Progress mine. We did warn you – do not fly in ‘our sky,’” he said through his account on VK, the Russian version of Facebook.

The Progress mine refers to the mining town of about 80,000 people.

“And here is the video proving another ‘bird’ falling down. The bird went down behind the slagheap, not in the residential district. So no peaceful people injured. There is also information about another plane shot,” he added.

Stelkov and his group, the Donetsk People’s Army, apparently mistook the plane for a Ukrainian army plane

The Donetsk People’s Republic had boasted on June 29 that they took over a Ukrainian military base that had Buk ground-to-air missiles, but wouldn’t say how many, reported the Kyiv Post.

The Buk missiles can travel up to 25 kilometers (15 miles), three times the altitude MH17 was flying.
Other sources are reporting that the rebels are denying that they are responsible. ”This could happen only if it was a fighter jet or a surface-to-air missile (that shot it down),” one rebel, who gave his name as Sergei, told Reuters, adding that the rebels don’t have weapons capable of shooting down a plane at such a height.

But Anton Gerashchenko, an advisor at Ukraine’s Ministry of Internal Affairs, says that he caught a photograph on the ground just minutes after the Buk missile was fired.

A launcher similar to the Buk missile system was seen by Associated Press journalists earlier Thursday near the eastern Ukrainian town of Snizhne, which is held by the rebels.

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko called the downing an act of terrorism and called for an international investigation into the crash. He insisted that his forces did not shoot down the plane.

The Kremlin said Russian President Vladimir Putin “informed the U.S. president of the report from air traffic controllers that the Malaysian plane had crashed on Ukrainian territory” without giving further details about their call. The White House confirmed the call, with President Barack Obama calling the crash a “terrible tragedy.” Britain has asked for an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council on Ukraine.

One of the separatist leaders, Andrei Purgin, said that he was certain that Ukrainian troops had shot the plane down, but gave no explanation or proof for his statement.

Strelkov, the leader of the Donetsk People’s Army, works for the Russian military agency GRU, according to BBC, citing the Ukrainian security service. Russian media says that he is a retired officer of the Russian Federal Security Service. He was born in 1970 and is a registered citizen of Moscow. He has been active in the region for decades.

His group has combat experience fighting for the Russian armed forces in Chechnya, Central Asia, Yugoslavia, Iraq, and Syria, he told Russia’s Komsomolskaya Pravda newspaper. He himself took part in conflicts in Yugoslavia.

“He is also said to be a military enthusiast who specializes in historical re-enactment and staged recreations of battles,” it reported.

 A Girkin Facebook group, which appears to be filled with fans of the commander, has the following slogan: “We have defeated the nazis, we will defeat the neo-nazis.”

MH17 : Senarai Nama Kru & Rakyat Malaysia yang Terkorban dan Gambar Bangkai Pesawat

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Pesawat Malaysia Airlines MH17 Ditembak Jatuh di Ukraine

 
KUALA LUMPUR: Pesawat Malaysia Airlines MH17 terhempas di Ukraine, lapor Reuter.

Memetik sumber industri penerbangan, laporan tersebut menyatakan pesawat dalam penerbangan dari Amsterdam ke Kuala Lumpur.

Pesawat membawa 297 penumpang.

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(Reuters) - A Malaysian airliner was shot down over eastern Ukraine by militants on Thursday, killing all 295 people aboard, a Ukrainian interior ministry official was quoted as saying by Interfax-Ukraine news agency.

The aircraft, which other sources said was a Boeing 777 flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, came down near the city of Donetsk, stronghold of pro-Russian rebels, Anton Gerashchenko said, adding that it was hit by a ground-to-air missile.

There was no further confirmation of the report, although Ukrainian officials said local residents had found wreckage.

Malaysia Airlines said on its Twitter feed it had lost contact with its flight MH-17 from Amsterdam. "The last known position was over Ukrainian airspace," it said.

Gerashchenko was quoted as saying: "A civilian airliner travelling from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur has just been shot down by a Buk anti-aircraft system ... 280 passengers and 15 crew have been killed."

Interfax-Ukraine quoted another Ukrainian official as saying the plane disappeared from radar when it was flying at 10,000 metres (33,000 feet), a typical cruising altitude for airliners.

It came down at Torez, near Shakhtersk, some 40 km (25 miles) from the Russia border. The area has been the scene of fighting between Ukrainian troops and pro-Russian rebels.

Ukraine has accused Russia of taking an active role in the four-month-old conflict in recent days and accused it earlier on Thursday of shooting down a Ukrainian fighter jet - an accusation that Moscow denied.

(Reporting by Richard Balmforth and Alastair Macdonald; Editing by Peter Millership)

MH17: 100 mayat ditemui bergelimpangan di lokasi nahas - Saksi

KIEV: Pegawai Kementerian Kecemasan berkata, terdapat beberapa bahagian anggota badan yang sudah berkecai berada di sekitar sehingga 15 kilometer dari lokasi nahas pesawat berkenaan terhempas.

Beliau yang berada di lokasi kejadian berkata, sekurang-kurangnya 100 mayat ditemui bergelimpangan di lokasi berkenaan.

Sementara itu, Presiden Ukraine, Petro Poroshenko berkata, Angkatan Tentera negara itu tidak terbabit dengan laporan yang mengatakan pesawat Malaysia Airlines (MAS) MH17 yang dalam perjalanan dari Amsterdam ke Kuala Lumpur itu ditembak jatuh.

"Pihak angkatan tentera tidak melepaskan sebarang tembakan terhadap mana-mana sasaran di udara," katanya dalam sidang media, sebentar tadi.

Bagaimanapun, beliau tidak menolak kemungkinan pesawat yang membawa 295 penumpang itu ditembak jatuh.

"Kami yakin mereka yang bersalah dalam tragedi ini akan bertanggungjawab terhadap perkara yang mereka telah lakukan," katanya.

Terdahulu, media melaporkan pesawat penumpang Boeing itu terhempas di Ukraine dekat sempadan Russia, malam ini.
Sementara itu, dalam Twitter Malaysia Airlines (MAS), melaporkan pihaknya terputus hubungan dengan pesawat MH17 dari Amsterdam.

Kedudukan terakhir pesawat ialah di ruang udara Ukraine.- Sky News

Read more at: http://www.astroawani.com/news/show/pesawat-malaysia-airlines-mh17-terhempas-di-ukraine-lapor-reuters-40072?cp

Medical crisis in Gaza as conflict endures

 
 
Jerusalem (CNN) -- Patients being treated on the floor, because emergency rooms are overcrowded, medical sources say. Medicines running low. And, according to a Health Ministry spokesman, fuel shortages such that only half the available ambulances can run and the generators powering lights in hospitals might only last a few more days.

Sources there say that is the reality nowadays in Gaza, a dire situation that looks like it will persist or perhaps get worse -- since neither Hamas nor Israel's government have shown any indication of backing down.

Rockets being fired from Gaza into Israel are menacing and can be dangerous. Case in point came Friday, when a woman was hurt after a rocket hit a house in Be'er Sheva, according to Israel's military.

Every day, there are more such attacks, each one potentially lethal. Earlier Friday, for instance, Israel Defense Forces reported that two soldiers were lightly wounded in an attack by an anti-tank missile.

Hostilities between the two sides picked up weeks ago -- tensions that were exacerbated by the kidnapping and killing of three Israeli teenagers.

There's a disparity in the human toll in the latest fighting.

No Israelis have been killed so far by the hundreds of rockets fired toward southern Israel by Hamas, Islamic Jihad and other militant groups in Gaza. Some Israelis have been wounded.

More than 100 people -- including at least 23 children and 24 women -- have been killed and nearly 800 others have been injured in Gaza from Israeli strikes, according to Dr. Ashraf Al-Qidra, the spokesman for Gaza's health ministry. The toll kept rising Saturday, after an Israeli strike in Jabalya in northern Gaza that Hamas security sources said killed members of the Islamic Jihad militant group.

Those places where the injured are being treated aren't necessarily safe havens, either: Al-Qidra told CNN that at least one hospital in Gaza was shelled.

The medical sources who described the overcrowded emergency rooms in Gaza and dwindling supply of medicine characterized what is happening there as not unlike the chaos witnessed at Syrian hospitals during its civil war.

And even those not in hospitals or who haven't been impacted directly by airstrikes face significant challenges.

CNN staff in Gaza reported there are rolling blackouts, and there are water shortages in some areas because airstrikes have damaged pumping stations.

Israeli authorities insist that they want peace, and that they are striking back in order to defend their territory. As things stand, they contend, doing nothing is not a valid option.

To that point, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated Friday that there is one path to a cease-fire: the cessation of attacks from Gaza.

Observers wonder whether Israel will escalate its defense with even more offense -- by sending troops into Gaza. Nothing is off the table, Netanyahu said.

"We are considering all options and getting ready for every possible scenario," he said. "All the citizens of Israel are aware of my major goal, and this is to bring back the quiet to all Israeli territories. Hamas keeps attacking us, and therefore we are fighting them back."

Germany thrash Brazil 7-1 to reach final

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Hosts Brazil suffered one of the most humiliating defeats in World Cup history as Germany scored five times in the first half in reaching the final. 

Thomas Muller volleyed home following a corner before Miroslav Klose swept in to become the World Cup's all-time leading scorer with his 16th goal.

Toni Kroos drove in the third and then tapped in his second before Sami Khedira made it 5-0 from 12 yards. Andre Schurrle added two more after the break before Oscar's late consolation.

Germany will play either Argentina or Netherlands - who face each other on Wednesday - in Sunday's final.

Israel 'ready for escalation' of Gaza conflict

 

 

At least 15 people have been killed in the Gaza Strip as Israel launches a major air and sea offensive against the militant group Hamas.

It comes in response to Hamas firing more than 130 rockets at Israeli cities since Monday night.
On Tuesday evening, militants launched several rockets towards Jerusalem but did not hit the city, Israeli police said.

Israel has warned it may send ground troops into Gaza to stop the attacks. It has authorised the call-up of up to 40,000 military reservists. Hundreds of reservists have already been drafted to bolster forces around Gaza.

Hamas said all Israelis were now targets. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas demanded that Israel immediately stop the raids on Gaza and appealed for calm.

The Israeli military said it had targeted some 50 "terror sites" on Tuesday, in response to the missiles being fired from Gaza

It confirmed that aircraft and naval vessels had targeted militant compounds, rocket launchers and other infrastructure in Gaza, which is dominated by Hamas and until recently was governed by it.
Missiles struck the homes of several Hamas operatives who Israel claimed were involved in firing rockets, and what it said was a command centre located in a civilian building.

Among those killed in the raids were four Hamas members who died in Gaza City when their car was struck. One of the dead was Mohammed Shaaban, a senior militant.

Later, the home of a Hamas leader in the southern city of Khan Younis was hit, killing six people. Health ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qudra said two teenage boys were among those killed. Another 25 people were injured.

A Hamas spokesman condemned the air strike, calling it a "horrendous war crime".
The militant group later said it had launched several rockets at Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and other Israeli cities on Tuesday.

Israeli officials said none of the missiles had reached their target.



The White House issued a statement on Tuesday condemning the rocket fire and expressed support for Israel's right to defend itself "against these vicious attacks".

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has instructed the country's military to prepare for every scenario, including a ground offensive.

"We are preparing for a battle against Hamas which will not end within a few days," his Defence Minister, Moshe Yaalon, said in a statement.

He said Israel was "prepared to extend the operations with all means at our disposal in order to keep hitting Hamas".

The Israeli military said it had received provisional government approval to call up as many as 40,000 reserve soldiers, but had not done so yet.

Spokesman Lt Col Peter Lerner said it was preparing for an "escalation" of the campaign, dubbed "Operation Protective Edge", and would continue its bombardment as long as Israeli citizens were under fire.

The government has declared a state of emergency in southern Israel. In cities and towns within 40km (24 miles) of Gaza, summer camps and schools have been instructed to close and residents have been encouraged to stay near their homes.

The sudden escalation comes just days after suggestions of a truce from both Israel and militant groups in Gaza.

Tensions spiked last week with the murders of three young Israelis in the occupied West Bank and a Palestinian teenager in Jerusalem.

Israel says Hamas was behind the abduction and murder of the Israeli youths - a claim it denies.
A day after their funerals, the Palestinian was abducted in East Jerusalem and murdered. Police have arrested six Jewish suspects and say it seems the 16-year-old was killed because of his nationality.

 

World Cup: Brazil or Germany?

Four days after Neymar was kneed in the back, Brazil face the real possibility of being booted out of their own World Cup when they take on Germany in the semifinal at Belo Horizonte on Tuesday.

The hosts will have to manage without their star striker after he sustained a fractured vertebra in the 2-1 quarterfinal win over Colombia in Fortaleza.

It's not just in attack that Brazil have problems -- captain and key defender Thiago Silva is suspended after picking up his second yellow card of the tournament in the same match.

Neymar's injury is a huge blow to the hosts who, under coach Luiz Felipe Scolari are looking to reach the final for the first time in 12 years in their hunt for a sixth world crown.

Wild celebrations following Friday's win became more muted when news filtered through that Neymar -- scorer of four goals in five matches in Brazil's campaign --would play no further part in the tournament.

"It's like we have lost today," a female Brazilian fan in Rio de Janeiro told CNN after hearing of the seriousness of Neymar's injury.

"It's terrible, terrible. I'm so sad. But let's go on."

Sympathy also came flooding in from fans and arch rivals -- old and new.

"It concerns not only the Brazilian people but all of us who love football," Argentine legend Diego Maradona told the Venezuela-based Telesur TV network.

 "It was his World Cup, in his country. He had great hopes."

The Albicelestes current playmaker Lionel Messi also responded, posting a message for his Barcelona teammate on his Facebook page.

"Neymar, I hope you recover very soon, friend!" Messi wrote while German midfielder Mesut Ozil tweeted: "Neymar, I am unhappy. get well soon."

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Such is the fevered speculation surrounding Neymar there were even suggestions the Barcelona star could play if he had painkilling injections or underwent emergency surgery.

That speculation was quickly put to rest by the Brazilian Football Association Monday who said such treatment would not happen as it would would endanger Neymar's future career.

Dreams of a miraculous return were perhaps fueled by Brazil's obvious reliance on their stricken star.

The 22-year-old talisman has scored 35 goals in 54 international appearances -- three more than the combined totals of the squad's other forwards -- Fred, Hulk and Jo -- have managed in total in matches for the Selecao.

"Brazil are too dependent on Neymar," former Brazil midfielder Juninho told CNN following the group stages.

"If Neymar plays well, Brazil plays well. If he doesn't, nobody can do his job. It's a worry. It's like Portugal with Ronaldo."

A member of Brazil's last World Cup winning squad in 2002, Juninho also queried whether the current side have the experience to sustain their challenge.

"When you wear a Brazilian shirt you are under pressure even now when you play in your country. I think the players need to know how to deal with that.

"All of the players have a lot of experience in European competition but not in the national team and in the World Cup -- for a lot of them this is their first World Cup."

Brazil's winning captain in 1970, Carlos Alberto, struck a more positive note ahead of the Germany clash when he recalled the impact Garrincha made when he deputized for the injured Pele 52 years ago.

 "In the 1962 World Cup, we lost Pele," Alberto told Sportv.

"Maybe someone will wake up and become the Garrincha of 1962."

Another Brazilian great -- former midfielder Zico -- hopes a Neymar-less Brazil can prosper if Scolari deploys more "combative" midfielders.

"In my mind, fast players like Willian and Bernard need to be considered ..." Zico wrote in UK newspaper The Observer on Sunday.

"Above all, the Brazilian players have the chance to draw energy from Neymar's sacrifice ... they need to leave their souls on the pitch as a tribute for this kid whose dreams have been shattered because of one horrific tackle," Zico concluded.

Three-time champions Germany come into Tuesday's crunch match buoyed by a typically robust 1-0 win over France in the quarterfinals.

Joachim Low's side are seeking a first World Cup win in 24 years after narrow misses in the last three tournaments.

In 2002, Germany were runners up to Brazil -- the only World Cup meeting between the teams -- before losing at the semifinal stage to eventual winners Italy and Spain in 2006 and 2010 respectively.

A hugely experienced squad -- five players have 100 caps or more -- must quietly fancy their chances against an under-strength Brazil.

Not that anyone is saying that publicly.

"We're all sad that Neymar can't play, it's always better when the opponent has all their best players on the pitch," Germany midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger told FIFA.com.

"It'll bring the (Brazil) team together and they'll want to win the title for him."

Schweinsteiger also pointed to the pedigree of Brazil's coaching team -- noting both Scolari and technical director Carlos Alberto Parreira have previously managed Brazil to victory (in 2002 and 1994 respectively) -- and that home advantage shouldn't be underestimated.

"Their coaches have a lot of experience of this kind of situation. It's an honor and a challenge to play against the hosts, but it have would be better to play Brazil in the final," Schweinsteiger said.

"It doesn't matter how much experience you have, to play the hosts in this football-crazy country, I mean that in a positive sense, is something special."

The task of officiating this clash of two World Cup titans has been handed to Marco Rodriguez.

 Players from both sides will be hoping that he is alert to all incidents -- the 40-year-old Mexican failed to spot Luis Suarez's bite on defender Giorio Chiellini when Uruguay played Italy in the group stages last month.

Referring to Carlos Velasco Carballo's leniency in officiating Brazil's win over Colombia -- only two Brazilians were booked by the Spanish referee despite the Selecao's 31 fouls -- Schweinsteiger urged Rodriguez to be watchful.

"The Brazilians here aren't the magicians of old, the team has changed and so has their playing style," said the Bayern Munich midfielder.

"Hard challenges are definitely are part of their game, it's something we have to be careful of and the referee too."

AirAsia flight veers off runway in Brunei

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PETALING JAYA: An AirAsia airplane skidded off to the right hand side of the runway after making a safe landing at the Brunei International Airport at 4pm Monday.

One passenger experienced a slight injury during the evacuation process, but all 102 passengers and seven crew members on board flight AK278 from Kuala Lumpur disembarked safely, said the airline in a statement Monday.

Weather conditions during the time of the approach was rainy with slight gusts of wind.

"An evacuation of the passengers was performed in an orderly manner by the crew, as soon as the surrounding areas and conditions were determined to be safe," said AirAsia.

It said the needs of all passengers concerned were being attended to by the low-cost carrier’s ground services personnel, and the AirAsia team was working with relevant authorities to investigate the incident.

All AirAsia flights to and from the Brunei International Airport will be operating as per scheduled on Tuesday.