MIDDLE EAST

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay on Wednesday said Israel’s actions in Gaza could be deemed as war crimes while also condemning the haphazard rocket fire by Hamas. “There seems to be a strong possibility that international law has been violated, in a manner that could amount to war crimes”, she said at an emergency session of the …

US Secretary of State John Kerry on Wednesday said that global efforts to end the bloodshed in Gaza were moving forward as the conflict raged on and international airlines suspended flights to Israel. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and the US Secretary of State spoke about the conflict in Jerusalem and appeared cautiously optimistic regarding the future of the situation. …

Ten human rights organizations urgently contacted Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein today following the release of reports on the nature of attacks within the Gaza Strip and the high rate of civilian casualties. This information raises concerns about grave violations of international humanitarian law. The organizations demanded that the Attorney General instruct the government to refrain from violating the laws of …

On Monday, Turkey declared three days of nationwide mourning for Palestinian victims of Israeli military aggression in Gaza and denounced the assault as a “massacre”. Turkey and Israel have diplomatic ties, but relations between the two were downgraded after Israeli commando raid on an activist ship from Turkey being sent to the Gaza Strip in 2010. In televised comments from …

Turkey’s Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said that he is not talking with US President Barack Obama over the phone anymore amid growing anxiety between Washington and Ankara over the conflict in Gaza and the conflict in Syria. Turkey is a fierce opponent of Bashar Assad and is an open supporter of rebel fighters in Syria. It felt betrayed …

On Tuesday, the Palestinian Ministry of Health, at the time of writing, declared at least 624 deaths since the Israeli onslaught on Gaza began over two weeks ago. It added that over 3,750 people have been wounded by the Israeli attack. In the latest attack, air strikes caused the deaths of at least 13 children and women in Gaza, medics …

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Monday arrived in Cairo to push for efforts to bring about a ceasefire in neighbour Gaza. He will meet with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in Cairo for talks with top Egyptian officials to end the conflict that has pervaded in Gaza for the past two weeks. Kerry is set to push for an …

Ayman Mohyeldin, leading correspondent for American TV network NBC was taken off his assignment in Gaza on Thursday after he reported an Israeli airstrike on a beach in Gaza which killed four children. Before the children died, Mohyeldin had tweeted that he was “kicking a ball” with them. He provided most of the detail about the children’s death. The kids …

Eight Lebanese television networks on Monday overcame their political differences to air a unified newscast in support of Gaza, where at least 572 people have been killed in a fortnight of Israeli aggression.The move was the first of its kind in the Arab world, and surprising constituted partisan local media outlets. The newscast, titled “Gaza…you are not alone”, was broadcast …

Israel’s Operation Protective Edge entered its 14th day on Monday, as the Palestinian death toll due to the Israeli assault reached 548 at the time of writing. Meanwhile, global efforts to bring peace to the region gathered pace as the United Nations and Washington demanded an “immediate ceasefire” in Gaza. Sunday’s lethal violence had seen the death of 140 Palestinians, …