UN Calls for Ceasefire in Gaza; US Abstains

(NEWSER) - Israel continues to press its assault and Hamas continues to fire its rockets, but a sliver of hope emerged tonight toward an end to the Gaza hostilities, MSNBC reports. Representatives from Israel, Hamas, and the Palestinian Authority will meet—probably separately—with Egyptian officials in Cairo tomorrow to discuss a possible truce. Twelve days of fighting have left 688 Palestinians and 10 Israelis dead. More»

Israel keeps schools closed as citizens huddle in bomb shelters

(NEWSER) - Gaza and Israel continued to exchange rocket attacks for air strikes this weekend, leaving 18 Palestinians dead, four Israelis wounded, and world leaders weighing in on the latest round of Middle East violence, the Guardian reports. On the Israeli side, schools were kept closed and thousands of civilians spent hours huddled in bomb shelters. In Palestine, an air strike on a refugee camp left a 12-year-old boy among the dead. Another 26 Palestinians were reported hurt, five seriously. More»

Egypt brokers deal to stop escalating violence

(AP) - Gaza militants agreed to a cease-fire with Israel to stop spiking violence, a Hamas official said today, after a deadly attack across the Egyptian border on Israeli vehicles set off a three-day round of rapidly escalating Israeli airstrikes and rocket barrages from Gaza. The sudden flareup also threatened Israel-Egypt relations, after three Egyptian police were killed as the cross-border clash developed Thursday. Egypt complained strongly as thousands demonstrated in Cairo, and Israel apologized. More»

Situation continues to escalate after deadly attacks

(NEWSER) - The situation continues to get uglier in Gaza and southern Israel: Gaza militants launched rockets into Israel this morning in the latest move following yesterday's coordinated attacks against Israelis. Israel had initially retaliated against those attacks, which killed eight, with an airstrike yesterday that killed five. Israel continued those airstrikes past midday today, targeting what the military said were smuggling tunnels and sites used by gunmen, the AP reports. Hamas says two children have been killed in the strikes. Early today, at least 10 rockets were fired into Israel by Gaza militants; one was intercepted, another wounded six Israelis. More»

The deal comes after weeks of increasing violence

(NEWSER) - After weeks of increasing violence, the likes of which has not been since since the end of the Gaza war in 2009, Israel and Hamas have agreed to step back from a major confrontation. A weekend of attacks left 19 Palestinians dead, including six civilians, and 65 injured. In addition, dozens of rockets were fired at southern Israel, and Israel launched airstrikes, the Guardian reports. But now a UN envoy has reportedly brokered a ceasefire, and leaders from both sides indicated they do not wish to escalate the conflict. More»