SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
(Image: UNRWA)
Plea for 'International Protection' as Attack on Gaza Intensifies
More than 170 killed and 1,250 wounded with end of bombardment nowhere in sight
Jul 14, 2014
President of the Palestinian Authority Mahmoud Abbas has called on the United Nations "to officially put the State of Palestine under the UN international protection system."
Abbas sent his request in the form of a letter to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon and UN Middle East Special Envoy Robert Serry.
UN Deputy Spokesman Farhan Haq confirmed receipt of the letter in New York but only said the UN would "need to study it before responding further."
Abbas' plea for protection comes as Palestinians in Gaza continue to flee the aerial bombardment of the Israeli military on Monday, flooding towards shelters managed by the UN's Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) which has declared a state of emergency across the entire Gaza Strip.
As the attack on Gaza continued for its seventh day, the death toll has risen beyond 170 people, with more than 1,250 injured, according to relief agencies and the Gaza ministry of health. Al-Monitor continues to track and name the Palestinian victims of Israel's military assault, which they have named 'Operation Protective Edge.' So far, no Israeli lives have been lost.
A feared ground invaded has not yet be ordered, but following an Israeli cabinet meeting on Sunday night, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu indicated the military attack was escalating with "growing force." He added, "We do not know when this operation will end."
From inside Gaza, the UNWRA released a specific warning to the global community that Israeli forces may have begun targeting the territories drinking water infrastructure.
"An alarming development is the alleged targeting of Coastal Municipalities Water Utility (CMWU) operation teams," the UNRWA warned late Sunday. "The CMWU provides water and sanitation services to communities in the Gaza Strip. Two team members were killed by airstrikes in al Bureij two days ago and this morning, two were reported to be directly targeted by an Israeli missile during their routine field operation, conducted in cooperation with the Gaza team in Rafah. One of the two operators sustained severe head injuries and is in critical condition."
Due to the attacks, the CMWU has suspended its operation, putting maintenance of the system on hold. If suspension is prolonged, the UN warned, the collapse of drinking water supplies poses an existential crisis for those living in Gaza, exposing them "to health and environmental disasters in addition to the current vulnerable conditions people are experiencing as a result of the escalation of conflict."
On Monday, a young Palestinian man was shot and killed by Isreali security forces in the West Bank during street protests calling for an end to the attacks in Gaza.
Last week, the Moshe Feiglin, the deputy speaker of the Knesset, Israel's parliament, urged the shutting off of electricity in the Gaza Strip as a way to punish the people of Gaza for rockets being fired by some militant factions towards Israel.
In Cairo on Monday, the Arab League, whose leaders have called for an immediate end to the attack on Gaza, are holding an emergency meeting to address the ongoing crisis.
As international calls for a cease fire increase and reverberate, however, the shelling and airstrikes on the besieged enclave continue.
_______________________________
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, The U.S. is on a fast track to authoritarianism like nothing I've ever seen. Meanwhile, corporate news outlets are utterly capitulating to Trump, twisting their coverage to avoid drawing his ire while lining up to stuff cash in his pockets. That's why I believe that Common Dreams is doing the best and most consequential reporting that we've ever done. Our small but mighty team is a progressive reporting powerhouse, covering the news every day that the corporate media never will. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. And to ignite change for the common good. Now here's the key piece that I want all our readers to understand: None of this would be possible without your financial support. That's not just some fundraising cliche. It's the absolute and literal truth. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. Will you donate now to help power the nonprofit, independent reporting of Common Dreams? Thank you for being a vital member of our community. Together, we can keep independent journalism alive when it’s needed most. - Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
President of the Palestinian Authority Mahmoud Abbas has called on the United Nations "to officially put the State of Palestine under the UN international protection system."
Abbas sent his request in the form of a letter to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon and UN Middle East Special Envoy Robert Serry.
UN Deputy Spokesman Farhan Haq confirmed receipt of the letter in New York but only said the UN would "need to study it before responding further."
Abbas' plea for protection comes as Palestinians in Gaza continue to flee the aerial bombardment of the Israeli military on Monday, flooding towards shelters managed by the UN's Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) which has declared a state of emergency across the entire Gaza Strip.
As the attack on Gaza continued for its seventh day, the death toll has risen beyond 170 people, with more than 1,250 injured, according to relief agencies and the Gaza ministry of health. Al-Monitor continues to track and name the Palestinian victims of Israel's military assault, which they have named 'Operation Protective Edge.' So far, no Israeli lives have been lost.
A feared ground invaded has not yet be ordered, but following an Israeli cabinet meeting on Sunday night, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu indicated the military attack was escalating with "growing force." He added, "We do not know when this operation will end."
From inside Gaza, the UNWRA released a specific warning to the global community that Israeli forces may have begun targeting the territories drinking water infrastructure.
"An alarming development is the alleged targeting of Coastal Municipalities Water Utility (CMWU) operation teams," the UNRWA warned late Sunday. "The CMWU provides water and sanitation services to communities in the Gaza Strip. Two team members were killed by airstrikes in al Bureij two days ago and this morning, two were reported to be directly targeted by an Israeli missile during their routine field operation, conducted in cooperation with the Gaza team in Rafah. One of the two operators sustained severe head injuries and is in critical condition."
Due to the attacks, the CMWU has suspended its operation, putting maintenance of the system on hold. If suspension is prolonged, the UN warned, the collapse of drinking water supplies poses an existential crisis for those living in Gaza, exposing them "to health and environmental disasters in addition to the current vulnerable conditions people are experiencing as a result of the escalation of conflict."
On Monday, a young Palestinian man was shot and killed by Isreali security forces in the West Bank during street protests calling for an end to the attacks in Gaza.
Last week, the Moshe Feiglin, the deputy speaker of the Knesset, Israel's parliament, urged the shutting off of electricity in the Gaza Strip as a way to punish the people of Gaza for rockets being fired by some militant factions towards Israel.
In Cairo on Monday, the Arab League, whose leaders have called for an immediate end to the attack on Gaza, are holding an emergency meeting to address the ongoing crisis.
As international calls for a cease fire increase and reverberate, however, the shelling and airstrikes on the besieged enclave continue.
_______________________________
President of the Palestinian Authority Mahmoud Abbas has called on the United Nations "to officially put the State of Palestine under the UN international protection system."
Abbas sent his request in the form of a letter to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon and UN Middle East Special Envoy Robert Serry.
UN Deputy Spokesman Farhan Haq confirmed receipt of the letter in New York but only said the UN would "need to study it before responding further."
Abbas' plea for protection comes as Palestinians in Gaza continue to flee the aerial bombardment of the Israeli military on Monday, flooding towards shelters managed by the UN's Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) which has declared a state of emergency across the entire Gaza Strip.
As the attack on Gaza continued for its seventh day, the death toll has risen beyond 170 people, with more than 1,250 injured, according to relief agencies and the Gaza ministry of health. Al-Monitor continues to track and name the Palestinian victims of Israel's military assault, which they have named 'Operation Protective Edge.' So far, no Israeli lives have been lost.
A feared ground invaded has not yet be ordered, but following an Israeli cabinet meeting on Sunday night, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu indicated the military attack was escalating with "growing force." He added, "We do not know when this operation will end."
From inside Gaza, the UNWRA released a specific warning to the global community that Israeli forces may have begun targeting the territories drinking water infrastructure.
"An alarming development is the alleged targeting of Coastal Municipalities Water Utility (CMWU) operation teams," the UNRWA warned late Sunday. "The CMWU provides water and sanitation services to communities in the Gaza Strip. Two team members were killed by airstrikes in al Bureij two days ago and this morning, two were reported to be directly targeted by an Israeli missile during their routine field operation, conducted in cooperation with the Gaza team in Rafah. One of the two operators sustained severe head injuries and is in critical condition."
Due to the attacks, the CMWU has suspended its operation, putting maintenance of the system on hold. If suspension is prolonged, the UN warned, the collapse of drinking water supplies poses an existential crisis for those living in Gaza, exposing them "to health and environmental disasters in addition to the current vulnerable conditions people are experiencing as a result of the escalation of conflict."
On Monday, a young Palestinian man was shot and killed by Isreali security forces in the West Bank during street protests calling for an end to the attacks in Gaza.
Last week, the Moshe Feiglin, the deputy speaker of the Knesset, Israel's parliament, urged the shutting off of electricity in the Gaza Strip as a way to punish the people of Gaza for rockets being fired by some militant factions towards Israel.
In Cairo on Monday, the Arab League, whose leaders have called for an immediate end to the attack on Gaza, are holding an emergency meeting to address the ongoing crisis.
As international calls for a cease fire increase and reverberate, however, the shelling and airstrikes on the besieged enclave continue.
_______________________________
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.