Aug. 24, 2014 9:04 a.m. ET
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday said the battle with Hamas is likely to drag on into September and signaled that Israel plans to expand air attacks in Gaza in civilian areas, a sign that Israel is prepared for a war of attrition that could last for weeks.
Speaking hours after the funeral for an Israeli child killed in a mortar attack Friday evening, the Israeli leader called on Gazans to immediately evacuate areas with militant activity nearby. "Every place like this is a target for us," Mr. Netanyahu told the weekly cabinet meeting. Over the weekend, Israel's military sent leaflets and text messages to Gazans warning them to distance themselves from militants.
Mr. Netanyahu's remarks come a day after Israel's air force flattened a 12-floor apartment building in Gaza City, injuring 17 people, the largest residential complex to be destroyed in the battle so far. The Israeli army said that the high-rise building was serving as one of the main command centers for Hamas and that it fired a warning shot to signal to residents that it planned to attack the building. An IDF spokesman said that the army wouldn't allow Hamas to "exploit" the "comfort" of the civilian surroundings.
On Sunday, many of the 400 evacuees from the Gaza City apartment building picked through the wreckage of their former homes, searching for photos, identification documents and other possessions. Residents denied militant activity was taking place in the building.
Osama Lulu, a 48-year-old pharmacist who lived on the top floor, left with little more than the clothes he was wearing. "I used to hear this on the news about other people," he said. "I felt sad for the other ones I heard about and I knew they felt sad, but I never expected that it was this bad."
Gaza's health ministry said that 2,110 residents have died since the beginning of the operation.
In Israel, hundreds took part in a funeral for 4-year-old Daniel Tragerman, who was killed by a mortar that struck Kibbutz Nahal Oz on Friday evening, an attack that highlighted the failure of Israel's government to boost security for residents of southern Israel despite the military offensive. Israel's military counted 50 rocket attacks from Gaza including a barrage of mortars and rockets that hit the Erez crossing, one of the main checkpoints with Israel.
The Israeli prime minister also said that the offensive against Hamas militants might not end by Sept. 1, the first day of Israel's school year. Israel's government has come under increasing criticism for its inability to stop rocket and mortar fire from Gaza despite a seven-week offensive that has included a limited ground invasion.
Though Egypt on Saturday formally called on Israel and Hamas to resume cease-fire negotiations that were suspended last week amid a breakdown of a truce, neither side has signaled that they are ready to resume talks. A U.S. official said that the State Department and European allies are drafting a United Nations Security Council resolution aimed at ending the hostilities because the Egyptian negotiations track seems to have "dried up.''
Source: Top Stories - Google News - http://ift.tt/1t49fj1
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