Israel-Hamas Ceasefire As Troops Exit Gaza

The Battle To Win The War And Keep The Peace

Updated: 5:07pm UK, Monday 04 August 2014

By Sam Kiley, Foreign Affairs Editor

Israeli tanks chew through the rubble at Rafah. Another child is killed. Some ceasefire. Some war.

For all the bluster and public relations stunts attached to several 'humanitarian truces', the claims to be the 'most moral army in the world', and the blaming of Hamas for deliberately getting fellow Palestinians killed, the Israel Defence Forces prosecute conflict with a bald honesty.

The purpose of war is to bend an enemy's will to one's own.

It's about smashing and maiming, dismemberment and mass grief.

When the threat is perceived as existential, it's conducted without rules but with great deliberation.

The firebombing of Dresden and the nuclear attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki targeted women and children, the innocent, their homes, parks and pets - on purpose.

The Allies intended to break the will of the Axis powers utterly.

And that is the intent of the Israelis in Gaza.

The aim of the IDF is officially to 'dismantle the military capacity of Hamas (and other militant groups)'. It is to rid Israel of the threat posed by Gaza's rocket arsenal, and of its tunnel network with its tentacles that extend inside Israel.

The vast majority of Palestinian casualties, now numbering more than 1,700, are civilians, and many of them are women and children.

Israel's 'pinpoint accurate' munitions have been used to target hospitals and United Nations schools housing thousands of refugees with monotonous regularity.

It is true that Hamas has stored weapons in schools, fired rockets from close to playgrounds and hospitals, and used mosques as combat operations rooms.

Nonetheless Israel has come in for some bitter criticism from long-time ally the United States, from the United Nations, which the Israelis see as a hostile entity, and now from France.

On Monday French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius called for a political solution to be "imposed" by the international community in the Gaza conflict.

"How many more deaths will it take to stop what must be called the carnage in Gaza?" Mr Fabius stormed.

"The tradition of friendship between Israel and France is an old one and Israel's right to security is total, but this right does not justify the killing of children and the slaughter of civilians."

The cold truth is that Mr Fabius has missed the point here.

Israel sees itself engaged in a near-perpetual existential struggle against Palestinian militants, especially Hamas, which is committed to the destruction of the 'Zionist entity'.

Israelis are generally horrified and outraged by any suggestion that civilians are deliberately targeted by the IDF which, they point out, regularly conducts investigations into the actions of its forces when they are accused of egregious killing.

But Israel's tactical aims are clear.

To crush Hamas and to send a clear message to Gazans that their future does not rest with the militant group.

The IDF has used devastating force to deliver that message and to try to wreck Hamas' military and civil structures.

And the Israeli government enjoys overwhelming support for the way that Operation Protective Edge has been conducted.

It accepts that war is not a sport.

But does not, yet, appear to comprehend that in Gaza Israel may have won another battle but is very far from winning the war - much less the peace it so craves.

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Nigerian Military 'Cut Throats' Of Detainees

Amnesty International has accused the Nigerian military and civilian militias of "extensive human rights violations" in their fight against extremists in the northeast of the country.

The global rights watchdog said gruesome video footage, images and witness testimonies collected during a research mission in Borno state found "fresh evidence of extrajudicial executions and serious human rights violations" in the region.

The footage includes detainees having their throats cut one by one and then dumped in mass graves by men who "appear to be members of the Nigerian military and the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF)", it said.

Salil Shetty, secretary general of Amnesty International, said: "The ghastly images are backed up by the numerous testimonies we have gathered which suggest that extrajudicial executions are, in fact, regularly carried out by the Nigerian military and CJTF.

Soldiers have been accused of executing captured Boko Haram militants

"These are not the images we expect from a government which sees itself as having a leadership role in Africa."

The video also shows the aftermath of a Boko Haram raid on a village, in which nearly 100 people were killed by the militants and scores of houses and buildings destroyed.

More than 4,000 people have been killed this year in the conflict between Boko Haram and the Nigerian military. More than 600 of these were extrajudicially executed, Amnesty said.

In April, the Boko Haram abducted 276 schoolgirls from Chibok in northeastern Nigeria. Some have managed to escape, but the militants are still holding 219 captive.

Boko Haram has staged attacks on villages in the remote northeast, where it aims to create a strict Islamic state.

Amnesty has called on Nigerian authorities to stop human rights violations in the military and urged it to hold investigations into the most serious allegations.

In a statement, Nigeria's defence ministry said it took the allegations "very seriously".

It said: "Much as the scenes depicted in these videos are alien to our operations and doctrines, (they have) to be investigated to ensure that such practices have not crept surreptitiously into the system."

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Shooting At British-Run Academy In Afghanistan

The Ministry of Defence is investigating reports of a shooting involving an Afghan soldier at a British-run academy near Kabul.

An Afghan commander was injured and there were international casualties during the shooting at the facility in Qargha, according to unconfirmed reports.

Reports suggest an argument erupted between some Afghans and an Afghan soldier, who apparently began shooting.

An MoD spokesman said: "We are aware of reports of an incident at Qargha.

The academy began taking its first officer cadets in October

"The incident is under investigation and it would be inappropriate to comment further at this time."

The officer training academy in Qargha received its first cadets in October and will be the only British military presence remaining in Afghanistan after operations end this year.

A spokesman for the International Security Assistance Force (Isaf) said: "We can confirm that an incident occurred involving local Afghan and Isaf troops at Camp Qargha in Kabul City, Afghanistan.

"The camp, also known as the Kabul ANA Officer Academy, is an Afghan National Security Forces facility.

"We are in the process of assessing the situation. More information will be released as we sort out the facts."

More follows...

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Digger Topples Bus In Israel 'Terror Attack'

Key Dates In The Gaza-Israel Conflict

Updated: 10:36am UK, Monday 04 August 2014

Israel's ground offensive in the Gaza Strip continues with forces attempting to destroy Hamas' weapons arsenal and rocketing-firing capabilities.

Here are the key events from the fighting that preceded and have followed Israel's operation:

:: July 8 - Israel launches "Operation Protective Edge" in a bid to quell near-daily militant rocket attacks in the aftermath of the abduction and killing of a Palestinian teenager in what appeared to be a revenge attack for the seizure and slaying of three Israeli teenagers in the West Bank in June.

:: July 9 - Hamas rockets rain deep into Israel as the military pummels Palestinian targets. The military says 74 rockets landed in Israel, including in the northern city of Hadera, the deepest rocket strike ever from Gaza. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Hamas will pay a "heavy price".

:: July 10 - Israel intensifies its bombardment. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urges an immediate ceasefire but neither side shows much interest in halting the fighting.

:: July 11 - Mr Netanyahu vows to press forward with a broad military offensive. The Israeli military says it has hit more than 1,100 targets, mostly rocket-launching sites, while Palestinian militants fired more than 600 rockets at Israel. The Lebanese military says militants there fired three rockets toward Israel and the Israelis retaliated with about 25 artillery shells.

:: July 12 - Gaza City becomes a virtual ghost town as streets empty, shops close and hundreds of thousands of people keep close to home. The death toll rises to more than 156 Palestinians after more than 1,200 Israeli air strikes.

:: July 13 - Israel widens its campaign, targeting civilian institutions with suspected Hamas ties, and briefly deploys ground troops inside Gaza to raid a rocket launching site. Four Israeli soldiers are hurt during the brief incursion. Egypt, a key mediator between Israel and Hamas, continues to work behind the scenes.

:: July 14 - Israel says it's downed an unmanned drone along its southern coastline. Egypt presents a cease-fire plan that is praised by President Barack Obama at a White House dinner celebrating the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

:: July 15 - Israeli Cabinet accepts Egypt's truce plan, halting fire for six hours but Hamas rejects the proposal, instead unleashing more rockets at Israel and prompting Israel to resume heavy bombardment. Rocket fire kills an Israeli man delivering food to soldiers, the first Israeli fatality in the fighting. Four Gaza boys, all cousins, are killed on a beach by shells fired from a navy ship.

:: July 16 - Hamas fires dozens of rockets into Israel, vowing not to agree to a ceasefire until its demands are met. The Gaza Interior Ministry's website says Israeli warplanes carried out dozens of airstrikes, targeting 30 houses, including those of four senior Hamas leaders. Later, both Israel and Hamas agree to a five-hour UN brokered "humanitarian" pause to start the following day.

:: July 17 - both sides trade fire in run-up to the brief truce, which Gazans use to restock on food and other supplies. Israel says it foiled an attack by 13 Gaza militants who infiltrated through a tunnel. Fierce fighting resumes after the truce expires, including an airstrike that kills three Palestinian children. After nightfall, the Israeli military launches a ground invasion into Gaza Strip.

:: July 18 - eight members of the same Palestinian family - two men, two women and four children - are killed by Israeli tank fire as the ground offensive to date claims the lives of 51 Palestinians and one Israeli soldier.

:: July 19 - Mr Ban says he wants to meet both sides to try to secure a truce as Israel pledges to step up its ground offensive. Hamas says its fighters are "behind enemy lines" as security alerts are triggered in southern Israel.

:: July 20 - Fresh airstrikes, artillery shelling and gun battles overnight kill 12 Palestinians and two more Israeli soldiers, as Israel intensifies its ground offensive in Gaza. Israeli minister Naftali Bennett defends the ground offensive in Gaza and accuses Hamas of "self-genocide" by using women and children as human shields.

:: July 21 - another airstrike kills 26 members of the same family, while seven more Israeli soldiers die in gun battles with Hamas fighters. Thirty of those wounded in the attack are reportedly medical staff.

:: July 22 - the Palestinian leadership proposes a ceasefire plan to mediators in Egypt which would be followed by five days of negotiations to stop the fighting which has claimed the lives of more than 600 Palestinians, many of them women and children, and 29 Israelis, including 27 soldiers.

:: July 23 - an international inquiry into Israel's actions in Gaza is launched, after the UN's Human Rights Commissioner says there is a "strong possibility" the country is guilty of war crimes. Several major airlines from the US, Europe and Canada suspend flights to and from Israel after a rocket fired from Gaza lands near Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion international airport.

:: July 24 - British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond warns Mr Netanyahu the West is losing sympathy for Israel amid the rising number of civilian deaths during its offensive in Gaza, as international efforts to end the conflict intensify. However, hopes of an effective ceasefire quickly diminish after Israel vows to continue hunting Palestinian cross-border tunnels under any humanitarian truce, while Hamas also rejects a truce without the lifting of Israel's eight-year blockade of Gaza.

:: July 26 - the number of Palestinians killed in the Gaza offensive reaches 1,000, according to the territory's health ministry. Meanwhile, Israel agrees to extend a temporary humanitarian ceasefire for a further day.

:: July 27 - Hamas agrees to a 24-hour temporary truce ahead of the Muslim festival of Eid.

:: July 28 - the UN Security Council calls for an "immediate and unconditional humanitarian ceasefire" in Gaza following an emergency session in New York. Both sides criticise the presidential statement, which is one step below a legally-binding resolution.

:: July 30 - a reported 128 Palestinians die in the bloodiest day of the three-week conflict. One attack, on the Jebalya refugee camp, provokes international condemnation, with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon saying there is "nothing more shameful than attacking sleeping children".

:: July 31 - the UN says the total number of displaced people in Gaza now stands at 440,000.

:: August 1 - the Israeli army says 23-year-old Second Lieutenant Hadar Goldin has been kidnapped as a three-day ceasefire collapses within minutes.

:: August 2 - tanks and troops begin withdrawing from some parts of the Gaza Strip as an army spokesman says Israel is "quite close to completing" the destruction of Hamas' tunnels.

:: August 3 - Israel confirms missing soldier Second Lieutenant Hadar Goldin died in combat.

:: August 3 - Ban Ki-moon describes an apparent Israeli airstrike on a UN school-turned-shelter in Rafah as a "moral outrage and a criminal act". The US says it is "appalled" by reports of a "disgraceful shelling" in which 10 casualties are reported.

:: August 4 - Israel begins a seven-hour humanitarian truce but is immediately accused of breaching it with an attack on a refugee camp in Gaza City.

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Bangladesh Ferry Capsizes With '500 On Board'

A ferry in Bangladesh with hundreds of passengers on board has capsized - with fewer than 50 of them rescued so far.

The accident happened in the River Padma, near Munshiganj district, about 18 miles (30km) southwest of the capital Dhaka.

Reports said around 100 passengers had been been saved from the vessel, identified as the Pinak-6.

One official said that the boat was carrying passengers who were on their way home after celebrating the end of Ramadan.

The English language website of Dhaka daily newspaper Prothom Alo said the boat was in the middle of the river between the terminals of Mawa and Kawrakandi when it overturned at about 11am (6am UK time).

Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) Mawa zone manager Abdul Alim told the newspaper the passengers who were rescued had been travelling on the roof of the ferry.

Mr Alim put the number on the ferry at as many as 500.

Tugboats were involved in the rescue of the rest of the passengers, he added.

Lauhajang police officer-in-charge Md Tajul Islam said the exact number of the passengers rescued and missing was not yet known.

Local police chief Tofazzal Hossain told the AP news agency some of the passengers would have been able to swim to safety but many were feared trapped or drowned.

The ferry provides one of the main crossing points of the huge river which becomes the Padma after the Ganges leaves India and later joins the Jamuna River.

The crossing, which takes passengers across the 2.5 miles-wide (4km) river, provides many of those from the south west of the country with access to Dhaka.

In March 2012, a ferry sank near the same spot, killing around 145 people.

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Thai Surrogate Vows To Stand By Sick Baby Boy

The Thai surrogate mother of a baby born with Down's Syndrome has promised to "never abandon" him.

Pattaramon Chanbua is now taking care of seven-month-old Gammy, who also has a heart defect and a lung infection, after his Australian parents reportedly took only his healthy twin sister.

The 21-year-old has vowed to raise the little boy, saying: "I am glad that in this unlucky situation there is a blessing that we are together.

"I never thought of having an abortion, I never thought to abandon him.

"I love him as my own baby ... he is my baby. I love him very much."

A fundraising page to cover Gammy's medical bills has raised over $200,000

She added: "I've never felt angry at them or hated them [the parents]. I'm always willing to forgive them.

"I want to see that they love the baby girl as much as my family loves Gammy. I want her to be well taken care of."

According to reports, the unnamed Australian couple who hired Ms Chanbua as a surrogate rejected the ill baby boy and returned to their home taking only the girl.

Ms Chanbua claims the parents wanted her to have an abortion once medical tests revealed Gammy had Down's Syndrome, but she refused because of her beliefs as a Buddhist.

But the parents allege they were not told their healthy daughter had a twin brother. The father told ABC they had "a lot of trouble" with the surrogacy agency and that the process had "taken every cent we have".

On Monday, Australian Immigration Minister Scott Morrison described Ms Chanbua as a "saint" and an "absolute hero".

He said: "It is terrible, just absolutely horrible and heartbreaking.

"Sure, there are lots of Australians who are desperate to be parents, but that can never I think sanction what we have just seen here."

He added that the law surrounding the case is "very, very murky". His office said in a statement that Gammy "may be eligible for Australian citizenship". Australian citizens are entitled to free health care in the country.

He said: "We are taking a close look at what can be done here, but I wouldn't want to raise any false hopes or expectations.

"We are dealing with something that has happened in another country's jurisdiction."

Commercial surrogacy - where a woman is paid to carry a child - is not allowed in Australia, but couples can use an "altruistic" surrogate who only receives medical and other reasonable expenses.

A "Hope For Gammy" fundraising website has already hit its $200,000 target to pay for the little boy's medical needs.

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Royal Navy 'To Rescue Britons From Libya'

By Alistair Bunkall, Defence Correspondent

The Royal Navy is preparing to rescue British nationals from Libya, Sky News understands.

HMS Enterprise is being moved into position off the coast of North Africa ready to be given the order to sail into Tripoli on Sunday morning.

There has been a severe deterioration in the security situation

She will moor offshore and her survey boat, Spitfire, will collect people from the Port of Tripoli.

A detachment of armed personnel, usually Royal Marines, will provide force protection to the ship in the event of attack.

HMS Enterprise. File picture

The routine follows a similar scenario in 2011 during the uprising when HMS Cumberland, a Type 22 frigate, evacuated foreign nationals and refugees from the civil war.

Although the United States used F-16 fighter jets for air cover when their citizens left Libya by road for Tunisia last week, it is not thought any British aircraft will be involved in this mission.

Britain is one of the last countries to wind down its diplomatic mission in Libya following a severe deterioration in the security situation as rebel groups continue fighting each other.

France and America, two of the other principal players in the 2011 war, closed their embassies last week.

The Ministry of Defence said: "As the Foreign Office has made clear, the UK Government will provide assisted departure for a number of UK nationals before suspending consular operations on Monday.

"For operational reasons we will not discuss further details including whether, and in what ways, the MoD could support these efforts."

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Ebola Doctor Flown Home To US For Treatment

One of two Americans infected with ebola in West Africa has arrived in the US, where doctors say they are confident the deadly virus will not escape.

Dr Kent Brantly was flown from Liberia, in a specially equipped plane to contain infectious diseases, to Marietta in Georgia, where he will continue to receive treatment in a special isolation unit.

After arriving at Emory University Hospital in an ambulance, the 33-year-old was seen leaving the vehicle dressed head to toe in white protective clothing, with another person in an identical suit who was holding both Dr Brantly's gloved hands.

Dr Brantly is the first ever ebola patient to be transported to American soil for treatment.

Dr Kent Brantly and missionary Nancy Writebol were infected in Liberia

A second US patient, missionary Nancy Writebol, is due to arrive on a later flight as the plane is only equipped to carry one patient at a time.

Dr Brantly's wife Amber, who left Liberia with their two young children for a wedding in the US days before the doctor fell ill, said in a statement: "It was a relief to welcome Kent home today. I spoke with him, and he is glad to be back in the US.

"I am thankful to God for his safe transport and for giving him the strength to walk into the hospital."

Ebola cases in Africa by country

Fears that the outbreak, which has killed over 700 people in Africa, could spread in the US has raised concerns among some Americans - but infectious disease experts insist the public faces no risk.

The specialist unit at Emory University Hospital was opened more than 10 years ago to care for federal health workers exposed to some of the world's most dangerous diseases.

Dr Bruce Ribner, who will be treating both patients, said: "Nothing comes out of this unit until it is non-infectious.

"The bottom line is: We have an inordinate amount of safety associated with the care of this patient. And we do not believe that any health care worker, any other patient or any visitor to our facility is in any way at risk of acquiring this infection."

More than 700 people have died in the latest ebola outbreak

Dr Brantly and Ms Writebol were described as critically ill after treating ebola patients at a missionary hospital in Liberia, one of three West African countries hit by the largest outbreak of the virus in history.

On Thursday both patients were said to be in a "stable but grave condition".

There is no proven cure for the virus. It kills an estimated 60-80% of the people it infects, but American doctors in Africa say the mortality rate would be much lower in a functioning health care system.

The current outbreak in West Africa has infected 533 people in Guinea; 460 in Sierra Leone; and 329 in Liberia. More than 700 people have died in Africa from the disease this year.

Emory University Hospital in Atlanta has a dedicated containment unit

As the virus continues to spread, Britain's leading public health doctor says the outbreak has highlighted the "moral bankruptcy" of the pharmaceutical industry.

Professor John Ashton believes the failure to invest in creating a vaccine is down to the virus being restricted to Africa. 

"We must respond to this emergency as if it was in Kensington, Chelsea and Westminster," he wrote in The Independent on Sunday.

"We must also tackle the scandal of the unwillingness of the pharmaceutical industry to invest in research [on] treatments and vaccines, something they refuse to do because the numbers involved are, in their terms, so small and don't justify the investment.

"This is the moral bankruptcy of capitalism acting in the absence of a moral and social framework."

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Ten Dead As Israel 'Fires On UN Shelter'

Miliband Slams Cameron's Handling Of Gaza Crisis

Updated: 7:24am UK, Sunday 03 August 2014

By Anushka Asthana, Political Correspondent

Labour leader Ed Miliband has accused David Cameron of failing to speak out about an Israeli military operation that he describes as "wrong and unjustifiable".

In a strongly worded statement, he said Mr Cameron had been right to call Hamas an appalling, terrorist organisation.

"But the Prime Minister is wrong not to have opposed Israel's incursion into Gaza," said Mr Miliband.

The Opposition leader added: "And his silence on the killing of hundreds of innocent Palestinian civilians caused by Israeli's military action will be inexplicable to people across Britain and internationally."

Downing Street reacted angrily to the statement, insisting the Prime Minister had been clear that both sides in the conflict need to observe a ceasefire.

"We are shocked that Ed Miliband would seek to misrepresent that position and play politics with such a serious issue."

A Labour source said the situation on the ground in Gaza had led Mr Miliband to speak out.

He said he supported Israel and believed it had the right to defend itself.

"But its military actions in the past two weeks have been wrong and unjustifiable.

"The escalation of violence engulfing Gaza has led, and is leading, to suffering and destruction on an appalling scale, and is losing Israel friends in the international community day by day."

It came amid claims that Britain is selling arms to Israel that could be being used against Palestinian citizens.

Katy Clark, a Labour MP on the Committee on Arms Export Controls, told Sky News arms had been sold since 2010 under hundreds of licences that were still in place.

Her committee found the UK can sell 22 different types of equipment to Israel including components for military combat vehicles, communications equipment, sniper rifles and water cannon.

The Government said it had started a review into all the licences, with the ultimate decision to suspend any lying with the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.

It is led by Lib Dem minister Vince Cable, who will be under pressure to act given the outspoken interventions from senior figures in his party.

Deputy Prime Minister and Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg has called on Israel to open direct talks with the political arm of Hamas.

Writing in The Guardian, he said the "daily images of human torment in Gaza have been harrowing and heartbreaking".

And he insisted Israel's "disproportionate" military response was only worsening the long-term situation.

Mr Clegg pointed to how the Queen shook hands with the former IRA commander Martin McGuinness as a reminder "that even the most intractable conflicts can be resolved".

Former Lib Dem leader Paddy Ashdown said any arms sales contributing to this conflict should be stopped.

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PM Warns Nato 'Russia Could Be A Threat'

Nato must bolster its military presence in eastern Europe so it could respond quickly to any threat from Russia, David Cameron has warned.

The Prime Minister has written to his Nato counterparts urging a rethink on relations with Moscow following its "illegal" actions in Ukraine, including the annexation of Crimea earlier this year.

He wrote: "We must review our long-term relationship with Russia. While Nato has only ever sought to be a partner to Russia, not a threat, it is clear that Russia views Nato as an adversary.

"We must accept that the co-operation of recent years is not currently possible because of Russia's own illegal actions in Nato's neighbourhood and revisit the principles that guide our relationship with Russia."

Measures should include sustaining a "robust" defensive presence in eastern Europe, adopting a new schedule of military exercises, positioning equipment and supplies in key locations and boosting Nato's Response Force.

The letter comes days after a report from the House of Commons Defence Committee warned that transatlantic defence forces were not prepared for any threat from Russia.

A Russian tank rolls outside a former Ukrainian military base in Crimea

Mr Cameron wants to use next month's Nato summit in south Wales to agree "long-term measures to strengthen our ability to respond quickly to any threat, to reassure those allies who fear for their own country's security and to deter any Russian aggression".

He believes the summit comes at a "pivotal" time in the organisation's history.

"In 2014, the world is more unpredictable than ever," the Prime Minister said. "To the East, Russia has ripped up the rulebook with its illegal annexation of Crimea and aggressive destabilisation of Ukraine. To the South, an arc of instability spreads from North Africa and the Sahel, to Syria, Iraq and the wider Middle East.

"So we must use the summit to agree how Nato should adapt to respond to and deter such threats; and to ensure the continued collective defence of all its members."

Meanwhile, Russia's Foreign Ministry has accused the European Union of withdrawing a ban on supplying Ukraine with military equipment "on the quiet".

Its statement also urged Europe not to be "goaded" by Washington over events in east Ukraine.

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