As day five of Operation Pillar of Defense came to a close in Israel Sunday, reports surfaced that Hamas had flatly rejected two ceasefire proposals from the Jewish state, brokered by Egypt. Israel first asked Hamas to uphold a 1 kilometer buffer along the Gaza border, around which individuals could not enter. The second proposal demanded that Hamas cease all arms smuggling into the region. Hamas officials rebuked both submissions, demanding a ceasefire without preconditions. Meanwhile, Israel continued …More

As the sun set on day three of Operation Pillar of Defense, three top Hamas officials were reported dead as a result of IDF efforts. The Israeli military confirmed at 3:30 pm EST that Ahmad Abu Jalal, a Hamas Central Command chief, had been targeted and killed during an aerial attack. An hour later, unconfirmed reports surfaced that Hamas officials Muhammad Abu Jalal, a company commander, and Khaled Shahyer, a chief missile operator, were also killed. The news came after Wednesday’s assassination of war …More

Wage war to make peace. That’s the idea behind Israel’s strikes this week against Hamas targets in Gaza, including Wednesday’s attack that killed Hamas military chief Ahmed Jabari. What’s not clear is how far Israel’s Operation Pillar of Defense will go, what price Israeli civilians will pay in the conflict, whether it will succeed in its goal of deterring Hamas from future attacks on Israel and what consequences there might be for Jerusalem’s fragile relationship with the …More

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas ended a European tour early yesterday, returning home amid the crisis along the Israeli-Gazan border. Wednesday, the PA leader issued a statement condemning Israel’s military operation to stymie the Hamas terrorist organization, calling on world leaders to back Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. Today, however, Abbas issued a second statement, placing a rare bout of blame on Hamas militants. He condemned the “killing of civilians, both Israeli and …More

Three Israelis were killed last night as two infants and one young boy were critically injured, while Hamas missiles targeted civilian towns in southern Israel. The deaths were the first on the Israeli side for Operation Pillar of Defense, a mission launched yesterday by the Jewish state to combat incessant attacks from the Gaza Strip. Nearly 250 rockets have been sent from Hamas in the last 24 hours. The Iron Dome missile defense system has been able to intercept 80, though 196 made landfall in Israel. A …More

Israel’s Operation Pillar of Defense is now in full force, with the IDF targeting Hamas heads after days of rocket fire launched by Gaza. The mission has already seen the killing of al Qassam leader Ahmed Jabari, and Israeli officials have promised continued assaults in the days to come. The mission was enacted after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned of retaliation if the hundreds of rockets sent from Hamas over the past few weeks did not cease. In the last three days alone, nearly 200 …More

Both Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Shimon Peres issued statements today on the IDF assassination of Hamas official Ahmed Jabari, as the world waited to see what escalation would result in the aftermath. Netanyahu was behind closed doors in a cabinet briefing as night fell on Israel, emerging to say, “Hamas and the terror organizations have elected in recent days to escalate their attacks on Israel's citizens. We are not prepared to make peace with a situation in which Israel's …More

Israeli war criminal Ahmed Jabari was killed by an IDF targeted strike today, the IDF’s first assassination in the evolving Operation Pillar of Defense. Jabari, 52, was the head of al Qassam Brigades, Hamas’s military wing. He took over the position in 2006, after predecessor Muhammad Deif was seriously injured by an Israeli strike. Jabari was previously a member of the West Bank’s Fatah party, but changed loyalties after spending time in an Israeli prison. He is blamed for leading …More

The Israeli military has launched a targeted campaign against Hamas leaders and weapons holdings, starting with the assassination of Hamas military head Ahmed Jabari. The mission is being called Operation Pillar of Defense, and has already seen several air strikes on Gaza rocket launching sites today. Hamas has declared a state of warfare with Israel, and the south is under a state of alert, as several portions of the south shut down for civilians. IDF Spokesman Yoav Mordechai said, “Jabari is the first …More

The Israeli Air Force has killed Hamas military leader Ahmed Jabari in an airstrike. [Times of Israel] The Israeli Defense Forces has labeled their military actions against the Hamas terrorist “Operation Pillar of Defense” and continue to strike specific targets throughout Gaza. [Yeshiva World] Several rockets were apparently fired from Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula, landing near an Israeli rural community sharing Egypt’s border. [Times of Israel] Israeli Foreign minister Avigdor Lieberman has …More

Israeli opposition leader Tzipi Livni spoke out on Sunday, saying that the price paid for Gilad Shalit was too high. According to her, the release of so many prisoners unduly strengthens Hamas’ position in Palestine at the cost of more moderate elements. Comments by Ahmed Jabari, the commander of Hamas’ military wing, lend credence to Livni’s hypothesis. Jabari promised that his organization would make further efforts to kidnap Israeli soldiers to be used as bargaining chips for the release of …More