GAZA - Palestinian death toll 438

Bloody Sunday as 100 Gazans, 13 Israeli soldiers killed Agence France-Presse 5:23 am | Monday, July 21st, 2014 GAZA CITY–At least 100 Palestinians and 13 Israeli soldiers were killed on Sunday with Hamas claiming it had captured another, as Israel ramped up a major military offensive in Gaza. The Palestinian president, meanwhile, called for an immediate meeting of the UN Security Council as regional leaders met in Doha for urgent talks on a ceasefire. As the Palestinian death toll soared to 438 in the bloodiest single day in Gaza in five years, a spokesman for the enclave’s emergency services said more than a third of the victims were women and children. The Israeli army said 13 soldiers had been killed inside Gaza on the third day of a major ground operation. “Over the course of the day, 13 soldiers from the IDF’s Golani Brigade were killed in combat in the Gaza Strip,” a statement said. Their deaths raised to 18 the number of soldiers killed since the ground operation began late Thursday. It was the largest number of soldiers killed in combat since the 2006 Lebanon war. ... Entire buildings were collapsed on themselves or strewn into the streets, while others were ablaze, sending pillars of dark smoke skywards. There were also bodies, blackened and charred almost beyond recognition, some with whole limbs missing. Ban in peace push As the violence raged, Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas arrived in Qatar to discuss a ceasefire with Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal, and UN chief Ban Ki-moon arrived later to push truce efforts. “I am calling for an urgent session tonight of the UN Security Council,” Abbas said in a speech broadcast on Palestinian TV. “What the occupation forces did today in Shejaiya is a crime against humanity,” he said. “Those who committed it will not go unpunished.” Ban also condemned the “atrocious action” in Shejaiya and urged Israel to “exercise maximum restraint.” ...extract only...full @... SOURCE - Inquirer Philippines - here.

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COMMENT

Cannot begin to imagine what it would be like to be a sitting duck amid the conflict.