Israeli Cabinet Vows to Intensify Gaza War: Over 1,442 Killed

UN Slams Growing Attacks on Civilian Targets

The Israeli Security Cabinet once again spurned international calls to end their invasion of the Gaza Strip, today declaring that not only the war would continue, but that they will “intensify” the attacks.

It was another day of attacks overwhelmingly targeting civilians, with an overnight strike on a UN-run school in a refugee camp, packed with thousands of refugees, killing at least 20 people and wounding hundreds of others. Israel’s Foreign Ministry defended the attack.

Israel went on to declare a four hour “humanitarian lull” in the morning, supposedly giving Gaza civilians a few hours free of attack. When hundreds flocked to a marketplace in Shejaiya, Israel attacked anyhow, killing 17 and wounding 170 others.

Israel went on to defend that attack as well, insisting they made it clear in their official statements that the humanitarian lull didn’t cover that particular marketplace, though they gave no indication as to why they attacked a food market full of civilians.

All told the death toll in Gaza is over 1,442 killed, overwhelmingly civilians. The death toll on the Israeli side is 59, with 56 of them soldiers. The fighting has also displaced hundreds of thousands of civilians within Gaza.

The soaring civilian death toll in Gaza sparked more condemnation from the UN, which dubbed the attack on the school “unjustifiable” and “reprehensible.” Any UN efforts to punish the Israeli military for such attacks will undoubtedly be blocked by the US, however.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.