New Defence Minister Vows to Hunt down Terrorists:
In a brief video message recorded today, Naftali Bennett gave an update on what is happening in Gaza. He had strong words for the leaders in Gaza, “these terrorists are not only out to kill Israelis. In fact, they’re killing their own people in Gaza. At the cost of every rocket they shoot, they could have built another Gazan classroom. Israeli security forces will hunt down every terrorist, until our children are secure and safe.”
Amnesty International Called out for Lying:
Amnesty International claimed on twitter that Israel had launched the rocket that hit the Palestinian Independent Commission for Human Rights building in Gaza. However, Fox News reporter Trey Yingst who is currently in Gaza City called the organization out by tweeting, “ Israel did not strike this building. A rocket misfired from Gaza. I was across the street when it happened.”
360 rockets fired since Tuesday:
Over Tuesday and Wednesday, 360 rockets were fired into Israel from Gaza. According to the IDF, 60% of them landed in open areas. From the remaining 40% of rockets, 90% were intercepted by the Iron Dome. In response, Israel has struck Islamic Jihad terror targets in Gaza. Health officials in Gaza have reported 24 killed from Israel’s strikes, including at least 16 combatants. Israel has suffered no casualties.
European Union will now require labeling of products from settlements:
In a landmark decision, the The European Court of Justice determined on Tuesday that “foodstuffs” originating from Israeli settlements must be labeled as such. The US State Department condemned the decision on Wednesday, and officials in Israel praised their response. State Department spokesperson Morgan Ortagus read a prepared statement saying, “The path toward resolving the Israel-Palestinian conflict is through direct negotiations. America stands with Israel against efforts to economically pressure, isolate, or delegitimize it.”
Joint Arab List protest the strikes on Israel, Netanyahu responds:
On Wednesday, members of the Arab Joint List party yelled at Netanyahu during his speech and were ejected. Several other members walked out in protest. Members of the party have been attending demonstrations to protest Israel’s attacks on Gaza. Netanyahu responded to them in his speech saying, “We are making every effort, efforts that no army in the world makes, to try and make surgically precise hits.” After his speech, Joint List leader Ayman Odeh told the media that Netanyahu had ordered the assassination of Palestinian Islamic Jihad leader Abu al-Ata for political gain.
Northern Israel Battles Forest Fires:
While the south of Israel is dealing with rockets from Gaza, Northern Israel is being hit by a string of wildfires. The late heat wave and strong winds have stirred up fires in the Galilee and Golan regions. Fire Fighters both on the ground and in the air are combating the outbreaks.