Israel moves troops toward Gaza; Barak wants 30,000 reservists

At least a dozen trucks carrying tanks, armored vehicles were seen late Thursday moving toward border area, while buses ferried soldiers; Barak asks government to okay reserves call-up ahead of possible ground invasion. IDF reservist: Time to do what must be done.

BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — One of the casualties of Israeli airstrikes on the Gaza Strip was a teacher at a UN school, the UN Relief and Works Agency said Thursday. Marwan al-Qumsan, 52, was killed on Thursday afternoon in an airstrike on the al-Amoudi area of the northern Gaza Strip. A civil defense crew had to retrieve his body from the rubble. His brother was seriously injured in the same strike. He was an Arabic teacher at UNRWA’s Preparatory Boys School in Jabalia, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees said in a statement. Israel has killed 19 Palestinians, including at least 10 civilians since Wednesday in a series of airstrikes, tank fire and naval shelling.

GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — An Israeli airstrike killed three Palestinians in the northern Gaza Strip on Thursday evening, the health ministry said, bringing the death toll to 19 on the second day of fighting. Brothers Tareq Jamal Naser, 16, and Oday Jamal Nasser, 14, as well as Fares al-Bassiouni were killed when Israel bombed their home in Beit Hanoun, the ministry said. The brothers’ father and three children were among six injured in the explosion. Witnesses said a fire broke out affecting a nearby mosque after the bombing.

Pregnant woman, two children wounded in renewed Israeli raids on Gaza

A pregnant woman and two children were wounded in Gaza on Thursday in renewed Israeli shelling of the besieged enclave, medical sources said.

Photo of journalist carrying dead son in Gaza spurs online grief

The death of a journalist’s 11-month-old son in Gaza on Wednesday has prompted a flood of poignant messages online — and media speculation — when pictures of Jihad Misharawi, a BBC Arabic video editor, showed him carrying the body of his dead son.

BBC staffer’s 11-month-old son killed in Gaza

The 11-month-old son of a BBC staffer was killed yesterday during an air strike by the Israeli army on the Gaza strip. Omar Misharawi, son of the BBC Arabic service’s picture editor, Jihad, is said to have died in hospital from shrapnel wounds (though some earlier reports wrongly stated it was from severe burns). His aunt was killed, and his brother and an uncle were critically injured. There is a picture here of Omar. His father told BBC Arabic: “Shrapnel hit our house. My sister-in-law was killed along with my son. And my brother and my other son were wounded. What did my son to to die like this? What was his mistake? What did he do?”

A targeted missile strike launched from an Israeli Navy warship has hit a vehicle near the home of Hamas Prime Minister in Gaza, Ismail Haniyeh, according to Israeli media. This comes as Israel intensifies its attacks on Gaza. Residents say the strike destroyed an electricity generator near Haniyeh’s house. It was unclear whether he was at home at the time of the assault. No casualties have been reported from that incident. Meanwhile an Israeli Defense Force spokesperson has said in an official Twitter: “During the past hour, the IDF targeted approx. 70 underground medium range rocket launching sites in Gaza. Direct hits were confirmed.” This comes as Israel is apparently intensifying its assault on Gaza after it launched the operation “Pillar of Defense” a day ago. Three people have been killed in Israel, while the Palestinian death toll has reached at least 16, including children, say medical sources in Gaza.

Israel bombs Interior Ministry building in Gaza City

GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — Israel bombed the civil affairs department of the Ministry of Interior in Gaza City early Friday morning after a night of heavy raids across the Gaza Strip. Emergency crews extinguished a huge blaze at the ministry in the Tel al-Hawa neighborhood as ambulances transferred wounded Palestinians from residential buildings in the area. Ministry officials reassured citizens that more than 90 percent of personal files and papers were saved electronically and could still be accessed. The building contained 70 years of records of the Palestinian civil registry, the ministry said.

Israel leaflets Gazans: for your safety, stay away from Hamas The Israeli air force on Thursday dropped leaflets over several locations in the Gaza Strip. Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs reports that the leaflets contained the following information: “Important announcement for the residents of the Gaza Strip: For your own safety, take responsibility for yourselves and avoid being present in the vicinity of Hamas operatives and facilities and those of other terror organizations that pose a risk to your safety. Hamas is once again dragging the region to violence and bloodshed. The IDF is determined to defend the residents of the State of Israel. This announcement is valid until quiet is restored to the region. Israel Defense Forces Command.”

Palestinian account from Gaza: A speechless girl in Gaza, Malaka Mohammed This post originally appeared on Malaka Mohammed’s blog yesterday. Gaza is now witnessing difficult moments! I live at Shijaeya, to the east of Gaza City. My region would be the first to be hit in any Israeli invasion. 3 days ago, 6 civilians were murdered and around 40 were injured in my region. Today, the same numbers were murdered but it seems the injuries will be more. I had 2 sleepless nights lacking the ability to focus, study, or even sleep. At 2:00 am last night, I was still up relaxing after my little sisters had managed to go to sleep. Half an hour after sleeping, a house was targeted in the street where I live. http://mondoweiss.net/2012/11/a-speechless-girl-in-gaza.html

In Gaza, my son asks, what do the Israelis want from us?, Rami Almeghari

Rami Almeghari, The Electronic Intifada correspondent in Gaza, struggles to answer his son’s simple question.

Gaza Under Attack: International eyewitnesses call for action Beginning at 3:35 pm today, the Gaza Strip has been shaken by several Israeli army attacks from drones, apaches, F-16s, and naval vessels. One of the first people killed was Ahmed al-Jabari, chief of staff of Hamas’ military wing. Palestinian factions vowed revenge, and their armed wings have fired dozens of rockets towards Israel. Since the first attack this afternoon, Israeli forces have carried out more than 50 airstrikes across the Gaza Strip resulting in at least eight fatalities, including two young children and a woman pregnant with twins. The Ministry of Health also reports that more than 90 people have been injured.

Israeli Racism and Warmongering

Inciting war crimes: Israel minister says force Gaza population into Egypt, cut off water, electricity, Ali Abunimah

Katz, a member Netanyahu’s Likud Party, appears to be inciting war crimes of the kind Israel committed in Lebanon and previously in Gaza.

Israeli police spokesperson Micky Rosenfeld: ‘If they dare to strike Tel Aviv… we’ll wipe the whole place out’, Philip Weiss

There is a famous knoll outside Sderot in southern Israel where reporters and other spectators of war gather to watch Israeli operations against Gaza—“we want to see fireworks,” as one young man explained this afternoon– and we had been there only ten minutes when Micky Rosenfeld, an Israeli police spokesperson on security matters, arrived with a colleague. “There’s a strike, check it out,” he said proudly as a plume of smoke rose from Gaza City. “You can see it well in the setting sun.” Around us, photographers balanced long telephoto lenses on knees or tripods to make the golden shot of destruction about a dozen miles away. Four men seated under a fir tree guzzled bottles of beer.