RAMALLAH: The first week of Israel's full scale military offensive against the Gaza Strip came to a conclusion last night. Talks of a ceasefire proved fruitless, and the violence enters its 8th day on Wednesday. The conflict officially began when Israeli forces assassinated Hamas military chief Ahmad Jabari in a targeted airstrike on his car, killing him and a passenger. Within the first two hours, Israeli airstrikes hit over 20 spots across Gaza, inflicting large casualties, including 7 deaths. In one week, the Israeli military claims to have struck over 1,500 “terror" sites across the narrow coastal enclave. Hamas claims to have fired as many rockets into Israel. Palestinian casualties: At the conclusion of the first week, 148 Palestinians had died as a result of Israeli airstrikes, according to Ma'an News Agency. B'Tselem estimates that roughly half were civilians, including many women and children. Several families died in direct airstrikes on civilian homes in densely populated areas. On Sunday, in one instance, an Israeli airstrike landed on a home in Gaza City and killed 12 members of the Al-Dallou family, all civilians. Injuries have exceeded a thousand and medical sources are reporting a critical shortage of basic supplies and medicines. Israeli casualties: Israeli officials are reporting a total five fatalities, one soldier and four civilians. On the second day of the Israel's offensive, a rocket from Gaza directly struck a home in southern Israel, killing three civilians. On Tuesday, an Israeli soldier was killed by a rocket strike. A military statement said he was Yosef Fartuk, an 18-year-old ultra-orthodox Jew from the Emmanuel settlement in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. A Bedouin civilian also died from rocket fire. West Bank: In the occupied West Bank, Israeli forces have injured and arrested hundreds of demonstrators at solidarity protests for Gaza. At large protests in cities, villages, refugee camps, and checkpoints across the West Bank, Israeli soldiers responded forcefully. In Nabi Saleh, 31-year-old Rushdi Tamimi was shot in the stomach by a soldier. An official military statement said that he was part of a group of roughly 80 Palestinians throwing rocks at soldiers, however a video released by B'Tselem shows that the group was closer to a dozen and that Tamimi was sitting on a hill and not posing any noticeable threat to the soldiers. He died from the gunshot wounds in a Ramallah hospital on Monday night. On Monday, a Palestinian man in Hebron was shot four times by an Israeli soldier, once in the knee, once in the head, and twice in the chest. He died shortly after. After over a thousand marched on a checkpoint near Jenin on Tuesday, Israeli soldiers opened fire with rubber bullets and sprayed excessive amounts of tear gas, according to witnesses. Six Palestinians were arrested. Clashes between Palestinians and soldiers in Bet Jala resulted in dozens of injuries. Two Palestinian are in critical condition in a Bethlehem hospital. Every day since Israel launched its military campaign in Gaza, hundreds have demonstrated in Ramallah, usually calling for unity between Gaza and the West Bank, Fatah and Hamas. A popular song has spread throughout the city, praising the rocket strikes on Tel Aviv. Israeli Protests: In universities across the country, anti-war demonstrations sprung up, notably in Tel Aviv, Haifa, and Jerusalem. They were generally met by rightwing counter-protests. In Tel Aviv, a group of several hundred, both Jews and Arabs, called for an end to the military operation last Thursday. Another anti-war demonstration was organized by leftwing Israeli party Meretz and brought out several hundred protesters. The same day in Haifa, around 80 students held a vigil for Palestinians who were killed by Israeli airstrikes. The Times of Israel quickly falsely accused them of holding a vigil solely for Hamas military commander Ahmad Jabari. Several protests were held in Haifa throughout the first week, including one staged by the Abna Al-Balad movement, an Arab organization in Israel that calls for boycotting Knesset elections. Several pro-war demonstrations also took place, notably in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, and Beersheba, where protesters demanded that the Israeli government not enter a ceasefire until Hamas was completely eliminated. International Reactions: Solidarity demonstrations have been held in capitals and cities across the Middle East, including within Israel. Large demonstrations against Israel took place in Egypt, Kuwait, Bahrain, Yemen, New York City, Dallas, London, and elsewhere. US President Barack Obama said that he believed a ground invasion was not “preferable," but that the US stands behind Israel and supports its right to defend itself against Hamas. American officials have pressured Egypt's newly elected Muslim Brotherhood government to assist in brokering a ceasefire, though there has been little success. Several countries have officially condemned Israel's Operation Pillar of Defense offensive. The United Kingdom said it would not support Israel if it launched a ground invasion into Gaza. A ceasefire that would have gone into effect at midnight on Wednesday morning fell through. Hamas officials claim that Israel did not respond to its offers for a truce. Expanding the offensive: a ground invasion? As the talk of ceasefires continues to prove hollow, Israeli airstrikes across Gaza have intensified, accompanied by naval and tank shelling. Israeli soldiers, including tank forces, have mobilized around the Gaza border. On Friday, the Israeli government approved a reservist cap of up to 75,000 soldiers who could potentially be summoned. On Sunday, Israeli PM Benyamin Netanyahu said he was open to a ceasefire but prepared to expand the operation, hinting at a ground invasion. Three days before the onset of the Gaza offensive, several Israeli officials publicly floated the idea of a ground invasion, including leaders of the Labor and Kadima parties, the Finance Minister, the Defense Minister, and others. Minister of Interior Eli Yishai said the end goal was to “send Gaza back to the Middle Ages." Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said that if Israel entered Gaza again it must “go all the way." Former Israeli PM Ariel Sharon's son called on the Israeli military to “flatten all of Gaza" and intentionally target civilians. He likened the need to destroy Gaza and its inhabitants to the United States bombing of Nagasaki and Hiroshima in the Second World War.
