Gaza

The Israel Air Force have turned Gaza into a warzone again on Wednesday evening, officially declaring the area a “military zone” after the army fired tank shells at the Palestinian occupied territory.  The shelling comes in response to an alleged mortar fire near the border which Israel says Hamas had fired towards Israeli forces in an attempt to deter them from searching for tunnels. haaretz.com reports: According to reports in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, five airstrikes targeted Hamas training camps in the vicinity of the airport and in the center of the enclave.

A fuel shortage has forced the only power station in the Gaza Strip to shut down as the Palestinian territory suffers from nine years under Israeli siege. An official from the Gaza Energy Ministry, said on Tuesday that the power plant has been closed since Saturday night after it ran out of fuel. Press TV reports: Meanwhile, the United Nations said parts of the coastal sliver have been without power for 20 hours a day, compared to 12 hours previously.

Turkey and Israel are holding diplomatic talks in an effort to ‘normalise’ the relationship between the two countries, after relations deteriorated six years ago following the murder of 10 Turkish pro-Palestinian activists near the Gaza strip in 2010.  Turkish newspaper Hürriyet says that Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu has confirmed that “Israel and Turkey will publish a statement about this in the coming days.” Ejpress.org reports: Turkey has repeatedly insisted on three conditions for normalisation: the lifting of the Gaza blockade, compensation for the Mavi Marmara victims and an apol

Palestinians have expressed their concern that Israel may be on the verge of a new war, which will lead to further genocide for residents living in the Gaza Strip. Israeli media have highlighted the alleged “growing” military strength of Hamas in the Gaza Strip, and have ramped up their offensive against Palestinians living in the besieged territory. Some say its only a matter of time before the mass-killings begin again.

Israel are now claiming that ISIS are in Gaza after a rocket attack from Gaza hit Israel, causing no damage.  In response, the Israeli Air Force attacked four military locations in Gaza on Saturday, confirming that they “targeted two Hamas military training facilities and two other military sites,” according to reports. Thejc.com reports: This attack was a direct response to five rockets launched from Gaza on Friday, for which Daesh-affiliated terrorist organisation Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis took credit.