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Neymar named on Golden Ball list
7/12/2014 1:09:48 PM
- Brazil's Neymar included on FIFA's Golden Ball shortlist
- Golden Ball awarded to tournament's best players
- Four Germans, three Argentines, one Dutchman and a Colombian complete 10-man list
- Diego Forlan won the 2010 Golden Ball award
How are you celebrating the World Cup? Join the global conversation on CNN Facebook Pulse
(CNN) -- His World Cup was brutally cut short by injury, but Brazilian star Neymar could yet end up a winner after the Barcelona forward was named on FIFA's Golden Ball shortlist to decide the tournament's best player.
Neymar fractured his vertebra in his team's World Cup quarterfinal win over Colombia, ruling him out of Brazil's 7-1 semifinal defeat by Germany, who had four players -- Thomas Mueller, Philipp Lahm, Mats Hummels and Toni Kroos -- nominated.
Germany's World Cup final opponents Argentina had three players -- forwards Lionel Messi and Angel Di Maria as well as midfielder Javier Mascherano -- selected.
Together with Neymar, who scored four goals in the tournament, Colombia's James Rodriguez and Arjen Robben of the Netherlands complete the shortlist, with the winner to be announced after Sunday's final at the Maracana Stadium.
Italian Nicola Rizzoli, a 42-year-old architect from Bologna, has been selected by FIFA as the World Cup final referee, with the world governing body announcing the winners of Sunday's match will receive $35 million in prize money.
The best goalkeeper of the tournament -- the Golden Glove award -- is between Keylor Navas of Costa Rica, Germany's Manuel Neuer and Sergio Romero of Argentina.
The best young player of the 2014 World Cup will be contested between Memphis Depay of the Netherlands and Paul Pogba and Raphael Varane of France.
Uruguay's Diego Forlan won the 2010 Golden Ball award.
Could ISIS make a 'dirty bomb?'
7/12/2014 12:00:12 AM
According to Iraq's government, terrorist groups seized almost 90 pounds of uranium from Mosul University.
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Gaza crisis: 'Human shield forms' as blows traded
7/12/2014 12:29:00 PM
- U.N. Security Council calls for cease-fire
- Official: Israeli airstrike hits a facility housing the disabled, killing two women
- Medical sources describe overcrowded emergency rooms in Gaza
- Death toll in Gaza now stands at 135, officials said
(CNN) -- The language of war leaves something lost in translation.
Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon on Saturday spoke of "achievements" and the destruction of "significant targets" in his country's airstrikes against Hamas targets in Gaza.
But on the ground in Gaza, sources talked with CNN not about military targets, but about hospitals pushed to the brink, dead or distressed children, and airstrikes that struck water infrastructure.
"No one is talking about the Palestinian civilians. When you bring up this story, no one is ready to listen," a Hamas spokesman, Osama Hamdan, told CNN's Wolf Blitzer. "But when it came to Israelis, everyone is taking care and everyone is talking."
The death toll from the airstrikes on Gaza now stands at 135, according to a Palestinian Health Ministry official. More than 950 people have been injured.
The U.N. Security Council on Saturday called for a de-escalation and cease-fire between Israeli forces and Palestinian militants, the 15-member group said in a statement.
Israel's stated mission is to get Hamas militants to stop firing rockets into Israel, something that has not happened. Even after days of bombardments from Israeli jets, more than 36 rockets were fired from Gaza on Saturday, and the sun had not even set.
Two of those rockets were intercepted by Israeli air defense, and 34 struck Israel.
Israel asserts its right to defend itself, and so far the Hamas rockets have caused no deaths.
"Achievements are accumulating in terms of the price that Hamas is paying, and we are continuing to destroy significant targets belonging to Hamas and other terrorist organizations," Ya'alon said. "Hamas is suffering from severe blows and is causing severe damage to its people."
Hamas frames the current conflict as a defensive fight.
"What about the right for the Palestinians to protect themselves to protect their people?" Hamdan said. "The international solution is asking Israel to leave but they're not doing that."
More than 500 homes in Gaza have been destroyed or severely damaged, more than 3,000 Palestinians are displaced and hundreds of thousands have been affected by damage to water infrastructure, a spokesman for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) told CNN.
Electricity is knocked out in major areas of Gaza City, and at least one major line was struck, repaired and promptly struck again, spokesman Chris Gunness said. Nine UNRWA schools have been damaged, he said.
(On Saturday, some UMRWA warehouses caught on fire, but the cause was a militant rocket that fell short and struck on Palestinian territory.)
At least 28 Palestinian children have lost their lives in the recent fighting, and others are beginning to show signs of mental distress, said Catherine Weibel, communications chief for the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF).
Israel says this: as of Saturday, its military has attacked 1,220 "terror targets," including 632 launchers, 130 military camps, 106 "terror infrastructure" and 220 tunnels.
That level of specificity has little meaning in Gaza, where a public utility official told CNN that water, not terror, infrastructure has been hit.
Two Gaza water wells took direct hits Saturday, Gaza Director of Public Water Maher Salem said. These water sources, which supply water to 27,000 people, "no longer exist," he said.
No de-escalation
Though some Israelis have been wounded, none have been killed by the hundreds of rockets fired by Hamas and other militant groups in Gaza. Israel's Iron Dome defense system has intercepted dozens of rockets, helping keep fatalities at bay.
Hostilities between the two sides escalated this month after the killing of three Israeli teenagers and a Palestinian teen. Neither Hamas nor Israel appear to be backing down, prompting fears of a ground invasion by the latter.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu left all possibilities open, saying the international community will not influence his actions against Hamas. He reiterated that there is one path to a cease-fire: the cessation of attacks from Gaza.
The language seems clear -- each side demands the other to stop -- but it seems the two sides can't hear each other while they have their hands pressed on the "launch" button.
In one incident Saturday, an Israeli airstrike killed six Palestinians in Gaza City, according to local medical sources. And, an Israeli airstrike hit a facility housing the disabled, killing two women, the health ministry said Saturday. Israel Defense Forces said it was looking into that claim.
Attackers in Gaza opened fire and damaged an IDF vehicle patrolling the security fence in northern Gaza, the IDF said.
What's next?
On Saturday, not all of the rockets fired from Gaza landed in Israel. At least two rockets hit open areas in the West Bank.
The IDF reported that it has called up more than 35,600 reservists. They are authorized to call up to 40,000.
As concerns of a ground invasion by Israeli forces grow, foreigners in Gaza are planning their exit.
One of the only crossing points between Israel and Gaza, at Erez, has received about 800 requests by civilians with foreign citizenship to leave. officials there told CNN.
The 800 requests have come in over the past three days and have been approved, a crossing official said. That figure includes about 300 Americans, though that number is unofficial, the source said.
Medical sources described overcrowded emergency rooms in Gaza and dwindling stocks of medicine, a situation that mirrored Syrian hospitals at the height of its civil war.
At one damaged hospital, eight activists formed a human shield in an attempt to protect it.
The activists who formed a human shield are from various countries, including the U.S., Venezuela, Belgium, Britain and Switzerland, said Dr. Basman Al-Ashi, executive director of the Al-Wafa hospital. He said the hospital caters to patients who need 24-hour care, and thus cannot evacuate them.
Hamas and other militant groups in Gaza are believed to have about 10,000 rockets of varying ranges, according to the Israeli military. Israel has said some 3.5 million residents live in areas within reach of the rockets.
CNN's Kareem Khadder, Tal Heinrich, Khalil Abdallah and Yon Pomrenze in Jerusalem, Talal Abu Rahma in Gaza, and Faith Karimi in Atlanta contributed to this report.
Doctor: Hospital shielded
7/12/2014 10:09:25 AM
Eight activists formed a human shield outside a hospital in Gaza as Hamas and Israel battle it out with rockets.
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Israel raids Gaza missile site as death toll mounts
7/12/2014 9:46:56 PM
- NEW: Israeli forces invade a Gaza missile site Sunday, then return
- NEW: The death toll in Gaza is now 160
- A Saturday night airstrike kills 15
- Medical sources describe overcrowded emergency rooms in Gaza
(CNN) -- The language of war leaves something lost in translation.
Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon on Saturday spoke of "achievements" and the destruction of "significant targets" in his country's airstrikes against Hamas targets in Gaza.
But on the ground in Gaza, sources talked with CNN not about military targets, but about hospitals pushed to the brink, dead or distressed children, and airstrikes that struck water infrastructure.
"No one is talking about the Palestinian civilians. When you bring up this story, no one is ready to listen," a Hamas spokesman, Osama Hamdan, told CNN's Wolf Blitzer. "But when it came to Israelis, everyone is taking care and everyone is talking."
Though a full-scale invasion has not occurred, Israeli military forces went into Gaza for half an hour early Sunday and raided a long-range missile launching site, an Israeli military source told CNN.
Gunfire was exchanged and four Israeli soldiers were "lightly injured," the source said, adding that the mission was accomplished.
The death toll from the airstrikes on Gaza this week has topped 160, Ashraf al-Qidra, a spokesman for the Gaza Health Ministry, said early Sunday. More than 1,100 people have been injured.
On Saturday, at least 23 people were killed in Israeli airstrikes, said security and medical sources in Gaza. An official at Shifa Hospital told CNN that the morgue there was now full.
One airstrike targeted the house of the head of the Gaza police, Tayseer al-Batsh, and killed at least 15 people and injured an unknown number of others, security sources in Gaza told CNN. Aqsa TV showed rescuers frantically digging for survivors.
The airstrikes hit the house, which is next to a mosque. The sources say that some of the casualties had been in evening prayers at the mosque.
And, an Israeli airstrike hit a facility housing the disabled, killing two women, the health ministry said Saturday. Israel Defense Forces said it was looking into that claim.
Four Israeli airstrikes hit the Arafat Police complex in Gaza city early Sunday, shaking nearby buildings, including the offices of CNN and other media.
The Israeli military is telling residents of northern Gaza to evacuate their homes for their own safety, CNN correspondent Ben Wedemen reported Saturday.
Israel Defense Forces says it uses phone calls and drops empty shells on roofs -- what it calls "roof knocking" -- to warn civilians that airstrikes are imminent.
Concerns about a ground invasion by Israeli forces are growing. The U.N. Security Council on Saturday called for a de-escalation and cease-fire between Israeli forces and Palestinian militants, the 15-member group said in a statement.
Israel's stated mission is to get Hamas militants to stop firing rockets into Israel, something that has not happened. Even after days of bombardments from Israeli jets, more than 36 rockets were fired from Gaza on Saturday, and the sun had not even set.
Two of those rockets were intercepted by Israeli air defense, and 34 struck Israel. The IDF said at least two rockets fired from Lebanon hit open areas north of coastal Nahariya, but no damage or injuries were reported.
Israel asserts its right to defend itself, and so far the Hamas rockets have caused no deaths.
"Achievements are accumulating in terms of the price that Hamas is paying, and we are continuing to destroy significant targets belonging to Hamas and other terrorist organizations," Ya'alon said. "Hamas is suffering from severe blows and is causing severe damage to its people."
Hamas frames the current conflict as a defensive fight.
"What about the right for the Palestinians to protect themselves to protect their people?" Hamdan said. "The international solution is asking Israel to leave but they're not doing that."
Electricity and water sources affected
More than 500 homes in Gaza have been destroyed or severely damaged, more than 3,000 Palestinians are displaced and hundreds of thousands have been affected by damage to water infrastructure, a spokesman for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) told CNN.
Electricity is knocked out in major areas of Gaza City, and at least one major line was struck, repaired and promptly struck again, spokesman Chris Gunness said. Nine UNRWA schools have been damaged, he said.
(On Saturday, some UMRWA warehouses caught on fire, but the cause was a militant rocket that fell short and struck on Palestinian territory.)
At least 28 Palestinian children have lost their lives in the recent fighting, and others are beginning to show signs of mental distress, said Catherine Weibel, communications chief for the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF).
Israel says, as of Saturday, its military has attacked 1,220 "terror targets," including 632 launchers, 130 military camps, 106 "terror infrastructure" and 220 tunnels.
That level of specificity has little meaning in Gaza, where a public utility official told CNN that water, not terror, infrastructure has been hit.
Two Gaza water wells took direct hits Saturday, Gaza director of public water Maher Salem said. These water sources, which supply water to 27,000 people, "no longer exist," he said.
No de-escalation
Though some Israelis have been wounded, none have been killed by the hundreds of rockets fired by Hamas and other militant groups in Gaza. Israel's Iron Dome defense system has intercepted dozens of rockets, helping keep fatalities at bay.
Hostilities between the two sides escalated this month after the killing of three Israeli teenagers and a Palestinian teen. Neither Hamas nor Israel appear to be backing down, prompting fears of a ground invasion by the latter.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu left all possibilities open, saying the international community will not influence his actions against Hamas. He reiterated that there is one path to a cease-fire: the cessation of attacks from Gaza.
The language seems clear -- each side demands the other to stop -- but it seems the two sides can't hear each other while they have their hands pressed on the "launch" button.
In another incident Saturday, an Israeli airstrike killed six Palestinians in Gaza City, according to local medical sources.
An Israeli airstrike hit a group of people near Khan Younis, killing a young girl and injuring five others, according to medical and security sources in Gaza.
Attackers in Gaza opened fire and damaged an IDF vehicle patrolling the security fence in northern Gaza, the IDF said.
What's next?
On Saturday, not all of the rockets fired from Gaza landed in Israel. At least two rockets hit open areas in the West Bank.
The IDF reported that it has called up more than 35,600 reservists. They are authorized to call up to 40,000.
As concerns of a ground invasion by Israeli forces grow, foreigners in Gaza are planning their exit.
One of the only crossing points between Israel and Gaza, at Erez, has received about 800 requests by civilians with foreign citizenship to leave, officials there told CNN.
The 800 requests have come in over the past three days and have been approved, a crossing official said. That figure includes about 300 Americans, though that number is unofficial, the source said.
Medical sources described overcrowded emergency rooms in Gaza and dwindling stocks of medicine, a situation that mirrored Syrian hospitals at the height of its civil war.
At one damaged hospital, eight activists formed a human shield in an attempt to protect it.
The activists who formed a human shield are from various countries, including the United States, Venezuela, Belgium, Britain and Switzerland, said Dr. Basman Al-Ashi, executive director of the Al-Wafa hospital. He said the hospital caters to patients who need 24-hour care, and thus cannot evacuate them.
Hamas and other militant groups in Gaza are believed to have about 10,000 rockets of varying ranges, according to the Israeli military. Israel has said some 3.5 million residents live in areas within reach of the rockets.
CNN's Kareem Khadder, Tal Heinrich, Khalil Abdallah and Yon Pomrenze in Jerusalem, Talal Abu Rahma in Gaza, and Samira Said and Faith Karimi in Atlanta contributed to this report.
Hosts Brazil beaten again
7/13/2014 3:39:31 AM
- Netherlands defeats Brazil 3-0 in World Cup third place playoff match
- Robin van Persie Daley Blind and Georginio Wijnaldum score Dutch goals
- Netherlands secures bronze medal at World Cup for the first time
- Argentina and Germany meet in Sunday's final
Editor's note: How are you celebrating the World Cup? Join the global conversation on CNN Facebook Pulse. This content may not be viewable on mobile.
(CNN) -- It's often described as the game no team wants to play in.
This was certainly the case for Brazil Saturday as the World Cup hosts suffered further embarrassment after the Netherlands triumphed 3-0 in the third place playoff match in Brasilia.
Chaotic defending helped the Dutch race into an early lead with Robin van Persie scoring a penalty before Daley Blind added a second soon after.
Brazil spent much of the second period looking for a way back into the game but despite a couple of dangerous looking free-kicks and a solid claim for a penalty of their own never looked like clawing back the deficit.
A late strike by Georginio Wijnaldum added further gloss to the scoreline and piled even more misery on the World Cup hosts.
Brazil's World Cup campaign ends with a whimper in third place playoff final #BRA #NED http://t.co/m5SAy1yZ8g pic.twitter.com/RsFvg8aOTY
— CNN Football Club (@CNNFC) July 12, 2014 It's a result that will doubtless further fuel the debate as to how the world's most successful football nation overhauls the structure of its game after a calamitous end to its first home World Cup in 64 years.
As in Tuesday's 7-1 shellacking at the hands of Germany, a glaring lack of quality and organization shone through in the Estadio Nacional Mane Garrincha.
Brazil was once more out-maneuvered and out-thought by their well drilled opponents.
Dutch coach Louis van Gaal takes a pride -- which he's not shy of telling everyone about -- in preparing for every eventuality during a match, although he gave the impression that this fixture was not much of a concern to him ahead of the game.
"There is only one award that counts and that is becoming world champions," he had told reporters after losing to Argentina in midweek.
Here, Van Gaal made two changes to the side which started that semifinal.
Jordy Clasie came in for Nigel de Jong in midfield and Jonathan de Guzman replaced Wesley Sneijder who injured a hamstring in the warm-up.
Brazil too altered its personnel.
Captain Thiago Silva was restored to the center of defense after his suspension while Maxwell, Willian and Jo all came in to the side.
It would make little difference.
The shortcomings so ruthlessly exposed by Thomas Muller and co. in Belo Horizonte were clear for all to see right from the off.
Arjen Robben burst clear of the Brazil defense in the first minute and was pulled back by Silva as he approached the box.
The referee had little option despite contact beginning outside the area and pointed to the spot.
He arguably should have sent Silva off for denying a clear goal-scoring opportunity but instead flashed only a yellow card, much to the frustration of Robben.
Van Persie stepped up and blasted the ball high beyond Julio Cesar in the Brazil goal.
Brazil immediately began to press high looking to force a mistake that would let them back into the game, but in doing so left themselves exposed at the back.
It was a tactic that when combined with yet more suicidal defending from David Luiz would lead to the Dutch doubling their advantage after 17 minutes.
A weak headed clearance from the former Chelsea defender fell at the feet of Blind who had what seemed like an age to take two touches to set himself before firing the ball beyond Cesar with his third touch.
Brazilian fans would have been forgiven for fearing the worst at this stage.
But the five times world champions composed themselves as the match progressed.
They had a penalty claim of their own turned down midway through the second half after Blind appeared to clear out Oscar in the area.
Wijnaldum's neat finish in the 90th minute, meanwhile, was one of the few clear shots on goal the Netherlands had in the second half.
Wave for Brazil v Netherlands. The Dutch in control except for last 15 mins of first half: http://t.co/hfTtxbRqts pic.twitter.com/XPIdNjh9Hi
— Infostrada Sports (@InfostradaLive) July 12, 2014 Still, the gulf in class was obvious throughout and not what the world has come to expect from the land of Pele, Garrincha, Zico, Socrates, Romario and Ronaldo.
Neymar and Silva aside, Brazil have looked little more than average throughout the tournament, drawing on good fortune and favorable refereeing decisions to make it past decent but limited teams like Croatia, Mexico and Cameroon.
A physically robust approach, meanwhile, was deployed against more skilful teams like Chile and Colombia.
As a result, few sides have committed as many fouls as Brazil.
This is a particularly galling statistic for the once renowned samba kings, emphasizing the negative, spoiling nature of much of their play over the last four weeks.
Gone are the days, for now at least, of ball-playing midfielders who could flummox opponents and onlookers alike with their skill, style and mastery of the ball.
Instead, powerful players like Fernandinho, Luiz Gustavo and Paulinho graft in the midfield engine room for the vintage of 2014.
More technically adept talent like Philippe Coutinho, Lucus Moura and even Ronaldinho have been squeezed out of the team and the squad as a result.
There might be plenty of muscle in this Brazil side but at times the hosts also have seemed like a collective nervous wreck. Tears have been shed during the playing of the anthem before games and after penalty shootouts.
RESULT IN BRASILIA: #BRA 0-3 #NED #BRANED #WorldCup PLAY-OFF FOR 3RD PLACE #joinin - http://t.co/W100eNZacj pic.twitter.com/VHyxeEnepS
— FIFAWorldCup (@FIFAWorldCup) July 12, 2014 For the Netherlands, change is also afoot.
Van Gaal will depart to manage English Premier League team Manchester United and Guus Hiddink will arrive to plot the path to the European Championships in France 2016.
Another group of fine young Dutch players have made their tournament debuts in Brazil as the old stagers like Van Persie, Robben, Dirk Kuyt and Sneijder have possibly played their last World Cup.
The likes of Bruno Martins Indi, Memphis Depay, Jasper Cillessen, Blind and Stefan de Vrij have all equipped themselves well.
Blind, who is the son of the Dutch assistant coach Danny, in particular looked mature and composed in both defense and attack before being carried off injured late on while de Vrij was again calm at the back.
If only the future looked as rosy for Brazil.
Coach Luiz Felipe Scolari will find out whether he will keep his job as coach as the post-mortem begins.
"It is up to the president to decide," Scolari told reporters after the match, referring to the head of the Brazilian Football Federation. "We will hand in a final report and then leave it to him to analyze what needs to be done."
Meanwhile, many of the players who performed so miserably in the latter stages will likely not play for their national team again.
And yet, despite all this, the most painful result could be yet to come.
Argentina will face Germany Sunday in the Maracana Stadium in Rio to decide who will win this most entertaining of tournaments.
Should Brazil's great South American rivals triumph, this World Cup could quite possibly top the famous Maracanzo of 1950 in the annals of Brazilian sporting disasters.
Read: Lionel Messi's moment of immortality
Read: Day of destiny awaits Muller
How Iron Dome buys Israel time
7/12/2014 4:29:08 AM
- Israeli deaths in Gaza wars have always been relatively low, writes Shashank Joshi
- Joshi: Political impact of rocket attacks is greater than these numbers suggest though
- Israeli invasion of Gaza would carry big military and political risks, he says
- Missile defense means Israel need not resort to ground troops, Joshi argues
Editor's note: Shashank Joshi is a Research Fellow of the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) in London, and a PhD candidate at Harvard University. The views expressed in this commentary are entirely solely those of the author.
(CNN) -- Amos Yadlin, formerly chief of Defense Intelligence for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), observed this week that the Israeli public typically goes through wartime "cycles": first showing sweeping support and then, as civilian and military deaths begin, growing impatient and putting pressure on politicians to end hostilities. Therefore, as Yadlin put it, "the ability of the Israeli home front to withstand a campaign that lasts for more than a week is a key factor in the outcome."
In recent years, though, Israel's missile defense system, Iron Dome, has had a significant impact on that home front's resilience -- and therefore on the calculus of Israel's leaders.
Of course, Israel's overwhelming military superiority over Gaza-based militants ensures that Israeli deaths in Gaza wars have always been relatively low. Nine Israelis were killed in the two-week ground offensive in 2009, Operation Cast Lead, compared to well over a thousand Palestinians. The November 2012 airstrikes, Operation Pillar of Defense, resulted in six Israeli deaths compared to 167 Palestinians.
But the political impact of rocket attacks is greater than these numbers suggest, particularly when usually safe areas come under fire. In 2012, Hamas' longer-range rockets targeted both Tel Aviv, causing air raid sirens to sound there for the first time since Saddam Hussein fired Scud missiles towards the city during the first Gulf War two decades previously, and Jerusalem, which had not been struck since 1970. Although no casualties were inflicted, Hamas demonstrated its ability to threaten Israel's two largest and most important cities.
It has done so again in the past week, and additionally promised to target Ben-Gurion International Airport. Although Hamas faces difficulties in importing its most sophisticated rockets, owing to the new Egyptian government's demolition of key tunnels connecting Gaza with the Sinai Peninsula, Israel's head of Military Intelligence Analysis estimates that the group has still managed to double its stockpile since the 2012 war, to approximately 10,000 rockets, suggesting that it could sustain attacks for months.
The Israeli leadership therefore faces twin pressures. On the one hand, as Yadlin suggests, an open-ended campaign of airstrikes that fails to suppress rocket attacks or demonstrate other strategic achievements could meet with increasing public opposition. On the other hand, a successful rocket attack that inflicts deaths -- particularly in a symbolic area, like Tel Aviv or Jerusalem -- could put sudden pressure on Israeli leaders to escalate, and send ground troops into Gaza.
Any such invasion, involving urban combat in a densely populated urban environment that Hamas knows well, would result in higher IDF casualties, extremely high Palestinian casualties, enormous damage to civilian infrastructure, and the prospect of Israeli troops being taken hostage. This is why, despite getting his Cabinet to authorize the enlistment of 40,000 reservists last week, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has refrained from launching a ground assault.
Israel's Iron Dome missile defense system, which came to prominence in the 2012 conflict, affects this dynamic in important ways. Although there is intense debate over its effectiveness -- critics argue that the system is knocking rockets to the ground without detonating them, and that it destroys fewer than half -- Israel says that it has successfully intercepted 90% of those rockets that it engaged in this campaign.
Even if this is exaggerated, Iron Dome's ability to shield population centers and key infrastructure has two important effects. First, it buys time for Israel to continue airstrikes without facing popular impatience. Second, it lessens the prospect that a rocket will inflict deaths in a way that forces the government to launch a costly ground invasion it doesn't truly want.
Taken together, this suggests that Iron Dome gives the IDF more time to strike Gaza from the air, and therefore to weaken Hamas, with less pressure to put boots on the ground.
It is important to note that even if Iron Dome is highly effective, there are still other sources of pressure on the Israeli government. Calling up tens of thousands of reservists in a country of just 8 million people places strain on the domestic economy, and pressure quickly mounts to demobilize those forces. Moreover, international pressure also grows over time.
For instance, Egyptian President Abdul Fattah el-Sisi is hostile to Hamas and has refrained from commenting, but a mounting Palestinian death toll would draw him further into the conflict, possibly persuading him to open land borders with Gaza. Finally, the longer the conflict drags on, the greater the likelihood that Iron Dome's imperfections will be revealed, and that a rocket will get through.
These factors mean that the clock is still ticking for Netanyahu -- though perhaps at a slower pace than it used to.
How Iron Dome blocks rockets from Gaza, protects Israelis
Rocket fired into northern Israel from Lebanon as Gaza conflict continues
Striking Gaza could buy Israel peace for a year, maybe more, analysts say
Israel to Gazans: Move from Hamas sites to avoid strikes
7/13/2014 4:58:54 AM
- NEW: U.N. About 70% of Gaza fatalities are civilians
- In an attempt to avoid more deaths, Israel issues advance warning on airstrikes
- Gaza health ministry: The death toll from the Israeli airstrikes tops 160
Jerusalem (CNN) -- Israeli forces dropped leaflets in northern Gaza on Sunday, warning residents to move away from Hamas sites immediately to avoid airstrikes.
The death toll from the Israeli airstrikes on Gaza has topped 160 in several days, the Gaza health ministry said. More than 1,100 people have been injured.
About 70% of Gaza fatalities are civilians, of which 30% are children, said Chris Gunness, spokesman for United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees.
Israel says it's defending its citizens from the hundreds of rockets fired into its territories by militants from Gaza.
In an attempt to avoid more deaths, Israel issued advance warning on airstrikes.
"The Israeli Defense Forces intends to attack terrorists and terror infrastructures ..." the leaflets said, mentioning a list of areas that will be targeted.
"Israel is currently attacking, and will continue to attack, every area from which rockets are being launched at its territory."
But some residents said they will not leave.
"They will not vacate ... where do we go?" asked Ramez Al-Madhoun, who lives in a building with 20 people in Beit Lahya. He said his building has seven adults, the rest were children. In the background, rockets rang out from his northern Gaza neighborhood.
The Israel military said it also drops empty shells on roofs, an operation it calls "roof knocking," to alert civilians that airstrikes are imminent.
The goal of the airstrikes, the military said, is to get Hamas militants to stop firing rockets into Israel.
More than 800 rockets have been fired from Gaza to Israel in the past week of escalated tensions, according to the Israeli military. Of those, nearly 150 have been intercepted by Israel's Iron Dome.
Israel said its forces have struck 1,320 "terror targets" across the Gaza Strip, including 735 concealed rocket launchers.
Growing tensions
Hostilities between the two sides escalated this month after the killing of three Israeli teenagers and a Palestinian teen. Neither Hamas nor Israel appear to be backing down.
Concerns about a ground invasion by Israeli forces are growing, prompting the U.N. Security Council to call for a cease-fire between Israeli forces and Palestinian militants.
A day after the cease-fire appeal, Israeli forces briefly entered Gaza early Sunday and raided a missile launching site.
This is the first time Israeli forces have acknowledged they've entered Gaza in the current conflict.
During the incursion, which lasted about half an hour, both sides exchanged gunfire at the launch site, an Israeli military source said.
Four Israeli troops suffered light injuries, but all the soldiers returned home safely, the source said.
The source declined to comment on whether the mission achieved its objective.
Days of tensions
Hamas has rained hundreds of rockets on Israel in recent days, prompting the latter to respond with airstrikes.
Though some Israelis have been wounded, none have been killed by the rockets fired by Hamas and other militant groups in Gaza. Israel's Iron Dome defense system has intercepted dozens of rockets, helping keep fatalities at bay.
Dozens of Palestinian children killed
Israel asserts its right to defend itself, and so far the Hamas rockets have caused no deaths. Hamas says it's firing rockets in self-defense.
"What about the right for the Palestinians to protect themselves to protect their people?" Hamas spokesman Osama Hamdan. "The international solution is asking Israel to leave, but they're not doing that."
More than 3,000 Palestinians are displaced and hundreds of thousands have been affected by damage to water infrastructure, said the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees.
At least 28 Palestinian children have died in the recent fighting, and others are beginning to show signs of mental distress, said Catherine Weibel, communications chief for the United Nations Children's Fund.
CNN's Faith Karimi wrote and reported from Atlanta, and CNN's Michael Schwartz and Salma Abdelaziz reported from Jerusalem.
Israel to Gazans: Move from Hamas sites to avoid strikes
7/13/2014 7:37:39 AM
- NEW: U.N. About 70% of Gaza fatalities are civilians
- In an attempt to avoid more deaths, Israel issues advance warning on airstrikes
- Gaza health ministry: The death toll from the Israeli airstrikes tops 160
Jerusalem (CNN) -- Israeli forces dropped leaflets in northern Gaza on Sunday to warn residents to move away from Hamas sites immediately to avoid airstrikes.
The death toll from the Israeli airstrikes on Gaza has topped 160 in several days, the Gaza health ministry said. More than 1,100 people have been injured.
About 70% of Gaza fatalities are civilians, of which 30% are children, said Chris Gunness, spokesman for United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees.
Israel says it's defending its citizens from the hundreds of rockets fired into its territories by militants from Gaza.
In an attempt to avoid more deaths, Israel issued advance warning on airstrikes.
"The Israeli Defense Forces intends to attack terrorists and terror infrastructures ..." the leaflets said, mentioning a list of areas that will be targeted.
"Israel is currently attacking, and will continue to attack, every area from which rockets are being launched at its territory."
But some residents said they will not leave.
"They will not vacate ... where do we go?" asked Ramez Al-Madhoun, who lives in a building with 20 people in Beit Lahya. He said his building has seven adults, the rest were children. In the background, rockets rang out from his northern Gaza neighborhood.
The Israel military said it also drops empty shells on roofs, an operation it calls "roof knocking," to alert civilians that airstrikes are imminent.
The goal of the airstrikes, the military said, is to get Hamas militants to stop firing rockets into Israel.
More than 800 rockets have been fired from Gaza to Israel in the past week of escalated tensions, according to the Israeli military. Of those, nearly 150 have been intercepted by Israel's Iron Dome.
Israel said its forces have struck 1,320 "terror targets" across the Gaza Strip, including 735 concealed rocket launchers.
Growing tensions
Hostilities between the two sides escalated this month after the killing of three Israeli teenagers and a Palestinian teen. Neither Hamas nor Israel appear to be backing down.
Concerns about a ground invasion by Israeli forces are growing, prompting the U.N. Security Council to call for a cease-fire between Israeli forces and Palestinian militants.
A day after the cease-fire appeal, Israeli forces briefly entered Gaza early Sunday and raided a missile launching site.
This is the first time Israeli forces have acknowledged they've entered Gaza in the current conflict.
During the incursion, which lasted about half an hour, both sides exchanged gunfire at the launch site, an Israeli military source said.
Four Israeli troops suffered light injuries, but all the soldiers returned home safely, the source said.
The source declined to comment on whether the mission achieved its objective.
Days of tensions
Hamas has rained hundreds of rockets on Israel in recent days, prompting the latter to respond with airstrikes.
Though some Israelis have been wounded, none have been killed by the rockets fired by Hamas and other militant groups in Gaza. Israel's Iron Dome defense system has intercepted dozens of rockets, helping keep fatalities at bay.
Dozens of Palestinian children killed
Israel asserts its right to defend itself, and so far the Hamas rockets have caused no deaths. Hamas says it's firing rockets in self-defense.
"What about the right for the Palestinians to protect themselves to protect their people?" Hamas spokesman Osama Hamdan. "The international solution is asking Israel to leave, but they're not doing that."
More than 3,000 Palestinians are displaced and hundreds of thousands have been affected by damage to water infrastructure, said the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees.
At least 28 Palestinian children have died in the recent fighting, and others are beginning to show signs of mental distress, said Catherine Weibel, communications chief for the United Nations Children's Fund.
CNN's Faith Karimi wrote and reported from Atlanta, and CNN's Michael Schwartz and Salma Abdelaziz reported from Jerusalem. CNN's Khalil Abdallah contributed to this report.
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