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Itongadol.- Senior officials in the Prime Minister\’s Office denied the comments of U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry in which he said that Netanyahu requested that the U.S. move forward the humanitarian cease-fire in Gaza. "Kerry was the one who brought up the option of a cease-fire to Netanyahu, not the opposite," they said. "Netanyahu told Kerry that currently the continuation of the IDF operation is necessary in order to protect Israeli citizens as well as to neutralize the terror tunnels. Netanyahu added that neutralizing the tunnels will continue until the mission is over." (Barak Ravid)
7:48 P.M. Five rockets fired from Gaza toward Israeli communities near the border fall short, explode within the Gaza Strip. (Shirley Seidler)
7:35 P.M. Contradicting earlier reports in the Israeli media, two senior Israeli officials say the sides did not agree on a cease-fire in Gaza. According to one of the officials, Egypt is currently trying to formulate a deal but has yet to reach an agreement between the sides. (Barak Ravid)
Operation Protective Edge entered its 22nd day on Tuesday, as Israeli ground forces continued their incursion into Gaza after the government rejected a cease-fire draft proposed by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry over the weekend.
Rocket sirens sounded throughout Israel, including the Tel Aviv metropolitan area, over the course of the night, ands Israel continued its attacks on Gaza.
Ten Israeli soldiers have died in the past 24 hours: five of the soldierswere killed in a militant border infiltration, four in mortar shell fire near the border and one during clashes in Gaza\’s south.
The Israel Air Force struck Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh\’s home in Gaza, according to reports. No injuries were reported, but sources in Gaza said mid-day that at least 100 people had been killed since midnight in attacks on south Gaza.
According to statements by the Palestinian Health Ministry, since the operation began 1,100 Palestinians have been killed and more than 6,500 have been wounded. Since the start of the operation, three Israeli civilians and 53 IDF soldiers have been killed.