Various Western media sources are buzzing over the latest exchange where an Israeli died on the Gaza border. Yet there were earlier Israel strikes on Palestinians after their "unilteral ceasefire" resulting in casualties and fatalities. Moreover, the use of the term "ceasefire" is different than "unilateral ceasefire" as it implies an agreement on terms between the parties. There is no such agreement.
Some of the various western papers are filled with stories of ''first' events in a broken 'ceasefire.'
CNN
That truce was breached on Tuesday morning when Palestinian militants set off an explosive device targeting an Israeli army patrol along the Gaza border, killing an Israeli soldier and wounding three others -- one seriously -- according to the Israeli military.
...
Tuesday's violence is the first violation of the tentative cease-fire between Israel and Hamas-ruled Gaza, which began last week after a three-week military operation by Israeli troops in the Palestinian territory.
Times
Israel carried out an air strike on the Gaza Strip today after Palestinian militants killed a soldier in a bomb attack, as the fragile ceasefire between the two sides stood on the brink of collapse.
The strike, targeting a Hamas militant riding a motorbike in the southern town of Khan Younis, came after Defence Minister Ehud Barak said that Israel "cannot accept" the bomb attack, which took place as the soldier patrolled the Kissufim crossing with Gaza.
The incident threatened to destroy the calm that has largely prevailed since Israel and the Islamist group ended a three-week conflict on January 17.
AP (numerous locations)
Palestinian militants detonated a bomb that killed an Israeli soldier patrolling near Gaza on Tuesday and Israel responded with an airstrike, straining the fragile cease-fire on the eve of a visit by President Barack Obama's new Mideast envoy.
The violence jolted the calm that has largely prevailed since Israel ended a devastating three-week offensive in Gaza on Jan. 17. Since withdrawing its troops, Israel has threatened to retaliate hard for any violations of the truce.
Here we have the familiar and propagandistic theme of presenting the story as 'Palestinian aggression' and "Israeli responses." However, is this true?
It turns out that Israel already violated its own "unilateral ceasefire" numerous times before this. Buried in the LA times article
Gazan militants have remained quiet since Jan. 18, but the Israeli navy has regularly fired warning shots at Gazan fishermen, and there have been at least two incidents of Palestinians shot by soldiers across the border.
When was this? At least two? This is from the same article that proclaimed
The clash, near the central Gaza border crossing of Kissufim, is the most serious threat so far to the separate cease-fires declared by Israel and Hamas that have largely held since Jan. 18.
This information on how many Palestinians were shot during Israel's 'unilateral ceasefire' is available in other sources.
Jan. 18 (Xinhua)
A Palestinian farmer was shot dead on Sunday morning by an Israeli soldier in Khan Younis in southern Gaza Strip, becoming the first fatality since Israeli declared an unilateral ceasefire, local witnesses said.
The witnesses said the farmer was killed while checking his farm.
But Israeli army said they shot the farmer because he was approaching the land where the Israeli ground troops occupied.
In another incident in Beit Hanoun in northern Gaza strip, two Palestinians were injured when some houses were hit by Israeli tank shelling.
Despite the sporadic clashes, the situation in Gaza is relatively quiet since the Israeli truce took into effect.
Gaza emergency chief Mo'aweya Hassanein said that the rescue team has found at least 40 bodies from rubbles while checking across the strip to find people shot died during the past more than 20 days of Israeli military offensive.
The death toll since the beginning of Israel launched the massive military operation against Gaza on Dec. 27 2008 has reach 1245 he said, estimating that the number will rise due to more bodies would be found by the rescue team.
IPS (Western news)
About 9.45 am that morning in Sheyjaiee district to the east of Gaza city, seven-year-old Ahmed Hassanian was outside his house with friends when Israeli soldiers fired from the eastern border. A bullet lodged in his brain, causing brain haemorrhage. Dr. Fawzi Nablusi, director of the ICU at Shifa hospital, says the boy is not expected to survive.
Three Palestinians have been killed since the ceasefire and 15 injured, including the ten injured Jan. 22, according to both Mu'awiyah Hassanain and Dr. Hassan Khalaf.
Hours after the ceasefire was said to have come into effect Jan. 18, Israeli warplanes flew extremely low over areas of Gaza. Drones capable both of photographing and of dropping targeted missiles continued to circle overhead. At 8.30 am Jan. 18, one of these drones dropped two missiles in the Amal area east of Beit Hanoun, killing 11-year-old Angham Ra'fat al-Masri and injuring her mother.
The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) reports further violations of the ceasefire, including the killing of Maher abu Rjaila, 23, shot in the chest by Israeli troops at 10.40 am Jan. 18 as he walked on his land east of Khan Younis city.
Israeli soldiers fired on residents of Al-Qarara, near Khan Younis, at 1 pm Jan. 20, shooting Waleed Al-Astal, 42, in his right foot.
In Shifa hospital, Yasser Abed, 15, from Gaza's Beach camp, explained how he received a shard of shrapnel in his forehead. "I went out of my house to see what was happening," he said. "I didn't see the gunboat, didn't see anything." His father explains that Yasser was rushed to Shifa after the shrapnel hit him, and that there was a girl nearby aged about four who was also hit by a piece of shrapnel.
In another room at Shifa, 11-year-old Nisreen Al-Quqa tells how she was out walking on the beach with her brother when the Israeli navy began to fire upon Palestinian fishermen. A piece of shrapnel from the shelling got lodged in her right calf muscle. "What ceasefire?" the girl's mother said, looking down at her daughter. But she knows Nisreen is lucky to have only a minor leg injury; it could have been much worse.
Jan. 22 (Xinhua)
Five Palestinians injured, two seriously, as Israeli naval gunship vessels intensively fired missiles at an area in western Gaza City on Thursday, medics and witnesses said.
Residents said that several Israeli naval gunship vessels fired dozens of shells at the western coast of the Gaza Strip, mainly at Shati (Beach) refugee camp west of Gaza City, wounding at least five people.
Gaza emergency chief Mo'aweya Hassanein told reporters that five Palestinians had several injuries and were brought to Shifa Hospital by local ambulances, adding that two are in serious conditions.
Western news sources are promoting propagand at this point that is easily dismissed. It is shameful that they choose to present stories this way.