Israel downs Gaza drone

Updated: 2014-07-15 08:01

(Agencies)

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In all, the Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza has said that at least 175 people have been killed in Israeli air attacks, including dozens of civilians.

No Israelis have been killed as a result of Hamas rocket launches. Several people have been wounded, however, including a teenage boy who was seriously injured by rocket shrapnel on Sunday.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that the current Israeli operation could last for "a long time" and that the military was prepared for "all possibilities." That includes a Gaza ground operation, which would likely cause heavy casualties in the coastal strip.

But Netanyahu is coming under increasing international pressure to end the operation soon. On Sunday, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called for an immediate cease-fire while US Secretary of State John Kerry voiced American "readiness" to help restore calm. Egypt, a key mediator between Israel and Hamas, continued to work behind the scenes to stop the conflict.

Hamas has sent signals it may be ready to consider a cease-fire and has demanded that hundreds of recently arrested activists be freed as part of any prospective truce.

For his part, Netanyahu is likely seeking to show the Israeli public that he has succeeded in significantly degrading Hamas's ability to strike at Israeli targets before moving ahead diplomatically.

Also Monday, a 21-year-old Palestinian was killed during confrontations with Israeli soldiers in the West Bank village of Samoa, near Hebron, Palestinian health officials said. Residents of the village said soldiers opened fire at a group of Palestinians who were throwing stones at them. The officials and the villagers spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to media.

The Israeli army confirmed the death and said it was looking into the incident.

The outbreak of violence followed the kidnappings and killings of three Israeli teenagers in the West Bank last month, as well as the subsequent kidnapping and killing of a Palestinian teenager in an apparent revenge attack, along with Israeli raids against Hamas militants and infrastructure in the West Bank.

Israel's Shin Bet security service on Monday released the findings of its investigation into the killing of 16-year-old Mohammed Abu Khdeir, whose death set off days of violent protests in Arab areas of Jerusalem and northern Israel. The detention of the three main suspects in the case, a 29-year-old man and a pair of 17-year-olds, was extended until Friday as they appeared before a court, officials said.

Shin Bet said the suspects, whose names were not released, were motivated by revenge following the killing of the Israeli teenagers. During the investigation, the three admitted to abducting Abu Khdeir and setting him on fire, according to the security agency. They also re-enacted the murder. Four others were being investigated and remained under house arrest for their involvement in the killing, it said.

Abu Khdeir was taken on July 2 near his home in east Jerusalem and his charred body was later found in a forest. An autopsy found that he was burned to death.

Israeli leaders widely condemned the killing and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed those responsible would be brought to justice.

Israel has yet to capture the killers of the three Israel teenagers. It accuses Hamas and cracked down on the Islamic militants in the West Bank after the teens' abduction, contributing to an increase in rocket fire from Gaza that ultimately led to the current round of fighting.

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