Gaza Raids Continue Even As Netanyahu Courts Trouble In Twitter
The Israeli raids on Gaza continued on Sunday with Hamas cadres hitting back at Israel with rockets. The BBC reports that Israel shut the Erez crossing after a rocket fire from Gaza, which wounded four people. About 50 rockets from Gaza including a barrage of mortars and rockets had hit the Erez crossing, which was one of the main checkpoints with Israel. Those having Israeli permits cross this point to enter or leave Gaza.
Twitter Revolt
The penchant of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to justify the Gaza offense landed him in a Twitter revolt recently. According to a report in the Huffington Post, he used an image from the video that carried the beheading of US reporter James Foley. Netanyahu used the video to substantiate his points in a tweet that lambasted Hamas militants.
The Twitter comment of the prime minister compared the Palestinian militant group Hamas to Islamic State. However, the tweet was later deleted.
Netanyahu's tweet chose to reassert his earlier comparison of Hamas with Islamic state militants. He called both the groups as branches of the same tree and said the atrocities of ISIS are more than evident at the beheading of the American journalist Foley. He said Israel is also facing the same savagery from these elements.
Falling into IS Propaganda
Twitter users reacted angrily to it and called it an insensitive act after accusing the Israeli Prime Minister's office of taking advantage of Foley's death for furthering his own propaganda.
Many argued that sharing footage of the gory scene amounts to aiding the propaganda of IS in the social media.
The Foley family also urged users not to watch the video and refrain from sharing it. Twitter cautioned users that it would suspend the accounts of those who are sharing the graphic images of Foley's murder.
Gaza Attacks Continue
Meanwhile, Netanyahu cautioned Gaza civilians that the offensive against Hamas hiding in civilian hubs will continue. It has no plan to end the military campaign by September 1, when the schools open, reported the Wall Street Journal.
In Israel, hundreds of people joined the funeral procession of 4-year-old Daniel Tragerman, killed in a Hamas mortar attack at Kibbutz Nahal Oz. The security of southern Israel residents are still in limbo despite the 7 week military offensive by Israel in Gaza.