War

It's a long way from Tel Aviv to Brasilia, but the journey just got a bit longer.

Foreign Minister Manuel González repeated Costa Rica’s desire for an immediate ceasefire and urged the United Nations Security Council to take responsibility for ending the violence in the Gaza Strip, during a press conference at the Casa Amarilla Monday afternoon.

BERLIN – Israel eavesdropped on U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry during doomed peace talks with the Palestinians last year, the German news weekly Der Spiegel reported Sunday.

In a joint statement, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said both sides in the conflict are sending delegations to Cairo for negotiations aimed at reaching a lasting cease-fire. During the 72-hour respite, Israel will not withdraw its forces from the Gaza Strip, a demand that Hamas had previously made as a prerequisite to peace talks.

Costa Rican Foreign Minister Manuel González met with Israeli Ambassador Avraham Haddad at the Casa Amarilla Wednesday afternoon to express outrage at ongoing violence in the Gaza Strip and its devastating toll on civilians. He urged the Israeli diplomat to push for an immediate ceasefire. The Foreign Ministry also said its ambassador to Israel would briefly return to Costa Rica.

Solís: "If the situation continues as it has, the world, not just Costa Rica, is going to have to take increasingly strong measure to protect the lives of the weakest who are being bulldozed by an attitude that does not agree with the values that the government of Costa Rica defends.”

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip – It was one of the worst scenes so far in a war that has put civilians in the crosshairs. An elementary school packed with hundreds of Palestinian evacuees seeking shelter under U.N. protection came under heavy fire Thursday, leaving 16 people dead and more than 100 wounded, including women, children and infants.

The Gaza Health Ministry, run by Hamas, says that at least 70 Palestinians died in the Shijaiyah offensive, including at least 17 children and 14 women. Thirteen Israeli soldiers were also slain, seven of them when a mine blew up under their armored vehicle, military officials said.

JERUSALEM – Israel launched a ground operation in Gaza late Thursday on the 10th day of an offensive to stamp out rocket attacks from the Palestinian enclave, the army said.

When the rockets start falling and fighter jets buzz the skies, Roni Keidar and Maha Mehanna know they can lean on one another for comfort.