The death toll in Gaza passed the 700 mark on Thursday as Israeli tanks shelled a UN-run school housing those who were taking shelter from the fighting, the Associated Press (AP) reports. As quoted from the AP, "Pools of blood soiled the school courtyard, amid scattered books and belongings. There was a large scorch mark in the courtyard marking the place where one of the tank shells hit."
Several mortar strikes struck a Palestinian refugee camp, killing 6 people of the same family.
The violence has not been limited to Gaza. In the West Bank, the area controlled by the ruling Palestinian political party Fatah, marches of solidarity have taken place and ended in violent clashes with Israeli police. The West Bank, which shares Jerusalem with Israel, has been immune to the current bombing runs by Israel, but has still seen flare ups of violence with Israeli police.
Today, in a surprise move that has been both criticized and lauded, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) lifted its ban on flights to Israel just a day after imposing the ban. The FAA has stated that "Before making this decision, the FAA worked with its U.S. government counterparts to assess the security situation in Israel and carefully reviewed both significant new information and measures the Government of Israel is taking to mitigate potential risks to civil aviation."
Rocket attacks from Gaza still target Ben Gurion airport, prompting air raid sirens to send people to the airport's bomb shelters. While Israel's missile defense system Iron Dome may neutralize many of the threats, it cannot cover the entire airspace over Israel.
The current conflict in between Israel and Gaza has spurred anti-Israeli outrage in Europe. In France, an anti-Israel march turned into a riot that targeted Jewish businesses just outside of Paris. Synagogues in the area were not immune to attacks as well. The French government imposed a temporary ban on protests and criticized those who partook in the anti-Semitic violence. Protests took place in London and Vienna as well.
Jewish emigration to Israel, termed 'aliyah' in Hebrew, has increased up to 55% from average.
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