Operation Defensive Edge began on 7 July 2014.

The context is the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
And a history of occupation and discrimination in a climate of hatred and fear.

Following the kidnapping and murder of 3 Israelis in the West Bank and the brutal slaying of Mohammed Abu Khdeir in Jerusalem, militants in Gaza have responded in the only way they seem to know how.

Yes, we have been here before (2009, 2012).

The IDF has retaliated with the disproportionate bombardment the world has come to expect.

Nevertheless, it is concerned about its public image.

Despite the high-precision munitions of the IDF, Gazans suffer heavy casualties.

The imbalance and injustice is clear to all the world.

Yet rockets continue to be fired. Even as they mourn the loss of life, Hamas celebrate the extended range of their missiles while Israel defends its right to defend itself…

…and condemns Palestinian tactics

… and violence.

The death toll in Gaza mounts while the battle for media attention wages on.

But there are no winners, there is no justice, only bloodshed.

The UN’s calls for restraint fall on deaf ears once again as the Israeli army prepares for a ground invasion and the habitual disregard for Palestinian life continues, unabated.

#Stopthebloodshed.

Images from http://www.twitter.com #GazaUnderFire #IsraelUnderFire

Text by Merav Pinchassoff.