Palestinians have argued Israel sparked the escalation with last month’s raids and other deadly attacks on the Occupied Territories throughout the year. According to the website Electronic Intifada, Israel had killed 31 Palestinians before the latest violent flare-up in Gaza, bringing the year’s overall toll to around 60. On Tuesday, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas made an appeal for international protection of the Palestinian people.

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas: “What’s happening in the Gaza Strip, the West Bank and East Jerusalem is not a war between two armies. The Palestinian people are an unarmed people, people who live under occupation. It’s time now for the international community, and especially 'the Quartet' and the Security Council, to take their responsibility to guarantee the international protection of our people.”