The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has reportedly lifted its ban on commercial airlines flying to Israel’s Ben Gurion International Airport near Tel Aviv.  Airlines had halted flight prior to the FAA’s ban because a Hamas missile launched from Gaza came to ground close to the airport and destroyed a house. 

Airlines in the US and Europe are still holding back flights on their own out of concern for the safety of the passengers and crews.  Earlier this month, a Russian-made surface-to-air missile downed a passenger plane in another combat zone, Malaysian Airlines Flight MH17 in Ukraine.

Meanwhile, Hamas says it will continue to reject any third-party ceasefire proposals for the fighting in Gaza unless its conditions are met.  Hamas’ demands include the lifting of Israel’s eight-year economic blockade, the opening of the Rafah border crossing with Egypt, and the release of Palestinian prisoners.

“We will not accept any initiative that does not lift the blockade on our people and that does not respect their sacrifices,” Hamas spokesman Khaled Meshaal said.

Israel said three more soldiers were killed in fighting in Gaza, bringing military casualties to 29 plus three civilians.  Palestinian medical sources say the death toll rose to more than 690, and the UN says about 74 percent of them are civilians. 

US Human Rights chief Navi Pillay is warning Israel that it may be committing war crimes.  She criticized Hamas for “indiscriminate” rocket attacks on Israel, but reserved her most blistering words for Israel. 

“There seems to be a strong possibility that international law has been violated, in a manner that could amount to war crimes,” Pillay said, adding that “the disregard for international humanitarian law and for the right to life was shockingly evident” in the case of an Israeli airstrike on a Gaza beach that killed four little boys playing soccer.

As Israeli missiles destroy home after home, and 44 percent of Gaza is a war zone, people simply have nowhere to escape.  The UN the Israeli invasion of Gaza is killing one child per hour.