Arab–Israeli conflict

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Evangelos Venizelos on Wednesday hailed the announcement of a ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinians brokered in Cairo, Egypt, late on Tuesday following a seven-week conflict.

Greek Foreign Minister Evangelos Venizelos has expressed concern about the failure to extend the truce in Gaza and said peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians in Cairo should continue.

Following the announcement of a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, Greece announced on Thursday that it would contribute 500,000 euros to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) to help with its humanitarian assistance to Palestinians.

Turkey’s exports to Israel declined by almost 10 percent in July due to the turmoil in the region, not because Turkish firms refused to sell goods to the country, the head of the country’s top exporters association said, criticizing the “unconscious” boycott of Israeli goods in protest at the Gaza violence.

At least 10 people died in a fresh strike on a U.N. school in Gaza Aug. 3 shortly after Israel confirmed it had begun withdrawing some
troops from the war-torn enclave.        

Israel agreed July 30 to observe a four-hour lull in Gaza several hours after a deadly strike on a school killed 16, drawing a furious response from a U.N. refugee agency. In a statement, the army said it had agreed to a humanitarian pause which was to begin at 12:00 GMT.

Israeli shells struck a U.N. school in Gaza early July 30, killing 16, as ground troops made a signficant push into the territory despite Palestinian efforts to broker a 24-hour truce.

It was the second time in a week that a U.N. school sheltering hundreds of homeless Palestinians had been hit, with the latest violence pushing the Gaza death toll over 1,260.        

Calls are growing for a boycott of Israeli products in Turkey, with a number of professional associations urging consumers to refrain from buying goods from a list of companies prepared following Israel’s recent Gaza operations.

An attack from inside Syria on June 22 killed a 13-year-old Israeli boy on the occupied Golan Heights, the first fatality on Israel's side of the frontier since the Syrian civil war began, relatives and the military said.

An attack from inside Syria on June 22 killed a 13-year-old Israeli boy on the occupied Golan Heights, the first fatality on Israel's side of the frontier since the Syrian civil war began, relatives and the military said.