Newscast for Friday, November 16, 2012

Families in Gaza grieve the loss of loved ones after Israel's attacks

Israeli air strikes on Gaza and rocket fire into Israel continue for the third day in a row and many are concerned about troops being sent into the Occupied Territory. Israel approved an expansion of the draft to 75,000 troops, and one general, addressing soldiers, said they were “on the eve of a possible ground operation.” Armed factions in Gaza launched a rocket that landed in an open area south of Jerusalem, reportedly the first such incident in more than three decades. As of this afternoon, 28 Palestinians had been killed, including children and babies. Hamas rocket fire killed three Israeli civilians on Thursday. At least 200 Gazans have been wounded. And according to Ha-aretz, the Israeli military has hit more than 500 targets in Gaza. Photos of the attacks show plumes of smoke rising high in the air and charred, demolished buildings. One of the buildings hit this week was the home of a Gazan family. That strike killed an 11-month-old baby and a recently married sister-in-law. FSRN's Rami Almeghari visited the grieved family and filed this report.

US officials support Israel’s attacks as rights groups condemn drones, targeted killing program

In Washington, some elected officials are expressing strong support for Israel’s air strikes on Gaza. The President, State Department and Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi all say Israel’s current use of aircraft and drones — paid for by US tax dollars — is justified self-defense. But others, including progressive lawmakers and international law experts, say the US response is undermining peace in the region. And as human rights groups investigate the US targeted killing program, they say it sets a dangerous precedent for other countries, including Israel. On Capitol Hill, FSRN’s Alice Ollstein has more.

Israel launches unprecedented social media online propaganda war

Since Wednesday, both Israel and Hamas have been using social media in an online propaganda war to rally support for their attacks. Within minutes of the assassination of Hamas military leader, Ahmed al-Jabari, the Israeli military posted to Twitter that they had killed him. Shortly after, they distributed a video of the air strike on al-Jabari’s vehicle. The social media war has continued, with aggressive images, graphics and text posted to multiple platforms. To discuss this new use of social media and its impacts, we spoke with Noah Schactman, contributing editor at Wired magazine’s national security blog, "Danger Room." He's reported from Afghanistan, Israel and Iraq.

Families of thousands disappeared in Mexico demand answers

In Mexico, cases of missing and disappeared persons have reached crisis levels. During the administration of President Felipe Calderon, who assumed office in 2006, thousands of Mexicans have vanished without a trace and some families are trying to make sure the issue isn't lost in the upcoming presidential transition. Shannon Young reports.