In Gaza, there are reports the Israeli military is pulling out of Rafah where it has conducted a massive assault over the last three days. The BBC has described the offensive as one of the largest ever in Gaza. At least 41 Palestinians were killed over the past three days. Homes were demolished. City streets were ripped up and the BBC reports even the town’s zoo was destroyed. Israel’s actions were widely condemned by the international community. Meanwhile in Tel Aviv, the Palestinian legislator Marwan Barghouti, who was once seen as a possible successor to Yasser Arafat, was convicted on five counts of murder by an Israeli court. Barghouti rejected the charges and said “This is a court of occupation that I do not recognize.” The prosecution is seeking to hand him five life sentences.