The Hindu Editorial (Cease the fire) – May 15, 2021

From Israeli armed forces storming Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque on Monday morning to Israel pounding Gaza with air strikes and artillery on Thursday night in response to the rocket firing by Hamas,… For further reading, visit “The Hindu”. Below is today’s word list-2 for The Hindu Editorial (Cease the fire) – May 15, 2021.

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The Hindu Editorial (Cease the fire) – May 15, 2021:

cease (verb) – end, halt, stop.
fire (noun) – gunfire, firing, bombing, bombardment.
ceasefire (noun) – a negotiated agreement that will be accompanied by other associated commitments to de-escalate the fighting; a temporary stoppage of war, truce, armistice.
indiscriminate (adjective) – thoughtless, careless, casual, aimless.
civilian (noun) – non-military person, ordinary citizen.
Gaza (noun) – a Palestinian city in the Gaza Strip. Gaza Strip is a self-governing Palestinian territory surrounded by the Mediterranean Sea, Israel and Egypt.
storm (verb) – (of armed forces) suddenly attack and capture a building/place forcefully.
Jerusalem (proper noun) – a city in Western Asia; Jerusalem is home to major religious sites sacred to Jews, Christians, and Muslims. It is the religious and historical epicenter of the world. Both Israel and the Palestinian Authority claim Jerusalem as their capital, however, either claim is not widely recognized internationally. The United States has recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.
pound (verb) – bombard, bomb, shell, attack.
strike (verb) – attack, air strike, air attack, assault, bombing.
artillery (noun) – a military branch that uses big guns, heavy weapons, cannons.
Hamas (noun) – Hamas is an Islamist militant group based in Gaza. It won the legislative elections in 2006 to reinforce its power in Gaza Strip. Hamas (particularly its military wing) is designated a terrorist group by Israel, the United States, European Union and the United Kingdom, as well as other powers. Its name is an Arabic acronym for the Islamic Resistance Movement. It formed in 1987 as a “resistance” group, pledging to destroy Israel and replace it with an all-Palestinian state. Hamas originally had a dual purpose of carrying out an armed struggle against Israel – led by its military wing, – and delivering social welfare programmes in Gaza Strip.
escalate (verb) – increase, heighten, intensify; become serious.
for now (phrase) – for the time being, for the present, for the moment.
stand down (phrasal verb) – to withdraw or remove from active duty/job; give up; leave, quit/resign, step down.
appeal (noun) – plea, earnest request, urgent request, entreaty.
evade (verb) – avoid, dodge, elude, escape.
engulf (verb) – overwhelm, swamp, overtake, affect something completely.
resentment (noun) – bitterness, indignation, irritation, enmity, hatred/hate.
frustration (noun) – disappointment, annoyance/irritation, dissatisfaction.
territory (noun) – sphere, arena, domain.
settlement (noun) – an uninhabited place where people established a community/colony.
deepen (verb) – intensify, strengthen, escalate.
occupation (noun) – invasion, seizure, takeover, annexation.
besides (preposition/linking adverb) – in addition to, as well, apart from.
high-handedness (noun) – heavy-handedness, autocracy, absolute power, totalitarianism.
add to (phrasal verb) – increase, intensify, deepen, escalate.
lead to (verb) – result in, cause, bring about, call forth, give rise to, produce.
seize on (phrasal verb) – to take an opportunity decisively.
vow (verb) – swear, pledge, promise, affirm.
militant (noun) – fanatic, extremist, radical, sectarian/partisan.
infrastructure (noun) – the basic physical or organisational structure for something (to function properly).
be easier said than done (phrase) – used to say that something sounds like a good idea in theory, but it would be very difficult to do.
carry out (phrasal verb) – conduct, perform, execute.
objective (noun) – aim, intention, purpose, target, goal.
rhetoric (noun) – the art of speaking or writing effectively & persuasively or impressively (but, often lacking substance); bombast, loftiness, hyperbole/extravagant language.
lose-lose game/situation (noun) – a situation in which each party could end up as losers in the event of a conflict.
take/hold hostage (phrase) – to keep someone as a hostage.
distinguish (verb) – differentiate, separate, set apart, make different.
Iron Dome defence system (noun) – Iron Dome is a multi-mission system capable of intercepting (stopping/obstructing) rockets, artillery, mortars and Precision Guided Munitions like very short-range air defence (V-SHORAD) systems as well as aircraft, helicopters and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) over short ranges of up to 70 km. It is an all-weather system and can engage multiple targets simultaneously and can be deployed over land and sea.
neutralise (verb) – eliminate, cancel out, invalidate; counteract, counterbalance.
grip (verb) – afflict, affect, take over, beset, torment.
vigilante (noun) – a member of the self-appointed group which unofficially punishing crimes.
mob (noun) – a large, disorganized, and often violent crowd of people.
prompt (verb) – cause, bring about, produce, bring on.
evoke (verb) – invoke, induce, kindle, stimulate, stir up.
civil war (noun) – a war between organized groups within the same state or country.
law and order (phrase) – lawfulness, peacefulness, goodwill, cordiality, non-aggression.
intifada (noun) – Arabic Word; an uprising of Palestinians against Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
pulverise (verb) – defeat utterly, annihilate, crush/vanquish.
inflict on (verb) – cause, impose, administer, deal out, mete out.
casualty (noun) – victim, fatality, mortality (people killed in a war).
impoverished (adjective) – weakened, exhausted, drained, diminished, depleted; poor, poverty-stricken, penniless, destitute, needy.
point to (verb) – indicate, suggest, denote.
endorse (verb) – uphold, support, ratify, approve, justify.
ally (noun) – a country that has strategic partnership with another country.
keep/put pressure on (phrase) – to try to influence/persuade someone to do something in a certain method.
sooner rather than later (phrase) – soon, immediately, without delay.