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12/28: Israel launches new wave of Gaza attacks, facing international condemnation, UN call to halt |
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12/28: Israel launches new wave of Gaza attacks, facing international condemnation, UN call to halt attack Latest News on Israel Attck on Gaza
Israel launches new wave of Gaza attacks
28/12/2008 08:54:00 AM GMT
Aljazeera
Israel begins a fresh wave of air strikes in the Gaza Strip after it killed 265 people and wounded 800 others on Saturday. Israel begins a fresh wave of air strikes in the Gaza Strip after it killed 265 people and wounded 800 others on Saturday. Israeli warplanes staged an air strike early Sunday in the southern Gaza Strip, targeting a fuel truck traveling outside Rafah near the Egyptian border, witnesses said. The Sunday Israeli air attacks have so far left six Palestinians dead and several others wounded. The latest deaths raise the Gaza death toll to 271. An Israeli military spokesman in Tel Aviv told AFP that Israeli aircraft had staged several air strikes throughout the night, one of which was staged against a mosque in Rimal neighborhood in Gaza City. According to Israeli public radio, the military carried out at least 20 overnight airstrikes across the impoverished region. Hundreds of Israeli infantry and armored corps troops headed for the Gaza border early Sunday in preparation for a possible ground invasion, military officials said. Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak told Sky News on Saturday that he would not rule out widening the offensive in the Gaza Strip to include a ground invasion. Barak on Saturday added that Israel "cannot really accept" a cease-fire with Hamas, rejecting calls by the international community for a truce
Source: Press TV
1/28: Israeli assault on Gaza Strip draws widespread condemnation
Xinhua Net (China)
BEIJING, Dec. 28 (Xinhua) -- Israel on Saturday morning launched a massive air raid which it said was targeted at Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip, killing at least 225 and wounding 700,a move that has drawn condemnation from many countries and world bodies.
The Arab world reacted strongly to the Israeli attacks. Egypt, an active mediator between Israel and Palestine's Islamic Hamas movement, strongly condemned the Israeli military action on Saturday and summoned the Israeli ambassador in Cairo.
Israel is responsible for the casualties in the strikes, Egypt's official MENA news agency cited a statement issued by the Egyptian presidency as saying.
Any military escalation would deteriorate the humanitarian condition in Gaza and have a negative impact on stability in the Middle East, the statement said.
Egypt has also urged Palestinian groups "to adhere to calm and desist from giving Israel an excuse to attack Gaza," it added.
Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Seniora denounced the Israeli air raids as "tragic and criminal."
Seniora called upon the Arab League, as well as Arab kings and heads of state, to convene an extraordinary session and adopt a "united Arab stand to face the aggression."
He also called on the United Nations to adopt "deterrent and necessary measures against Israel for it's continuous violations of Palestinian and Arab human rights."
Seniora also pledged a "Lebanese, Arab and international solidarity campaign to stop the attack and rescue the victims."
Iran also condemned the Israeli raid on Gaza. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Hassan Qashqavi said in a statement that the Israeli attack was proof of the aggressive attitude of the Zionist regime.
He called for urgent action from the UN Security Council, the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), and other Islamic nations and countries to "prevent this regime (of Israel) from continuing its crimes."
In a statement issued on Saturday, Syria condemned the Israeli military strikes on the Gaza Strip as a "heinous crime and convicted terrorist act."
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who currently holds the rotating chairmanship of the Arab Summit, called for an emergency Arab summit to discuss possible action regarding the situation in the Gaza Strip following the Israeli raid.
"Syria condemns this appalling crime and calls on Arab nations and the international community to use all available means to pressure Israel to stop this aggression immediately, allow the transfer of the injured and ensure them medical care, and open all crossings to allow access of foodstuffs and health needs to the besieged Palestinian people," the statement said.
Shortly after the attack Saturday, Libyan leader Muammar al Gaddafi called in succession Qatari Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, Tunisian President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika and Syrian President Al-Assad to discuss "urgent action."
The Libyan Foreign Ministry issued a statement calling on Arabs to take action "in response to the Israeli brutality against Gaza," and urged the international community to stop Israel's attacks.
The Sudanese government on Saturday also issued a statement strongly condemning the Israeli air raid on the Gaza Strip, and asked the Arab League and the OIC to hold urgent meetings at the levels of foreign ministers and heads of state to discuss the Israeli military action.
It also called on the UN Security Council and the international community to exert pressure on Israel to stop the action and lift its blockade against the Palestinian people.
Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco on Saturday also condemned the Israeli air strikes and urged the international community to move quickly to stop the bloody raids.
Jordan's lower house Saturday condemned the Israeli strike and called for an immediate end to the attacks.
Jordan also summoned the ambassadors of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council to discuss the latest Israeli aggression on Gaza, the Foreign Ministry said.
Turkey strongly condemned "the death of many Palestinians as result of Israel's attack on Gaza," and appealed for "an immediate halt" to the military operation.
"We strongly condemn the death of many Palestinians as result of Israel's attack on Gaza. We are calling for restraint and an immediate halt to the Israeli operation," the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
"We are inviting the international community not to remain indifferent to this tragedy and extend a helping hand to Gaza," the statement said.
Saudi Arabia in a statement Saturday also condemned the Israeli attacks.
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Saturday condemned the Israeli air strikes on the Gaza Strip, and supported the call for an emergency Arab League meeting, a Foreign Affairs Ministry statement said.
Outside the Arab world, countries such as Finland, Argentina, Brazil and Switzerland also joined a chorus of criticism against Israeli military action in the Gaza Strip.
The European Union's (EU) foreign policy chief, Javier Solana, on Saturday urged an immediate halt to military action by both Israel and the Palestinians, saying "there is no military solution" to the situation in Gaza.
"The EU has repeatedly condemned rocket attacks against Israel. The current Israeli strikes are inflicting an unacceptable toll on Palestinian civilians and will only worsen the humanitarian crisis as well as complicate the search for a peaceful solution," he said.
Solana urged Israelis and Palestinians to return to calm and called on everybody in the region to use their influence to encourage restraint and prevent recourse to violence.
The UN Security Council is scheduled to meet behind closed doors at 10:00 p.m. EST Saturday (0300 GMT Sunday) to discuss the latest violence and bloodshed in the Israel-Palestine conflict, diplomatic sources said.
Earlier on Saturday, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon called for an immediate halt to the violence in Gaza and southern Israel, condemning the excessive use of force leading to civilian casualties and the ongoing rocket attacks by militants.
However, Israel's longtime ally the United States said Saturday that it held Hamas responsible for the bloodshed.
U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice condemned Hamas for breaking the ceasefire with Israel and leaving more than 200 dead in renewed violence in Gaza.
"The United States strongly condemns the repeated rocket and mortar attacks against Israel and holds Hamas responsible for breaking the ceasefire and for the renewal of violence in Gaza," Rice said in a statement.
Earlier in the day, the U.S. State Department urged Israel to avoid civilian casualties when it launched reprisal strikes against Hamas targets in Gaza, and said that the Islamic movement must stop its rocket attacks.
Israel launched air strikes Saturday against the Gaza Strip, hitting more than 30 targets, most of them security compounds run by the Hamas movement.
At least 225 Palestinians were killed and some 750 others wounded in a series of rapid and intensive air strikes, Palestinian officials said.
Hamas has vowed to exact revenge with rocket attacks and suicide bombings.
About an hour after the Israeli airstrike, militants in Gaza fired rockets into southern Israeli towns, killing one woman.
Arabs are seeking an emergency summit: US does not call on Israeli forces to stopPalestine News Network - PNN
December 27, 2008
http://english.pnn.ps/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4299&Itemid=1
Cairo
The Arab League, Jordan and Egypt are among those
issuing urgent condemnations of the Israeli air strikes
that killed 195 people in the Gaza Strip on Saturday
and said it would continue its efforts to 'restore
calm.'
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak is holding Israel
responsible for the tens of dead and wounded in today's
air attacks. 'Egypt has condemned the Israeli military
aggression on the Gaza Strip.'
Egypt issued a warning to the Israeli administration
against further attacks on the Gaza Strip saying the
repercussions would be severe.
The European Union called on Saturday for an immediate
cease in the Gaza Strip, while Javier Solana EU Foreign
Policy Chief said, 'We are deeply concerned by the
events in Gaza.'
The United States urged Israel on Saturday to 'avoid
civilian casualties in air strikes on the Gaza Strip.'
The US also said Hamas must control the armed
resistance and stop projectile launches. The US did not
call for an end to the Israeli air attacks and referred
to Hamas of engaging in 'terrorist activities.'
Amr Mousa, the Secretary General of the League of Arab
States, said that Arab foreign ministers will hold an
emergency meeting in Cairo on Sunday or Monday to take
a unified stand against the Israeli raids killed 195
people at least in Gaza.
The Arab League referred to the Israeli raids as a
"massacre." The League demanded the United Nations
Security Council to take immediate action to 'stop the
Israeli crimes against the Palestinian people.'
U.N. Security Council calls for end to Gaza violenceSun Dec 28, 2008 2:53am EST
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The U.N. Security Council called early on Sunday for an immediate halt to all violence in Gaza after a day of Israeli air strikes in response to rocket and mortar fire by Gaza militants against Israel.
"The members of the Security Council expressed serious concern at the escalation of the situation in Gaza and called for an immediate halt to all violence," said a statement read to reporters by Croatian Ambassador Neven Jurica, president of the council.
"The members called on the parties to stop immediately all military activities."
Palestinian medical officials said on Sunday that 271 Palestinians had been killed in 24 hours of Israeli attacks in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip. Since the operation began, one Israeli had been killed by Palestinian rocket fire.
Diplomats said the Security Council meeting had been convened at the request of Libya, the only Arab country on the council.
The statement, agreed upon after four hours of closed-door council discussions, called on all parties to address "the serious humanitarian and economic needs in Gaza."
It urged them to take necessary measures, including the opening of border crossings, to ensure Gaza's people were supplied with food, fuel and medical treatment.
Council members "stressed the need for the restoration of calm in full" to open the way for a Palestinian-Israeli political solution.
(Reporting by Patrick Worsnip; editing by Todd Eastham)
Protests Call for Palestinian UnityAlJazeera.net
December 27, 2008
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2008/12/20081227122748912382.html
Palestinians in the West Bank have demonstrated for
unity between the rival factions, Fatah and Hamas,
after Israeli air attacks on the Gaza Strip killed more
than 155 people and wounded 200 others.
Hundreds of Palestinians gathered in the centre of
Ramallah in the West Bank on Saturday, some carrying
banners reading: "We will not forget you, Gaza."
The Israeli bombardment also sparked rallies across the
Arab world, including in Amman, the capital of Jordan,
and Damascus in Syria.
Hezbollah, the Lebanese movement which fought a 33-day
war against Israel in the summer of 2006, called for a
demonstration in the southern suburbs of the Lebanese
capital, Beirut, later on Saturday.
Nour Odeh, Al Jazeera's correspondent in neighbouring
Jordan, said: "This is probably one of the most violent
Israeli air campaigns against Gaza."
"Politically speaking, this is devastating... We can
see people in Ramallah coming out on the streets,
calling on the leaderships in the Palestinian
territories to unite, and set aside their differences
knowing that that will be difficult, as it has been for
the past year and a half.
"It will certainly be very embarrassing for Mahmoud
Abbas [the Palestinian president], who is engaged in a
peace process with Israel, trying to convince a very
sceptical public that a political process with Israel
can yield results while these bombs are raining on
Gaza.
"Yasser Abed, an adviser to Abbas speaking in the West
Bank said: "In this moment we express our solidarity
with all the victims of this aggression.
"And we call for an immediate halt and ending of this
aggression against the Gaza Strip.
"Our leadership and our government are taking measures
now in order to help the victims of the aggression."
Abbas said he was in "urgent contact" with numerous
countries over the raids.
Salam Fayyad, the Palestinian prime minister in the
West Bank, said: "I strongly condemn the Israeli
military attack on the Gaza Strip and demand its
immediate end.
"I am making a series of calls to try to stop the
Israeli attack and have called an emergency cabinet
meeting."
The meeting is to be held at 1300GMT in Ramallah.
The Palestinian ministry of health in Ramallah called
on its employees to immediately head to government
hospitals in the Gaza Strip to help, following
statements from Ehud Barak, the Israeli defence
minister, saying that the operation "will last as long
as necessary".
Regional condemnation
Amr Moussa, the secretary-general of the Arab League,
said that Arab foreign ministers would be meeting in
the Egyptian capital either on Sunday or Monday to take
a common position on the raids.
Moussa told reporters that Libya, the only Arab country
on the UN Security Council, would also be seeking an
urgent meeting of the council.
"It will take a joint Arab position on what is
happening and at the same time agree on the steps to be
taken," he said.
Egypt condemned Israel's raids and said it would keep
trying to restore a truce between Israel and Gaza.
A presidential statement quoted by the MENA news agency
said Egypt held Israel responsible for the deaths and
injuries that result from the raids.
"Egypt will continue its contacts to prepare an
atmosphere conducive to restoring the period of calm
and achieving reconciliation between the Palestinian
groups."
Ahmed Abu Ghait, the Egyptian foreign minister,
summoned the Israeli ambassador to express Egypt's
rejection to the attacks.
Egypt called publicly for restraint by both sides on
Thursday when Tzipi Livni, the Israeli foreign
minister, came to Cairo for talks with Hosni Mubarak,
the Egyptian president.
International condemnation
Javier Solana, the EU foreign policy chief, is also
calling for an immediate ceasefire.
"We are very concerned at the events in Gaza," he said.
"We call for an immediate ceasefire and urge everybody
to exert maximum restraint."
For his part, Nicolas Sarkozy, the French president,
called for an immediate halt to the "escalation".
"The President of the Republic ... strongly condemns
the irresponsible provocations which led to this
situation as well as the disproportionate use of
force," the Elysee Palace said.
The statement added that there was "no military
solution in Gaza" and called for the "conclusion of a
lasting truce".
A statement from the Russian foreign ministry said:
"Russia believes it is necessary to halt immediately
the large-scale acts of force against the Gaza Strip,
which have already caused considerable victims and
suffering amongst the Palestinian population.
"At the same time, we call on the leadership of Hamas
to stop firing rocket on Israeli territory," it said,
adding that the most important priority now was for the
parties to restore a truce.
Fawzi Barhoum, a spokesman for Hamas in Gaza, said:
"Today is a holocaust and a massacre day, that Tzipi
Livni had publicly campaigned on the regional and
international level so she can commit to this Holocaust
and this massacre.
"This is a group massacre for our Palestinian people in
Gaza."
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