Gaza toll soars as Israeli raids continue At least 111 Palestinians killed by airstrikes as Israel brushes off pressure for ceasefire. Israels aerial bombardment of Gaza has claimed its 111th Palestinian life as Hamas continued to launch rockets into central Israel and the United States offered to help broker a truce. Diplomatic efforts failed to make any headway, with US President Barack Obama phoning Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The United States remains prepared to facilitate a cessation of hostilities, the White House said. But Netanyahu remained resolute, saying he would not end his campaign until he achieved his goal of stopping the Hamas fire. No international pressure will prevent us from striking, with all force, against the terrorist organisation which calls for our destruction, he told a news conference in Tel Aviv. Benjamin Netanyahu brushed off a question about possible ceasefire efforts, signaling there was no end in sight to the operation. I will end it when our goals are realized. And the overriding goal is to restore the peace and quiet, Netanyahu said, adding that he was in touch with numerous world leaders, including President Barack Obama and the leaders of Britain, France, Germany and Canada. No international pressure will prevent us from acting with all power, he said. Gaza residents testify about the effects Israel and Egypts blockade of their land has had on their lives. Targeting civilians UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has expressed concern about the heavy civilian casualties in Gaza, and on Friday, the UNs top human rights official said the air campaign may violate international laws prohibiting the targeting of civilians. We have received deeply disturbing reports that many of the civilian casualties, including of children, occurred as a result of strikes on homes, said Navi Pillay, the UN high commissioner for human rights. Such reports raise serious doubt about whether the Israeli strikes have been in accordance with international humanitarian law and international human rights law, she said. Netanyahu brushed aside such criticism, saying Israels aerial campaign is aimed at military targets. Israel has massed thousands of troops along the border in preparation for a possible ground invasion. Netanyahu was evasive when asked about the odds of a ground operation, saying only: We are weighing every possibility. Sparking fears of an expanded conflict, at least one rocket fired from Lebanon hit open ground in northern Israel early on Friday. Palestinians killed In Gaza, 13 Palestinians, including a woman and seven-year-old child, were killed in separate Israeli air strikes on Friday, medics said. A further four Palestinians were killed early on Saturday by an an Israeli airstrike in Jebaliya in the northern Gaza Strip, emergency services said, raising the number of Palestinians slain to 111. More than 500 people in Gaza have been wounded so far. No one in Israel has been killed. Two have been seriously wounded, including a man at a petrol station hit by a rocket. The army said a woman was slightly injured late Friday when a rocket hit her house in the southern city of Beersheva. Hamass armed wing, the Ezzedine Qassam Brigades, kept up a steady stream of rocket fire on Israel throughout Friday. Five rockets were shot down over Tel Aviv by the Iron Dome anti-missile system, the army said. The Brigades said their fighters had targeted Israels main international airport near the city. Ben Gurion Airport closed briefly but then resumed normal operations. Hamas warned all foreign airlines to halt flights because of the dangers surrounding all the airports due to the ongoing war. As a result of the rocket fire from Lebanon, a Polish airliner bound for Tel Aviv was forced to make an emergency stop in Cyprus, before returning to Poland, aviation authorities said. Al Jazeera
Posted on: Sat, 12 Jul 2014 01:14:31 +0000
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