Israel
1
UN calls for Israel-Gaza ceasefire
UN calls for Israel-Gaza ceasefire
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-28279562
The BBC's Jeremy Bowen: "It is clear the Israelis have some serious questions to answer"
The UN Security Council has called for a ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, as Palestinian deaths continue to mount.
An air strike on Gaza City on Saturday killed 15 people, local officials say, with Gaza's police chief among those injured.
At least 156 Palestinians have been killed since Israel began its operation five days ago, Palestinian sources say.
Israel said it had been hit by about 90 rockets fired from Gaza on Saturday.
It also reported intercepting three rockets fired at Tel Aviv from the coastal territory by Hamas Islamist militants, while other rockets fired from Gaza reached the West Bank.
At the scene: Jeremy Bowen, BBC Middle East editor
Wars between Hamas and Israel tend to finish with some sort of ceasefire.
Factors influencing the timing of a deal include the amount of blood spilt, and the level of international pressure on both sides to make a deal.
It looks as if that point has not yet been reached. Ceasefires involve a certain loss of face, as leaders glide away from some of the rhetoric they threw around when the guns started to fire.
Neither side is ready for that yet. This conflict may have to get worse before the pressure for a ceasefire becomes unanswerable.
All 15 members the UN Security Council approved a statement calling for calm and peace talks.
It is the first time since Israel's offensive began that they have issued a statement, with members previously divided on their response.
The BBC's Nick Bryant reports from the UN that the problem has been finding a form of words that Arab nations, represented on the Security Council by Jordan, find meaningful - but which the US, Israel's close ally, could also agree with.
Palestinians mourning in a morgue in Gaza City
Israel has vowed to press on with its campaign until rocket attacks stop. Five Israelis have been injured this week from rocket and missile attacks, two of them seriously, but no Israelis have died.
Israel says it is targeting militants and militant facilities, including the homes of senior operatives. "Dozens of terrorists" are among those who have been killed, it says.
However, the UN has estimated that 77% of the people killed in Gaza have been civilians.
Text of UN Security Council statement
The Security Council members expressed serious concern regarding the crisis related to Gaza and the protection and welfare of civilians on both sides.
The Security Council members called for de-escalation of the situation, restoration of calm, and reinstitution of the November 2012 ceasefire.
The Security Council members further called for respect for international humanitarian law, including the protection of civilians.
The Security Council members also expressed their support for the resumption of direct negotiations between the Israelis and Palestinians with the aim of achieving a comprehensive peace agreement based on the two-state solution.
line
...
Israel warned residents in the north of the Gaza Strip on Saturday evening to leave their homes "for their own safety".
However, Gaza's interior ministry has criticised the warning as "psychological warfare" and urged residents to stay put, AP news agency reports.
Fifteen people were killed in an air strike on Gaza City on Saturday evening which hit both a house and a mosque, Gaza emergency services spokesman Ashraf al-Qudra said. A further 35 were injured.
The house belonged to Gaza's police chief, Tayseer Al-Batsh, who was injured.
Reply With Quote
Palestine
Bookmarks