JERUSALEM - Israeli troops, backed by columns of tanks and air power, are carrying out a major offensive in the Gaza Strip, expanding a week-long effort to destroy the military capabilities of the Palestinian militant group Hamas.
Witnesses say Israeli tanks and troops backed by helicopter gunships have reached the outskirts of Gaza City Sunday, cutting the territory’s largest city off from the rest of Gaza to the south.
Medics say at least 19 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza today during clashes with Israeli forces. Witnesses say some families are fleeing their homes as Israeli troops move deeper into Gaza.
In a televised address Saturday, Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak said Israel’s aim is to stop Hamas from its hostile actions against Israel. He said the operation will not be short or easy.
Israeli military officials say their objective is not to reoccupy the Gaza Strip, but to destroy the Hamas military infrastructure in the territory. Israel has ordered the call-up of thousands of military reservists for the operation.
The U.N. Security Council ended emergency consultations that began late Saturday without reaching an agreement on the situation in the Gaza Strip.
France’s U.N. ambassador Jean-Maurice Ripert said there were “strong convergences” among the council’s 15 members about the need for a fully respected ceasefire.
But diplomats said the U.S. blocked Libya’s attempt to call for an immediate halt to the fighting.
The deputy U.S. ambassador to the U.N., Alejandro Wolff, says the U.S. sees no prospect of Hamas abiding by last week’s Security Council call to end the violence, and believes a new council statement would also not be adhered to.
U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon called for an end to Israel’s ground operation and told Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert that he was extremely concerned and disappointed.
U.S. State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said the United States is working towards a cease-fire, but says any deal must ensure Hamas stops firing rockets into Israel. He said the United Sates has also told Israel’s government to be mindful of the potential impact of its military operation in Gaza on civilians.
The Czech president of the European Union said the Israeli ground offensive is “defensive, not offensive.” However, France condemned the attack as a dangerous military escalation.
Another Israeli air strike Saturday killed a senior Hamas commander, Abu-Zakariya al-Jamal, the third top Hamas figure to die in the fighting. Air strikes also hit a Palestinian college called the American International School. Israel’s army says the college has been used as a base to launch rockets at Israel.
Earlier Saturday, exiled Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal warned of a dark fate if Israeli troops move into Gaza and said they would end up captured or killed.
Hamas militants fired about 20 more rockets into southern Israel Saturday. One rocket hit a building in the city of Ashdod, wounding two people.
Hamas militants have killed three Israeli civilians and a soldier in recent daily rocket attacks.
Officials say at least 460 Palestinians have been killed since Israeli began its offensive. The United Nations estimates about a quarter of those have been civilians. To limit civilian casualties, Israeli aircraft have been dropping leaflets over Gaza warning people to leave their homes before air strikes are launched.
Source: VOA News
