http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2009/01/2009157474464964.html
UPDATED ON:Monday, January 05, 2009 14:22 Mecca time, 11:22 GMT
ws Middle East
Civilian deaths mount in Gaza war
Hundreds of people have been killed in the fighting, with the vast majority being Palestinian [AFP]
At least a dozen Palestinian civilians have been killed on Monday as Israeli forces pushed deeper into the Gaza Strip, medical sources say.
The latest total death count in Gaza stands at 531 people killed across 10 days, with more than 80 deaths since the ground offensive began two days ago.
Troops, backed by air and naval support, are reported to have surrounded Gaza City. And with soldiers positioned on the north-south road at Netzarim, the besieged territory has been split into two, effectively blocking Palestinian supply lines.
Overnight and Monday morning air raids were reported in open fields in east Jabaliya, Beit Lahiya and in the Shati refugee camp.
Among the dead was a family of seven at Shati refugee camp, who were killed by navy shelling off the coast of Gaza.
IN DEPTH
Latest news and analysis from Gaza and Israel
Al Jazeera Labs: Report on and track the war
Send us your views and eyewitness videos
Watch our coverage of the war on GazaThree siblings of one family and a girl and her grandfather also died in Zeitoun neighbourhood during artillery shelling.
Emergency medical workers attempting to reach the wounded on the frontline, themselves become targets when an Israeli air raid killed four paramedics on Sunday. Ambulances have also been hit in the attacks, Palestinian sources said.
Witnesses in eastern Gaza told Al Jazeera that soldiers had carried out house to house raids in some urban areas.
Israeli government officials say they are not targeting civilians, only seeking to halt rocket fire from the Palestinian Hamas movement governing Gaza.
The armed wing of Hamas and other armed Palestinian factions, however, have continued to launch rockets into southern Israel, despite more than a week of aerial bombardment by Israel and the ground offensive.
One Israeli soldier has been confirmed killed in the Gaza assault so far, with at least 49 others wounded. Four Israelis have also been killed by Palestinian rockets.
The International Red Cross and world leaders have appealed to both Israel and Hamas to stop targeting civilians and work to restore a ceasefire.
Diplomatic efforts
On the diplomatic front, a Hamas official said a delegation would head to Cairo on Monday, "answering an Egyptian invitation to hold discussions" on a ceasefire.
The talks are set to coincide with the arrival of Nicolas Sarkozy, the French president, in the region, to push for a European-backed ceasefire.
The UN Security Council is also set to meet on Monday to discuss the crisis following an emergency session on Sunday that failed to produce a resolution or even a statement calling for a halt to the fighting.
Israel's ground offensive launched on Saturday followed eight days of intense bombardment of the Gaza Strip, purportedly aimed at ending cross-border rockets being fired by Hamas fighters from the territory into southern Israel.
Humanitarian crisis
Fears of a humanitarian crisis have also grown in recent days, as the strip, home to 1.5 million people, is already suffering shortages of fuel, food and medical supplies due to a two-year economic blockade imposed by Israel.
Map
Israeli positions in GazaThe International Committee for the Red Cross said on Sunday its medical emergency team had been prevented for a third day from entering the territory.
Egypt has also completely closed the Rafah crossing, cutting off aid supplies to the territory.
The UN has warned that there were "critical gaps" in aid reaching Gaza, despite claims from Tzipi Livni, the Israeli foreign minister, that there was no crisis and that aid was getting through.
Christopher Gunness, the UN Relief and Works Agency (Unrwa) spokesman, said the idea that there was no humanitarian crisis in Gaza, was absurd.
"The organisation for which I work - Unrwa - has approximately 9,000 to 10,000 workers on the ground. They are speaking with the ordinary civilians in Gaza... People are suffering. A quarter of all those being killed now are civilians. So when I hear people say we're doing our best to avoid civilian casualties that rings very hollow indeed."
About 250,000 people in the northern part of Gaza are also reported to be without electricity. The main power plant has been shut down for lack of fuel due to Israel's blockade.
Source:
Al Jazeera and agencies
Feedback
Number of comments : 7
Michael GGuyana
05/01/2009
Gaza
When is the rest of the world going to stand up against Israel and say enough is enough and stop the bloodshed of innocent women, children, babies and innocent men. If a war cannot be fought without the los of so many innocent lives it should not have been started
HumanismIndonesia
05/01/2009
No mercy action, Israel kill kids and woman.
No mercy action. So where is Human Right Activist. Where is Amnesty Int. , Human Rights Watch, World Organisation Against Torture, Freedom House, International Freedom of Expression Exchange. Cause this is done by Israel, all silence.
Dr. A. B.Kenya
05/01/2009
Gaza War
One word - GENOCIDE
FrankUnited States
05/01/2009
Israel is a fascist state
While touting the line that Israel is a democracy, it is easy to see when the real Israel comes out, and the Jewish Taliban gets to work killing civilians. Any racist, "only us", ideology, will always breed hatred, destruction and mayhem, just like this Jewish Al-Qaeda State. World wake up.... a racist, "us only" state is the problem to all our solutions.
Don MacleayUnited States
05/01/2009
Two years in the planning?
One of the Israeli spokesmen said that the Israel has been preparing for this ground assault for 2 years. That is 5 months BEFORE they even started their cease fire with Hamas. Could the press asked Israeli spin doctors some harder questions?
Khalid HamedOman
05/01/2009
Israel gone to disappear
Hope ALLAH help our families & brothers on Gaza. Just I want to confirm that HAMAS going to win the war definitly and israel has not culculated the results correctly. I believe That Israel gone to disappear and this the time for it , within it has select it's end majorly
sephPhilippines
05/01/2009
the true plan of Israel...
The Israel was really planning in the past on attacking Gaza. They've imposed this inhumane economic blockade on Gaza in order to weaken the defence of Gaza. What they were imposing was "harassment". They harassed Gaza by limiting their very scarce humanitarian supply. Seeing that Gaza's defence was very weakened, they took the opportunity to crush Gaza. It wasn't really about Hamas but the whole Gaza is the target.
Civilian deaths mount in Gaza war
Hundreds of people have been killed in the fighting, with the vast majority being Palestinian [AFP]
At least a dozen Palestinian civilians have been killed on Monday as Israeli forces pushed deeper into the Gaza Strip, medical sources say.
The latest total death count in Gaza stands at 531 people killed across 10 days, with more than 80 deaths since the ground offensive began two days ago.
Troops, backed by air and naval support, are reported to have surrounded Gaza City. And with soldiers positioned on the north-south road at Netzarim, the besieged territory has been split into two, effectively blocking Palestinian supply lines.
Overnight and Monday morning air raids were reported in open fields in east Jabaliya, Beit Lahiya and in the Shati refugee camp.
Among the dead was a family of seven at Shati refugee camp, who were killed by navy shelling off the coast of Gaza.
IN DEPTH
Latest news and analysis from Gaza and Israel
Al Jazeera Labs: Report on and track the war
Send us your views and eyewitness videos
Watch our coverage of the war on GazaThree siblings of one family and a girl and her grandfather also died in Zeitoun neighbourhood during artillery shelling.
Emergency medical workers attempting to reach the wounded on the frontline, themselves become targets when an Israeli air raid killed four paramedics on Sunday. Ambulances have also been hit in the attacks, Palestinian sources said.
Witnesses in eastern Gaza told Al Jazeera that soldiers had carried out house to house raids in some urban areas.
Israeli government officials say they are not targeting civilians, only seeking to halt rocket fire from the Palestinian Hamas movement governing Gaza.
The armed wing of Hamas and other armed Palestinian factions, however, have continued to launch rockets into southern Israel, despite more than a week of aerial bombardment by Israel and the ground offensive.
One Israeli soldier has been confirmed killed in the Gaza assault so far, with at least 49 others wounded. Four Israelis have also been killed by Palestinian rockets.
The International Red Cross and world leaders have appealed to both Israel and Hamas to stop targeting civilians and work to restore a ceasefire.
Diplomatic efforts
On the diplomatic front, a Hamas official said a delegation would head to Cairo on Monday, "answering an Egyptian invitation to hold discussions" on a ceasefire.
The talks are set to coincide with the arrival of Nicolas Sarkozy, the French president, in the region, to push for a European-backed ceasefire.
The UN Security Council is also set to meet on Monday to discuss the crisis following an emergency session on Sunday that failed to produce a resolution or even a statement calling for a halt to the fighting.
Israel's ground offensive launched on Saturday followed eight days of intense bombardment of the Gaza Strip, purportedly aimed at ending cross-border rockets being fired by Hamas fighters from the territory into southern Israel.
Humanitarian crisis
Fears of a humanitarian crisis have also grown in recent days, as the strip, home to 1.5 million people, is already suffering shortages of fuel, food and medical supplies due to a two-year economic blockade imposed by Israel.
Map
Israeli positions in GazaThe International Committee for the Red Cross said on Sunday its medical emergency team had been prevented for a third day from entering the territory.
Egypt has also completely closed the Rafah crossing, cutting off aid supplies to the territory.
The UN has warned that there were "critical gaps" in aid reaching Gaza, despite claims from Tzipi Livni, the Israeli foreign minister, that there was no crisis and that aid was getting through.
Christopher Gunness, the UN Relief and Works Agency (Unrwa) spokesman, said the idea that there was no humanitarian crisis in Gaza, was absurd.
"The organisation for which I work - Unrwa - has approximately 9,000 to 10,000 workers on the ground. They are speaking with the ordinary civilians in Gaza... People are suffering. A quarter of all those being killed now are civilians. So when I hear people say we're doing our best to avoid civilian casualties that rings very hollow indeed."
About 250,000 people in the northern part of Gaza are also reported to be without electricity. The main power plant has been shut down for lack of fuel due to Israel's blockade.
Source:
Al Jazeera and agencies
Feedback
Number of comments : 7
Michael GGuyana
05/01/2009
Gaza
When is the rest of the world going to stand up against Israel and say enough is enough and stop the bloodshed of innocent women, children, babies and innocent men. If a war cannot be fought without the los of so many innocent lives it should not have been started
HumanismIndonesia
05/01/2009
No mercy action, Israel kill kids and woman.
No mercy action. So where is Human Right Activist. Where is Amnesty Int. , Human Rights Watch, World Organisation Against Torture, Freedom House, International Freedom of Expression Exchange. Cause this is done by Israel, all silence.
Dr. A. B.Kenya
05/01/2009
Gaza War
One word - GENOCIDE
FrankUnited States
05/01/2009
Israel is a fascist state
While touting the line that Israel is a democracy, it is easy to see when the real Israel comes out, and the Jewish Taliban gets to work killing civilians. Any racist, "only us", ideology, will always breed hatred, destruction and mayhem, just like this Jewish Al-Qaeda State. World wake up.... a racist, "us only" state is the problem to all our solutions.
Don MacleayUnited States
05/01/2009
Two years in the planning?
One of the Israeli spokesmen said that the Israel has been preparing for this ground assault for 2 years. That is 5 months BEFORE they even started their cease fire with Hamas. Could the press asked Israeli spin doctors some harder questions?
Khalid HamedOman
05/01/2009
Israel gone to disappear
Hope ALLAH help our families & brothers on Gaza. Just I want to confirm that HAMAS going to win the war definitly and israel has not culculated the results correctly. I believe That Israel gone to disappear and this the time for it , within it has select it's end majorly
sephPhilippines
05/01/2009
the true plan of Israel...
The Israel was really planning in the past on attacking Gaza. They've imposed this inhumane economic blockade on Gaza in order to weaken the defence of Gaza. What they were imposing was "harassment". They harassed Gaza by limiting their very scarce humanitarian supply. Seeing that Gaza's defence was very weakened, they took the opportunity to crush Gaza. It wasn't really about Hamas but the whole Gaza is the target.
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