Dunya News - Israeli fire brings Gaza death toll to 808
- 10 years ago
GAZA CITY, Palestinian Territories (AFP) - Israeli fire on Friday pushed the Palestinian death toll in Gaza to above 808, as Washington pressed Israel and Hamas to agree a week-long humanitarian ceasefire and thrash out a durable truce.
In the West Bank, Palestinian factions declared a "Day of Rage" after a night of clashes over Israel s Gaza offensive, with one Palestinian killed.
Among those killed in an air strike on Gaza on Friday were two women, one of them pregnant, adding to a spiralling toll of Palestinian civilian casualties from Israel s military operation, now in its 18th day.
An incident on Thursday, in which Israeli shelling of a UN facility sheltering displaced Gazans killed at least 15 civilians, has drawn widespread international condemnation.
UN chief Ban Ki-Moon said he was "appalled" at the shelling which "underscores the imperative for the killing to stop -- and to stop now".
Washington said it was "deeply saddened and concerned about the tragic incident", without explicitly blaming its ally Israel.
Amid intense international pressure on both sides to cease fire, Israel s security cabinet was to meet Friday to discuss a truce proposal passed to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu by US Secretary of State John Kerry, media reported.
It proposes a week-long humanitarian ceasefire that would allow Hamas, the de facto power in Gaza, to save face after having rejected an Egyptian initiative last week that proposed a lasting truce first and negotiations later.
In the West Bank, Palestinian factions declared a "Day of Rage" after a night of clashes over Israel s Gaza offensive, with one Palestinian killed.
Among those killed in an air strike on Gaza on Friday were two women, one of them pregnant, adding to a spiralling toll of Palestinian civilian casualties from Israel s military operation, now in its 18th day.
An incident on Thursday, in which Israeli shelling of a UN facility sheltering displaced Gazans killed at least 15 civilians, has drawn widespread international condemnation.
UN chief Ban Ki-Moon said he was "appalled" at the shelling which "underscores the imperative for the killing to stop -- and to stop now".
Washington said it was "deeply saddened and concerned about the tragic incident", without explicitly blaming its ally Israel.
Amid intense international pressure on both sides to cease fire, Israel s security cabinet was to meet Friday to discuss a truce proposal passed to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu by US Secretary of State John Kerry, media reported.
It proposes a week-long humanitarian ceasefire that would allow Hamas, the de facto power in Gaza, to save face after having rejected an Egyptian initiative last week that proposed a lasting truce first and negotiations later.