Senior militant killed in Gaza as Palestinian deaths reach 96
Source: Agencies |
November 20, 2012, Tuesday
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ISRAELI aircraft struck crowded areas in the Gaza Strip and killed a senior militant with a missile strike on a media center yesterday, taking the Palestinian death toll to 96, as Israel broadened its targets in the six-day-old offensive meant to quell Hamas rocket fire on Israel.
Escalating its bombing campaign over the weekend, Israel began attacking homes of activists in Hamas, the Islamic militant group that rules Gaza. These attacks have led to a sharp spike in civilian casualties, killing 24 civilians in just under two days and doubling the number of civilians killed in the conflict, a Gaza health official said.
The rising toll came as Egyptian-led efforts to mediate a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas got into gear.
With the two sides far apart, the leader of Hamas took a tough stance, rejecting Israel's demands that the militant group stop its rocket fire. Instead, Khaled Mashaal said, Israel must meet Hamas' demands for a lifting of the blockade of Gaza.
"We don't accept Israeli conditions because it is the aggressor," he told reporters in Egypt. "We want a cease-fire along with meeting our demands."
Hamas fighters have fired hundreds of rockets into Israel in the current round of fighting, including 75 yesterday. Twenty rockets were intercepted by the "Iron Dome" anti-missile battery, a police spokesman said.
Overall, the offensive has killed 96 Palestinians, including 50 civilians, and wounded some 720 people, Gaza heath official Ashraf al-Kidra said. Among the wounded were 225 children, he said.
On the Israeli side, three civilians have died from Palestinian rocket fire and dozens have been wounded. An Israeli rocket-defense system has intercepted hundreds of rockets bound for populated areas.
In yesterday's violence, an Israeli airstrike on a high-rise building in Gaza City killed a leading militant in Islamic Jihad, the group said. A number of foreign and local news organizations have offices in the building, which was also struck on Sunday.
Islamic Jihad, a smaller sister group to Hamas, identified the dead militant as Ramez Harb, a senior figure in its military wing.
Egypt is trying to broker a cease-fire with the help of Turkey and Qatar. Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu and a delegation of Arab foreign ministers are expected in Gaza today.
Escalating its bombing campaign over the weekend, Israel began attacking homes of activists in Hamas, the Islamic militant group that rules Gaza. These attacks have led to a sharp spike in civilian casualties, killing 24 civilians in just under two days and doubling the number of civilians killed in the conflict, a Gaza health official said.
The rising toll came as Egyptian-led efforts to mediate a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas got into gear.
With the two sides far apart, the leader of Hamas took a tough stance, rejecting Israel's demands that the militant group stop its rocket fire. Instead, Khaled Mashaal said, Israel must meet Hamas' demands for a lifting of the blockade of Gaza.
"We don't accept Israeli conditions because it is the aggressor," he told reporters in Egypt. "We want a cease-fire along with meeting our demands."
Hamas fighters have fired hundreds of rockets into Israel in the current round of fighting, including 75 yesterday. Twenty rockets were intercepted by the "Iron Dome" anti-missile battery, a police spokesman said.
Overall, the offensive has killed 96 Palestinians, including 50 civilians, and wounded some 720 people, Gaza heath official Ashraf al-Kidra said. Among the wounded were 225 children, he said.
On the Israeli side, three civilians have died from Palestinian rocket fire and dozens have been wounded. An Israeli rocket-defense system has intercepted hundreds of rockets bound for populated areas.
In yesterday's violence, an Israeli airstrike on a high-rise building in Gaza City killed a leading militant in Islamic Jihad, the group said. A number of foreign and local news organizations have offices in the building, which was also struck on Sunday.
Islamic Jihad, a smaller sister group to Hamas, identified the dead militant as Ramez Harb, a senior figure in its military wing.
Egypt is trying to broker a cease-fire with the help of Turkey and Qatar. Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu and a delegation of Arab foreign ministers are expected in Gaza today.
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