GAZA CITY (Agencies)
A pre-dawn Israeli air strike north of Gaza City killed at least two militants from the Islamist Hamas movement on Saturday, despite concerns by the United Nations over the lockdown and violence in Gaza Strip.
Palestinian medics said Saturday that another four people were wounded in the latest Israeli strike. An Israeli army spokeswoman said aircraft carried out two strikes in northern Gaza on Saturday targeting rocket launchers.
Eyewitnesses, meanwhile, reported a limited Israeli incursion involving around a dozen tanks in the east of the Hamas-ruled territory, where hostilities between Israel and the Islamist group have sharply escalated recently.
The deaths bring to 6,087 the number of people killed since the start of the second Palestinian uprising in September 2000, the vast majority of them Palestinians, according to an AFP count.
The latest Israeli raid followed statements by U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon on Friday expressing his concern over Israel's decision to close crossing points leading to Gaza. Ki-moon renewed his appeal for an immediate end to the escalating violence in the region.
"Of particular concern today, in addition to the upsurge in violence, is the decision by Israel to close the crossing points in between Gaza and Israel used for the delivery of humanitarian assistance," his press office said in a statement.
"Such action cuts off the population from much-needed fuel supplies used to pump water and generate electricity to homes and hospitals," it added. "If this situation endures, the closure will also cause further shortages of food, medical and relief items in the Gaza Strip."
UN humanitarian chief John Holmes made a similar appeal for the reopening of the crossing points into Gaza, pointing out that the move was aggravating an already dire humanitarian situation for the Palestinian people.
Late Thursday Israel ordered a lockdown of Gaza -- movement in and out of which has already been severely restricted since the Hamas takeover last June -- and Prime Minister Ehud Olmert vowed to continue hitting Palestinian militants.
Ban pleaded Friday with the Jewish state "to refrain from actions that will harm the well-being of the general civilian population in Gaza," and renewed his call for "an immediate end" to violence in Gaza and southern Israel.
He also again urged an "immediate cessation of Palestinian sniper and rocket attacks into Israel and for maximum restraint" on the part of Israeli troops. |
