Special report: Palestine-Israel Relations
GAZA, March 1 (Xinhua) -- The Israeli army killed 68 Palestinians and wounded 200 others on Saturday in a daylong large-scale military ground operation into northern Gaza Strip, hospital officials said.
Mo'aweya Hassanein, chief of emergency and ambulance services in the Palestinian health ministry told reporters that the Israeli army on Saturday killed 68 Palestinians and wounded 200 others, many in serious condition.
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People carry a wounded girl after an Israeli missile strike on a house in Gaza March 1, 2008. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)
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"It is the highest ever (daily) death and casualties toll in the Gaza Strip. I have never witnessed such a high score of death toll since I started my career 20 years ago," said Hassanein.
Saturday marks the bloodiest and the most violent day since 1967. The most recent high toll occurred in last November, when the Israeli army killed 21 Palestinians in one day.
Hamas-police sources said that dozens of Israeli army tanks backed by helicopters and drones stormed an area east of Jabalia town in northern Gaza Strip, where heavy gun battles erupted.
The sources said that Israeli aircrafts and warplanes as well as tanks fired missiles and shelled at houses and individuals in northern Gaza Strip, killing 46 people, at least 20 of whom civilians, including four women and six children.
A fresh Israeli airstrike was carried out at a house in northern Gaza city, killing the owner of the house and a toddler. Three others were injured, witnesses and medics said.
In Jabalia, Israeli aircrafts carried out two separate airstrikes at a van and a car, killing in each strike four people, Hamas-police sources and witnesses said.
Hassanein warned of a humanitarian disaster if Israeli airstrikes go on and cause more casualties, noting the lack of medical support and fuel for ambulances due to more than eight-month of Israeli closure on the Gaza Strip.
In spite of the high death toll, the Israeli army's actions fail to stop rockets attacks on Israel. Different militant groups, mainly from Hamas and Islamic Jihad, continued launching homemade rockets attacks at Israeli towns and communities.
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Palestinians extinguish a fire after an Israeli missile strike on a house in Gaza March 1, 2008.(Xinhua/Reuters Photo)
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Two Israeli soldiers were killed on Saturday in eastern Jabalia in northern Gaza Strip and four wounded, where ten Israelis were injured by the homemade rockets the militants fired from Gaza at southern Israel.
UNSC holds emergency meeting on Israel's incursion into Gaza
UNITED NATIONS, March 1 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations Security Council started an emergency meeting early Saturday evening to discuss the latest Israeli incursion into the Gaza Strip.
The meeting was called at the request of Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas, diplomats said. Full story
Israeli FM hopes to continue peace talks with Palestinians despite tension escalation
JERUSALEM, March 1 (Xinhua) -- Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni said Saturday that the peace talks with Palestinians must continue despite the escalating tension in Gaza, local daily Yedioth Ahronoth reported. Full story
Barak: Israel army operation in Gaza must continue
JERUSALEM, March 1 (Xinhua) -- Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak vowed on Saturday that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF)'s operation in Gaza must continue, local daily Yedioth Ahronoth reported. Full story
Two Israeli soldiers killed in N Gaza operation
JERUSALEM, March 1 (Xinhua) -- A spokeswoman of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed to Xinhua on Saturday that two IDF soldiers were killed during a military operation in northern Gaza Strip. Full story
Abbas holds urgent contacts to stop Israel's offensive
RAMALLAH, March 1 (Xinhua) -- Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas held urgent contacts with world leaders to put an end to the Israeli military operations in the Gaza Strip, a spokesman said on Saturday.
Abbas' contacts aimed to push for holding urgent meetings in the Arab League and the UN Security Council, said the spokesman Nabil Abu Rdineh. Full story
Fatah lawmaker calls for reconsidering peace talks with Israel
GAZA, March 1 (Xinhua) -- A parliamentarian from Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah movement on Saturday called for stopping the Israeli-Palestinian peace talks in response to Israeli offensive against Gaza Strip.
"We expect a firm political response from the Palestinian negotiator to the horrible massacres against the Palestinian people," said Ashraf Jum'a, a Gaza-based lawmaker.Full story
Islamic Jihad warns against Israeli army's offensives in Gaza Strip
GAZA, March 1 (Xinhua) -- A spokesman for the military wing of the Islamic Jihad movement on Saturday called on the Israeli army to be wary of invading Gaza Strip "because it will pay a high price." Full story
Palestinian negotiator calls on Gaza factions to stop rocket attacks into Israel
RAMALLAH, March 1 (Xinhua) -- A Palestinian negotiator on Saturday called on Gaza militant groups to stop firing home-made rockets into southern Israel to avoid escalating Israeli army operations into the coastal Strip.
"We clearly say the rocket attacks must stop because the Israeli occupation killed more victims, increased the losses and expanded the range of the massacre in the Gaza Strip," Yasser Abed Rabbo, who is also a member of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), told Voice of Palestine radio. Full story
Israel sounds out world opinion on large-scale ground incursion into Gaza
JERUSALEM, March 1 (Xinhua) -- Israel has been trying to sounded out the world reaction over its large-scale ground incursion into Gaza while it intensified strikes on Gaza during the past few days.
Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak on Thursday spoke over phone with international Quartet Middle East Envoy Tony Blair and Egyptian Intelligence Minister Omar Suliman and impressed upon them that Israel would no longer be able to tolerate the current situation.Full story
