A Palestinian man walks past destroyed
tunnels near the Egyptian border with the southern Gaza Strip December 31,
2008.(Xinhua/Reuters Photo) Photo
Gallery>>>
GAZA, Jan. 1 (Xinhua) -- The Israeli attacks on the
Gaza Strip continued on Thursday for the sixth day in a row, with warplanes
striking at more targets in the Hamas-controlled territory.
Mu'awia Hassanien, a Palestinian health emergency official, said the offensive had so far killed 400 Palestinians and left 2,000 wounded.
Palestinians carry a wounded woman in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on Dec. 31. (Xinhua/AFP Photo) Photo Gallery>>>
Among the injured, many are children "with 200 of
them severely hurt," added Hassanien.
According to local media reports, Israel added
artillery shelling to the war it launches in Gaza, with residents say they heard
the sound of shells landing in open areas close to the Israeli border with Gaza.
Five Palestinians were killed Wednesday night,
including a man and his wife died in an Israeli bombing in northern Gaza Strip
town of Beit Hanoun, another couples in southern Gaza Strip town or Rafah and a
militant killed while engaging Israeli troops on the border of eastern Gaza
City.
The Israeli F16 fighter jets also swooped down on six
houses belonging to senior Palestinian militants, mostly members of Hamas' armed
wing, four people were reported to have been killed in these strikes, according
to rescue workers.
Meanwhile, the Israeli strikes targeted new
installations affiliated with Hamas' administration, including the Palestinian
Legislative Council (PLC) and the buildings of the education and justice
ministries.
JERUSALEM, Jan. 1 (Xinhua) -- A majority of Israelis are
in favor of continuing the ongoing airstrikes on the Gaza Strip without
launching a ground maneuver that might endanger Israeli soldiers, found a poll
released Thursday.
Results of the survey, conducted by local daily Ha'aretz
and polling company Dialog, showed that 52 percent of the respondents stand
behind the Israeli army in its aerial assaults against the Gaza-ruling Hamas
movement.Full story
GAZA, Jan. 1 (Xinhua) -- Palestinian militants on Thursday
continued firing rockets into Israel despite constant Israeli bombing of the
Gaza Strip.
Ezz el-Deen al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of
Islamic Hamas movement, claimed responsibility for launching tens of rockets
into Israel since Thursday morning, including Soviet-made Grad missiles. Full story
BEIJING, Dec. 30 (Xinhua) -- China is deeply concerned at
the current situation in Gaza,and hopes parties involved could immediately halt
the armed conflict, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said here on
Tuesday.
China is deeply concerned over the ongoing armed
conflict in Gaza, Qin said at a regular press conference. Full story
UNITED NATIONS, Dec. 29 (Xinhua) -- UN Chief Ban Ki-moon
said on Monday that he was deeply alarmed by the current escalation of violence
in and around Gaza, and that such continued violence is "unacceptable." Full story
WASHINGTON, Dec. 30 (Xinhua) -- The United States on
Tuesday reiterated its call for a "durable and sustainable" ceasefire between
Israel and Hamas militants ruling the Gaza Strip.
"The ceasefire, in order to be productive, has to be
maintained," State Department spokesman Gordon Duguid told reporters. "It can't
be a ceasefire in which one side uses it to launch periodic
attacks." Full story
