Terrified witnesses to 'all-out war'

Published on Monday 29 December 2008 21:19

ISRAEL yesterday pressed forward with its war against Hamas, in a third straight day of devastating air strikes in Gaza, wiping out the interior ministry and a university building as the death toll in the Strip rose to more than 364 people.

"All of the strikes are against Hamas terrorist infrastructure," an Israeli army spokesman said. However, reports from Gaza, which remained closed by Israel to foreign and Israeli journalists, indicated mounting casualties among civilians. In the Knesset, Israel's parliament, Ehud Barak, the defence minister, told legislators: "We have an all-out war against Hamas and its kind."

Last night, Tzipi Livni, the Israeli foreign minister, claimed that Israel had been trying to avoid civilian casualties, while accusing Hamas of "looking for children to kill".

"Hamas is targeting deliberately kindergartens and schools and citizens and civilians because this is according to their values. Our values are completely different."

Her words came as dozens of Hamas rockets were fired deep into southern Israel, killing two Israelis and seriously wounding three.

As part of what it says is a bid to put an end to cross-border rocket fire, Israel also targeted the homes of at least two top commanders in Hamas's Izzedin al-Qassam armed wing.

Israel has said the offensive – launched by a centrist government six weeks before a national election that opinion polls have predicted the right-wing Likud party will win – is aimed at halting rocket attacks that intensified after a six-month ceasefire with Hamas expired on 19 December.

"What we've been seeing since yesterday is an increase in the frequency of bombing around Gaza," said Sami Abdul Shafi, a Gaza City economic consultant, in a phone interview.

He said a strike on the Islamic University in Gaza City marked a "worrisome" extension of Israeli targets.

"Some of the best and brightest open-minded graduates come from the Islamic University, an education institution accredited worldwide," he said.

An Israeli army spokesman said of the air strike that pilots had "targeted a research and development centre used for the development of weaponry used for terrorism".

Most Gazans in the densely populated enclave stayed at home, in rooms away from windows that could shatter in blasts from air strikes on Hamas facilities.

"At no time could we leave the kids unattended. They trembled every time there was a bombing, day and night, and all of us had almost no sleep," said Umm Hassan, a mother of seven, in Gaza.

In Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, an air strike killed a local commander of Islamic Jihad, three other members of the militant group and a child as they stood in the street.

Meanwhile, a missile fired from the Gaza Strip slammed into a construction site in the southern Israeli city of Ashkelon yesterday, killing a worker and wounding 17 other people.

Mr Abdul Shafi said conditions in the Strip were the worst since the Israeli occupation in 1967. He said:

"I believe Israel does not want to deliberately target the civilian population, but it is causing great collateral damage to all the basic necessities of civilian life."

Asked whether the attacks were turning people against Hamas, he said: "They are not thinking of Fatah or Hamas, just of how unspeakable what is going on is."

Palestinian officials put the death toll at more than 364 and said more than 1,400 have been wounded.

Israel opened one of Gaza's border crossings yesterday, to allow several ambulances and 62 aid trucks, including shipments of donated blood, to cross. Jordan was also sending doctors.

Meanwhile, in London, 600 people marched on the Israeli embassy last night to protest at the country's actions. Police reported seven people were arrested for public order offences, including assaulting police.

Obama's team remains cautious over Gaza crisis

US PRESIDENT-elect Barack Obama's transition team is choosing its words on the Gaza crisis carefully.

It's unclear whether Mr Obama will be as supportive of Israel as George Bush.

A senior adviser to Mr Obama, David Axelrod, said his boss would honour the "important bond" between the US and Israel.

"He wants to be a constructive force in helping to bring about the peace and security that both the Israelis and the Palestinians want and deserve," he said. "Obviously, this situation has become even more complicated.

"As Hamas began its shelling, Israel responded. But it's something that he's committed to."

Pressed about how much Mr Obama will back Israel, Mr Axelrod said: "He's going to work closely with the Israelis. But he will do so in a way that will promote the cause of peace, and work closely with the Israelis and the Palestinians on that."

Blair issues call for fresh ceasefire to allow talks

TONY Blair has added his voice to calls for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas militants to allow discussions to be held on a long-term peaceful future for the Gaza Strip.

The former prime minister, who is the Middle East envoy for the "Quartet" of the United Nations, European Union, United States and Russia, has spoken by phone to leading politicians on both sides and will return to the region next week on a pre-arranged visit.

Over the weekend, Mr Blair said a new strategy was needed for Gaza that helped its innocent civilians and harmed its extremists.

A spokesman yesterday told The Scotsman that in the past few days Mr Blair had spoken to Ehud Olmert, Israeli prime minister, Tzipi Livni, the foreign minister, and Ehud Barak, the defence minister, as well as Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president.