No cease-fire in sight as Israel pounds Gaza
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ISRAEL pounded targets across the Gaza Strip yesterday, saying no cease-fire was near as top United Nations and United States diplomats pursued talks on halting fighting that has claimed over 500 lives.
US Secretary of State John Kerry held talks in neighboring Egypt, while UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon was due to arrive in Israel later in the day. Both have voiced alarm at mounting civilian casualties.
However, there was no let-up in the fighting around Gaza, with plumes of black smoke spiralling into the sky, and Israeli shells raining down on the Palestinian enclave.
Hamas, the dominant group in the Gaza Strip, and its allies fired more rockets into Israel, triggering sirens in Tel Aviv. One hit a town on the fringes of Ben-Gurion International Airport, lightly injuring two people, officials said.
Israel launched its offensive on July 8 to halt missile salvoes out of Gaza by Hamas, which was angered by a crackdown on its supporters in the occupied West Bank and suffering economic hardship because of an Israeli-Egyptian blockade.
“A cease-fire is not near,” said Justice Minister Tzipi Livni, viewed as the most dovish member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s inner security cabinet. “I see no light at the end of the tunnel.”
With the conflict entering its third week, the Palestinian death toll climbed to 546, including nearly 100 children, Gaza health officials said.
Israel’s casualties also rose, with the military announcing the deaths of two more soldiers, bringing the number of army fatalities to 27. Two Israeli civilians have also been killed by rocket fire.
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