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Israel ready to expand Gaza offensive, says Binyamin Netanyahu | Israel ready to expand Gaza offensive, says Binyamin Netanyahu |
(35 minutes later) | |
The Israeli prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, has said it is prepared for a "significant" widening of its Gaza offensive as the bombardment entered its fifth day. | The Israeli prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, has said it is prepared for a "significant" widening of its Gaza offensive as the bombardment entered its fifth day. |
The Palestinian death toll since the conflict began on Wednesday topped 50 after a night of sustained bombing that killed seven civilians, including five children, according to a Gaza health official. Two children died and 12 people were injured when two houses were hit in northern Gaza. | |
Shells fired from Israeli gunboats off the coast pummelled Gaza for an hour in the middle of the night, causing massive explosions, and six people were injured when two Israeli war planes hit a media building in Gaza City. | Shells fired from Israeli gunboats off the coast pummelled Gaza for an hour in the middle of the night, causing massive explosions, and six people were injured when two Israeli war planes hit a media building in Gaza City. |
Netanyahu told the Israeli cabinet in remarks broadcast on Sunday: "We are exacting a heavy price from Hamas and the terrorist organisations and the Israel Defence Forces are prepared for a significant expansion of the operation." | Netanyahu told the Israeli cabinet in remarks broadcast on Sunday: "We are exacting a heavy price from Hamas and the terrorist organisations and the Israel Defence Forces are prepared for a significant expansion of the operation." |
There appeared to be a lull in rocket fire out of Gaza overnight, but air raid sirens sounded in Tel Aviv and Ashdod on Sunday morning. Israel's Channel 2 reported that rocket fire aimed at Tel Aviv was intercepted by an Iron Dome defence battery. | There appeared to be a lull in rocket fire out of Gaza overnight, but air raid sirens sounded in Tel Aviv and Ashdod on Sunday morning. Israel's Channel 2 reported that rocket fire aimed at Tel Aviv was intercepted by an Iron Dome defence battery. |
Three Israeli civilians have been killed and more than 50 wounded since Wednesday. | Three Israeli civilians have been killed and more than 50 wounded since Wednesday. |
Gaza is braced for a ground invasion by Israeli forces following intensified bombing that included the flattening of the headquarters of the Hamas leader, Ismail Haniyeh. A small mountain of rubble, twisted metal and broken glass was all that remained of Haniyeh's headquarters. Palestinian flags fluttered on poles poking out from the debris. | Gaza is braced for a ground invasion by Israeli forces following intensified bombing that included the flattening of the headquarters of the Hamas leader, Ismail Haniyeh. A small mountain of rubble, twisted metal and broken glass was all that remained of Haniyeh's headquarters. Palestinian flags fluttered on poles poking out from the debris. |
Israel has opened the Kerem Shalom crossing to allow medical and humanitarian supplies into Gaza. | Israel has opened the Kerem Shalom crossing to allow medical and humanitarian supplies into Gaza. |
As the Israeli military began the emergency call-up of up to 75,000 reservists, leaders from Turkey, Egypt and Qatar met in Cairo to discuss ways of ending the escalating violence. Israel has said it is not prepared to enter into a truce without guarantees the rocket fire won't resume. | |
The US urged diplomacy and "de-escalation" but said Israel had the right to self-defence. It wanted the "same thing as the Israelis want" in ending rocket attacks, the White House said in a statement. | The US urged diplomacy and "de-escalation" but said Israel had the right to self-defence. It wanted the "same thing as the Israelis want" in ending rocket attacks, the White House said in a statement. |
Israel's hardline foreign minister, Avigdor Lieberman, warned of a "crushing response" still to come to prevent missile fire by Hamas and other militant groups but denied Israel had launched an all-out war. | Israel's hardline foreign minister, Avigdor Lieberman, warned of a "crushing response" still to come to prevent missile fire by Hamas and other militant groups but denied Israel had launched an all-out war. |
"The only way we can achieve peace and security is to create real deterrence via a crushing response that will make sure they don't try to test us again," he said. "This isn't an all-out war but an operation with defined goals." If a ground invasion were authorised Israel would have to "see it through," he said. "This wasn't done during Operation Cast Lead [the 22-day war four years ago], which is why we failed to achieve our goal." | "The only way we can achieve peace and security is to create real deterrence via a crushing response that will make sure they don't try to test us again," he said. "This isn't an all-out war but an operation with defined goals." If a ground invasion were authorised Israel would have to "see it through," he said. "This wasn't done during Operation Cast Lead [the 22-day war four years ago], which is why we failed to achieve our goal." |
On a visit to Gaza on Saturday, the Tunisian foreign minister, Rafik Abdesslem, denounced the Israeli attacks as unacceptable and against international law. | On a visit to Gaza on Saturday, the Tunisian foreign minister, Rafik Abdesslem, denounced the Israeli attacks as unacceptable and against international law. |
"Israel should understand that many things have changed and that lots of water has run in the Arab river," he said. "It should realise it no longer has a free hand. It does not have total immunity and is not above international law … What Israel is doing is not legitimate and is not acceptable at all." | "Israel should understand that many things have changed and that lots of water has run in the Arab river," he said. "It should realise it no longer has a free hand. It does not have total immunity and is not above international law … What Israel is doing is not legitimate and is not acceptable at all." |
Regional leaders, along with Hamas's Khaled Mashaal and Ramadan Shallah, the Islamic Jihad secretary general, are meeting in Cairo to discuss ways of containing the crisis. Others at the gathering included the Egyptian president, Mohamed Morsi, Turkey's prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and the Qatari emir. | Regional leaders, along with Hamas's Khaled Mashaal and Ramadan Shallah, the Islamic Jihad secretary general, are meeting in Cairo to discuss ways of containing the crisis. Others at the gathering included the Egyptian president, Mohamed Morsi, Turkey's prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and the Qatari emir. |
"There are some indications that there is a possibility of a ceasefire soon, but we do not yet have firm guarantees," Morsi said. | "There are some indications that there is a possibility of a ceasefire soon, but we do not yet have firm guarantees," Morsi said. |
Arab League diplomats briefed on Saturday evening that its statement would be calling for an immediate ceasefire. However, Hamas officials in Gaza said any truce would be dependent on Israel agreeing to lift its long-term blockade of the territory and agree to end its policy of assassinations of Hamas leaders, conditions that Israel is unlikely to accept. | Arab League diplomats briefed on Saturday evening that its statement would be calling for an immediate ceasefire. However, Hamas officials in Gaza said any truce would be dependent on Israel agreeing to lift its long-term blockade of the territory and agree to end its policy of assassinations of Hamas leaders, conditions that Israel is unlikely to accept. |
Egypt brokered an informal truce in October, which has since collapsed. An Arab diplomatic source, who declined to be named, told Reuters the Arab League draft to be discussed by the ministers expresses the Cairo-based league's support for Egypt's efforts to achieve a "long-term truce" between Israel and Palestinian factions. | Egypt brokered an informal truce in October, which has since collapsed. An Arab diplomatic source, who declined to be named, told Reuters the Arab League draft to be discussed by the ministers expresses the Cairo-based league's support for Egypt's efforts to achieve a "long-term truce" between Israel and Palestinian factions. |
The draft also calls for the UN security council to take the necessary steps to halt the violence and "protect the Palestinian people". | The draft also calls for the UN security council to take the necessary steps to halt the violence and "protect the Palestinian people". |