http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2009\01\05\story_5-1-2009_pg1_1
Monday, January 05, 2009 Israel bisects Gaza Strip, 42 killed * One Israeli soldier dead g World ceasefire calls fail * US blocks approval of UN Security Council statement calling for truce GAZA: Israeli troops and tanks split the Gaza Strip and ringed its main city on Sunday in an offensive against Hamas that has killed more than 500 Palestinians - 42 on Sunday, many of them civilians. Israeli tanks and warplanes poured shells and machinegun fire into suspected militant positions as Hamas fighters fought back with mortars and rockets. Hamas fighters kept up rocket salvoes against southern Israel, defying efforts by the Middle East's most powerful army to stamp out the threat Israel had set out to quash. European Union (EU) foreign policy chiefs launched a mission to seek a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, but acknowledged they faced a difficult task persuading the parties to stop fighting. At least 42 Palestinians, most of them civilians, were killed on Sunday, said medical sources. "We don't intend neither to occupy Gaza nor to crush Hamas, but to crush terror. And Hamas needs a real and serious lesson. They are now getting it," said Israeli President Shimon Peres in an interview. One Israeli soldier was killed and 32 wounded in the ground offensive, said Israel. Calls for a ceasefire by the US, Israel's main backer, other governments and the UN failed to gain traction over disagreements about who should stop firing first. Israeli government officials said Israel had set several goals, including weakening Hamas by killing its fighters and destroying its rocket arsenal and establishing deterrence. In addition, the officials said, Israel hoped to win international backing for new security arrangements along the Egyptian-Gaza border. "This is an unavoidable operation," said Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. Officials say the operation could last for 'many days'. Witnesses said the Israeli thrust cut the territory in half from the border fence to the Mediterranean. Troops and armour had taken up positions around Gaza City itself. Former British prime minister Tony Blair, envoy for powers sponsoring Middle East peace talks, was to meet Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak on Sunday. French President Nicolas Sarkozy is due in Jerusalem today. US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has cancelled a trip to China this week because of the crisis in Gaza, said the US State Department. Late on Saturday, the US blocked approval of a UN Security Council statement calling for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. Blaming the conflict squarely on Hamas, Bush administration officials said there was little chance Hamas would adhere to the statement. agencies Home | Main
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