MIDDLE EAST: Gazans rush wounded and dead to hospital and Israel's cabinet delays a decision on operation expansion

Record ID: 1538138

  • Title: MIDDLE EAST: Gazans rush wounded and dead to hospital and Israel's cabinet delays a decision on operation expansion
  • Date: 8th January 2009
  • Summary: ISRAEL-GAZA BORDER, ISRAEL (JANUARY 7, 2009) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF TANKS DRIVING EN ROUTE TO GAZA
  • Embargoed: 23rd January 2009 00:13
  • Keywords:
  • Topics: War / Fighting
  • Reuters ID: LVAECGAR5VVKSH2TW6CHJZH3DYI5
  • Aspect Ratio: 4:3
  • Story Text: Smoke billowed over Gaza on Wednesday (January 7) at sunset as Israel's air and ground operations into the Strip continued for a 12th day.
    F16 aircraft were seen flying overhead and tanks continued to roll across the border.
    The Israeli Defence Force (IDF) released more footage shot from inside its F16 planes, showing locations targetted by Israel within Gaza as well as mortars being fired from within the Strip to towns within Israel's side of the border.
    Earlier Palestinian medics used a three-hour long ceasefire to retrieve bodies of some of those killed during days of fighting in the embattled enclave.
    Israel paused its military operation in Gaza between 1100-1400GMT to allow food, fuel, water and medical supplies to be transported into the Palestinian territory.
    At the same time, Palestinian medics took the time to go to some of the areas where Israeli shelling had been heaviest.

    "We coordinated with the Red Cross to enter the Samouni area, eastern Zeitoun neighbourhood. This area was under the shelling and siege for four days. We got inside one of the houses there. We were surprised to find an unbelievable number of bodies - around 18 to 20 bodies just inside one house. We entered this house by chance," one Palestinian medic said.
    Hospitals were swamped with injured who were brought in on gurneys.
    Morgues were continually receiving bodies to store.
    Violence resumed across the Strip soon after the three-hour truce expired, and Palestinians returned to the precarious safety of their home after stocking up on food and visiting family and friends.
    Israel said it would cease attacks in the Gaza Strip during those hours every day to ease the flow of aid to the Hamas-run territory's 1.5 million residents.
    A day after Israeli shelling killed 42 Palestinians at a U.N.-run Gaza school, Israel said it viewed "positively" talks with Cairo over a wider ceasefire plan promoted by Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and French leader Nicolas Sarkozy.
    Israel wants a ceasefire deal to include a specialised international force to search out and destroy tunnels along the border between Gaza and Egypt to prevent Hamas from rearming and firing more rockets at Israeli towns.
    A Palestinian official said the Gaza Strip's Hamas rulers, who want an end to Israel's blockade of the enclave, had been briefed in Egypt by Mubarak and were debating the proposal.
    In fresh fighting, at least 12 Palestinians were killed by Israeli attacks, medical workers said. At least 15 Hamas rockets hit southern Israel, causing no casualties.
    The total Palestinian death toll reached 650, medical officials said Wednesday. Israel says it killed dozens of militants this week in the offensive it launched on December 27, with the declared aim of silencing rocket salvoes.
    According to United Nations figures, more than a quarter of the Palestinian dead are civilians. A Palestinian human rights group put the figure at 40 percent. Seven Israeli soldiers and three civilians have been killed.
    jrs/jrc
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