MIDEAST: Israel continues air assault on Gaza as Hamas leader warns all options on the table

Record ID: 340214

  • Title: MIDEAST: Israel continues air assault on Gaza as Hamas leader warns all options on the table
  • Date: 2nd January 2009
  • Summary: GAZA CITY, GAZA (JANUARY 02, 2009) (REUTERS) AMBULANCES ARRIVING TO SITE WHERE AN ISRAELI AIRSTRIKE TARGETED A HOUSE IN GAZA CITY KILLING ONE AND WOUNDING SEVERAL OTHERS YOUTH PULLING A DEAD GOAT TO SIDE OF ROAD PARAMEDICS AND FIREMEN AT SITE OF AIRSTRIKE DAMAGE CAUSED BY ISRAELI AIRSTRIKE ON GAZA RESIDENCE MORE OF PARAMEDICS AND EMERGENCY SERVICE OFFICIALS AT SITE OF AIRS
  • Embargoed: 17th January 2009 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Topics: International Relations
  • Reuters ID: LVA81BS1FFMV1X8FSCLZ54Q1DODV
  • Story Text: Israeli warplanes continued to strike in Gaza on Friday (January 2) hitting around 20 targets and Islamist fighters fired rockets into the Israeli port town of Ashkelon.
    In Gaza, paramedics and rescue workers rushed to a house where one person was killed and several others were wounded.
    Israeli armoured forces remained massed on the Gaza frontier in preparation for a possible ground invasion as international calls for a ceasefire mounted, though a flurry of diplomatic efforts failed to end a week of bloodshed.
    Israeli planes, flying across the Gaza strip spread leaflets warning residents.
    On Thursday (January 1), the strikes killed Nizar Rayyan, a senior cleric who was one of Hamas's hardline political leaders. Rayyan had called for renewed suicide bombings inside Israel. His killing was the deadliest blow by Israel to the Hamas during its current offensive.
    "After, (Israel's commitment to) this massacre, all options are now open by the resistance to avenge this aggression, including martyrdom operations and targeting of all Zionist interests in all places," said Ismail Radwan, a Hamas leader, speaking from his hideaway.
    Israeli Prime Minister's Spokesman Mark Regev blamed Hamas for the fighting.
    "It was Hamas that created this crisis. Hamas through out the ceasefire. Hamas escalated the situation as to equal their rocket barrages against Israeli civilians. Hamas has no one but itself to blame for the current situation it finds itself in," Regev said.
    At least 412 Palestinians have been killed and some 1,850 wounded in the deadliest conflict in the Gaza Strip in four decades, which Israel launched on Saturday (December 27) in response to Hamas rocket fire after a six-month truce ended on Dec. 19.A quarter of the dead were civilians, the United Nations estimates.
    Another four Israelis were killed in rocket attacks from Gaza since the Israeli offensive began. Two Israelis were injured when two rockets struck the Israeli city of Ashkelon on Friday, medics said.
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