U.N. Head Pushes For Israeli Cease-Fire
As the Israeli government prepared to vote on an Egypt-brokered temporary truce on Saturday evening, the U.N. Secretary-General urged an end to Israel's attack on the Gaza Strip, reports CBS News United Nations correspondent Pamela Falk.
Addressing the Lebanese Parliament in Beirut on Saturday, Ban Ki-moon stepped up his criticism of Israel.
"The Israeli aerial and land offensives against Hamas targets are inflicting heavy civilian casualties, widespread destruction and tremendous suffering for the entire population," he said.
Recent rocket attacks on northern Israel by Lebanese militants have threatened a second front to the conflict that erupted December 27, when Israel began its attacks on the Gaza Strip.
Ban met in Ramallah with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad in Ramallah, and said they discussed "first of all, an immediate stop to the fighting, then humanitarian assistance and reconstruction, and how to make this cease-fire durable and sustainable and respected by all the parties."
After the U.N. Security Council passed a cease-fire resolution, the Secretary-General began a shuttle diplomacy trip, which included Egypt, Jordan, Israel, the Palestinian territories, Turkey and Lebanon, and will include Syria.
Among his stops, the Secretary-General met with President Shimon Peres and strongly urged the Israeli government and leadership to declare a cease-fire - unilaterally, if need be - so that there would be relief for humanitarian workers and Gazans.
Although signals from the Hamas leadership have been mixed and some factions have rejected a truce, the multilateral diplomacy is a clear effort to finalize a cease-fire (if only temporarily), and to end the smuggling of arms into Gaza.
If there is an agreement, it will be announced in Cairo on Sunday, diplomats at the U.N. said.
Airstrikes, Diplomacy Continue
Israeli forces pounded dozens of Hamas targets on Saturday as the army kept up pressure on the Islamic militant group ahead of a crucial vote on whether to end Israel's punishing three-week-long campaign against Gaza's rulers.
Israeli warplanes dropped bombs throughout the night on suspected smuggling tunnels in the southern border town of Rafah. The bombs could be heard whistling through the air, shook the ground upon impact, and left a dusty haze in the air.
He said several shells struck the school compound, including a direct hit on the top floor of the building.
The shell killed two boys, and turned a room on the building into a blackened mess of charred concrete and twisted metal bed frames.
Near Gaza City, Palestinian officials said three more civilians were killed by a naval shell, while a militant was killed in an airstrike.
Israeli troops entered a small central Gaza town and nearby housing project, taking over houses and positioning on rooftops.
Hamas militants fired assault rifles, mortars and rockets at the Israeli forces in tanks and military
vehicles, the sound of clashes audible from Gaza City.
Warplanes fired missiles at buildings and nearby farms, witnesses said.
Israel was pressing ahead with its offensive hours before a vote by its leaders late Saturday on whether to accept an Egyptian-brokered truce.
Israel's 12-member Security Cabinet was expected to approve the Egyptian proposal, under which fighting would stop immediately for 10 days.
Israeli forces would remain in Gaza and the territory's border crossings with Israel and Egypt would remain closed until security arrangements are made to prevent Hamas arms smuggling.
Under the deal, Egypt would shut down weapons smuggling routes with international help. Discussions on opening Gaza's blockaded border crossings - Hamas' key demand - would take place at a later date. It remains unclear whether Hamas supports the proposal.
Israel launched the offensive on December 27 to try to halt near-daily Hamas rocket attacks against southern Israel.
Palestinian medics say the fighting has killed at least 1,140 Palestinians, roughly half of them civilians, and Israel's bombing campaign caused massive destruction in the Gaza Strip.
Thirteen Israelis have been killed, four by rocket fire and nine in ground battles in Gaza, according to the government.
Meanwhile, since the start of Israel's military campaign in the Gaza Strip, local residents and tourists have been coming to areas overlooking Gaza, for a firsthand glimpse of the war.
Some come with maps to track the explosions or binoculars to improve the view. Other stare at the horizon, gasping, pointing and snapping photos when a missile hits its target, sending grey smoke into the air and a shock wave across the hills.
Some are unapologetic supporters of the campaign, but others are more reflective and sensitive to the human cost of the conflict.