Israelis snub UN ceasefire call

by Biodun Iginla, Kim Gattas, and Laura Trevelyan, BBC News, New York, with Xian Wan, Biodun Iginla's News Analyst at BBC News World Wide.

(Disclosure: Xian Wan is married to Biodun Iginla)


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Page last updated at 12:23 GMT, Friday, 9 January 2009 E-mail this to a friend Printable version Advertisement Air strikes continue after ceasefire call Israel is to keep up its offensive in the Gaza Strip despite a UN call for an immediate end to nearly two weeks of conflict involving Hamas militants. Prime Minister Ehud OlmertPrime Minister Ehud Olmert said the latest firing of rockets into Israel showed the resolution was "unworkable".
The Security Council resolution demanded a truce, access for aid workers and an end to arms smuggling.
Israel continued its bombardment during the night and on Friday morning, carrying out at least 50 air strikes.
However Israeli military operations have now again been paused for three hours to allow aid in.

We were not consulted about this resolution and they have not taken into account the interests of our people Ayman Taha
Hamas spokesman Seventy-five lorries carrying food and medicine will be allowed into Gaza, Israel says.
Hamas has also dismissed the UN ceasefire call.
Ayman Taha, a Hamas spokesman in Gaza, said: "Even though we are the main actors on the ground in Gaza, we were not consulted about this resolution and they have not taken into account our vision and the interests of our people."
Meanwhile, witnesses have told the UN that about 30 Palestinians died earlier this week as Israeli forces shelled a house in Gaza City into which Israeli soldiers had previously moved more than 100 people, half of them children.
Israel said the allegations into the shelling of the house in the Zeitoun district were being investigated.
Since the current conflict began on 27 December, it is estimated that 770 Palestinians and 14 Israelis have been killed.
'Murderous organisations'
Israel's security cabinet met on Friday morning, hours after the Security Council vote.
"The firing of rockets this morning only goes to show that the UN decision is unworkable and will not be adhered to by the murderous Palestinian organisations," Ehud Olmert said in a statement.

GAZA CRISIS BACKGROUND Profile: Gaza Strip Q&A: Gaza conflict Who are Hamas? Middle East conflict: History in maps According to Israeli media reports, Hamas militants fired at least 20 rockets at southern Israel on Friday morning.
Officials in Mr Ehud's office were quoted as saying "the Israeli military will continue to protect Israeli civilians and carry out its missions".
Israeli planes launched fresh strikes on targets in Gaza overnight, and at least five members of one family were killed in one attack, witnesses said.
In a report which could not be verified independently, Hamas said a bomb had flattened a five-storey apartment block in northern Gaza.
'Durable ceasefire'
Fourteen out of 15 Security Council members backed a resolution on the Gaza crisis, with the US abstaining.

Gaza survivors' accounts Gaza offensive - in maps In pictures: Conflict continues The motion called for an "immediate, durable and fully respected ceasefire" leading to the "full withdrawal" of Israeli forces from Gaza.
It also demanded "the unimpeded provision and distribution throughout Gaza of humanitarian assistance", measures to prevent arms smuggling to Palestinian militants and the opening of border crossings into Gaza.
The US abstained, thinking it "important to see the outcomes of the Egyptian mediation efforts, in order to see what this resolution might have been supporting", US Secretary of State Condoleezza RiceSecretary of State Condoleezza Rice explained.
Israeli officials visited Cairo on Thursday to hear details of a plan put forward by Egypt and France.
A Hamas delegation was also expected in the Egyptian capital at some stage for parallel "technical" talks, Egyptian diplomats said.
Israel wants to stop rocket attacks on southern Israel and to stop Hamas smuggling weapons into Gaza via Egypt, while Hamas says any ceasefire deal must include an end to Israel's blockade of Gaza.
The Security Council's near-unanimous vote represents an important diplomatic punctuation mark in this crisis, correspondents say.
But the US abstention weakened the impact of the vote because Washington's support would have placed more pressure on Israel to halt its offensive, they add.

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GAZA CONFLICT KEY STORIES Israelis snub UN ceasefire call Israel 'shelled civilian shelter' UN backs ceasefire call for Gaza UN suspends Gazan aid operation FEATURES AND ANALYSIS Gaza survivors
Palestinians injured in Israeli air strikes in Gaza survive without food or water for days.

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