The President of the Palestinian national unity government, Mahmoud Abbas, has called for an immediate halt to Israel’s offensive against the besieged Gaza Strip.
A statement from Abbas’ office published shortly after midnight (2100 GMT) by the official WAFA news agency said that Abbas “demanded that Israel immediately stop its escalation and the raids on Gaza.”
He also called on the international community “to immediately intervene to halt this dangerous escalation which would lead the region to more destruction and instability.”
The comments came after Israel launched aerial and naval assaults the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, bombing some 50 targets, including homes.
Israeli military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Peter Lerner said Tel Aviv is preparing for the possibility of sending ground forces into Gaza as part of the campaign.
Hamas’ military wing has threatened an “earthquake” in response to Israel’s attacks. The movement reportedly fired over 80 rockets into Israel on Monday.
Tensions heightened between Palestinians and Israelis after the burning alive of a Palestinian teen in East al-Quds (Jerusalem) last week. The 16-year-old teenager, Mohammed Abu Khdeir, was bundled into a car and later burnt to death by Israeli settlers.
Abu Khdeir’s death came after Israel buried three settlers, whose bodies were found in a field near the village of Hilhul, north of the West Bank city of al-Khalil (Hebron). Tel Aviv claims Hamas is responsible for the death of the three. However, Hamas rejects the allegation.
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