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Israel expands Gaza campaign
(Agencies)
Updated: 2008-12-30 16:09
In Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, an air strike killed a local commander of Islamic Jihad, three other members of the militant group and a child as they stood in the street. Israeli aircraft also destroyed a laboratory building at the Islamic University, a significant cultural symbol in Gaza. "Many Days" Mark Regev, a spokesman for Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, said the offensive would go on until the population in southern Israel "no longer live in terror and in fear of constant rocket barrages." "(The operation could) take many days," said military spokesman Avi Benayahu. Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum has urged Palestinian groups to use "all available means" against Israel, including martyrdom operations" -- meaning suicide bombings. The Gaza operation and civilian casualties have enraged Arabs across the Middle East. Protesters burnt Israeli and US flags to press for a stronger response from their leaders. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, whose writ runs only in the West Bank since his Fatah faction was ousted from Gaza by Hamas last year, had urged Hamas not to end its truce and has effectively accused it of bringing the onslaught on itself. Nevertheless, Ahmed Qurie, Abbas's chief negotiator, said on Monday that the Palestinians had put on hold US-backed peace talks with Israel, which have anyway made little progress. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon demanded world leaders "use all possible means to end the violence" and "act swiftly and decisively to bring an early end to this impasse." But US President George W. Bush's administration, in its final weeks in office, demanded Hamas agree to a cease-fire. White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe said the US "understands that Israel needs to take actions to defend itself."
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