Israel continually attacking Gaza despite reports of ceasefire

Despite reports of truce between Hamas and Israel, Gaza has come under renewed attacks from Israel, as agreement on a ceasefire to end a week of violence remains intangible. A number of explosions overnight left parts of the territory without power, says media reports.

Earlier, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arrived in Israel to support peace moves being brokered in Cairo but to no avail. At least 20 Palestinians were reported to have been killed on Tuesday while two Israelis including a soldier and a civilian were also killed in rocket strikes.

Egyptian and Palestinian officials had said on Tuesday that a ceasefire would shortly be announced at talks in Cairo. But hopes were briefly raised then dashed for an imminent calm between Israel and Hamas as diplomats fervently sought a truce.

The contents of the ceasefire plan brokered by Egypt are not known, but both Israel and Hamas have presented conditions.

In the early hours of Wednesday, the BBC’s Lyse Doucet in Gaza tweeted, “Very loud explosions – electricity out”.

Another report said eight missiles had destroyed the main complex of a Hamas-run government department in the centre of Gaza City and the shattered building was on fire. He said a large part of Gaza had been blacked out.

The Israeli army said about 150 rockets had been fired from Gaza towards Israel on Tuesday, and many had been intercepted by Israel’s Iron Dome missile defence system. However, the Gaza Ministry of Health said at least 27 people were killed on Tuesday in result of the Israeli attacks.

Israel launched its offensive with the killing of a Hamas military leader last Wednesday. At least137 Palestinians have been killed since the latest hostilities erupted. More than 1,100 people were injured. It’s not clear how many of the victims were militants.

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Posted by Web Desk on Nov 21 2012. Filed under World. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.