2014-07-08 10:38:00

Israel launches attack on Gaza


(Vatican Radio) Israel launched an offensive on the Gaza Strip early Tuesday, striking at least 50 sites in the Palestinian territory.

The Israeli military says the offensive it calls “Operation Protective Edge” is aimed at stopping attacks on Israel. It reported that about 300 projectiles were fired from Gaza in recent days, including 80 rockets on Monday, which injured two Israelis. The Israeli military says it is preparing for an escalation in the violence and is recruiting 1,500 reservists.

Israelis in the south of the country have been ordered to stay within reach of protected areas and summer camps have been ordered to remain closed.

Among the targets in Israel’s Tuesday morning attack, which injured nine Palestinians, were four houses belonging to militants.Hamas issued a statement, denouncing the bombing of houses and saying it “will respond by broadening the range of … targets”.

In response to the new round of violence sparked by the recent murder of three Israeli teens and the suspected payback killing of a Palestinian youth, U.S. President Barack Obama has called for Israelis and Palestinians to “protect the innocent and act with reasonableness and restraint, not vengeance and retribution”.

Obama’s comments were published late Monday in an op-ed piece in the Israeli newspaper Haaretz. He called the current violence a “dangerous moment'' for the region and described Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas as “a counterpart” to Israel “committed to a two-state solution and security cooperation.

He added the U.S. was disappointed that the U.S.-backed peace talks broke down but said his country would “recommit to serious negotiations” once “the political will exists”.

Listen to the report:








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