Israeli barrage of Gaza continues with strike on PM's office
{{date|July 2, 2006}}
{{publish}}
{{Archive-unreviewed}}    __NOTOC__    

Israel has continued its barrage of the [[w:Gaza Strip|Gaza Strip]] with an attack by a helicopter gunship on the office of the Palestinian prime minister. The attack, which left the building ablaze, injured three Palestinian security guards and was described by the prime minister, [[w:Ismail Haniya|Ismail Haniya]], as senseless. "This is the policy of the jungle and arrogance," Haniya told [[w:Reuters|Reuters]]. "They have targeted a symbol for the Palestinian people."

Israel claims the attack on Gaza, codenamed [[w:Operation Summer Rains|Operation Summer Rains]], is to pressure the Palestinian government into freeing [[w:Gilad Shalit|Cpl. Gilad Shalit]], the Israeli tank gunner Israel describes as having been [[Israeli soldier taken captive|kidnapped]] by Palestinian militants on Monday.

Other Israeli strikes on Saturday night hit a school in [[w:Gaza City|Gaza City]] and [[w:Hamas|Hamas]] facilities in the town of [[w:Jabalia|Jabalia]] in the north of the strip where one 34-year-old Hamas operative was killed and another wounded.

== "Difficult days" ==
Israeli prime minister [[w:Ehud Olmert|Ehud Olmert]] stated "these are difficult days for Israel," and continued to proclaim that "we won't give in to terror." Olmert's cabinet met on Sunday morning to discuss the continuing operation in Gaza and the, as yet unsuccessful, efforts to have Shalit returned to Israel.

Palestinian militant sources claimed overnight that an agreement over the release of the soldier was close. They stipulated that Israel must make a commitment to a third party to future releases of Palestinian prisoners and end its attacks on the Gaza Strip, although they accepted that immediate releases were unlikely. 

Mark Regev, a spokesman for Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, rejected these demands and said that Israel would make no deals.

== Attacks labelled "war crimes" ==

In other developments, human rights group [[w:Amnesty International|Amnesty International]] described what they called Israeli forces' deliberate attacks against civilian property and infrastructure as acts which "violate international humanitarian law and constitute war crimes." [[w:Protocol I|Protocol I]] of the [[w:Geneva Conventions|Geneva Conventions]] prohibits "indiscriminate attacks ... which may be expected to cause incidental loss of civilian life, injury to civilians, damage to civilian objects, or a combination thereof, which would be excessive in relation to the concrete and direct military advantage anticipated."

"Israel must now take urgent measures to remedy the long-term damage it has caused and immediately restore the supply - at its own cost - of electricity and water to the Palestinian population in the affected areas," urged the organization. "As the occupying power, Israel is bound under international law to protect and safeguard the basic human rights of the Palestinian population," Amnesty International said.

Israeli air strikes earlier damaged Gaza's only power plant, knocking out 43 percent of the electricity supply to 1.4 million Palestinians. [[w:United Nations|UN]] and Palestinian officials predicted water shortages and sewage flooding within days if emergency generators run out of fuel. Israel has closed border crossings and shut off its fuel pipeline into Gaza. 

"I'll be lucky if I can continue [pumping] for a few days. Then, unfortunately, there will be shortages of drinking water," stated the mayor of Gaza City, Majed Abu Ramadan. 

Water shortages could lead to a health crisis in the Gaza Strip, with some reports of hospitals already cutting back on routine care in order to save fuel. It is expected that damage to the power plant will take five to six months to repair.

== University Airstrike ==

There have also been witness reports of the bombing of a pro-Hamas Islamic University within Gaza City. Initially reported by the [[w:Reuters | Reuters News Agency]] the army has said it is looking into the report. There were no casualties.

==Related news==

*{{wikinews|title=Interior Ministry, Fatah offices in Gaza hit by Israeli airstrikes|date=June 30, 2006}}
*{{wikinews|title=Palestinian PM: Israel aims to topple government|date=June 30, 2006}}
*{{wikinews|title=Hamas strikes deal with Fatah|date=June 27, 2006}}
*{{wikinews|title=Israeli soldier taken captive|date=June 26, 2006}}
*{{wikinews|title=Switzerland accuses Israel of breaking international law in Gaza|date= July 4 2006}}

== Sources ==
*{{source|url=http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=topNews&storyID=2006-07-01T162725Z_01_N01332023_RTRUKOC_0_US-MIDEAST-USA.xml&archived=False
|title=Freeing Israeli troop key to ending crisis: Bush
|author=Jim Wolf
|pub=Reuters
|date=July 2, 2006}}

*{{source|url=http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3269690,00.html
|title=Bush: Freeing soldier key to ending crisis
|author=Reuters
|pub=Ynet
|date=July 2, 2006}}

*{{source|url=http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3269822,00.html
|title=Gaza: IAF blasts Haniyeh's office
|author=Hanan Greenberg
|pub=Ynet
|date=July 2, 2006}}

*{{source|url=http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3269747,00.html
|title=Gaza: Peretz to Rice: Pressure Assad
|author=Hanan Greenberg
|pub=Ynet
|date=July 2, 2006}}

*{{source|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/5137768.stm
|title=Air strike on Palestinian PM's HQ
|author=
|pub=BBC
|date=July 2, 2006}}

*{{source|url=http://fr.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1150885884391&pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull
|title=IAF gunships hit Haniyeh's office
|author=
|pub=Jerusalem Post
|date=July 2, 2006}}

*{{source|url=http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/733634.html
|title=Two Hamas operatives killed in further air strikes
|author=
|pub=Haaretz
|date=July 2, 2006}}

*{{source|url=http://web.amnesty.org/pages/mde-150612006-eng
|title=Israel/Occupied Territories: Deliberate attacks a war crime
|author=
|pub=Amnesty International
|date=June 30, 2006}}

*{{source|url=http://fr.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1150885899573&pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull
|title='These are difficult days, but we won't give in to terror'
|author=
|pub=Jerusalem Post
|date=July 2, 2006}}

*{{source|url=http://www.boston.com/news/world/middleeast/articles/2006/07/02/health_fears_mount_in_gaza/
|title=Power shortage may lead to crisis
|author=Anne Barnard
|pub=The Boston Globe
|date=July 2, 2006}}

*{{source|url=http://observer.guardian.co.uk/world/story/0,,1810843,00.html
|title=Palestine 'ready to trade' captured Israeli soldier
|author=Conal Urquhart
|pub=The Observer
|date=July 2, 2006}}

*{{source|url=http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/I/ISRAEL_PALESTINIANS?SITE=AKFAI&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&SECTION=HOME
|title=Israel Attacks Palestinian Leader's HQ
|author=Ibrahim Barzak
|pub=Associated Press
|date=July 2, 2006}}

*{{source|url=http://today.reuters.com/news/newsarticle.aspx?type=topNews&storyid=2006-07-03T221935Z_01_L03612856_RTRUKOC_0_US-MIDEAST-GAZA.xml&src=rss
|title=Airstrike hits pro-Hamas university in Gaza
|author=
|pub=Reuters
|date=July 3, 2006}}

[[Category:Gaza Strip]]
[[Category:Israel]]
[[category:Middle East]]
[[category:Politics and conflicts]]
[[category:Palestine]]
[[Category:Hamas]]

[[pl:Gaza: Atak na biuro premiera]]
__NOTOC__    

Israel has continued its barrage of the Gaza Strip with an attack by a helicopter gunship on the office of the Palestinian prime minister. The attack, which left the building ablaze, injured three Palestinian security guards and was described by the prime minister, Ismail Haniya, as senseless. "This is the policy of the jungle and arrogance," Haniya told Reuters. "They have targeted a symbol for the Palestinian people."

Israel claims the attack on Gaza, codenamed Operation Summer Rains, is to pressure the Palestinian government into freeing Cpl. Gilad Shalit, the Israeli tank gunner Israel describes as having been kidnapped by Palestinian militants on Monday.

Other Israeli strikes on Saturday night hit a school in Gaza City and Hamas facilities in the town of Jabalia in the north of the strip where one 34-year-old Hamas operative was killed and another wounded.

Palestinian militant sources claimed overnight that an agreement over the release of the soldier was close. They stipulated that Israel must make a commitment to a third party to future releases of Palestinian prisoners and end its attacks on the Gaza Strip, although they accepted that immediate releases were unlikely. 

Mark Regev, a spokesman for Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, rejected these demands and said that Israel would make no deals.

"Israel must now take urgent measures to remedy the long-term damage it has caused and immediately restore the supply - at its own cost - of electricity and water to the Palestinian population in the affected areas," urged the organization. "As the occupying power, Israel is bound under international law to protect and safeguard the basic human rights of the Palestinian population," Amnesty International said.

Israeli air strikes earlier damaged Gaza's only power plant, knocking out 43 percent of the electricity supply to 1.4 million Palestinians. UN and Palestinian officials predicted water shortages and sewage flooding within days if emergency generators run out of fuel. Israel has closed border crossings and shut off its fuel pipeline into Gaza. 

"I'll be lucky if I can continue pumping for a few days. Then, unfortunately, there will be shortages of drinking water," stated the mayor of Gaza City, Majed Abu Ramadan. 

Water shortages could lead to a health crisis in the Gaza Strip, with some reports of hospitals already cutting back on routine care in order to save fuel. It is expected that damage to the power plant will take five to six months to repair.

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category:Middle East
category:Politics and conflicts
category:Palestine


pl:Gaza: Atak na biuro premiera
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