A wounded Palestinian is taken to the hospital
January 14, 2009
Israel's air and ground offensive in Gaza continued early Thursday, killing three people and wounding another outside the home of Hamas leader Mahmoud al-Zahar, according to Palestinian medical sources
Three others were killed when the al-Bashir mosque in eastern Gaza came under fire, the medical sources said.
Witnesses said fighting intensified overnight in southern Gaza City's Tel el-Hawa neighborhood. Israeli forces have closed in on the densely populated city since the weekend.
On Wednesday, Palestinian medical sources said the death toll in the Gaza conflict had risen to 1,010 Palestinians.
Another 4,700 have been wounded in the conflict, which began on December 27, the medics said.
Thirteen Israelis, including 10 soldiers, have died in the operation in Gaza and from rocket strikes on southern Israel, according to the Israeli military. More than 100 soldiers have been wounded, most of them not seriously.
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon once again called for an immediate halt to the fighting.
"I repeat my call for an immediate and durable cease-fire," Ban told reporters in Cairo. "I've been urging in the strongest of possible terms all sides must stop fighting now. We don't have any time to lose."
Ban spoke Wednesday after meeting with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, his first stop in a series of direct talks aimed at brokering a cease-fire between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas.
The two sides have ignored a U.N. resolution -- and Ban's earlier calls -- demanding an immediate cease-fire.
The secretary-general will also travel to Jordan, Israel and Syria, but will stop short of visiting Gaza or talking directly with Hamas, which controls the area.
"I would have personally liked to visit Gaza at this time. That was in my mind, in my heart. But in view of the current situation in Gaza, I am not quite sure at this time whether I would be able to visit Gaza," he said.
Mubarak has hosted peace talks with leaders from Israel and the Palestinian Authority and has acted as an intermediary between Hamas and Israel. Israel has designated Hamas, which refuses to recognize Israel's right to exist, a terrorist organization and has refused to enter direct talks with the group.
Source: CNN