Israel's war in Gaza enters eighteenth day

2009-01-13 05:00:34 - Gaza war continuing for eighteenth dayit is third time Security Council is tomeet to hold closed-door consultations on Tuesday on UN chief Ban Ki-moon's upcoming trip to the Middle East to press for a Gaza ceasefire, diplomats said.

Ahmed Gebreel, a spokesman for Libya's UN mission on Monday had said the 15-member council would meet at 2030 IST on Tuesday.Ban "is traveling to the region and he wants to brief the council on his visit," the Libyan diplomat added.

UN chief Ban told a press conference that he would leave for a week-long tour of Egypt, Israel, the West Bank city of Ramallah, Jordan, Turkey, Syria, Lebanon and Kuwait, where he was to attend an Arab League summit next Monday.
Israeli troops and Palestinian armed groups are engaged in to intense fighting around Gaza City as Israel is sending reserve units for the war. While Israeli aircrafts are carrying out strikes on Rafah border targeting tunnels allegedly meant for smuggling of arms and other Items in to Gaza. Palestinian fighters are putting up stiff resistance to the Israeli advances in Gaza City. Palestinian armed groups fired 13 rockets at the western Negev in southern Israel on Monday. The death toll crossed 900 and number of injured reaching nearly 3700 so far. According to Israeli military, several Hamas leaders in Gaza have been arrested.

UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, has told Israel and the Palestinian movement Hamas that fighting in Gaza Strip must stop now. He said, too many people have died and there was too much civilian suffering.Mr. Ban himself will be in the Middle East on Wednesday to push for a truce in Gaza. He will see the leaders of Egypt, Israel and Syria and will hold talks with Palestinian President, Mehmood Abbas in West Bank. Mr. Ban said, he does not yet if he will visit Gaza itself. Israeli Prime Minister, Ehud Olmert on Monday said that war will go on until Hamas ceases its rocket fire and its smuggling tunnels are decimated.

The situation in Gaza is grim due to shortages of essential items, medicine, drinking water and electricity. Hospitals are struggling with increasing number of injured people. Official reports that while Israeli Army attack is progressing with air and land offensives in Gaza, the Palestinian armed groups are continuing rocket fires in southern Israel.Relief agencies said the situation is terrible in the strip due to shortage of essential items, and hospitals are finding difficult to cope with increasing number of injured people. The hope of a ceasefire is based on the talks, progressing in Cairo but analysts say an overall solution of Palestinian problem, to keep holistic aspects in view, is the key to resolve this issue.

Israeli troops and Palestinian gunmen fought fierce night-time clashes around Gaza, with Israeli tanks making their deepest incursion yet into districts of Gaza City, witnesses said.An army spokesman confirmed fighting in several areas, as Israel's war to put an end to Hamas rocket fire from the Gaza Strip entered its 18th day, but he could not elaborate.

A Witnesses said Israeli special forces advanced into the southern Gaza City neighbourhood of Tal Al-Hawa after midnight (0330 IST today) and were ambushed by Palestinian fighters.Israeli tanks pushed into the district and opened fire, supported by aerial bombing.

Hamas's armed wing, the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, said fighters had knocked out two Israeli tanks in Gaza City's Zeitun neighbourhood with rocket-propelled grenades , a claim denied by Israel."Tanks have entered Tal al-Hawa, Ash Sheikh Ajlin and Zeitun neighbourhoods further than before" in the war, an news agency correspondent said."The military airplanes are bombing and the tanks are shelling." Palestinian fighters responded to the advancing tanks with mortar fire, he said to the sound of explosions in the background, as bright blasts lit up the night sky.Medics said one Palestinian was killed by tankfire in Zeitun. It was not clear whether the victim was a fighter or civilian. The witnesses said three people were hurt when an air strike destroyed a house in Gaza City's Sheikh Radwan district.