Gaza: State of emergency
2004-10-02 11:44
Ramallah - The Palestinian cabinet declared a state of emergency in the Palestinian territories as Israeli troops killed another seven Palestinians in the early hours of Saturday.
A cabinet statement called for international intervention, humanitarian help for the people of Gaza and denounced what it called "world silence in the face of the magnitude of crimes committed".
By early Saturday, Israeli troops had killed 53 Palestinians since Tuesday night when more than 100 Israeli tanks, backed by aircraft, moved into the northern Gaza Strip to try to stop militants firing homemade rockets into Israeli territory.
The Israelis labelled the massive incursion "Operation Days of Penitence".
Israel cautioned by US
Officials said Palestinian prime minister Ahmed Qorei had cancelled a trip to Russia and Turkey to attend an emergency cabinet session later in the day.
The cabinet called on the international quartet that drafted a now moribund Middle East peace plan last year to "intervene immediately to ensure the protection of our people."
The quartet consists of the United States, Russia, the European Union and the United Nations.
Both Washington and Moscow on Friday called for restraint by the Israeli military, a call apparently falling on deaf ears.
Spain, Switzerland, the International Committee of the Red Cross and Canada all expressed concern at the continuing violence.
Latest deaths bring to 4 407 the number of people killed since the outbreak of the Palestinian intifada on September 28 2000. This includes 3 383 Palestinians and 953 Israelis, according to an AFP tally.
In its state of emergency decree, the Palestinian cabinet ordered ministries and public institutions to concentrate their efforts on providing assistance to the people of Gaza.
It also called on international humanitarian organisations to provide aid to people in the Gaza Strip, notably in the Jabaliya refugee camp, which has been a focal point of fighting this week.
On Friday, the White House cautioned its staunchest United States ally in the Middle East to "keep in mind the impact" of its military operations on the peace process, while refusing to condemn Israeli action.
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNWRA) accused the Israeli army of taking over schools while pupils were still in class, and using them as firing positions.
- AFP