U.N. Security Council demands humanitarian cease-fire in Gaza

[Lanie]

Jerusalem (CNN) -- With more than 1,000 people killed in the Israel-Hamas conflict, the U.N. Security Council held an emergency meeting in New York early Monday to push for "an immediate and unconditional humanitarian cease-fire in Gaza."

The halt in violence would allow for the delivery of urgently needed assistance, the 15-nation council said.

But as the past week has shown, cease-fires between the dueling sides are short-lived.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told CNN on Sunday that he hopes for sustained calm "as soon as possible."

U.S. President Barack Obama had another phone conversation with Netanyahu on Sunday, underscoring U.S. "strong condemnation" of Hamas attacks and reaffirming "Israel's right to defend itself," the White House said. The President also "reiterated the United States' serious and growing concern about the rising number of Palestinian civilian deaths and the loss of Israeli lives, as well as the worsening humanitarian situation in Gaza."



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U.N.: There's no excuse for firing at shelters "We are now maintaining an unlimited humanitarian cease-fire," Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor told CNN on Monday. "Our troops will only fire if they come under direct attack."

In a statement, the Israel Defense Forces said militants fired a rocket that hit the Eshokol regional council. In response, "the IDF targeted two concealed rocket launchers and a weapon manufacturing site" in northern and central Gaza. "Since midnight 12 projectiles were launched, counting a total of approximately 2250 since the beginning of the operation," the IDF said.

Also on Monday, IDF forces in Gaza "came under attack when mortars were fired at them," the IDF said.

On Monday afternoon, the IDF announced that after several rocket attacks on Israel over a few hours, "the Israeli Air Force resumed air strikes on terrorist targets" across Gaza.

A central goal of Israel's military action is to destroy tunnels used by Hamas to smuggle weapons and launch attacks.

In an interview Monday with CNN's "New Day," chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat was asked what he believes the tunnels are for. "I know the situation is so much complex -- I'm not saying I know the picture as a whole," he responded. But, he said, Gaza is now like a burning building. "We need to get the people out, and then we need to extinguish the fire, and then we sit down and talk."

http://www.cnn.com/2014/07/28/world/...html?hpt=hp_t1

[SVPete]

Israel needs to tell the UN where to go, how to get there, and draw the UN a map!

The UN is not a neutral operator in the ME, and has not been for 4 or 5 decades. Israel needs to make clear that they recognize that fact and will treat the UN and its operatives/officials as being what they are, hostile.

[Dori]

I hate the UN. I wished they were not in this country and we didn't give them a dime.

[noonwitch]

I'm sure Israel would love to have a cease fire, as soon as Hamas stops lobbing missles at them.

[Dori]

I'm sure Israel would love to have a cease fire, as soon as Hamas stops lobbing missles at them.

I think that's a mistake. The only way the Palestinians are going to get real peace is if Israel eliminates all the tunnels, missiles and the Hamas before they leave.

The Palestinians are nothing but tools for the Islamofacists. Hamas, Iran, Qatar, and many others who are supporting Hamas don't give a crap about the Palestinians and never have.

Check out the children's programming in the Gaza stip. Is this what you do to kids?

http://www.youtube.com/results?searc...ldren%27s+show