10 july 2014
Israel has continued its major airstrikes on the besieged Gaza Strip for the third consecutive day, killing more than 90 Palestinians, including women and children.
On Thursday, Israel escalated its air campaign targeting hundreds of sites in the enclave.
At least three people, including a child, were killed in Israeli attacks in Gaza’s northern cities of Beit Hanoun and Beit Lahiya.
Three others also lost their lives in Jebaliya after an Israeli strike hit their vehicle.
Earlier in the day, eight people were killed after Israeli jets bombed a building in the Gazan city of Khan Younis. Eight more people were also killed in an air strike on a beach cafe, where people were watching a football match between Argentina and the Netherlands.
Palestinian health officials say at least half of the casualties are civilians, including women and children.
Israel also mobilized 20,000 soldiers for a possible ground invasion of the Gaza Strip.
Meanwhile, Egyptian authorities temporarily opened the Rafah crossing to receive hundreds of injured Palestinians for medical treatment. The border had been closed since the ouster of Egyptian president, Mohammed Morsi, last year.
In retaliation, Hamas also fired more than 200 rockets from Gaza into Israeli towns and cities. Israeli media reports say that only some 60 of those rockets were intercepted by its US-funded Iron Dome missile system.
Sami Abu Zuhri, a Hamas spokesman, said that Tel Aviv is committing war crimes in the enclave, calling on the international community to take actions.
"We confirm that what is happening in Gaza are real war crimes that take place while the world is standing in silence,” he said. “We as Palestinians confirm that we will use every means to protect our Palestinian people," he added.
On Thursday, Israel escalated its air campaign targeting hundreds of sites in the enclave.
At least three people, including a child, were killed in Israeli attacks in Gaza’s northern cities of Beit Hanoun and Beit Lahiya.
Three others also lost their lives in Jebaliya after an Israeli strike hit their vehicle.
Earlier in the day, eight people were killed after Israeli jets bombed a building in the Gazan city of Khan Younis. Eight more people were also killed in an air strike on a beach cafe, where people were watching a football match between Argentina and the Netherlands.
Palestinian health officials say at least half of the casualties are civilians, including women and children.
Israel also mobilized 20,000 soldiers for a possible ground invasion of the Gaza Strip.
Meanwhile, Egyptian authorities temporarily opened the Rafah crossing to receive hundreds of injured Palestinians for medical treatment. The border had been closed since the ouster of Egyptian president, Mohammed Morsi, last year.
In retaliation, Hamas also fired more than 200 rockets from Gaza into Israeli towns and cities. Israeli media reports say that only some 60 of those rockets were intercepted by its US-funded Iron Dome missile system.
Sami Abu Zuhri, a Hamas spokesman, said that Tel Aviv is committing war crimes in the enclave, calling on the international community to take actions.
"We confirm that what is happening in Gaza are real war crimes that take place while the world is standing in silence,” he said. “We as Palestinians confirm that we will use every means to protect our Palestinian people," he added.
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Qatar donated on Thursday $5 million to help provide Gaza hospitals with emergency retirements such as medicines, medical equipment and fuel for power generators.
The donation was announced by Muhammad al-Ummadi, who chairs a Qatari committee for the reconstruction of Gaza Strip.
Al-Ummadi, who is also deputy chairperson of the Qatari Foreign Ministry’s project department, said the donation came in response to Gaza’s call for help during the ongoing conflict.
He highlighted that the committee would use the money to buy medicines and medical requirements from the local market in Gaza and send them to public hospitals and ambulance services to help them cope with the ongoing situation.
The donation was announced by Muhammad al-Ummadi, who chairs a Qatari committee for the reconstruction of Gaza Strip.
Al-Ummadi, who is also deputy chairperson of the Qatari Foreign Ministry’s project department, said the donation came in response to Gaza’s call for help during the ongoing conflict.
He highlighted that the committee would use the money to buy medicines and medical requirements from the local market in Gaza and send them to public hospitals and ambulance services to help them cope with the ongoing situation.
The Palestinian ministry of health on Thursday shipped eight truckloads of medicines and medical requirements to the ministry’s stores in the Gaza Strip to help hospitals and medical centers in the coastal enclave cope with the ongoing Israeli military offensive.
Five more truckloads have been prepared to be shipped Friday.
A spokesman of the ministry in the West Bank, Osama al-Najjar, told Ma’an that Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah and Minister of Health Jawad Awwad gave instructions to ship as much medicines as possible to Gaza.
He explained that the shipment included medicines for chronic diseases, cancer medicines, kidney medicines, arterial solutions, blood sacks, lab material and other daily use material.
Director of the ministry’s stores Salih Thawabtah highlighted that eight truckloads were loaded from stores in Ramallah and Nablus and headed to Gaza in the morning. Five other truckloads have been prepared and would leave to Gaza Friday morning.
Five more truckloads have been prepared to be shipped Friday.
A spokesman of the ministry in the West Bank, Osama al-Najjar, told Ma’an that Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah and Minister of Health Jawad Awwad gave instructions to ship as much medicines as possible to Gaza.
He explained that the shipment included medicines for chronic diseases, cancer medicines, kidney medicines, arterial solutions, blood sacks, lab material and other daily use material.
Director of the ministry’s stores Salih Thawabtah highlighted that eight truckloads were loaded from stores in Ramallah and Nablus and headed to Gaza in the morning. Five other truckloads have been prepared and would leave to Gaza Friday morning.
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What's the difference?????,
As a matter of fact i dont see any |
Palestinians search for bodies in the southern Gaza Strip on July 10, 2014 at a beach cafe hit the previous night by an Israeli air strike while people were watching the World Cup
It was supposed to be an evening of entertainment in Gaza, watching the World Cup semi-final at a cafe, a welcome break from 48 hours of Israeli air strikes.
But the evening was cut brutally short when an Israeli raid flattened the Fun Time Beach cafe in the southern Gaza Strip in the early hours of Thursday, killing nine people and wounding 15.
All that is left of the popular seaside cafe -- where dozens broke their Ramadan fast on Wednesday night before settling down to watch Argentina play the Netherlands -- is a large crater and a few mounds of sand.
The cafe’s multicolored sign is still standing, somewhat crookedly, as colorful bunting and canvas windbreakers lay strewn on the floor, torn down by the force of the blast.
The Israeli missile scattered the dead and wounded across the beach, and made a hole so deep that seawater filled it up from underground after impact.
"It was a normal social occasion," said Wael Soboh, a local policeman who is employed by the Palestinian Authority.
"The boys ate their Ramadan iftar meal here, and then began watching the match. It is not a military area."
Eight people were killed immediately in the blast, medical sources said, all of them residents of the nearby city of Khan Younis in southern Gaza.
Bulldozers were earlier Thursday busy searching for a ninth man believed to buried underneath the soggy sand, as locals looked on in the searing midday heat.
"It's possible the missing guy was blown to pieces," said another local, Mohammed Astal.
Later, Gaza's emergency services spokesman Ashraf al-Qidra said the body was found, raising the toll in the attack to nine.
'Israel won 9-0'
Residents said three members of an extended family -- Ahmed, Suleiman and Mussa Astal -- were among the dead, with most of those killed in their 20s.
"There was a power cut in Khan Younis, so a lot of people came here where there's a generator and a screen," said Mohammed al-Aqad, a resident who was at the cafe when the missile hit but was not injured.
The victims were all keen football fans, he said, as were some of the locals who were helping in the search for the missing man.
Asked who they were supporting in the World Cup, one enthusiastically replied: "Argentina, of course!"
"No, Germany," chipped in another, though he was wearing a red England shirt.
There were no goals in Wednesday's match, which eventually went to extra time and ended in penalties.
"And the result from this match here? The Jews won 9-0," Ahmed al-Aqad quipped macabrely.
Israel's operation against militants in Gaza - the deadliest violence since 2012 - entered its third day on Thursday, with the overall death toll rising to at least 81.
It was supposed to be an evening of entertainment in Gaza, watching the World Cup semi-final at a cafe, a welcome break from 48 hours of Israeli air strikes.
But the evening was cut brutally short when an Israeli raid flattened the Fun Time Beach cafe in the southern Gaza Strip in the early hours of Thursday, killing nine people and wounding 15.
All that is left of the popular seaside cafe -- where dozens broke their Ramadan fast on Wednesday night before settling down to watch Argentina play the Netherlands -- is a large crater and a few mounds of sand.
The cafe’s multicolored sign is still standing, somewhat crookedly, as colorful bunting and canvas windbreakers lay strewn on the floor, torn down by the force of the blast.
The Israeli missile scattered the dead and wounded across the beach, and made a hole so deep that seawater filled it up from underground after impact.
"It was a normal social occasion," said Wael Soboh, a local policeman who is employed by the Palestinian Authority.
"The boys ate their Ramadan iftar meal here, and then began watching the match. It is not a military area."
Eight people were killed immediately in the blast, medical sources said, all of them residents of the nearby city of Khan Younis in southern Gaza.
Bulldozers were earlier Thursday busy searching for a ninth man believed to buried underneath the soggy sand, as locals looked on in the searing midday heat.
"It's possible the missing guy was blown to pieces," said another local, Mohammed Astal.
Later, Gaza's emergency services spokesman Ashraf al-Qidra said the body was found, raising the toll in the attack to nine.
'Israel won 9-0'
Residents said three members of an extended family -- Ahmed, Suleiman and Mussa Astal -- were among the dead, with most of those killed in their 20s.
"There was a power cut in Khan Younis, so a lot of people came here where there's a generator and a screen," said Mohammed al-Aqad, a resident who was at the cafe when the missile hit but was not injured.
The victims were all keen football fans, he said, as were some of the locals who were helping in the search for the missing man.
Asked who they were supporting in the World Cup, one enthusiastically replied: "Argentina, of course!"
"No, Germany," chipped in another, though he was wearing a red England shirt.
There were no goals in Wednesday's match, which eventually went to extra time and ended in penalties.
"And the result from this match here? The Jews won 9-0," Ahmed al-Aqad quipped macabrely.
Israel's operation against militants in Gaza - the deadliest violence since 2012 - entered its third day on Thursday, with the overall death toll rising to at least 81.
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Palestinians inspect damages following an Israeli air strike on Gaza City on July 10, 2014.
Iran’s foreign minister has called on the UN, the Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to intervene and bring a halt to the Israeli aggression against Palestinians.
“I request Your Excellency to make efforts – in line with your legal and humane obligations – for preventing the Zionist regime’s aggressive actions and the carnage of the oppressed Palestinian people,” Mohammad Javad Zarif wrote in a letter on Thursday.
The letter is addressed to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, Arab League Secretary General Nabil al-Arabi and OIC Secretary General Iyad Ameen Madani.
“Doubtlessly, an explicit condemnation of the Zionist regime’s crimes against Palestinian regions and preventing the continuation of strikes by this regime are responsibilities assigned to all regional and international bodies and assemblies,” Zarif stated. The Iranian foreign minister warned that the Israeli regime’s continuing attacks on the Gaza Strip have created a “very worrying and catastrophic situation.”
Zarif said the persistence of the Israeli atrocities against the Palestinians “will result in a massive human tragedy and will definitely pose serious threat to peace and security in the region.”
Israel has been pounding the besieged Gaza Strip for three consecutive days, killing at least 80 people and injuring around 500 others.
Violence against Palestinians has intensified over the past month. Mohammed Abu Khdeir, a Palestinian teen, was burned alive in East al-Quds last week. Abu Khdeir’s death came after Israel found the dead bodies of three settlers whose deaths it blames on Hamas. The resistance movement rejects the allegation.
Gaza has been blockaded since June 2007. The blockade has caused a decline in the standards of living, unprecedented levels of unemployment and unrelenting poverty.
Iran’s foreign minister has called on the UN, the Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to intervene and bring a halt to the Israeli aggression against Palestinians.
“I request Your Excellency to make efforts – in line with your legal and humane obligations – for preventing the Zionist regime’s aggressive actions and the carnage of the oppressed Palestinian people,” Mohammad Javad Zarif wrote in a letter on Thursday.
The letter is addressed to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, Arab League Secretary General Nabil al-Arabi and OIC Secretary General Iyad Ameen Madani.
“Doubtlessly, an explicit condemnation of the Zionist regime’s crimes against Palestinian regions and preventing the continuation of strikes by this regime are responsibilities assigned to all regional and international bodies and assemblies,” Zarif stated. The Iranian foreign minister warned that the Israeli regime’s continuing attacks on the Gaza Strip have created a “very worrying and catastrophic situation.”
Zarif said the persistence of the Israeli atrocities against the Palestinians “will result in a massive human tragedy and will definitely pose serious threat to peace and security in the region.”
Israel has been pounding the besieged Gaza Strip for three consecutive days, killing at least 80 people and injuring around 500 others.
Violence against Palestinians has intensified over the past month. Mohammed Abu Khdeir, a Palestinian teen, was burned alive in East al-Quds last week. Abu Khdeir’s death came after Israel found the dead bodies of three settlers whose deaths it blames on Hamas. The resistance movement rejects the allegation.
Gaza has been blockaded since June 2007. The blockade has caused a decline in the standards of living, unprecedented levels of unemployment and unrelenting poverty.
A political analyst says the Israeli regime is fueling violence while playing victim in the occupied Palestinian territories, Press TV reports.
“What the Israelis are doing is instigating violence, pretending that they’re the victims when in fact they’re the instigators,” Eli Joseph James said in an interview with Press TV on Wednesday.
Israel has been pounding the besieged Gaza Strip for three consecutive days, killing at least 80 people and injuring around 500 others.
Violence against the Palestinians has intensified over the past month. Mohammed Abu Khdeir, a Palestinian teen, was burned alive in East al-Quds (Jerusalem) last week. Abu Khdeir’s death came after Israel found the dead bodies of three settlers whose deaths it blames on Hamas. The resistance movement rejects the allegation.
“By pretending to be the victim they try to get sympathy from various government organizations around the world,” James added.
Palestinian resistance movements in the besieged Gaza Strip have responded to Israel’s aggression by targeting towns and cities deep inside the occupied Palestinian territories. On Thursday, more than 230 rockets were fired from Gaza.
Following Israel’s deadly attack on a home in the Gaza Strip, Hamas has said that all Israelis are “legitimate targets” of its attacks.
“What the Israelis are doing is instigating violence, pretending that they’re the victims when in fact they’re the instigators,” Eli Joseph James said in an interview with Press TV on Wednesday.
Israel has been pounding the besieged Gaza Strip for three consecutive days, killing at least 80 people and injuring around 500 others.
Violence against the Palestinians has intensified over the past month. Mohammed Abu Khdeir, a Palestinian teen, was burned alive in East al-Quds (Jerusalem) last week. Abu Khdeir’s death came after Israel found the dead bodies of three settlers whose deaths it blames on Hamas. The resistance movement rejects the allegation.
“By pretending to be the victim they try to get sympathy from various government organizations around the world,” James added.
Palestinian resistance movements in the besieged Gaza Strip have responded to Israel’s aggression by targeting towns and cities deep inside the occupied Palestinian territories. On Thursday, more than 230 rockets were fired from Gaza.
Following Israel’s deadly attack on a home in the Gaza Strip, Hamas has said that all Israelis are “legitimate targets” of its attacks.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says a ceasefire with Palestinians is not “even on the agenda,” as Tel Aviv’s air strikes continue to target the Gaza Strip for the third day.
Netanyahu told Knesset’s foreign affairs and military committee on Thursday that he was “not talking to anybody about a ceasefire right now.”
At least 85 Palestinians, including women and children, have been killed since Israel began pounding targets in the besieged enclave three days ago.
On Thursday, military spokesman Peter Lerner said Israel struck more than 320 targets overnight in Gaza that belong to the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas. He also said that over 750 sites in Gaza have been hit by Israeli jets since Tuesday.
Palestinian medics said that a building was hit by an Israeli strike in the Gazan city of Khan Younis earlier in the day, killing at least eight civilians.
Eight more people were also killed earlier on Thursday after an Israeli jet bombed a Gaza beach café, where people were watching a football match between Argentina and the Netherlands.
In retaliation, Hamas also fired more than 200 rockets from Gaza into Israeli towns and cities. Israeli media reports say that only some 60 of those rockets were intercepted by its US-funded Iron Dome missile system.
Tel Aviv had warned earlier that Hamas had dozens of long-range rockets capable of striking deeper into Israel than ever before.
Tens of Palestinian homes have been completely destroyed, while over 1,500 others have been partially damaged.
President of the Palestinian National Unity Government Mahmoud Abbas has accused Israel of committing genocide in the Gaza Strip in order to protect its illegal settlement project.
Netanyahu told Knesset’s foreign affairs and military committee on Thursday that he was “not talking to anybody about a ceasefire right now.”
At least 85 Palestinians, including women and children, have been killed since Israel began pounding targets in the besieged enclave three days ago.
On Thursday, military spokesman Peter Lerner said Israel struck more than 320 targets overnight in Gaza that belong to the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas. He also said that over 750 sites in Gaza have been hit by Israeli jets since Tuesday.
Palestinian medics said that a building was hit by an Israeli strike in the Gazan city of Khan Younis earlier in the day, killing at least eight civilians.
Eight more people were also killed earlier on Thursday after an Israeli jet bombed a Gaza beach café, where people were watching a football match between Argentina and the Netherlands.
In retaliation, Hamas also fired more than 200 rockets from Gaza into Israeli towns and cities. Israeli media reports say that only some 60 of those rockets were intercepted by its US-funded Iron Dome missile system.
Tel Aviv had warned earlier that Hamas had dozens of long-range rockets capable of striking deeper into Israel than ever before.
Tens of Palestinian homes have been completely destroyed, while over 1,500 others have been partially damaged.
President of the Palestinian National Unity Government Mahmoud Abbas has accused Israel of committing genocide in the Gaza Strip in order to protect its illegal settlement project.
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Israeli airstrikes across the besieged Gaza Strip killed 33 Palestinians overnight Wednesday and Thursday, including a family of eight.
Israeli warplanes fired a missile at a car in the northern Gaza Strip killing three Palestinians. A medical official confirmed that the remains of the victims were taken to Kamal Udwan Hospital.
Two of the men were identified as Mahmoud Waloud and Hazim Balousha.
One man was killed after an airstrike targeted a motorcycle south of Gaza City and another man Ahmed Zaher Hamdan died from his injuries after Israel targeted a group of men in Jabaliya.
A four-year-old baby girl, Yasmin Muhammad al-Mutawwaq, also succumbed to wounds sustained in an Israeli airstrike on Khan Younis overnight.
Ismail Abu Jami, 19, was killed in a strike on Khan Younis and Abdullah Ramadan Abu Ghazal, five, was killed in an Israeli airstrike on Beit Lahiya, Gaza health ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qidra said.
Israeli warplanes also targeted a residential house in al-Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, with no injuries reported.
In the southern Gaza Strip, an Israeli missile hit a residential building in Rafah. Three men were injured in a car traveling near the building.
Three men were injured, one seriously, in an airstrike targeting a motorcycle in Rafah. Another airstrike struck Gaza City, injuring two, while another airstrike targeted al-Maghazi refugee camp in central Gaza.
Earlier, an airstrike hit a car in al-Nafaq street in Gaza City, killing three and injuring four.
Bahaa Abu al-Leil, 35, Wisam Qandil and Amir al-Fayoumi were identified as the victims. Islamic Jihad said in a statement that the men were fighters with the al-Quds Brigades.
Early Thursday, Israeli warplanes targeted a building in Khan Younis, killing eight members of the al-Hajj family. Over 30 people were injured in the strike.
Most of the victims were children, al-Qidra said, adding that Israeli forces bombed the building without a warning or asking them to evacuate.
Tariq al-Hajj, Najla al-Hajj, Aminah al-Hajj, Saad al-Hajj, Omar al-Hajj, Aminah al-Hajj, and Basimah al-Hajj, 57, were named as the victims.
Earlier, nine Palestinians were killed and at least 10 injured when Israel targeted Waqt al-Marah coffee shop on a Khan Younis beach.
Locals said dozens of people were watching the World Cup semi-final game when Israel fired a missile at the crowd.
Muhammad Khalid Qannan, his brother Ibrahim, Hamdi Kamil Sawali, Suleiman al-Astal, Ahmad al-Astal, Mousa al-Astal and Muhammad al-Aqqad were identified as some of the victims.
Muhammad Ihsan Farawneh, 18, was found dead on Thursday under the rubble of the cafe.
Another airstrike in the al-Zawayda village in central Gaza killed four members of the Shalat family; a couple and two children.
Late Wednesday, an Israeli airstrike killed Hamdi Shihab, who worked as a driver for local news agency Media 24.
The car had 'TV' clearly marked in red paint on the bonnet of the vehicle.
Early on Thursday the Israeli military said that during the course of the preceding day, "at least 82 rockets hit Israel" and 21 were intercepted.
The Israeli army said it launched raids on "322 targets" overnight, taking the total number of Hamas targets hit to 750.
The United Nations Security Council will hold an emergency meeting on the crisis from 10:00 a.m., with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon due to give the latest about the situation on the ground, followed by closed-door consultations between the Council's 15 member states.
The meeting follows a request by Arab envoys.
Ban called the new wave of violence "one of the most critical tests the region has faced in recent years".
"Gaza is on a knife edge. The deteriorating situation is leading to a downward spiral which could quickly get beyond anyone's control," he said.
"The risk of violence expanding further still is real. Gaza, and the region as a whole, cannot afford another full-blown war."
Israeli warplanes fired a missile at a car in the northern Gaza Strip killing three Palestinians. A medical official confirmed that the remains of the victims were taken to Kamal Udwan Hospital.
Two of the men were identified as Mahmoud Waloud and Hazim Balousha.
One man was killed after an airstrike targeted a motorcycle south of Gaza City and another man Ahmed Zaher Hamdan died from his injuries after Israel targeted a group of men in Jabaliya.
A four-year-old baby girl, Yasmin Muhammad al-Mutawwaq, also succumbed to wounds sustained in an Israeli airstrike on Khan Younis overnight.
Ismail Abu Jami, 19, was killed in a strike on Khan Younis and Abdullah Ramadan Abu Ghazal, five, was killed in an Israeli airstrike on Beit Lahiya, Gaza health ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qidra said.
Israeli warplanes also targeted a residential house in al-Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, with no injuries reported.
In the southern Gaza Strip, an Israeli missile hit a residential building in Rafah. Three men were injured in a car traveling near the building.
Three men were injured, one seriously, in an airstrike targeting a motorcycle in Rafah. Another airstrike struck Gaza City, injuring two, while another airstrike targeted al-Maghazi refugee camp in central Gaza.
Earlier, an airstrike hit a car in al-Nafaq street in Gaza City, killing three and injuring four.
Bahaa Abu al-Leil, 35, Wisam Qandil and Amir al-Fayoumi were identified as the victims. Islamic Jihad said in a statement that the men were fighters with the al-Quds Brigades.
Early Thursday, Israeli warplanes targeted a building in Khan Younis, killing eight members of the al-Hajj family. Over 30 people were injured in the strike.
Most of the victims were children, al-Qidra said, adding that Israeli forces bombed the building without a warning or asking them to evacuate.
Tariq al-Hajj, Najla al-Hajj, Aminah al-Hajj, Saad al-Hajj, Omar al-Hajj, Aminah al-Hajj, and Basimah al-Hajj, 57, were named as the victims.
Earlier, nine Palestinians were killed and at least 10 injured when Israel targeted Waqt al-Marah coffee shop on a Khan Younis beach.
Locals said dozens of people were watching the World Cup semi-final game when Israel fired a missile at the crowd.
Muhammad Khalid Qannan, his brother Ibrahim, Hamdi Kamil Sawali, Suleiman al-Astal, Ahmad al-Astal, Mousa al-Astal and Muhammad al-Aqqad were identified as some of the victims.
Muhammad Ihsan Farawneh, 18, was found dead on Thursday under the rubble of the cafe.
Another airstrike in the al-Zawayda village in central Gaza killed four members of the Shalat family; a couple and two children.
Late Wednesday, an Israeli airstrike killed Hamdi Shihab, who worked as a driver for local news agency Media 24.
The car had 'TV' clearly marked in red paint on the bonnet of the vehicle.
Early on Thursday the Israeli military said that during the course of the preceding day, "at least 82 rockets hit Israel" and 21 were intercepted.
The Israeli army said it launched raids on "322 targets" overnight, taking the total number of Hamas targets hit to 750.
The United Nations Security Council will hold an emergency meeting on the crisis from 10:00 a.m., with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon due to give the latest about the situation on the ground, followed by closed-door consultations between the Council's 15 member states.
The meeting follows a request by Arab envoys.
Ban called the new wave of violence "one of the most critical tests the region has faced in recent years".
"Gaza is on a knife edge. The deteriorating situation is leading to a downward spiral which could quickly get beyond anyone's control," he said.
"The risk of violence expanding further still is real. Gaza, and the region as a whole, cannot afford another full-blown war."
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