WORLD> Middle East
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WORLD> Middle East
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Gaza civilians suffer as Israel tightens grip
(Agencies)
Updated: 2009-01-05 07:58 The Israeli military said aircraft attacked dozens of targets, including smuggling tunnels, weapons caches and mortar squads. Dozens of Hamas fighters were hit, it added without being more specific.
Heavy civilian casualties in the territory packed with 1.5 million people could increase international pressure on Israel to halt its biggest operation in Gaza in four decades. But the fighting also holds political risks for Israeli leaders before a February 10 election, especially if its forces take heavy casualties in street fighting. In southern Israeli towns, schools and malls remained closed and many streets were eerily empty. The plight of Gaza residents was desperate. People have taken shelter in their homes for days and humanitarian agencies said water, food and medical supplies were running short. The emir of Qatar, a U.S. ally, on Sunday said that Israel's attack on Gaza amounted to a war crime and renewed calls for an emergency summit of Arab countries. Israeli government officials said Israel wants to weaken Hamas and establish deterrence so the group would think twice before firing cross-border salvoes. It also hopes to win international backing for new security arrangements along the Egyptian-Gaza border to prevent Hamas from rearming. In the occupied West Bank, the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization reiterated that peace talks with Israel could not continue as long as the assault went on. Iranian-backed Hamas is estimated to have about 25,000 fighters. Israel has not said how many troops are involved in the operation but thousands of reservists were on stand-by. Hamas called off a six-month truce last month and stepped up its rocket attacks, citing Israeli raids and a continuing blockade of the enclave Israel quit in 2005. International peace efforts aimed at creating an independent Palestinian state foundered after Hamas won elections in 2006 and drove Fatah forces loyal to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas from Gaza a year later.
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