Jerusalem (AsiaNews) - Seven Palestinians were killed last night in the Gaza Strip, in a series of Israeli air raids to stop the rain of missiles from Gaza hitting several Israeli towns.
According to Palestinian hospital estimates after three days of air raids at least 64 have been killed, half of them civilians, including women and children.
Israeli army spokesman, Peter Lerner, said that last night the air force "hit 322 targets ... bringing to 750 the total number of Hamas targets" struck in three days. These include rockets launching sites, tunnels and Hamas command posts.
Meanwhile, Hamas continues to fire rockets that have reached Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and Dimona, where Israel has - without ever having-declared it - nuclear facilities to produce nuclear weapons. The rockets caused extensive damage and fear among inhabitants, but so far there are no or injured, or victims.
The situation is "on a knife edge," said the UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon. He called on Israelis and Palestinians to stop the hostilities because the region "cannot afford another full blown war".
Ban Ki-moon demanded that Hamas militants stop firing rockets and also urged the Israeli government to exercise restraint and respect international obligations to protect civilians.
An emergency meeting of the UN Security Council, requested by some Arab countries, is expected this afternoon. Ban Ki-moon will present a report on the situation and then there will be a closed doors discussion.
