Despite Call for Ceasefire Israel Prepares to Escalate the offensive on Gaza

Despite Call for Ceasefire Israel Prepares to Escalate the offensive on Gaza



Defying the United Nations Security Council’s resolution calling for a cease-fire in the Gaza Strip, Israel has threatened to launch a new phase in its two-week-old offensive, which has already killed more than 800 Palestinians.

In a communiqué published on Friday the Israeli government stated it would not accept the January 8th UN Security Council call for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. The Israeli government states that the Israeli Army “will continue to act in order to attain the objectives of the operation in accordance with the plans that have been approved upon embarking on the operation."



Earlier Friday, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert rejected the UN resolution. In Israel's first official response to the resolution, Olmert's office said Israel "has never agreed to let an external body decide its right to protect the security of its citizens."



On Saturday Israeli planes dropped leaflets over Gaza - warning of an escalation in attacks.



The leaflets, printed in Arabic, said that Israeli forces “will escalate the operation in the Gaza Strip" claiming Israel “is not working against the people of Gaza but against Hamas and the terrorists only.” The leaflets called on Gaza’s population to stay safe by following Israel’s army orders.



Medical officials in the Gaza Strip said the Palestinian death toll had risen to at least 786. More than a third of the victims are children.



The dropping of leaflets appears to be part of psychological warfare tactic.



The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has criticized the practices of dropping leaflets, broadcasting messages over local television and radio, and phoning people ordering them to evacuate their homes.



According to OCHA such practices create panic among the civil population and cause people to flee amidst gunfire and shelling. The UN Agency also claims that there is no safe space in the Gaza Strip making this one of the rare conflicts from which civilians cannot flee.



According to the Associated Press, Israeli officials say they are prepared for a third stage of the offensive, in which ground troops would push much further into Gaza, but are still waiting for approval from the government.



The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the army also has a fourth stage planned that calls for a full reoccupation of Gaza and toppling of Hamas.


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