Israel says it has no ‘timeframe’ for ending strikes in Gaza
Israeli forces continued to bombard Palestinian territory well into Tuesday morning. Photo: Mahmud Hams/AFP Reuters Reuters
Israel today said it was not setting a timeframe for an end to hostilities with Gaza as its military pounded the Palestinian enclave with air strikes and Hamas unleashed new cross-border rocket attacks.
Palestinian medical officials said 219 people had been killed in 10 days of aerial bombardments which have destroyed roads, buildings and other infrastructure, and worsened the already dire humanitarian situation in Gaza.
Israeli authorities put the death toll at 12 in Israel, where repeated rocket attacks have caused panic and sent people rushing into shelters. Regional and US-led diplomatic efforts to secure a ceasefire have intensified but so far failed.
Biden tells Netanyahu he wants de-escalation of Israel-Gaza fighting netscape.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from netscape.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Netanyahu, Gaza militants fight on as Biden urges de-escalation
By Nidal al-Mughrabi, Rami Ayyub and Andrea Shalal
Reuters
GAZA (Reuters) -Israel and Gaza militants vowed to keep fighting after U.S. President Joe Biden urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to seek a de-escalation on Wednesday on the path to a ceasefire in the 10-day-old conflict.
An Egyptian security source said the two sides had agreed in principle to a ceasefire after help from mediators, although details were still being negotiated in secret.
A senior Hamas official, Moussa Abu Marzouk, also said late on Wednesday in an interview with Lebanon s al-Mayadeen TV that he expected Israel and the Gaza militants to reach a ceasefire within a day or two , ending the cross-border violence.