President Abbas condemned the nearly week-long Israeli attack on eastern Nablus’ Balata Refugee Camp, saying "This aggression will increase the deterioration in the area and destroy any chances for a just peace."
The invasion began on Sunday, subsided for part of the day Wednesday, and resumed again on Thursday. On Thursday alone Israeli forces killed five Palestinian and injured dozens.
Israeli gunfire also resulted in injuries to three members of a Palestinian ambulance crew who were in the area. One of the Palestinian medics sustained serious wounds. Physicians for Human Rights condemned the incident, terming it a violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention.
Both Abbas and Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh have denounced the operation. Haniyeh, the Palestinian Authority prime minister-designate, urged the international community to stop what he called the Israeli "massacre."
Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas on Friday appealed to the UN Security Council and the Quartet of major peace mediators – the United States, the European Union, the United Nations and Russia – to intervene to halt Israeli military operations in the West Bank city of Nablus.
