Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas, said on Wednesday that the Israeli military escalation in the Gaza Strip, and the killing of seven Palestinians on Wednesday on Beit Hanoun, proves that Israel does not want peace.
“Any country that wants peace, does not carry these attacks”, Abbas said, “The attacks are ongoing and increasing without any apparent reason”.
Abbas added that the “massacre in Beit Hanoun, the bulldozing of homes and agricultural lands, proves that Israel does not want peace”.
The statements of Abbas came after the army pushed more tanks, troops and helicopters into Beit Hanoun, in the northern part of the Gaza Strip, and killed seven residents; at least fifty residents were injured.
One Israeli soldier was also killed during clashes with resistance fighters in Beit Hanoun.
Commenting on the issue of the captured Israeli soldier, Gilad Shalit, Abbas stated that the soldier should be released, “but there is at least 10.000 Palestinians imprisoned by Israel, they should be freed too”, he added.
Abbas appealed the international community to intervene in order to stop the Israeli military escalation that will not advance in anyway the efforts to revive the peace process.
Meanwhile, the Al Qassam brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, said that its fighters fired several homemade shells at the Israeli Negev town of Sderot; damage to homes and cars was reported.
