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Stoere said the Israeli offensive is afflicting a civilian population that "cannot defend itself and cannot flee."
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WORLD CAPITALS —
Leaders and peoples of the world were united
Sunday, January 4, in condemning Israel's
ground military operation in the
heavily-populated Gaza Strip, which has
claimed nearly 50 lives.
"UN Secretary
General Ban Ki-moon is convinced and alarmed
that this escalation will inevitably increase
the already heavy suffering of the affected
civilian populations," his office said in
a statement cited by Agence France Presse
(AFP).
Tens of thousands of
Israeli troops backed by tanks battled Hamas
fighters in Gaza fields and roads on Sunday.
Regular explosions
shook the ground and machine gun fire echoed
across the enclave, home to 1.6 million
people.
Five members of the
same family, including a 14-year-old girl,
were killed when an Israeli tank shell hit
their car near Gaza City Sunday.
At least 47 people,
including 12 children, were killed by tank
shells or missiles since Saturday.
"Continued
bombing of the densely populated Gaza Strip
has now become a full-blown military ground
operation that is afflicting a civilian
population that cannot defend itself and
cannot flee," said Norwegian Foreign
Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere.
Russia said it was
"extremely concerned" by Israel's
ground thrust into Gaza, and dispatched its
Middle East envoy to the region to help bring
about a ceasefire.
"It is
essential, without delay, to put an end to the
suffering of the civilian population on both
sides, to stop the bloodshed and secure a
mutual ceasefire," it said.
"Among the
measures urgently needed for the prevention of
a large-scale humanitarian catastrophe in the
sector is the lifting of the blockade and
opening of checkpoints."
Swedish Foreign
Minister Carl Bildt, due in the Middle East
with French and Czech counterparts, warned the
offensive seriously hampers ceasefire efforts.
"Instead of
seeking a possible political solution…they
have now chosen to dramatically escalate the
conflict with a ground offensive."
Protests
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Millions of people rallies around the glob to protest the Israeli assault. (Reuters)
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The Israeli onslaught sent millions of
people around the world into the streets to show solidarity with
bombed-out Gaza and its people.
Protesters against
Israel's offensive in the Gaza Strip threw
rocks and eggs at police outside the Israeli
embassy in Oslo after police declared the
gathering illegal.
"Free, free
Palestine," "Stop the holocaust in
Gaza" and "Peace and justice for
Palestine," chanted thousands of
Australians who took to the streets to protest
the Israeli aggression.
"We are here
today to express our solidarity with the
people in Gaza and tell them that we are with
them," spokeswoman Rihab Charida told the
crowd.
Thousands of
Indonesians rallied across the country to
condemn the strikes and called on the
government to send troops to fight Israeli
forces.
In Turkey, more than
700,000 people spilled into the streets to
protest Israel's deadly assault on Gaza, its
deadliest in decades.
"Stop the
massacre, Palestine is dying," read a
banner brandished by the protesters, many of
them wearing headbands with the inscription
"We are all Palestinians."
Ibrahim Ozturk, a
25-year-old sailor, said Ankara should
evaluate its ties with Israel if it does not
stop the offensive.
"What is
happening is a crime not just against Muslims,
but also against humanity. Turkey should make
a clear stand against it."
In the Lebanese
capital Beirut, hundreds of thousands
participated in a major protest organized by
Hamas and other Palestinian groups.
Flying Palestinian
flags and chanting pro-Gaza slogans, nearly
one million Moroccan marched through Rabat.
They urged the world
to intervene to stop Palestinian bloodbath.
In Canada, thousands
took to the streets in major cities, demanding
an end to Israel's assault and denouncing the
government's position.
"We demand an
immediate ceasefire," said Diana Ralph, a
coordinator with Independent Jewish Voices, a
coalition of pro-Palestinian groups.
"We demand that
the Canadian government press for an end to
Israel's massacre in Gaza, instead of giving
them diplomatic cover to kill more
civilians."
