Region | Palestinian Territories
Death toll rises as Gaza war enters 18th day
Jordan denies Israeli border shooting as UN chief starts Mideast tour to press for peace in Gaza.
- Agencies
- Published: 11:15 January 13, 2009
- Image Credit: AP
- A Filipino protester shouts slogans calling for the closure of the Israel embassy in the Philippines on Tuesday.
Gaza: Clashes between Palestinian fighters and Israeli troops continued on Tuesday, with the death toll rising to more than 900 as the war in Gaza entered its 18th day.
Meanwhile, troops at the Arava border crossing with Jordan came under fire on Tuesday, but no one was hurt, an Israeli military spokeswoman said.
The spokeswoman said it unclear who the gunmen were. The Jordanian Armed Forces denied the incident, which came two days after Israeli troops in the Golan Heights had come under fire from Syria.
In Gaza, witnesses said that Israeli troops backed by tanks battled with Palestinian fighters in the streets, ignoring a UN resolution for an immediate ceasefire.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon starts a Middle East tour on Tuesday to press the warring groups to stop fighting. He is expected to meet officials in Egypt and Jordan on Wednesday.
Ban said he plans to step up diplomatic efforts to get both sides to adhere to a UN ceasefire resolution calling for an end to Israeli offensive and Hamas rocket fire.
On Monday, Israeli warplanes pummelled Palestinian homes as Norwegian medics accused Israel of testing a new "extremely nasty" type of weapon.
Mads Gilbert, one of the medics, told reporters they had seen clear signs that "a new generation of very powerful small explosives" called Dense Inert Metal Explosive were being used in Gaza.
More than 20 Palestinians were killed on Monday, officials said, bringing the death toll to 917.
Weeks of clashes have also hampered the distribution of humanitarian aid into the devastated Palestinian territory and have increased a risk of an epidemic in refugee camps.
In the Nuseirat Refugee Camp, several people have complained of skin diseases after using the water supplied through pipelines.
Residents said this is because of the restrictions placed on the movement of goods into the Gaza Strip. There is a risk of all sorts of water-borne diseases such as dysentery and cholera, health officials said.
With input from Bilal Badwan, Special to Gulf News
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