Palestinian president calls Israeli operation a crime
Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas today accused Israel of carrying out “crimes against humanity” with its incursion into Gaza Strip.
The Israeli military operation that began early today included airstrikes against power stations and bridges and a tank invasion in the southern Gaza Strip.
Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert said the incursion was meant to pressure militants from the ruling Hamas party to release a captured soldier, and that it would continue in the coming days.
“The president considers the aggression that targeted the civilian infrastructures as collective punishment and crimes against humanity,” Abbas said in a statement released by his office.
He called for international intervention to pressure Israel to stop the operation.
The soldier was kidnapped on Sunday during an attack on an Israeli army base near Gaza.
