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Bombs hit Gaza as UN urges truce

The ruins of the Al-Noor Mosque in Gaza City, hit by an Israeli air strike on 8 January 2009
Israeli forces have been striking targets in Gaza for almost two weeks

Israeli warplanes continued to bomb Gaza overnight as the UN called for an immediate end to the fighting between Israel and Hamas militants.

A Security Council resolution called for a ceasefire, access for aid workers and a lasting solution to the conflict.

Israel staged at least 30 air strikes overnight. In one attack, five Palestinians were reported killed.

Almost two weeks of conflict have left an estimated 770 Palestinians and 14 Israelis dead.

After the Security Council vote, Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni said Israel would continue to act bearing the security of its citizens in mind.

There has been no official government reaction to the UN vote so far, but the Israeli security cabinet is meeting to consider its next steps.

The BBC's Katya Adler, on the Israel-Gaza border, says explosions can still be heard on Friday morning and smoke can be seen drifting over the Strip.

A prominent Egyptian cleric has called on Muslims across the world to stage rallies on Friday to demonstrate anger at the violence.

Yusuf al-Qaradawi, who heads the Union of Islamic Scholars, said Friday prayers should be dedicated to expressing solidarity with the Palestinians.

Israel has stationed thousands of extra police in east Jerusalem, in case of protests after Muslim Friday prayers.

'Durable ceasefire'

Early on Friday, Israeli planes launched fresh strikes on targets in Gaza. Five members of one family were killed in one attack, witnesses said.

In a report which could not be verified independently, Hamas said a bomb had flattened a five-storey apartment block in northern Gaza.

Map

Reports of new attacks emerged as 14 out of 15 Security Council members backed a resolution on the crisis.

The resolution called for an "immediate, durable and fully respected ceasefire" leading to the "full withdrawal" of Israeli forces from Gaza.

It also called for "the unimpeded provision and distribution throughout Gaza of humanitarian assistance", measures to prevent arms smuggling to Palestinian militants and the opening of border crossings into Gaza.

It is the first time the Security Council has acted since the Israeli offensive in Gaza began on 27 December.

The US chose to abstain, thinking it "important to see the outcomes of the Egyptian mediation efforts, in order to see what this resolution might have been supporting", US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice explained.

Israeli officials visited Cairo on Thursday to hear details of a plan put forward by Egypt and France.

A Hamas delegation is also expected in the Egyptian capital at some stage for parallel "technical" talks, Egyptian diplomats said.

Israel wants to stop rocket attacks on southern Israel and to stop Hamas smuggling weapons into Gaza via Egypt, while Hamas says any ceasefire deal must include an end to Israel's blockade of Gaza.

The Security Council's near-unanimous vote represents an important diplomatic punctuation mark in this crisis, correspondents say.

But the US abstention weakened the impact of the vote because Washington's support would have placed more pressure on Israel to halt its offensive, they add.


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FROM OTHER NEWS SITES
Sky News UN Votes For Ceasefire - 3 hrs ago
Sydney Morning HeraldGaza attacks claim more than 760 lives - 3 hrs ago
Telegraph UN calls for immediate ceasefire in Gaza - 4 hrs ago
Arab News Qunoot prayers reflect Saudi anger over aggression - 7 hrs ago
New York Times Israel Rebuffs Peace Efforts, Driving Deeper Into Gaza - 05 Jan 2009
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