Ban Ki-moon to Meet Abbas as Gaza Violence Escalates
TEHRAN (Tasnim) - As Israel sent more troops into Gaza early on Sunday, diplomatic efforts to arrange a cease fire intensified with UN chief Ban Ki-moon due to meet Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
As fighting raged, Ban headed to Qatar on Sunday as part of renewed cease-fire efforts. The UN Secretary General was due to meet Abbas in Doha later in the day, a senior Qatari source told Reuters.
Ban will then travel to Kuwait, Egypt, Israel, the Palestinian Territories and Jordan, a UN statement said.
Later on Sunday, Abbas was also due to meet Hamas chief Khaled Meshaal in Qatar to discuss an Egyptian-proposed truce, and the movement said it had received an invite to Cairo for ceasefire talks.
On Saturday, Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shukri repeated an appeal for the two sides to adopt the cease-fire, saying Egypt's plan is the only one on the table, despite efforts from Hamas backers Turkey and Qatar to broker a deal.
“It meets the needs of both sides,” he said. “We will continue to propose it. We hope both sides accept it.”
Early on Sunday, loud explosions shook Gaza as Israeli flares lit up the night sky and Israeli fighter jets flew low across the densely populated territory, AFP reported.
Palestinians reported heavy Israeli tank fire on the border areas of Gaza. Doctors said a son, daughter-in-law and granddaughter of senior Hamas leader Khalil al-Haya were killed early Sunday when their house was hit by a tank shell in Gaza City. In the southern city of Rafah, three brothers were killed when an airstrike targeted the family house, said health official Ashraf al-Kidra.
