Israel pounds Gaza

The Israeli military pummeled Gaza on Tuesday, killing more than 16 Palestinians and wounding at least 50 more. Israel's jets, tanks and battleships mainly focused their attacks on Gaza City, according to security officials.

Shortly before the bombardment, the Israeli military dropped leaflets in the densely-populated coastal enclave, urging Palestinians to flee their homes and seek shelter in Gaza City.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said he was concerned about reports that Israel was dropping leaflets from planes warning residents to move to Gaza City. Ban said moving away from their homes would cause more suffering for the Palestinians, and added the UN does not have the capacity to support a large influx of people.

The Israeli military also targeted the house of Ismail Haniya, the deputy chief of the Islamist Hamas movement in western Gaza, local media and witnesses said. Haniya's home was destroyed, but no injuries were reported to him or his family, Hamas' al-Aqsa television reported.

Nine Palestinians were killed in an early morning airstrike on a house in the refugee camp of al-Bureij, Gaza Health Ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Kidra said.

Seven members of the same family were killed when their house in the southern town of Rafah was hit, he added.

Hamas rocket attacks into Israel continued overnight. Warning sirens were heard in the city of Tel Aviv and explosions were heard on the outskirts of the city, according to Israeli media.

There were no reports of damage from the rockets.

Early Tuesday Israel said five of its soldiers had died in clashes with a Palestinian commando who tried to enter the country through a border tunnel at Nahal Oz, adding to the five soldiers killed Monday. A total of 53 Israeli soldiers, along with two civilians and a Thai national, have been killed during the 21-day conflict.

More than 1,100 Palestinians have been killed in that same period, most of which have been civilians.

'Violence must stop'

Following the bloody beginning to the three-day Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr on Monday, the UN demanded a halt to the fighting.

"In the name of humanity, the violence must stop," said Ban after speaking with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Ban urged him to listen to the international community's calls for a ceasefire.

Netanyahu, however, told Israelis to prepare for a "lengthy campaign" in Gaza.

"We will not end this operation without neutralizing the tunnels whose sole purpose is killing our citizens," he said.

Iran's 'genocide' accusation

On Tuesday, Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei accused Israel of committing "genocide" in Gaza. During his speech marking Eid, Khamanei called on the Islamic world to arm Palestinians fighting "the Zionist regime," which it said was acting like a "rabid dog" and "a wild wolf" in causing human catastrophe.

"A people surrounded in a small place with closed borders, unsure of having water and electricity, this population faces an armed enemy," he said. "The people resist unabated. This is a lesson for all."

Khamanei rejected US and European ceasefire efforts saying they were a ploy to save Israel. He said Hamas should be armed, not disarmed, otherwise they will be "unable to defend themselves."

dr/lw (dpa, AFP, Reuters)