UN Human Rights Council condemns Gaza offensive
The UN Human Rights Council condemns Israel's Gaza offensive
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Tuesday, 13, Jan 2009 11:40
The United Nations (UN) Human Rights Council has adopted a resolution condemning Israel's military offensive in Gaza.
The non-binding ruling approved in Geneva on Monday announced Israel's actions had "resulted in massive violations of human rights of the Palestinian people".
Reports suggest that over 900 Palestinians have been killed in the fighting, which is now into its third week, and more than 4,000 others have been wounded.
The UN resolution called for an international mission to be sent to the Gaza Strip to look into Israel's actions, also calling for an immediate end to the rocket attacks launched by the Palestinian militant group Hamas.
Israel's prime minister Ehud Olmert earlier issued a stark warning to the militants, claiming they would continue to feel Israel's "iron fist" as long as the rocket fire continued.
Ahead of his visit to the region, the UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon also appealed to both sides to agree on a ceasefire, saying too many civilians had died.
Reports on Tuesday suggest Israeli troops have advanced to the southern and eastern suburbs of Gaza City, after another night of heavy air strikes.
This morning there was a let-up in the fighting though after the Israeli military agreed to a three-hour ceasefire from 09:00 local time (07:00 GMT) to allow humanitarian aid into Gaza.
Elsewhere, an Israeli army patrol in the West Bank allegedly came under fire from within Jordan, although no-one was injured in the incident.