Israel-Palestine Conflict Continues: Mosque and Clinic Destroyed by Israeli Attack
As the new conflict between Israel and Palestine enters its sixth day, the Palestinian death toll continues to rise amid Israel's constant bombardment of Gaza. Though Hamas and other jihadist groups have retaliated with their own rockets, most have been intercepted.
Israeli missiles hit a clinic for the disabled Saturday, "killing two residents and wounding three, plus a caretaker," according to The New York Times. The clinic, known as the Marabet Palestine Society, is in northern Gaza and was founded 20 years ago.
Many Palestinians are outraged that Israel attacked the clinic. The Israeli military, the Times reports, said it will investigate why the clinic was attacked. However, Israel defended the mosque attack, saying the holy place was being used to store rockets and munitions.
Following the missile strike, only the mosque's minaret remained standing. The mosque's imam told the Times no weapons were inside a "house of God."
With the attacks on the clinic and mosque, the death toll in Palestine has risen to 135, according to The Associated Press. The Washington Post reported that as of Friday, no Israelis had been killed, though "123 people had been treated," mostly for shock and anxiety. Israel's "Iron Dome" defense system, which the Palestinians do not have, accounts for the difference.
As the death toll rises, the United Nations high commissioner for human rights, Navi Pillay, has asked "all sides to abide by their obligations under international human rights law and international humanitarian law," according to a U.N. statement.
Echoing her call, the U.N. Security Council called for a cease-fire Saturday. According to the AP, the council's statement calls for "the reinstitution of the November 2012 cease-fire" but does not provide a timeline or other details.
"We will observe very closely whether Israel will abide by this call and we hope they do," Riyad Mansour, the Palestinian U.N. Envoy, told reporters. "If they don't, we have a lot in our arsenal, and we will not allow the Security Council to rest for a minute. It is its job to maintain international peace and security, and it is its job to stop this aggression against our people."
However, as rockets continue to fall on Israel, the country will not step down. Early Saturday, a military official announced that the country will continue airstrikes for the next 24 hours and will be preparing for a land invasion, according to the Jerusalem Post.
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