Israel put a planned ground operation in Gaza “on hold” as diplomatic efforts swelled Tuesday to halt cross-border aerial strikes between Israel and Hamas militants, now in their seventh day.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is traveling to Jerusalem, Ramallah and Cairo to meet with regional leaders.
Clinton left Cambodia for Israel Tuesday, where she will meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. She will also meet with Palestinian leaders and Egyptian officials on the trip, which the White House says will focus on U.S. interest in a peaceful outcome to the conflict.
U.S. Deputy National Security Adviser Ben Rhodes described Clinton’s possible impact on the negotiations.
“It’s not a matter of leverage, it’s a matter of what is in everybody’s best interests. It is not in the interests of the Palestinians and the people of Gaza for there to be an escalation of this conflict,” he said. “That would bring with it a huge cost.”
UN, Egypt weigh in
Egypt’s President Mohamed Morsi said Tuesday that “Israeli aggression” against Gaza would end later in the day and that Egyptian-mediated efforts to reach a truce between Palestinians and Israelis would produce “positive results” in the next several hours.
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called on Tuesday for an immediate cease-fire.
“Immediate steps are needed by all to avoid further escalation, including a ground operation, which would only result in further tragedy,” he said at a Cairo news conference.
The Hamas government said Arab League chief Nabil al-Arabi crossed into Gaza Tuesday on a solidarity visit, accompanied by 10 Arab ministers.
Rocket barrage continues
Smoke rose from Gaza City Tuesday, as Israel pushed ahead with its air campaign against Hamas militants who have been firing rockets toward Israeli communities.
VOA’s Scott Bobb reports from Gaza that the diplomatic efforts may have temporarily calmed the situation.
“Last night had been quieter, although dozens of shells fell, nevertheless it was a bit quieter, residents say, and more peaceful,” he said. “This could be because there’s a delegation of diplomats coming from Egypt — the Arab League secretary-general, [Turkish] foreign minister and others to show solidarity with the Gazans and the Palestinians here.”
Bobb said the pending arrival of Clinton and Ban, likely this evening, “could push things along.”
Israel has threatened a ground invasion of Gaza, but officials say the government is going to allow more time for diplomacy before deciding whether to cross into the Palestinian territory.
Officials say the death toll has risen to more than 100 Palestinians and three Israelis. Tuesday’s Israeli air strike hit the Islamic National Bank in Gaza City, destroying the inside of the bank and damaging the basement.
Israeli officials say their country’s “Iron Dome” defense system has intercepted hundreds of Palestinian rockets since the offensive began.
Israel began its offensive with a November 14th air strike that killed Hamas’s military leader in Gaza. It says the attack was in response to weeks of intensifying rocket fire from Gaza on southern Israeli communities.