Gaza: Hague 'Concerned About Loss Of Life'

British Foreign Secretary William Hague has said he is “extremely concerned” about the number of people being killed in Gaza.

His comments were made on Twitter after 15 people, including two disabled girls, were killed by Israeli airstrikes on the Palestinian territory, raising the death toll to more than 125.

Mr Hague said: “Extremely concerned about humanitarian situation and loss of life in Gaza. Speaking to President Abbas today.”

The Foreign Office confirmed the tweet and said that a fuller statement would be issued later.

Mr Hague’s statement indicates a departure from the British government’s previous position which has backed Israel’s right to launch air strikes on Gaza in response to rocket attacks by Hamas militants.

Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi warned that the conflict would cost more “innocent lives”, as he revealed that his government was in touch with both sides.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas called for a ceasefire, but added that the region needed to return to Israel’s 1967 borders.

Gaza’s health ministry said the two girl were killed in a raid that hit a disabled charity in Beit Lahiya in northern Gaza.

An Israeli military spokeswoman said she was checking on why the centre was hit by an Israeli tank shell, which injured four others including two children.

Gaza’s ruling party Hamas said Israel also struck at two mosques in its latest round of attacks.

Husam Badran, a Hamas spokesman in Doha, Qatar, said: “The bombing of two mosques in Gaza overnight shows how barbaric this enemy is and how much is it hostile to Islam.

“This terrorism gives us the right to broaden our response to deter this occupier.”

The Israeli military released a photo of the mosque strike, taken from the air, and said rockets had been concealed next to another religious site and civilian homes.

A military spokesman claimed Hamas and other Gaza militant groups regularly used the tactic of using religious sites to store weapons.

Israel has said it began the offensive on Tuesday in response to weeks of rocket attacks from Palestinian militants in Gaza, who are understood to have fired some 600 missiles into the country.

So far there have been no deaths on the Israeli side, partly because of their new rocket-defence system that has blocked more than 130 incoming rockets.

Meanwhile, clashes erupted between at least 100 Palestinian protesters and Israeli soldiers in Bethlehem.              

The protesters threw petrol bombs and stones at the soldiers to express their anger at Israel’s strikes against Gaza.

Gaza: Hague 'Concerned About Loss Of Life'