India backs ‘the just Palestine cause’ as airstrikes intensify

Rescue teams inspect the damage outside a building which received a direct hit by rockets from Gaza Strip, in the Israeli city of Ashdod. Pic/AFP

The Israeli military unleashed a wave of heavy airstrikes on the Gaza Strip early on Monday, saying it destroyed 15 kilometres (nine miles) of militant tunnels and the homes of nine Hamas commanders.

Residents of Gaza awakened by the overnight barrage described it as the heaviest since the war began a week ago, and even more powerful than a wave of airstrikes in Gaza City the day before that left 42 dead and flattened three buildings.

There was no immediate word on the casualties from the latest strikes. A three-story building in Gaza City was heavily damaged, but residents said the military warned them 10 minutes before the strike and everyone cleared out. They said many of the airstrikes hit nearby farmland. Gaza's mayor, Yahya Sarraj, told Al-Jazeera TV that the strikes had caused extensive damage to roads and other infrastructure.

"If the aggression continues we expect conditions to become worse," he said. The UN has warned that the territory's sole power station is at risk of running out of fuel, and Sarraj said Gaza was also low on spare parts. Gaza already experiences daily power outages for between eight and 12 hours and tap water is undrinkable.

Meanwhile, India called for immediate de-escalation of the situation at a UN Security Council meeting, where India's Permanent Representative to the UN, TS Tirumurti asked the two nations to resume direct dialogue and said New Delhi supports the two-state solution. "I reiterate India's strong support to the just Palestinian cause and its unwavering commitment to the two-state solution," he said.

‘Don't block efforts to end bloodshed'
China renewed calls for the US to play a constructive role in ending the conflict in Gaza and stop blocking efforts at the United Nations to demand an end to the bloodshed. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said China has urged a ceasefire and the provision of humanitarian assistance.

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