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Israeli Prime Minister Vows to Continue Gaza Raids
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http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=12F9097:3919ACA More than 50
Palestinians and an Israeli soldier have been killed in almost two
weeks of Israeli military operations in Gaza Strip Israel pounded the
Gaza Strip with new air strikes Monday, as Prime Minister Ehud Olmert
defended the military offensive criticized by some other countries.







Palestinian girl wounded in Israeli missile strike is carried into
hospital in Gaza City, Sunday, July 9Palestinian officials say three
militants were killed and at least five others wounded in Israeli air
raids over Gaza City.  The Israeli military says the attack was aimed
at militants firing rockets into Israel.

Prime Minister Olmert told foreign journalists operations to force
militants to free an Israeli soldier and halt rocket fire would
continue indefinitely.  Mr. Olmert rejected mainly European criticism
of the scale of the Israeli operation, saying Israel's pullout from
Gaza in September has brought only continued violence.







Picture of Photojournalist Al Zanon of the MaanImages Agency, who was
badly injured in an Israeli missile strikeMore than 50 Palestinians
and an Israeli soldier have been killed in two weeks of clashes in the
Gaza Strip.

Hamas has warned a military escalation will not win the soldier's safe
return.

Meanwhile, the exiled political leader of Hamas says Israel must
release Palestinian prisoners it is holding if it expects to win the
release of a captured Israeli soldier.

Khaled Meshaal says the Palestinian people are united on the
prisoner-swap issue.  Speaking to reporters Monday in Damascus,
Meshaal condemned Israel's military incursion into Gaza.  He also
denounced the international community for what he said was its focus
on the captured Israeli soldier, rather than on pressuring Israel to
stop its attacks on Palestinians.

Israel has threatened to kill Meshaal, and his supporters used
elaborate security arrangements for today's news conference -- telling
reporters first to gather at one location, then using buses to
transfer the journalists to a second, secure meeting site. Some
information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.


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