Large forces of tanks and troops have ordered the tens of thousands of locals in the town of Beit Hanoun to stay indoors. A female Palestinian suicide bomber blew herself up near a group of Israeli soldiers involved in the latest military incursion into the area. Many regard the attack as an act of desperate resistance. Elsewhere in occupied Gaza, a 17 year-old Palestinian boy was killed and at least 4 more were injured during an Israeli air strike on the town of Jabaliya. Around 50 people, including women and children, have already died in the 6-day Israeli military offensive. A senior United Nations official, John Ging, has described the atmosphere in Beit Hanoun as one of “death, destruction and despair”. Palestinian officials have accused Israel of carrying out a “massacre”, while Israeli officials claim they are targeting militants who are firing crude rockets.

A man who would only identify himself as Mahmoud spoke with the BBC of the moment when an Israeli aircraft struck in the street outside of the house where he is raising 12 children. “I was standing talking to some neighbors, and suddenly a missile landed,” he said. “We heard a bang and then we saw a flash. We couldn’t see anything because of the dust. We thought we were dead - but we kept standing.” After the dust cleared Mahmoud saw that the blast had killed a Palestinian Authority security man. “The situation is very, very bad,” said Mahmoud. “The Israelis have destroyed Beit Hanoun - they have destroyed the infrastructure. They’ve cut the water pipes and the telephone lines. They put explosives at the doors of the houses - and then they enter on the women and children. Everybody is terrified in their homes.”

On Sunday, Pope Benedict XVI called on all sides to stop the bloodshed and to immediately resume negotiations. “I am following with deep worry the news about the grave deterioration of the situation in the Gaza Strip, and I want to express my closeness to the civilian population, which is suffering the consequences of the acts of violence,” the Pope said. The European Union presidency has issued a statement deploring “the growing number of civilian casualties the Israeli military operation has caused”. The International Red Cross also criticized Israel for killing two medical workers. Of course, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has declined to say when the operation centered on Beit Hanoun will end.

Kirstie Campbell , a spokeswoman for The World Food Program, was among the few UN aid workers allowed to bring in emergency rations and medicines. “The atmosphere was extremely stressful,” she said. “The people were asking for a lot of things. They were asking for food, for milk, and they were very worried about relatives that have been detained. You could really see that the people are suffering.” Hundreds of men have been rounded up and questioned, with some being taken away to Israel. During the last four months, Israel has launched a major military operation that has killed around 350 Palestinians, many of whom were civilians. During that same period, only 2 Israelis have been killed by Palestinian militants. The Israelis say the disproportionate suffering and death they have caused should be blamed on the groups that fire their homemade rockets into nearby Israeli towns and villages.

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