The Israeli army reportedly shelled eastern Gaza City during the prayers
Two Palestinian girls dance while celebrating the First day of Eid al-Fitr in a United Nations school where dozens of families have sought refuge after fleeing their home in fear of Israeli airstrikes, in Jabaliya refugee camp, northern Gaza Strip,
Islamabad: Thousands of Palestinians in the embattled Gaza strip showed up early on Monday to offer Eid al-Fitr prayers in defiance of an ongoing Israeli onslaught against the blockaded enclave.
Worshippers flocked to the strip's mosques for the special prayers, which started 6:25 am local time (3:25 am GMT), marking the start of the Islamic holiday, Anadolu news agency reported.
Worshippers flocked to the strip's mosques for the special prayers. (Photo: AP)
Relatives pause as they prepare the grave for their loved one, who
died of natural causes, at a cemetery in Gaza City, in the northern
Gaza Strip, Monday. (Photo: AP)
However, many Palestinians living near the border areas where Israeli troops took positions could not perform the prayers over fears of fresh Israeli attacks. The Israeli army reportedly shelled eastern Gaza City during the prayers, but no casualties were reported. Children were noticeably absent from the scene as their parents opted not to take their sons and daughters to the mosques for the prayers.
A Palestinian woman visits the graves of relatives marking the first
day of Eid al-Fitr in a cemetery in Jabaliya refugee camp, northern
Gaza Strip, Monday. (Photo: AP)
Prayers were also confined mainly to mosques as organizers did not have the chance to prepare open areas that used to accommodate thousands of worshippers who usually gather to perform Eid prayers. The Palestinian authorities said that around 70 mosques were not open for the prayers because they were damaged in the ongoing Israeli military offensive.
Gaza massacre dominates Turkish leaders Eid greeting
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, center, President
Abdullah Gul left. (Photo: AP)
Turkish President Abdullah Gül and PM Erdo?an issued their messages for Eid al-Fitr, in which both leaders condemned the Israeli agression on Gaza as the death toll exceeded 1,050 during the last days of Ramadan.
President Abdullah Gül issued his last message as Turkish President and wished the nation and all Muslims world-wide a happy and prosperous Eid al-Fitr.
Gül focused on the fighting in Gaza and Syria and said that all Muslims welcomed Eid al-Fitr with “sorrowful hearts,” as Muslims were entering days of celebration in a time of despair and pain. “We are faced with a heart-wrenching picture in the Islamic world, particularly in Gaza, Iraq and Syria, because of all the pain suffered, blood and tears shed.”
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdo?an praised the Turkish people for extending a helping hand to people suffering in flashpoint areas like Syria, Gaza, Tel Afar and East Turkmenistan during Ramadan. “Our mighty nation wants tranquility, peace, justice and democracy in its region just as it wishes for these for our country. Erdo?an said in his message celebrating Eid al-Fitr.
UN Security Council calls for Gaza cease-fire
Palestinian U.N. Ambassador Riyad Mansour, center, speaks following
a meeting of the U.N. Security Council on the worsening situation
in Gaza at United Nations headquarters, Monday. (Photo: AP)
in Gaza at United Nations headquarters, Monday. (Photo: AP)
The U.N. Security Council called for "an immediate and unconditional humanitarian cease-fire" in the Gaza war between Israel and Hamas at an emergency meeting just after midnight (0400 GMT) Monday morning.
The council met as Muslims started celebrating the Eid al-Fitr holiday marking the end of the fasting month of Ramadan.
The pressure for a cease-fire followed new attacks launched by Israel and Hamas on Sunday despite back-and-forth over proposals for another temporary halt to nearly three weeks of fighting. A 12-hour lull Saturday, agreed to by both sides following intense U.S. and United Nations mediation efforts, could not be sustained.
The Security Council urged Israel and Hamas "to accept and fully implement the humanitarian cease-fire into the Eid period and beyond." It said this would allow for the delivery of urgently needed assistance.
The council's presidential statement also called on the parties "to engage in efforts to achieve a durable and fully respected cease-fire, based on the Egyptian initiative."
Palestinian U.N. Ambassador Riyad Mansour, center, shakes hands
with a representative of France during a meeting of the U.N. Security
Council on the worsening situation in Gaza at United Nations
headquarters, on Monday. (Photo: AP)
The 20-day war has killed more than 1,030 Palestinians, mainly civilians, according to the Palestinian health ministry. Israel has lost 43 soldiers, as well as two Israeli civilians and a Thai worker killed by rocket and mortar attacks from Gaza, according to the Israeli military.
The Palestinians and the Israelis both criticized the statement adopted by the council.
Palestinian U.N. Ambassador Riyad Mansour said the council should have adopted a strong and legally binding resolution a long time ago demanding an immediate halt to Israel's "aggression," providing the Palestinian people with protection and lifting the siege in the Gaza Strip so goods and people can move freely.
Nonetheless, Mansour expressed hope that Israel will "honor and respect" a new humanitarian cease-fire which the Palestinians hope will last "for a long time" so all outstanding issues can be addressed, especially the siege.
"You cannot keep 1.8 million Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip in this huge prison," he told reporters. "That is a recipe for disaster, It is inhumane, and it has to be stopped and it has to be lifted."
Israel's U.N. Ambassador Ron Prosor said the presidential statement didn't mention Hamas or the firing of rockets into Israel or Israel's right to defend itself.
He sidestepped several questions on whether Israel would accept a new humanitarian cease-fire, but stressed that it had agreed to five cease-fires since the conflict began.
"Every single time the international community called for a cease-fire, we ceased and Hamas fired," he said.
Prosor directed his statement to countries that give money to the Palestinians in Gaza, saying, "Your tax dollars are not being used towards education, civil services or development - they are being used to develop a terrorist stronghold."
The Security Council is often deeply divided on Israeli-Palestinian issues, with the United States, Israel's most important ally, often blocking or using its veto on statements and resolutions pressed by the Palestinians and their supporters.
Rwanda, the current council president, announced agreement on the presidential statement Sunday night and called an immediate, and rare, emergency meeting at midnight to approve it. The statement was drafted by Jordan, the Arab representative on the U.N.'s most powerful body.
Jordan's deputy U.N. ambassador Mahmoud Hmoud said the presidential statement was the first Security Council document on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict since January 2009, when the council called for an immediate cease-fire and withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza after another conflict with Hamas.
Presidential statements become part of the council's official record and must be approved at a council meeting. They are a step below Security Council resolutions, but unlike resolutions they require approval of all 15 members.
The statement never names either Israel or Hamas. Instead, it expresses "grave concern regarding the deterioration in the situation as a result of the crisis related to Gaza and the loss of civilian lives and casualties."
The presidential statement also commends efforts by U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry to achieve a cease-fire. Ban is scheduled to address U.N. correspondents on Monday morning on his mission.
In the longer term, the statement urges the parties and the international community to achieve a comprehensive peace based on the vision of two democratic states, Israel and Palestine, living side-by-side in peace "with secure and recognized borders.
Watch Video: State of Palestine: Gaza devastated and in ruins
( Source : AP )
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