(Adds Britain) Dec. 28 - Israel destroyed Hamas's main Gaza security complex in an air strike on Sunday and prepared for a possible invasion of the territory after killing more than 280 Palestinians in the first 24 hours of a powerful offensive. Here is the latest reaction to the violence: U.N. SECURITY COUNCIL Croatia's Neven Jurica, council president: "The members of the Security Council expressed serious concern at the escalation of the situation in Gaza and called for an immediate halt to all violence." PALESTINIAN PRESIDENT MAHMOUD ABBAS "We talked to them (Hamas) and we told them 'please, we ask you, do not end the truce. Let the truce continue and not stop' so that we could have avoided what happened." IRAN Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei: "All Palestinian combatants and all the Islamic world's pious people are obliged to defend the defenceless women, children and people in Gaza in any way possible. Whoever is killed in this legitimate defence is considered a martyr," FRANCE Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner: ""This is a tragic episode. It takes place at a time when there is a power vacuum in Israel and the United States ... France and Europe must work to obtain rapidly an end to the firing of rockets, an end to the bombings of retaliation and the opening of doors in Gaza ... Europeans have a role to play." BRITAIN Foreign Secretary David Miliband: "The rise in rocket attacks on Israel since 19 December, and yesterday's massive loss of life, make this a dangerous moment which should be of concern to the whole of the international community." "The UK supports an urgent ceasefire and immediate halt to all violence." POPE BENEDICT "The native land of Jesus cannot continue to be witness to so much bloodshed, repeating itself without end. I implore an end to that violence, which must be condemned in every manifestation and for a renewal of the truce in the Gaza Strip." CHINA Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang in a statement posted on the ministry's website: "China expresses serious concern about the escalation of the tense situation in Gaza, denounces actions that cause injuries and deaths to ordinary people, opposes the use of military force in resolving disputes, appeals to related parties to exercise maximum restraint and to settle differences through dialogue." INDONESIA Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesman Teuku Faizasyah: "The Indonesian government condemns the attack and calls for Israel to end the use of violence in the Gaza Strip because this will prompt new tensions..." INDIA A statement posted on the Foreign Ministry website: "While India is aware of the immediate cross-border provocations resulting from rocket attacks particularly against targets in southern Israel, it urges an immediate end to the use of force against Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip that has resulted in large numbers of casualties." AUSTRALIA Deputy Prime Minister Julia Gillard: "Clearly, we are calling on Hamas and other militants to cease shelling southern Israel. Obviously they have broken the ceasefire and engaged in an act of aggression against Israel. Israel has responded. We are echoing the calls from around the world for parties to move back to a ceasefire." JAPAN Foreign Ministry statement: "Japan will continue to support ... efforts towards the promotion of the Middle East Peace Process, and will continue its assistance to the Palestinian people, including for Gaza residents."TURKEYTurkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan:"It will be more difficult to carry out Israel-Palestine peace talks healthily in 2009 under these circumstances. (Israel) might aim to weaken Hamas with the operation in Gaza. We do not share this view. Many people, some groups in the Muslim world who see this tragedy in Gaza will feel more sympathy for Hamas because they are the victims now." (Editing by Andrew Dobbie)
A relative of Palestinian Arafat Khawaja reacts after his body was brought to the hospital morgue in the West Bank city of Ramallah December 28, 2008. Protesters burned Israeli and American ...
Israel
