Arab leaders meet on Gaza as Israel presses offensive

Israeli diplomatic-security cabinet was scheduled to meet Friday to vote on the Egyptian offer, but it has decided to put off the debate until Gilad returns from Cairo with the latest information.

Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa (R) and Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Prince Saud bin al-Faisal attend a press conference after the meeting of Arab foreign ministers in Kuwait City, Kuwait, on Jan. 16, 2009. Arab foreign ministers held an emergency meeting here on Friday, with the situation in the Gaza Strip  under unprecedented Israeli attacks topping the agenda. (Xinhua/Noufal Ibrahim)

The Israeli air and ground offensive on Gaza continued Friday, with at least eight Palestinians killed in fresh attacks. That brought the death toll to more than 1,140 since the assault on Gaza began on Dec. 27, and some 5150 others were wounded, local Palestinian medical sources and witnesses said.

Meanwhile, Israeli tanks are advancing toward the south of Netzarim, approaching the newly-built city of Alzahra, witnesses said.

Palestinian National Authority chairman Mahmoud Abbas said Friday in the West Bank city of Ramallah that at this moment the main goal is to end bloodshed and destruction in Gaza.

"We should exert efforts on achieving the ceasefire" as soon as possible, otherwise, more casualties and destruction are unavoidable, Abbas said.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said during a visit to Ramallah Friday that casualties and the humanitarian situation in Gaza are "unbearable" and called on for an immediate halt to the fighting.

The UN chief said there was "no time to lose" for an immediate halt to the military operations in Gaza.

Ban arrived in Turkey later in the day and is scheduled to meet with Turkish President Abdullah Gul and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan to discuss the ongoing Israeli offensive against Gaza, a UN information official told Xinhua.

Editor:Zhang Pengfei