CRI听力:Israel Continues with Military Operation despite Int'l Pressure

Despite the rising number of casualties on both sides, on top of a rising international call for a ceasefire, Israeli officials are showing no signs of backing away from the military offensive currently underway in the Gaza Strip.

CRI's Qi Zhi has more.

With the Israeli military operation in the Gaza Strip continuing to expand, the situation in the coastal enclave is said to be becoming more and more difficult.

Cecilia Goin is a spokesperson for the Red Cross in Gaza.

"The number of people wounded and killed is increasing. There is a lot of pressure on the medical system. There are hundreds of thousands of people who are displaced. They are afraid. They are completely stressed. They are in panic. The civilians, those people who are not taking part in the hostility, they should be respected by both sides, by the Hamas authorities as well as the Israeli authorities."

Since the offensive began over 2-weeks ago, more than 100-thousand in Gaza have fled their homes.

Most of them have been forced to seek shelter in the 69 schools run by the UN's Relief and Works Agency in the Palestinian enclave.

As the fighting intensifies, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has visited Tel Aviv and Ramallah in an attempt to broker a ceasefire.

"My message to Israelis and Palestinians is the same: Stop fighting. Start talking. And take on the root causes of the conflict, so we are not back to the same situation in another six months or a year. We must address these underlying issues - including mutual recognition, occupation, despair and the denial of dignity - so people do not feel they have to resort to violence as a means of expressing their grievances."

Despite the push by both Ban Ki-moon and US Secretary of State John Kerry to get the two sides talking, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu remains steadfast.

He says Israel is doing what any other country in the world would do while its civilians are being targeted.

"We did not seek this escalation. We have made every effort and will continue to make every effort to avoid civilian casualties. I think the people of Gaza are the victims of the brutal Hamas regime. They are holding them hostage and they are hiding behind them. It is the right of every state to defend itself. And Israel will continue to do what it needs to do to defend its people. This is not only our right; this is our duty."

Despite the Israeli offensive, rocket fire from Gaza into Israeli territory is still continuing.

A rocket fired from Gaza hit just a mile away from Ben Gurion International airport outside Tel Aviv on Tuesday.

This has prompted the US Federal Aviation Administration to ban all flights into Israel for the next 24-hours.

Several European airlines have also followed suit.

For CRI, I'm Qizhi.

For more on the situation in Gaza, CRI's Shane Bigham spoke earlier with Professor Li Guofu, Director of the Center for Middle East Studies at the China Institute of International Studies.