Indonesia condemns Israeli attacks on civilians in Gaza

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Indonesia has condemned Israeli attacks on Gaza, Palestine, that killed at least 34 civilians and Islamic Jihad commander.

"Indonesia calls for de-escalation," Teuku Faizasyah, acting spokesman of the Foreign Affairs Ministry said in a short message to Antara on Sunday.

A ceasefire had been agreed between Israel and the Palestinian armed group after two days of fighting in Gaza that began after Israel killed a top Islamic Jihad commander in an air raid.

Indonesia believed that the ceasefire was part of efforts to ease tension.

"This is expected to stop attack on civilians, which is unacceptable on whatever grounds," he said.

AlJazeera reported on Nov 15 that Gaza medical officials have put the death toll from the two days of fighting at 34, almost half of them Palestinians civilians and including eight children and three women. Islamic Jihad spokesman Musab al-Braim told Al Jazeera that his group had secured concessions from Israel.

"The deal included the occupation's submission to conditions which is to stop the assassinations, particularly of the protesters in the March of Return demonstrations and to begin practically the procedures to break the siege," he said.

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The Great March of Return, a series of weekly protests, began in March 2018 call for an end to the 12-year-old land and air siege that is crippling Gaza.

Since then, 313 Palestinian protesters have been killed by Israeli fire and thousands more wounded, according to the health ministry. Eight Israelis have been killed over the same period.

United Nations envoy Nickolay Mladenov arrived in Cairo on Wednesday afternoon, airport officials said, following reports he was to hold talks aimed at halting the fighting.

The UN and Egypt have been instrumental in mediating previous ceasefires between Israel and Gaza-based armed groups.

The renewed tensions have increased concern of a new all-out conflict between Israel and Palestinian factions in Gaza, which has seen three major Israeli military operations in the past decade. Mladenov said the Gaza situation remained fragile, tweeting: "All must show maximum restraint and do their part to prevent bloodshed."

Gaza has been under a joint Israeli-Egyptian blockade for more than a decade, which has severely curtailed freedom of movement for its two million people. The flow of goods and services, as well as medical supplies, has also been squeezed in the crippling siege.

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