US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice says it is "hard" for Israeli troops to spare civilian lives in the densely-populated Gaza Strip.

Rice justifies Israeli killing of civilians

The Israeli security cabinet decided on Friday to intensify the military campaign in the Gaza Strip, despite a UNSC resolution calling for an immediate end to the crisis. "It is very difficult in circumstances like Gaza, which is a very densely populated area," Rice told reporters on Friday when asked if Israel is living up to its humanitarian obligations during its massive military offensive in the beleaguered sliver. During its now two-week military campaign, at least 783 Palestinians have been killed and thousands others have been injured. To date there are 783 fatalities and 3,300 casualties, the vast majority of whom are ordinary civilians with at least 215 of the deaths being that of children.. On Friday, the Israel cabinet rejected a UN Security Council Resolution 1860 which calls for an immediate halt to the ongoing onslaught against Gaza. UN aid agencies and the Red Cross have halted their activities in the impoverished strip after Israeli forces targeted a number of humanitarian convoys in the region. MD/HGH

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