Defense Minister Amir Peretz spoke with US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and asked that the Bush administration step up pressure on Syria to work for the release of a captured Israeli soldier Cpl. Gilad Shalit, officials said.
According to Peretz, Syria cannot evade responsibility in the matter, and “the Syrian president must use his influence on (Hamas leader in Syria) Khaled Mashaal to gain the soldier’s release.”
In a phone conversation Saturday evening following a meeting with senior defense advisers who updated him on the progress of Operation “Summer Rains,” Peretz told Rice that the failure to release the soldier was weighing heavily on the Palestinian population. He noted that Israel would take care of the humanitarian issues in Gaza.
On Wednesday, warplanes buzzed one of Syrian President Bashar Assad's palaces in a warning to him and the exiled Hamas leaders he hosts, including members of the Hamas politburo.
IDF awaiting orders in north Gaza
IDF forces are still awaiting orders to enter northern Gaza, after operations there were delayed by the political echelons.
Over the weekend IDF forces continued its air, sea and land offensive in Gaza. Egypt deployed 2,500 security forces in Rafah and they were on high alert owing to the tense situation. Israel fears Shalit’s captor may attempt to smuggle him out of the Gaza Strip, possibly over the Egyptian border.
Egyptian police commander in Rafah, Ahmad al-Masri, said that police had carried out a number of raids along the border.
Humanitarian crisis
Inside the Strip, concerns are rising over the worsening of the humanitarian crisis.
An Egyptian security official said that over 4,000 palestinians were stranded on the Egyptian side of the border after the crossings were sealed due to the situation.
According to Egyptian officer Kheiri Awad, many of the plaestinians waiting at the border came from the Gulf countries where they work during the year. Generally they return to spend the summer vacation with their families.
Associated Press contributed to the report.
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