TEHRAN, January 21 (RIA Novosti) - The Iranian
foreign minister on Wednesday accused Israel's leadership of
committing war crimes in the Gaza Strip.
"[Prime Minister] Ehud Olmert, [Defense Minister] Ehud
Barak and [Foreign Minister] Tzipi Livni, - this triangle led
the invasion of the Gaza Strip and it is known for certain that
they are military criminals," Manouchehr Mottaki was quoted by
Iranian media as saying.
Israel said it completed its troop pullout from Gaza on
Wednesday, more than three weeks after the start of its assault
on the coastal enclave. Israeli troops remain deployed near the
Gaza border in case of any possible militant attack.
Israel launched its attack on December 27, targeting Hamas
infrastructure in a bid to put an end to rocket attacks by
Palestinian militants on Israeli border towns. The military
operation left over 1,300 Palestinians and nine Israeli
servicemen dead. Up to 50,000 people have been left homeless in
the enclave.
Israel and Hamas each declared unilateral ceasefires on
Sunday. Both sides have already accused each other of ceasefire
violations. Israel reported mortar shelling of its border
regions, while Hamas said two farmers had been killed by
Israeli troops.
The Iranian health minister said Wednesday Iran is ready
to send two aircraft with medical equipment to Gaza as
assistance to those injured in the Israeli operation.
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