Obama 'deeply concerned' over Gaza

George Bush has repeatedly blamed Hamas for the crisis in Gaza [Reuters] Barack Obama, the US president-elect, has said he is "deeply concerned" over the number of civilian casualities in Gaza and Israel during the conflict there. Earlier on Tuesday, the Bush administration had called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza but again insisted that it be durable. Dana Perino, a White House spokeswoman, said the US backed Israel's Gaza offensive but urged it to be "very cautious when it comes to civilian casualties". "We want it to be kept to a minimum," she said on Tuesday. The Palestinian death toll in the Israeli offensive continued to rise sharply with at least 75 killed on Tuesday, including at least 30 people sheltering in a UN school. At least 640 Palestinians have been killed since Israel began its assault on Gaza more than one week ago. When asked how quickly the US wants to see a ceasefire in place, she said, "We would like it as soon as possible but it has to be something that is durable." Perino denied that the call for an immediate ceasefire was a shift in the US position, which has backed Israel's decision to attack Gaza in what it says is a move to stop rocketfire by Palestinian fighters targeting southern Israel. UN diplomacy Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president, is set to address the UN Security Council in New York in attempt to persuade the world body to take action over the crisis in Gaza. Condoleezza Rice, the US secretary of state, would attend the Security Council meeting and hold talks with Abbas and Arab foreign ministers, the state department said. Bernard Kouchner, the French foreign minister whose country holds the rotating presidency of the 15-member body, was to chair Tuesday's meeting, France's UN Ambassador said. UN sources said on Monday the proposed new resolution would have three main points: A demand for an immediate ceasefire, the formation of some sort of "humanitarian corridor" for much-needed aid and a form of "monitoring mechanism" for the ceasefire. On Monday, Palestinian, Egyptian and other ministers met Ban Ki-moon, the UN secretary-general in attempt to secure UN backing for a ceasefire in Gaza. Last week, the US blocked a Libyan-backed proposal for the UN to call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza last weekend. Source: Agencies