By IRNA
New York : United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Sunday condemned Israeli violence against civilians living in Gaza.
Addressing the Security Council, he condemned Israeli indiscriminate bombardment of Gaza Strip residential areas.
He said that Israel has made “disproportionate and excessive use of force against civilians.
The international community mounted pressure on the Security Council to begin emergency talks on what the member states describe as Israeli systematic genocide against Palestinians.
Israeli air raids on Gaza Strip on Saturday killed 60 Palestinians including eight infants and wounded 100.
Local doctors said that majority of those killed on Saturday were civilians.
More than 150 Palestinians, and seven Israelis, were also injured on a day that saw both Israeli air and ground assaults and new rocket attacks on Israel.
Israeli deputy defense minister Matan Vilnai admitted that Israel carried out “shoah”, a word in Hebrew – a big disaster – Holocaust, in Gaza.
“While recognizing Israel’s right to defend itself, I condemn the disproportionate and excessive use of force that has killed and injured so many civilians, including children,” Ban said.
“I call on Israel to cease such attacks.
“I condemn Palestinian rocket attacks and call for the immediate cessation.”
Palestinian representative Riyad Mansour accused the international community of an “unjustifiable and unacceptable” silence on events in Gaza.
Iran called on the International Criminal Court (ICC) to bring to justice Israeli leaders for committing war crimes in Gaza on March 1.
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Saturday night that the ICC is responsible to make case against Tel Aviv leaders for committing war crimes against civilians living in Gaza Strip.