Israel court hears petition

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Source: CCTV.com | 01-16-2009 14:31

The Israeli Supreme Court has ordered a hearing of two urgent petitions put forward by human rights groups. The petitions call for immediate humanitarian action in Gaza.

Palestinian relatives of a Hamas fighter mourn after he  was killed by an Israeli air strike. World leaders  expressed mounting concern about the humanitarian  impact of Israel's massive offensive on the Gaza Strip,  as diplomatic efforts to bring an end to the conflict  went into overdrive.(AFP/Said Khatib)

The supreme court's decision was made after receiving a counter-argument from the Israeli government on Tuesday.

The Israeli government maintains that it's doing enough to protect civilian lives in Gaza. But the two petitions demand that the Israeli military refrains from attacking medical teams in Gaza and permits the evacuation of the wounded.

They also urge the Israeli government to supply fuel and electricity to run Gaza's hospitals, water wells and sewage pumps, and permit technicians to fix the crumbling infrastructure.

Editor:Zhang Yun