Tony Blair in Gaza to survey effects of summer war
Quartet envoy and former British prime minister set to meet with Palestinian and UN officials
Quartet envoy Tony Blair arrived Sunday in the Gaza Strip via the Erez border crossing, Egyptian media reported.
According to the al-Mesryoon news site, Blair’s visit to Gaza will continue for several hours, during which the former British prime minister will examine the effects of the summer’s 50-day war between Israel and Hamas. Blair is also set to meet with Palestinian unity government ministers and officials from the United Nations, the report stated.
According to preliminary UN figures, the total Palestinian death toll from the conflict was 2,205. The number of civilians among those killed has been a key issue in the highly charged battle over the dominant narrative of the operation, the third and most destructive confrontation between Israel and Hamas since 2008. Israel says that about half of those killed were Hamas and other terrorists, and blames Hamas for all civilian deaths since it based its war machine in residential areas.
The war erupted in July, after a month of escalating tensions triggered by the abduction and killing of three Israeli teens by Hamas in the West Bank, and an Israeli arrest sweep of Hamas supporters that led to renewed Gaza rocket fire on Israel.
Israel says it tried to avoid harming civilians, even as Hamas embedded weapons and fighters in residential areas in what Israel called a cynical attempt to drive up the civilian death toll for propaganda purposes. Palestinians say Israel attacked Gaza with disproportionate force and callous disregard for civilians.
Gaza terrorists fired about 4,300 rockets and mortar rounds at Israel during the war, according to the Israeli military. The barrage drove tens of thousands of Israelis from their homes to seek cover. Five civilians were killed in Israel, among them a 4-year-old boy, along with 67 soldiers.
Gaza terror groups have not released complete lists of fighters killed in the war. Israel says about 890 fighters were killed in Gaza, including 590 from Hamas, 200 from Islamic Jihad and 100 from other armed factions. UN figures, however, indicate that at least 1,483 Palestinian civilians were killed in the war.
AP contributed to this report.