Annan deplores Hamas attack and Israeli destruction of houses in Gaza

Reacting to the latest series of violent incidents in the Middle East, Secretary-General Kofi Annan today deplored an attack by Hamas inside Israel as well as the destruction of Palestinian houses in the Gaza Strip by the Israeli Defence Force.

A spokesman for the Secretary-General said in a statement that Mr. Annan "very much regrets" the 9 January Hamas attack, which followed a period during which the security situation had begun to stabilize.

"The Secretary-General calls on the parties not to be deterred by this act of violence, which he deplores, from continuing efforts to resume security cooperation and implement the Tenet Plan and Mitchell recommendations," said spokesman Fred Eckhard, referring to the ceasefire agreement brokered by United States Central Intelligence Chief George Tenet and the proposals put forward by a committee headed by former US Senator George Mitchell.

"At the same time, the Secretary-General deplores the most recent action by the Israeli Defence Force in the Gaza Strip where dozens of Palestinian houses, as well the air strip, have been destroyed," Mr. Eckhard said. "Such collective punishment is in violation of the Geneva Conventions."