Jan 8, 2009 6:55 am US/Eastern
Gaza Protesters Throw Shoes At Bloomberg Picture
Brief Cease-Fire Does Little To Convince Anyone That A Lasting Peace Is Possible In Israel-Hamas Gaza Conflict
Reporting
Lou Young
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
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Palestinian supporters threw shoes at a picture of NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg on Jan. 7, 2009, outside the United Nations.
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The briefest of ceasefires allowed some supplies into besieged Gaza on Wednesday, but now fighting has resumed and the death toll is climbing toward 700 -- almost half of them civilians.
Officials told CBS 2 HD Wednesday night the brief pause in fighting was not much of a help. Gaza continues to bleed, they said, as Israel and Hamas continue to trade blows.
For three hours the guns and rocket launchers were silent as civilians in the besieged Palestinian enclave rushed out for supplies, stepping warily through debris-cluttered streets, crowding grocery stores, collecting the dead and saying goodbye.
The man who oversees UN relief operations said it was a small beginning.
"It's better than nothing, but it's no substitute for a proper cease fire and there's not a lot you can do with it," UN Under-Secretary John Holmes said.
Some supplies got in, but not nearly enough, CBS 2 HD was told, and when the clock ran out rockets soared skyward and shells and gunfire resumed, as did the world-wide war of words.
Wherever there is war there is propaganda. Here on the streets of New York there has been a struggle for the hearts and minds of New Yorkers. Many pro-Israeli demonstrations have been held over the last few days, but on Wednesday night there was something different -- a pro-Palestinian demonstration at City Hall Park. Both sides see this as a simple struggle when it is anything but.
"The Palestinians are David, the Israelis are Goliath and that's what Americans need to understand about what's happening in Palestine," demonstrator Michael Letwin said.
Some on Wednesday night even threw shoes at a picture of NYC Mayor Mike Bloomberg for supporting Israel's Gaza operation.
Israel's leaders say the response is appropriate. Hamas has fired 11,000 unguided missiles into Israel over eight years. Time's up, they say.
"We don't ask for any surrender, simply to stop shooting," Israeli President Shimon Peres said.
Cease-fire talks involving Israel, the Palestinian Authority and Hamas could begin in Cairo as early as Thursday as the fighting on the ground enters its sixth day.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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