Arab FMs to discuss Gaza aggression on Monday

Arab foreign ministers are scheduled to meet on Monday to discuss the latest Israeli aggressions on the Gaza Strip, according to a senior Palestinian official.

"After contacts between Arab League Secretary General Nabil al-Arabi and several Arab foreign ministers, it was decided to hold a meeting of the Arab League Foreign Ministerial Council on Monday," the official said late Friday, requesting anonymity.

"The meeting will discuss the ongoing Israeli airstrikes on Gaza and the need for international pressure on Israel," he added.

The top diplomats, according to the official, will also discuss Arab financial support for the people of Gaza.

At least 121 Palestinians, mostly civilians, have been killed in Israeli strikes on the Gaza Strip since late Monday. More than 904 Palestinians have also been wounded in the aerial attacks.

Al-Arabi had earlier phoned Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and told him about the Arab ministerial meeting but without setting a date for it, according to the Palestinian WAFA news agency.

Israel has launched a military offensive - dubbed "Operation Protective Edge" - with the stated aim of staunching rocket fire from Gaza.

It has continued to pound the territory with airstrikes, while ground troops remain massed on the Gaza Strip's borders in advance of a possible ground assault.

Gaza-based resistance factions, meanwhile, have continued to fire rockets into Israel in response to the unrelenting airstrikes.

They have fired more than 600 rockets since Monday, according to security sources.