Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Sunday his country will continue to carry out military operation in the Gaza Strip, rejecting a ceasefire proposal by the Palestinians and ignoring criticism of international community. In order to free a kidnapped soldier and halt rocket firing by Palestinian militants, there would be no timetable for the ongoing Israeli military operation in the Gaza Strip, Olmert said at a cabinet meeting on Sunday.

"This is a war and it can't be assigned a timetable," Olmert said.

Olmert also reiterated Israel's stance, refusing to negotiate with Palestinian militants who took 19-year-old Gilad Shalit hostage, saying that negotiating with the kidnappers would only encourage future abductions.

On Saturday, Palestinian Prime Minister and senior Hamas leader Ismail Haneya called on both Palestinian militants and Israel to restore calm on the basis of a mutual ceasefire, calling for a negotiated solution to securing the release of the abducted Israeli soldier.

Israel, however, rebuffed the ceasefire offer, insisting on the unconditional release of the kidnapped Shalit and a halt to the Palestinian militants' rocket firing.

Palestinian militant groups taking Shalit hostage have demanded Israel release Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails in exchange for Shalit.

During the cabinet meeting, Israeli Defense Minister Amir Peretz said: "The army is operating in a gradual and planned manner, to increase pressure on the militants in an effort to free Shalit without any preconditions."

Peretz said that the operations would focus on targeting rocket launch sites and areas in which cross-border tunnels may have been dug by Palestinian militants.

According to Israeli army sources, about 20 Palestinians were killed over the weekend during Israeli military operations in the Gaza Strip, increasing the death toll of the Palestinians to about 50 since Israel launched the "Summer Rain" offensive on June 28.

In addition, Israeli airstrikes have damaged the only power plant in the Gaza Strip and key infrastructure including roads, bridges and main water and electricity supply lines.

The deteriorating situation in the Gaza Strip has drawn concerns and criticism of the international community.

The United Nations agencies warned on Saturday that the situation in the Gaza Strip is alarming, and blamed Israel for a humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

The UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) believed that the Gaza Strip is on the brink of a public health disaster.

"Since the strike on Gaza's only power plant on June 28, the entire strip is without electricity for between 12 and 18 hours every day," it said in a statement.

Meanwhile, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned that the public health system in the Gaza Strip is facing an unprecedented crisis.

The WHO estimated that the current stock of fuel will last for a maximum of two weeks, and those generators which are being used by hospitals were intended for backup purposes and the malfunctioning of these generators will have grave consequences.

The World Food Program (WFP) estimated that in June, 70 percent of the Gaza population were already unable to cover their daily food needs without assistance, while the escalation of hostilities has made food an increasingly critical issue.

U.S. Consul General in Jerusalem Jacob Walles said on Sunday Washington hoped to secure the release of the abducted Israeli soldier, while voicing concerns about the humanitarian situation in the Palestinian territories and the ongoing Israeli Gaza military operation.

"We are also concerned about the Palestinian civilians and their living conditions in addition to the strained security conditions in the Gaza Strip," he said in the West Bank city of Ramallah after a meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

In addition, Arab countries have decided to push the UN Security Council to adopt a resolution urging Israel to halt military operations in the Gaza Strip.

The Arab League (AL) has asked ambassadors of Arab countries to the United Nations to draft a resolution to be submitted to the Security Council, the Palestinian Foreign Ministry said on Sunday in a statement.

However, Olmert and his ministers have ignored the international reaction, describing their operations in Gaza as unblamable.

Cabinet minister Yitzhak Herzog said: "Anybody who calls this operation disproportionate has no clue about the facts on the ground. We have been attacked and bombarded for months and weeks."

"With all due respect to all those who criticize us, if anything of this nature had happened in their homeland, they would have acted much worse," the minister said.

Source: Xinhua