The Arab League (AL) on Saturday strongly condemned the Israeli offensive in northern Gaza Strip, calling on the United Nations to shoulder its responsibilities and pressurize Israel to halt such military operations at once.

AL Secretary General Amr Moussa made the condemnation during his phone conversation with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, said a statement released by the pan-Arab body.

According to the statement, the two sides, during the phone talks, probed the latest developments in the Palestinian territories and agreed on holding an urgent AL Council meeting to look at the dangerous developments following Israel's increasingly hostile policies.

The Palestinian national powers should close ranks, renounce differences and adopt a unified national stance that would take into consideration the Palestinian interests, Moussa urged in the statement.

The Israeli army has intensified its ground and air offensive on the Gaza Strip since Wednesday morning, killing at least 44 Palestinians and wounding more than 150 others.

The Israeli military explained that the aim of the offensive is to prevent Palestinian militants from launching homemade rockets at Israel.

Source: Xinhua