The African Union (AU) condemned Monday recent attacks by Israeli forces in the northern Gaza Strip town of Beit Hanoun late last month, which had left 300 Palestinian civilians killed or injured, including children, women and elderly people.

In a statement from the AU headquarters, AU Commission Chairperson Alpha Oumar Konare "strongly condemned" the attack carried out by Israeli forces.

The pan-African body called upon the government of Israel to " immediately cease all such acts of aggression which are blatant violations of the established principles of international law and all agreements reached between the two parties, and which will undoubtedly undermine the ongoing peace process for national sovereign independence for the Palestinian state."

It urged the UN Security Council to take all required measures to stop these Israeli violations.

It also urged the parties concerned to exercise restraint so as not to jeopardize the ongoing peace efforts in the region.

The town of Beit Hanoun in the northern Gaza Strip has been under siege since last week. The Israeli army said it is trying to root out Palestinian rocket squads, who fire from Gaza into Israel.

Source: Xinhua