TUNIS - Tunisia's president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza in his New Year's message on Wednesday.
Ben Ali's remarks come after Israel bombed the Gaza Strip for a fifth consecutive day in a campaign that has so far killed nearly 400 Palestinians and wounded almost 2000.
"The violent, savage aggression which has taken place for the past few days ...should encourage the world's conscience to act vigorously," the Tunisian president said, calling for the strikes to stop immediately and the blockade of Gaza to be lifted.
Ben Ali said Tunisia wanted a peaceful resolution to the conflict and called on "influential international parties" to help end the violence without delay.
At least 25 percent of an estimated 393 people killed in the Israeli bombardment have been civilians, according to the United Nations.
The intensive bombing has reduced much of Hamas's administrative infrastructure to rubble but has failed to stop rocket fire into Israel.
For their part, Gaza militants have fired more than 250 rockets and mortar shells at Israel since the start of the onslaught, killing three civilians and one soldier and wounding several dozen people.