LONDON, Oct 13 (AFP) - British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw condemned Wednesday the death toll from Israel's massive military push in the Gaza Strip, saying it was failing to meet obligations to civilians under international law.
For the second time in a week, Straw expressed his concern at the operation, which has claimed the lives of 116 Palestinians since it began at the end of last month.
In a statement released by the Foreign Office, Straw said he recognised that the military action was in response to Qassam rocket attacks by Palestinian militants on Israeli targets, and that "Israel has the right to defend itself".
However the death toll had been great, including many children, Straw noted.
"In one tragic case ... a Palestinian schoolgirl was shot 20 times on her way to school," Straw said, referring to an incident last week when an Israeli officer allegedly fired multiple shots at a 13-year-old who had already been hit by gunfire.
Straw said he was "concerned" about difficulties faced by aid agencies.
"Any blockages in these supplies will only worsen the already desperate living conditions of many of the people of Gaza," he said.
"The UK unreservedly condemns all acts of terrorism including the firing of Qassam rockets.
"But Israel has an obligation under international law to ensure that its response to terrorism is proportionate to the threat it faces, as well as a duty to avoid innocent civilian casualties and humanitarian suffering. It is not meeting those obligations."
Speaking earlier Wednesday in parliament, Prime Minister Tony Blair pledged to make Middle East peace a "personal priority", but warned that little progress was likely before next month's US presidential election.
"There is huge suffering on the Palestinian side, there are also wholly unacceptable acts of terrorism that kill innocent Israeli citizens," he said.
"I think the reality is that it will be after the presidential election in the next few weeks that we can make progress."