U.N. Condemns Gaza Rocket Attack

The United Nations on Tuesday condemned the firing of a rocket from Gaza into Israel which it said had broken the longest ceasefire between the two sides in recent years.

Gaza militants fired the rocket in what they said was a response to the death of a Palestinian prisoner in an Israeli jail at the weekend. There are mounting international fears that serious new unrest could erupt in the Palestinian territories.

"This was the longest period without projectiles fired from Gaza in recent years, and both sides should work to consolidate the calm that prevailed before today," U.N. political chief Jeffrey Feltman told a U.N. Security Council meeting on the Middle East.

He said the U.N. was "deeply troubled" by the rocket attack, which was the first since an Egyptian-brokered ceasefire ended a showdown between Gaza and Israeli forces in November.

But Feltman also stressed U.N. demands for an independent investigation into the death of Palestinian prisoner, Arafat Jaradat, and concerns over four other Palestinians on hunger strike in Israeli jails.

Feltman said the international community must reinvigorate efforts to revive Israel-Palestinian peace talks. But he also detailed increasing Israeli pressure on Palestinians.

He said that Israeli forces demolished at least 139 Palestinian-owned structures in occupied East Jerusalem and the West Bank in January. "This is the highest number of such demolitions in a single month in over two years," he said.