Israel appeals world organ to oversee Gaza rehabilitation

Israeli President Reuven Rivlin on Wednesday called upon the international community to establish a body to oversee rehabilitation in the Gaza Strip.

"I call on all the nations of the world to come and see how we can formulate an international initiative which will improve the lives and conditions of the residents of Gaza," the president said, according to a statement from his office.

Rivlin said the rehabilitation of Gaza is "in our interest," adding that a rehabilitation initiative must take into account "the non-negotiable condition that Gaza will not be used as a front to attack Israel at any given moment."

Visiting a military post in northern Israel, the president said Israel will "continue to respond promptly and firmly" to rocket attacks. "It is important to remember that as long as Hamas rules Gaza, its residents will continue to suffer the consequences of such disturbances."

On Tuesday night, a rocket fired from Gaza landed in the Israeli community of Gan Yavne, some 56 km west of Jerusalem, while Israeli Air Force struck four targets in the Gaza Strip in response to the rocket overnight. No injuries were reported in both incidents. Enditem