President Mahinda Rajapaksa has telephoned Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Sunday and conveyed Sri Lanka’s condolences to those who lost their lives in Gaza, Presidential spokesman Mohan Samaranayaka said.

The President yesterday called #Palestinian President Abbas to inquire about the situation in #Gaza & offered his condolences to lives lost, the President tweeted.

Foreign media reported that at least 166 Palestinians, mostly civilians, have been killed in Gaza in the seven days of conflict between the two sides, while more than 1,000 have been injured.

No Israelis have been killed so far, although militants in Gaza have pounded the country with nearly 700 rockets since the fighting began, with a further 170 intercepted by the Jewish state’s Iron Dome defence system. (Chaturanga Pradeep)