Syria condemns Israel 'atrocities' in Gaza

DAMASCUS (AFP) - Syria condemned Israel's "atrocities" in the Gaza Strip where a series of air raids on Wednesday killed the Hamas military chief and at least six other Palestinians, calling for action from the international community.

"The Syrian government condemns the heinous atrocities committed by the enemy Israeli army against the Arab Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip," it said in a statement carried by the official news agency Sana.

It urged the international community to "pressure Israel to stop the sinful aggression on our people in the defiant Gaza Strip."

The government's statement came after a wave of Israeli air strikes pounded targets in the Gaza Strip, with top Hamas commander Ahmed Jaabari and two children among those killed.