Ramallah, July 10 (RHC)-- The President of the Palestinian National Unity government, Mahmoud Abbas, has accused Israel of committing genocide in the besieged Gaza Strip. On Wednesday, Abbas said: "It's genocide. The killing of entire families is genocide by Israel against our Palestinian people."

The Palestinian leader said that "Israel is not defending itself, it is defending settlements, its main project." The accusation by Abbas came after Israel stepped up its aggressions against Gaza.

Also on Wednesday, the national unity government said in a statement that “the Palestinian people have the right to defend themselves against savage aggression [by Israel] using all means guaranteed by international conventions to people under occupation.”

At least 70 people have been killed and many others, including women and children, wounded by the new wave of Israeli aggression. Israel’s military spokesman General Moti Almoz said on Wednesday that “a total of about 430 targets” had been attacked over the past two days.