A Brazilian Air Force plane will leave Friday with 14 tons of food and medicine for the people in the Gaza Strip, the Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday.

The ministry said that Brazil is sending the aid to Gaza at the request of the Special Palestinian Delegation in Brazil.

The plane was expected to arrive in Jordan on Sunday and the food and medicine would be transported to Gaza by the United Nations and Jordanian charity organizations.

The Israeli offensive that began December 27 in retaliation for Hamas rocket attacks on Israel has killed more than 600 Palestinians and injured more than 2,700. Ten Israelis have died in the conflict.

Foreign Minister Celso Amorim called the Israeli military action a "disproportional" answer to the rocket attacks. Marco Aurelio Garcia, foreign policy advisor to President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, described the attacks as "state terrorism."

Brazil has called for an immediate cease-fire and a meeting attended by world leaders to help establish peace in the region.

Lula said other countries should participate in the peace talks because attempts by the United States "clearly are not working."

(Xinhua News Agency January 7, 2009)