Carter 'distressed' by Gaza visit

Mr Carter advocates talks with Hamas

Former US President Jimmy Carter has said he had to "hold back tears" while viewing destruction on a visit to Gaza.

He is due to meet leaders from Hamas, which controls Gaza but is considered a terrorist group by western countries.

The veteran politician is expected to hand over a letter for captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit from his family.

He condemned "deliberate" destruction in Israel's January offensive, but also expressed sadness over Palestinian rocket attacks on Israeli towns.

The former US president, who brokered the 1979 Israel-Egypt peace deal, has long advocated engagement with the militant Hamas movement as crucial for progress on peace.

The BBC's Aleem Maqbool in Gaza says he is one of the highest profile figures to visit Gaza for years.

While Mr Carter is not visiting in an official capacity, many in Gaza hope he has the ear of US President Barack Obama, our correspondent says.

Visiting the American School in Gaza, damaged in Israel's three-week operation, Mr Carter said "it's very distressing to me".

He said the school had been "deliberately destroyed by bombs from F-16s made in my country and delivered to the Israelis".

"It's not good to see this destruction, but it's also not good, when I go to Sderot, to see rockets falling on Israelis," he said, in reference to an Israeli town that is a frequent target of rocket fire from Palestinian militants.

"The only way to avoid this tragedy happening again is to have genuine peace agreed between the Palestinians and Israel," he said.

'New obstacles'

Hamas did not confirm whether it would pass the letter on to Gilad Shalit, who has been held captive since 2006.

A Hamas spokesman said 11,000 letters would have to be sent in return, referring to the number of Palestinian prisoners he believed were being held in Israeli detention.

Mr Carter was due to meet former Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Ismail Haniya of Hamas.

He has met the movement's leader in Damascus, Khaled Meshaal, several times previously.

Visiting Israel earlier this week, Mr Carter said a major policy speech given by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "raised many new obstacles to peace".

While Mr Netanyahu yielded to US pressure to back the creation of a Palestinian state, he set the conditions that it must be demilitarised and recognise Israel as a Jewish state.

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