Israeli soldiers gather at a military staging area in Kibbutz Alumim, outside the Gaza Strip January 20, 2009. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, voicing shock and anger at the "heartbreaking" devastation, visited the Gaza Strip on Tuesday to pledge aid for Palestinians after Israeli attacks killed 1,300 and made thousands homeless. Israel had withdrawn most of its force before U.S. President Barack Obama was inaugurated -- Israeli leaders seemed eager not to cloud the start of a new era in a key alliance. [Xinhua/Reuters]