Israel tanks mass near Gaza as jets again pound Gaza

28/12/2008| IslamWeb

Israeli tanks massed at the Gaza border on Sunday as warplanes again pounded Hamas targets in the densely populated enclave where raids have killed more than 300 people in less than two days.

 

Dozens of tanks and personnel carriers idled at several points near the border after Israel warned it could launch a ground offensive in addition to its massive air blitz, AFP photographers reported.

 

Hamas responded to the ongoing bombardment by firing rockets the farthest yet into Israel, with one striking not far from Ashdod, Israel's second-largest port, some 30 kilometers (18 miles) north of Gaza. It caused no casualties, medics said.

 

The Islamist movement accused Israel of committing a holocaust as the whole world watches and doesn't lift a finger to stop.

 

"The Palestinian resistance reserves the right to hit back at this aggression with martyr operations," spokesman Fawzi Barhum told reporters, referring to suicide bombings which Hamas hasn't carried out against Israel since January 2005.

 

Britain and Russia joined the growing international chorus for a halt to the violence.

 

But Israeli Defence Minster Ehud Barak vowed to "expand and deepen" the bombing blitz.

 

"If it's necessary to deploy ground forces to defend our citizens, we will do so," his spokesman quoted him as saying.

 

The cabinet gave the green light to call up 6,500 reserve soldiers, a senior official told reporters after the meeting.

 

Warplanes continued to pound the impoverished and overcrowded territory of 1.5 million people, where many streets were deserted and schools and shops stayed shut as hundreds of funerals were held.

 

Jets bombed a series of tunnels on Gaza's border with Egypt -- a lifeline for Gaza used for smuggling in goods into the enclave, which has been virtually sealed by Israel since Hamas seized power in June 2007.

 

At least two people were killed in the bombing.

 

Dozens of Gazans tried to break through the border into Egypt following the strikes, but were stopped by Egyptian police firing into the air, said an Egyptian security official.

 

Businesses in the occupied West Bank, including annexed Arab east Jerusalem, observed a strike in protest at the onslaught that one Palestinian human rights group called "the bloodiest day in the history of the (Israeli) occupation."

 

Since early Saturday, at least 300 people have been killed and more than 800 wounded, medics said.

 

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said the campaign was launched "in order to regain a normal life for the citizens in the south who have suffered for many years from incessant rocket, mortar and terror attacks."

 

Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni urged the international community to cast blame on Hamas.

 

"I expect the international community, including the entire Arab world, to send a clear message to Hamas: 'It is your fault. It's your responsibility. You're the one who's being condemned,'" she told NBC's Meet the Press.

 

The Israeli bombardment has sparked widespread international concern.

 

Egypt, which had brokered a six-month truce between Israel and Hamas that expired on December 19, said it was trying to negotiate a new ceasefire.

 

But a senior Israeli official told AFP that "we have our goals and our timetable and we don't seek mediation."

 

Israel's main ally Washington has blamed Hamas "thugs" for provoking the offensive by firing rockets into the Jewish state from Gaza, and urged Israel to avoid causing civilian casualties.

 

The Israeli offensive sparked protests in the occupied West Bank, where one demonstrator was killed in clashes with police. More than 50,000 rallied in Egypt and hundreds in Dubai.

 

Israel unleashed "Operation Cast Lead" against Hamas in the middle of Saturday morning, with some 60 warplanes hitting more than 50 targets in just a few minutes.

 

By Sunday, some 230 targets had been hit, the military said.

 

Hamas has responded by firing more than 90 rockets and mortar rounds at Israel, killing one man and wounding a handful of other people.

 

PHOTO CAPTION

 

Smoke billows from a targeted location inside the northern Gaza Strip during an Israeli air raid, as seen from the Israeli-Gaza border.

 

AFP