ISRAEL STILL IN GAZA - DAY 7

THE BRUTAL TRUTH ABOUT ISLAM
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WHATS FOR ISRAEL 2009
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2008 CBN NEWSMAKERS
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Islamists call for blood as Israel hammers on
By Nidal al-Mughrabi JAN 2,09

GAZA (Reuters) - Palestinian Islamists vowed revenge against Israel on Friday for killing a senior Hamas leader and his family, and said all options including suicide bombs were now open to strike at Zionist interests everywhere.On the seventh day of an offensive aimed at stopping Hamas rockets striking southern towns, Israeli warplanes struck 20 targets and Islamist fighters fired rockets at Israel's port of Ashkelon, once again dashing international hopes of a ceasefire.One rocket blew out windows in an apartment building. Stunned residents spilled onto the street and twisted metal window frames dangled from the building.In Gaza City, less than 20 km to the south, a lucky few hundred foreign passport holders boarded buses in the pre-dawn murk to quit the Strip, with the help of the International Committee off the Red Cross, their governments and Israeli compliance.The situation is very bad. We are afraid for our children, said Ilona Hamdiya, a woman from Moldova married to a Palestinian. We are very grateful to our embassy.They left behind 1.5 million Palestinians unable to escape the conflict, a city waking up to another day of bombs, missiles, flickering electricity, queues for bread, tape-up windows and streets littered with broken glass and debris.We will not rest until we destroy the Zionist entity, said Hamas leader Fathi Hammad at the funeral of Nizar Rayyan, who was killed with four wives, eight children and four neighbors by an Israeli missile which hit his house on Thursday.Spokesman Ismail Rudwan said that following this crime, all options are now open including martyrdom operations to deter the aggression and to strike Zionist interests everywhere.

DAY OF PROTESTS

Bracing for protests and retaliatory violence a day after it killed a senior Hamas leader in an air strike on his Gaza home, Israel sealed off the occupied West Bank to deny entry to most Palestinians, and deployed heavy security at checkpoints.A pro-Hamas website urged Palestinians to take to the streets in protest.A statement by Hamas spokesman Ismail Rudwan said Israel's terrorism, massacre and holocaust will not break us and will not force us to raise a white flag ... killing begets killing and destruction begets destruction.Israeli air strikes killed two Palestinians in a house that Israel said concealed a tunnel and a weapons dump.The death toll rose to 421 as some badly wounded succumbed to their injures. A quarter of the dead were civilians, the United Nations estimates.Some 2,000 Palestinians have been wounded. The Gaza rockets, which have killed four Israelis in the past week, injured two people slightly in Ashkelon.Rayyan was the highest ranking Hamas official to be killed in the current offensive. He had called loudly for suicide bombings in Israel.

Israeli armored forces remained massed on the Gaza frontier in preparation for a possible ground invasion, ignoring international calls for a halt to the conflict.
Late on Thursday, Israeli war planes bombed the Jabalya mosque. Israeli security officials said it was a meeting place and command post for Hamas militants and the large number of secondary explosions after the strike indicated that rockets, missiles and other weapons had been stored there.Nine mosques have had been hit since it began on Saturday.I will pray at home. You never know, they may bomb the mosque and destroy it on our heads, said one man buying humus from a street stand. Another was defiant: What better than to die while kneeling before God? he said.
Analysts said Israeli leaders felt under pressure to act ahead of a February 10 national election, and surveys indicate the assaults may boost support for Barak and Livni, against frontrunner Benjamin Netanyahu of the right-wing Likud party.Livni says the strikes have been effective.I think that even now, after a few days of operation we have achieved changes, she said on Thursday after talks in Paris with French President Nicolas Sarkozy. She rejected a proposed 48-hour respite in fighting, saying food aid was being allowed in and there was no humanitarian crisis in the Strip.(Writing by Douglas Hamilton; Editing by Jon Boyle)

Israel pounds Gaza as day of wrath unfurls by Sakher Abu El Oun JAN 2,09

GAZA CITY (AFP) – Israeli warplanes pounded militant targets including a mosque in Gaza on Friday as angry protests unfurled on Hamas's day of wrath against the blistering assault that has killed more than 420 people.Thousands of Palestinians poured into the streets in Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, and rock-throwing youths faced off with Israeli police in Jerusalem after Hamas called for marches to follow Friday prayers.We will sacrifice our soul and our blood for Gaza, chanted the demonstrators, shouting out pro-Hamas slogans and calling on the Islamists to hit Tel-Aviv.Hamas called for the protests after an Israeli air strike killed Nizar Rayan, a firebrand hardliner, and several of his wives and children. At least 422 Palestinians have now been killed in Israel's seven-day-old blitz, with at least 25 percent of them civilians, according to a UN count.Rayan is the most senior Islamist figure killed by Israel since Abdel Aziz al-Rantissi in 2004 and Hamas again warned that it could resume suicide operations against Israel for the first time since January 2005 to avenge his death.Nizar Rayan After the last crime, all options are open to counter this aggression, including martyr operations against Zionist targets everywhere, Hamas official Ismail Radwan vowed after the attack.With Israeli tanks and troops massed around Gaza for a threatened ground offensive and no ceasefire in sight, the army allowed foreigners to leave the battered enclave.The (border) crossing was specially reopened to allow foreign nationals to leave the Gaza Strip, an army spokesman told AFP, adding that more than 400 people, mostly dual nationals, were expected to cross.

The Israeli military pounded the densely populated territory for a seventh day, carrying out some 20 strikes overnight, bombing rocket launching sites and Hamas buildings, the army said.Among the targets was a mosque in the northern town of Jabaliya that the military said was a terror hub, used to stockpile weapons and as a Hamas operations centre.At least two people were killed in the latest raids, which targeted a house in Jabaliya, medics said.The Islamist movement kept firing back, sending a handful of rockets into Israeli territory overnight without causing casualties.Israel unleashed its Operation Cast Lead on Hamas in Gaza on December 27 in response to persistent rocket fire from the territory, which has been under a crippling Israeli blockade since the Islamists seized control in June 2007.Besides the Palestinians killed in the offensive, a further 2,180 have been wounded, according to medics.Gaza militants have fired more than 360 rockets into Israel, killing four people and wounding dozens more. Some of the rockets have reached deeper than ever inside Israeli territory, penetrating some 40 kilometres (24 miles) from the Gaza border.The Israeli offensive -- one of its deadliest-ever on Gaza -- has sparked angry protests in the Muslim world and defied diplomatic efforts to broker a truce.Gaza In the latest protests, tens of thousands took to the streets of Jakarta, thousands demonstrated in Afghanistan, more than 4,000 Muslims demonstrated in Sydney and hundreds of Muslims burnt Israeli flags in Indian-administered Kashmir.

Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni reiterated that Israel did not think the time was yet ripe for a truce after talks in Paris on Thursday with President Nicolas Sarkozy and other French leaders. Sydney The question of whether it's enough or not will be the result of our assessment on a daily basis, she said. Israel's Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Livni and Defence Minister Ehud Barak held talks well into the night and planned to continue their discussions over the weekend, Olmert's office said. UN For the time being the military operation is continuing in accordance with what has been approved by the cabinet, a government official said. Peace moves were also stalled at the UN Security Council. UN The majority of the Israeli public is supporting the Gaza offensive, with some 95 percent of Jewish residents backing the air strikes according to a survey published on Friday in the Maariv daily.

Hamas calls for revenge as Israel hits Gaza again By Nidal al-Mughrabi JAN 2,09

Reuters GAZA (Reuters) – Palestinian Islamists vowed revenge on Israel on Friday for killing a senior Hamas leader and his family, and said all options including suicide bombs were now open to strike at Zionist interests everywhere.There was no sign of a ceasefire on the seventh day of the conflict, in which at least 424 Palestinians have been killed and 2,000 wounded. Four Israelis have been killed by Palestinian rockets.Israel pressed on relentlessly with more than 30 air strikes, one of which killed three Palestinian children aged between eight and 12 as they played on a street near the town of Khan Yunis in the south of the Strip. One was decapitated.

These injuries are not survivable injuries, said Madth Gilbert, a Norwegian doctor at Gaza's Shifa hospital who could not save another boy who had both feet blown off. This is a murder. This is a child, he said.Islamist fighters fired rockets at Israel's port of Ashkelon one of which blew out windows in an apartment building.In Gaza City, a lucky few hundred foreign passport holders boarded buses in the pre-dawn murk to quit the Strip, with the help of the International Committee off the Red Cross, their governments and Israeli compliance.The situation is very bad. We are afraid for our children, said Ilona Hamdiya, a woman from Moldova married to a Palestinian. We are very grateful to our embassy.They left behind 1.5 million Palestinians unable to escape the conflict, a city facing another day of bombs, missiles, flickering electricity, queues for bread, taped-up windows and streets littered with broken glass and debris.We will not rest until we destroy the Zionist entity, said Hamas leader Fathi Hammad at the funeral of Nizar Rayyan, who was killed along with four wives and 11 children by an Israeli missile which hit his house on Thursday.Spokesman Ismail Rudwan said that following this crime, all options are now open including martyrdom operations to deter the aggression and to strike Zionist interests everywhere.

PROTESTS TURN VIOLENT

Bracing for protests and retaliatory violence, Israel sealed off the occupied West Bank to deny entry to most Palestinians and beefed up security at checkpoints.There were protests by Palestinians in major West Bank cities. In Ramallah, Hamas supporters scuffled with the Fatah faction of Western-backed Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, taunting them as collaborators. Elsewhere, protesters stoned soldiers at checkpoints and some were wounded by rubber bullets.In the Jordanian capital, Amman, riot police fired teargas to disperse hundreds of protesters marching on the Israeli embassy, chanting: No Jewish embassy on Arab land.A statement from Gaza by Hamas spokesman Ismail Rudwan said Israel's terrorism, massacre and holocaust will not break us and will not force us to raise a white flag ... killing begets killing and destruction begets destruction.The death toll rose to 424 as some badly wounded succumbed to their injuries and a morning strike killed two Palestinians in a house Israel said concealed a tunnel and a weapons dump.A quarter of the dead are civilians, the U.N. estimates, and some 2,000 Palestinians have been wounded. Gaza rockets have killed four Israelis in the south over the past week.The bearded cleric Rayyan, who mentored suicide bombers and sent one of his sons on a martyrdom mission, was the highest ranking Hamas official to be killed in the current offensive. He had called loudly for bombings in Israeli cities. Israel's armored forces remained massed on the Gaza frontier in preparation for a possible ground invasion, despite international calls for a halt to the conflict. An Israeli naval vessel lying offshore fired at a greenhouse in southern Gaza. Late on Thursday, Israeli war planes bombed the Jabalya mosque. Israeli security officials said it was a meeting place and command post for Hamas militants and the large number of secondary explosions after the strike indicated that rockets, missiles and other weapons had been stored there. Nine mosques have had been hit since last Saturday. I will pray at home. You never know, they may bomb the mosque and destroy it on our heads, said one man buying humus from a street stand. Another was defiant: What better than to die while kneeling before God? he said. (Writing by Douglas Hamilton; Editing by Keith Weir)

Kashmiris condemn Israeli attacks on Gaza JAN 2,09

SRINAGAR (AFP) – Hundreds of Muslims burnt Israeli flags Friday and chanted anti-Israel and anti-US slogans as they staged a protest in insurgency-hit Indian Kashmir against the attacks on Gaza.Carrying pro-Palestinian banners and portraits of Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah, hundreds of Kashmiri Muslims marched through the streets of the summer capital Srinagar chanting, death to Israel and death to US.
Look how they are killing Muslims and no one seems to be bothered, said Akbar Ali, one of the protesters.Kashmir is in the grip of a nearly two-decade old insurgency against Indian rule that has so far left more than 47,000 people dead by official count.At least 420 Palestinians have died in a seven day blitz by Israel, while rockets fired from Gaza have claimed four Israeli lives.Israel on Wednesday rejected a French proposal for a 48-hour ceasefire to help humanitarian efforts, and tanks and troops are now massed for a threatened ground offensive.Hamas has called for a day of wrath on Friday in east Jerusalem and the West Bank, with massive marches after weekly Muslim prayers.

Captured Israeli soldier's fate becomes murky By ARTHUR MAX, Associated Press Writer – Fri Jan 2, 5:09 am ET

JERUSALEM – The fate of an Israeli army sergeant captured by Hamas and being held in Gaza has become murkier with the massive Israeli assault on the Palestinian territory.Gilad Schalit, 22, was captured in June 2006 in a deadly cross-border raid by Hamas-allied militants on an outpost guarded by his tank unit.Since then, he has become an Israeli national obsession. Musicians have composed songs in his honor, activists have staged a permanent demonstration outside the prime minister's house and world leaders have tried to mediate his release.Although Israel has no direct political contact with the Islamic militant group, it has bargained fiercely for Schalit's freedom. Israel is willing to trade several hundred of its more than 8,000 Palestinian prisoners for Schalit, but negotiations have been bogged down by sharp disagreements over which prisoner would be freed.After launching an intensive aerial bombardment against Hamas on Saturday, a senior Israeli military officer said Israel was not prepared to let Schalit's safety drive its strategy. He spoke Wednesday on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss policy issues.The officer indicated Israel would demand Schalit's release as part of any deal to end the fighting in Gaza, but it was not likely to be a deal-breaker. His name barely has been mentioned as Israeli leaders list their minimum conditions for a new cease-fire.Photographs of Schalit, who also holds French citizenship, show a fresh faced teenager — he was 19 when captured — and he is described as polite, a sports enthusiast and a good student.Nothing has been heard from him in six months, his father Noam told The Associated Press Thursday. Noam Schalit declined to be interviewed further, while the Israeli attacks on Gaza were continuing.As Israeli planes hammered Gaza's infrastructure and targeted its leaders and fighters, Hamas invoked Schalit's name to taunt its enemy.

Of course, Gilad is now frightened, he's terrified, an anchor on Hamas television said Thursday. He must be asking himself, What's happening right now? What will happen to me? A Hamas statement broadcast on radio challenged the Israelis to send ground troops into the Gaza. We are waiting for you to enter Gaza to kill you or make you into Schalits.Winning the return of Israeli captives — or even their corpses — is a cardinal tenet of the Israeli military, and lopsided prisoner exchanges have been common in the past. Soldiers are trained never to abandon comrades on the battlefield. The capture of two Israeli soldiers on the Lebanese border by Hezbollah, a Shiite Islamic militia allied to Hamas, was the trigger that set off the 2006 Israeli war in Lebanon.Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, a candidate for prime minister in next month's elections, angered many Israelis recently when she appeared to waver on Israel's commitment toward Schalit.Although everyone wanted to see Schalit return safely, she said, it is not a question of what we want or don't want. It is a question of what is and isn't possible. Not everything can be done.Vice Premier Haim Ramon, indicating frustration at failing to free Schalit during a six-month truce with Hamas, said Thursday the Israeli assault on Gaza could only improve his chances. The truce brought us no closer to returning Gilad Schalit. I am convinced that if there is a different reality at the end of this operation it will assist to bringing Gilad Schalit home.

Thousands of Australian Muslims rally for peace in Gaza Fri Jan 2, 2:08 am ET

SYDNEY (AFP) – Thousands of Muslims staged a protest in Sydney Friday against Israeli attacks on Gaza after several local mosques urged worshippers to attend the rally rather than traditional prayers.Bearing pro-Palestinian flags and banners, a crowd of more than 4,000 flocked to Parry Park in the city's Islamic heartland to demonstrate and pray for the victims of renewed violence in the Middle East.Five local mosques had closed their doors on the first traditional day of worship in the new year, asking Muslims to attend the vigil instead.Local imam Ibrahim Abu Mohammad led the service, urging Israel to recognise a humanitarian crisis in Gaza and agree to a ceasefire.Israel is committing an act of terrorism. It's the duty of all the free people in the world to stand against it and stop this evil, he said.This nation has many greeds, it is built on a philosophy of transgression. Their hearts do not have any mercy.A makeshift coffin draped in the Palestinian flag was carried before the crowd, followed by a procession of eight imams.Women and men were separated by an expanse of grass, but they moved as one, folding to their knees with foreheads pressed to the ground in supplication.At least 420 Palestinians have died in a seven day blitz by Israel, while rockets fired from Gaza have claimed four Israeli lives.

Israel on Wednesday rejected a French proposal for a 48-hour ceasefire to help humanitarian efforts, and tanks and troops are now massed for a threatened ground offensive.Hamas has called for a day of wrath on Friday in east Jerusalem and the West Bank, with massive marches after weekly Muslim prayers.

Saudis arrest two over Riyadh pro-Gaza protest: report Thu Jan 1, 6:44 pm ET

RIYADH (AFP) – Two activists who attempted to stage a demonstration against the Israeli raids on the Gaza Strip were arrested in the Saudi capital on Thursday, a Saudi rights groups said.Human Rights First Society said that the two activists, Khalid al-Omeir and Mohammed al-Otaibi, were arrested by police as they arrived at the site of the planned protest in south Riyadh.The arrests came a day after the interior ministry denied organisers permission to hold the rally on the grounds that demonstrations are banned in Saudi Arabia.A member of the group also told AFP that a prominent Saudi cleric who called for attacks on Israelis had also been arrested on Tuesday in the southern city of Abha.Sheikh Awad al-Qarni had on Sunday issued a religious edict encouraging attacks on Israelis everywhere in retaliation for the ongoing Israeli onslaught on the Gaza Strip.All (Israeli) interests, and anything else related to Israel, are a permitted target for Muslims everywhere, Qarni said in the fatwa.On Monday police fired rubber bullets to break up rare protests involving hundreds of pro-Palestinian demonstrators in Qatif and Safwa in the eastern part of the country.According to Human Rights First, 10 people were arrested in the Qatif protest.Saudi Arabia has strongly criticised Israel for its six-day-old bombing campaign on the Gaza Strip, which has left more than 400 people dead.

On eve of his death, Hamas leader in Gaza predicted victory by Adel Zaanoun Adel Zaanoun – Thu Jan 1, 3:52 pm ET

JABALIYA, Gaza Strip (AFP) – The day before a powerful blast sent his headless body flying out of his Gaza home on Thursday, senior Hamas leader Nizar Rayan predicted that the Islamist movement would defeat Israel.God willing, Hamas will win, Rayan said in a vitriol-laden speech that the movement's television broadcast just after he, his four wives and 10 of his children were killed in the Israeli blitz of the Gaza Strip on Thursday.Rayan, 51, was among the top ranked leaders in Hamas and was its most senior figure to have been killed since Israel unleashed a massive bombardment on Saturday in response to persistent rocket fire from the enclave.

Israeli F-16 jets fired two missiles at Rayan's five-storey house in the Jabaliya refugee camp in northern Gaza. The powerful explosion hurled his decapitated body out into the street, according to witnesses.It was like an earthquake, a neighbour said of the massive blast.A dozen neighbouring houses were destroyed or damaged in the blast which also killed two neighbours and brought to 420 the death toll since Operation Cast Lead started.The Israeli air force said the secondary blasts demonstrated the house was used for weapons storage, and claimed it was also a communication centre. In addition, a tunnel was located under the house and was used for the escape of terror operatives, it said.In the minutes following the strike, dozens of people rushed to the scene, pulling bodies from the rubble including those of the two girls, aged seven and 10.A neighbour, Mohammed Al-Madhun, 75 watched flames emerging from his building but refused to leave.I want to die like Sheikh Nizar, he said, using the bearded Hamas commander's honorary title.Rayan was a hardliner within the Islamist movement.A few months after Hamas seized control of Gaza in June 2007, Rayan vowed at a Gaza City rally that the Islamists would also seize control in the Israeli-occupied West Bank which is administered by Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas.A skilled orator, he was known for his vitriolic attacks against both Israel and the Western-backed Abbas he claimed colluded with the Zionist enemy.In his latest speech delivered on the eve of his death and broadcast by Al-Aqsa TV on Thursday, Rayan insisted Hamas would never cave in.With tanks massed just outside Gaza and Israel threatening a ground offensive, he defiantly declared: We will know how to kill and capture soldiers and how to rout them.

Egypt FM: Hamas must stop rockets in any truce By LEE KEATH, Associated Press Writer – Thu Jan 1, 3:23 pm ET

CAIRO, Egypt – Egypt's foreign minister said Thursday that Hamas must ensure rocket fire stops in any truce deal to halt Israel's assault on the Gaza Strip, criticizing the Palestinian militants for giving Israel an excuse to launch the bombardment.

Ahmed Aboul Gheit's comments came as Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan met with Egypt's president, part of a tour by the Turkish leader to work out an Egyptian-Turkish initiative to end the violence.The initiative calls for a halt to Israel's assault, a return to a Hamas-Israel truce and an international mechanism to ensure the opening of Gaza's border crossings.The Turkish leader, speaking in a news conference in the Egyptian resort town of Sharm el-Sheik after meeting with Hosni Mubarak, called on Israel to halt its attacks and on Hamas to stop firing rockets on Israel.Erdogan said there must be a cease-fire now before it is too late.The Turkish leader met a day earlier with Syrian President Bashar Assad and was expected to be in Saudi Arabia on Saturday. Erdogan also said he sent a representative to meet Hamas leaders, but did not elaborate.Moussa Abu Marzouk, deputy head of Hamas, told The Associated Press that Hamas officials met with Erdogan's representative Thursday in Damascus, Syria to discuss Gaza. Marzouk also emphasized that Hamas will not agree to a cease-fire that doesn't include lifting the siege of Gaza and opening the border crossings.The Egyptian foreign minister said any eventual truce agreement should include a mechanism to oversee that everything proceeds without one side causing problems with the other. He told journalists that the mechanism could involve international forces or Arab forces or just observers.It was not clear whether the monitors proposed by Aboul Gheit would be to ensure the truce or be limited to observing border crossings, one of the central issues in the dispute over Gaza because of Israeli fears of smuggling of weapons.Israeli officials have said they want international monitors to ensure compliance with any truce.Aboul Gheit said Israel must immediately stop its offensive, but he insisted Hamas must commit to enforcing a halt to rockets. We expect the Palestinian side to say that if a cease-fire is announced, we'll stop firing rockets, he said, although he warned that some loose group can decide to continue firing rockets and make it difficult to have a cease-fire.

He criticized Hamas, saying Egypt had seen the signals that Israel was determined to strike Hamas in Gaza for the past three months. They practically wrote it in the sky.
Unfortunately, they (Hamas) served Israel the opportunity on a golden platter to hit Gaza,he said.U.S. allied governments such as Egypt and Saudi Arabia, which have been critical of Hamas, are worried its control of the Gaza Strip gives their regional rival Iran, which has supported Hamas, a foothold in the region.The Israeli onslaught, which has killed some 400 Palestinians since last Saturday, had hiked tempers between pro-U.S. countries on one side and Hamas' supporters, Syria and Iran, on the other.Egypt in particular has come under harsh criticism for not opening up the Rafah crossing, the only access to Gaza that does not go through Israel. Its opponents accuse Egypt of joining Israel in blockading the territory in an attempt to remove Hamas, which took control in the tiny coastal strip in 2007 in fierce battles with loyalists of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.Aboul Gheit repeated Egypt's argument that it cannot open Rafah unless Abbas' Palestinian Authority — which runs the West Bank — controls the crossing and international monitors are present. Egypt has opened Rafah during the Israeli attacks to allow some Palestinian wounded and medical supplies in and out of Gaza.He said Hamas wants Rafah opened permanently because it would represent implicit Egyptian recognition of the militant group's control of Gaza. Of course this is something we cannot do, Aboul Gheit said, because it would undermine the legitimacy of the Palestinian Authority and consecrate the split between Gaza and the West Bank.Aboul Gheit said Egypt had proposed that Arab foreign ministers who gathered in Cairo Wednesday request Hamas allow Palestinian Authority control of Rafah. But Syria rejected the proposal, he said. Associated Press writer Albert Aji in Damascus, Syria contributed to this report.

Israelis feel empowered by attacks against Hamas By MATTI FRIEDMAN and ARON HELLER, Associated Press Writer – Thu Jan 1, 3:22 pm ET

JERUSALEM – Israel's crushing aerial assault on Gaza has caused a significant shift in the country's mood, replacing lingering helplessness and frustration over Hamas rocket attacks with a sense of might and vindication.Leaders who were unpopular only a week ago have suddenly surged in the public's esteem. But that could change quickly if the fighting drags on or Israel starts taking heavy casualties.In downtown Ashkelon, a southern Israeli city that has come under rocket fire, a pair of plumbers hung up a handwritten sign praising the Gaza operation's mastermind, Defense Minister Ehud Barak.That's a dramatic change for Barak, a former prime minister whose approval ratings were until recently so dismal that his own election slogans acknowledged he was unpopular.We've got a great defense minister. Everyone thought he wasn't going to do anything but he tricked them and gave them a blow they won't forget, said Ziv Barda, 28, who works for a car rental company in Ashkelon. Finally someone decided enough is enough.With rockets exploding across Israel's south and at least an eighth of the country's population now within rocket range, Israelis appear to be coming together behind the country's leadership and the military as jets, helicopters and navy vessels continued to pound Gaza for a sixth straight day.A poll Thursday showed that 52 percent of Israelis want to continue the aerial campaign, while only 20 percent would like to see a cease-fire. Just 19 percent want to see a threatened ground offensive take place, presumably because that would mean casualties in the army's ranks.Four Israelis have been killed by rocket fire since the offensive began Saturday. Gaza officials now say more than 400 people have been killed in the Palestinian territory.In Sderot, a working-class border town that has been bombarded by thousands of Hamas rockets in recent years, residents said they haven't been this satisfied in a long time. On Wednesday, they cheered to each sound of distant explosions from Israeli airstrikes.

You see people walking with their heads up in the air again. Finally there is some hope, said Itzik Biton, 38, who sells falafel at a fast-food stand.Tammy Hovel, 31, said her children were cramped in shelters and that her bakery was suffering, but she was nonetheless encouraged.We're going to get hit either way, so at least they are doing something, Hovel said. And people elsewhere are starting to understand what we've had to deal with.With national elections approaching on Feb. 10, the Israeli assault on Gaza has boosted support for Barak's Labor Party, the standard-bearer for Israel's peace camp, by making it look tough.The poll showed overall support for moderate and centrist parties going up, while support for hard-line and religious parties went down — leaving each side with half the seats in parliament if elections were held today.The survey, carried out by the Dialog company, showed jumps in the approval ratings for Israel's top three leaders — Barak, Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.We feel that the government is finally supporting us, Biton said. True, rockets are falling and we are losing money. But we'll suffer for a month and then we'll be done with this.The poll appeared Thursday in the daily Haaretz newspaper. It surveyed 472 people and had a margin of error of 4.6 percentage points.But the opposition Likud Party, headed by Benjamin Netanyahu, is still the front-runner, and the government's popularity might be brief. A good mood is to be expected at the beginning of a war, said Tel Aviv University pollster Camil Fuchs, who oversaw the survey. When Israel went to war against Hezbollah guerrillas in Lebanon in the summer of 2006, the government's initially sky-high approval ratings evaporated when deaths mounted. Some 159 Israelis were killed during the monthlong war. It's very fluid — it could change in a day if a missile hits somewhere and we have more casualties, Fuchs said.

Along the Gaza border, Israeli bystanders and police officers stopped their vehicles on the side of the road Thursday to watch Israeli helicopters, drones and fighter jets strike targets in Gaza, cheering with each deafening explosion. But the cheers would die out fast if ground forces go in, get bogged down in Gaza's densely populated urban areas and start taking casualties, or if rocket fire continues to paralyze life in the south. Israel's army declared Thursday that its ground troops are ready to invade. We are spoiled and impatient — we like our wars short, said Israeli historian Tom Segev. If fighting goes on too long, or if it ends with an inconclusive cease-fire, Segev said, Israelis will turn on the government as they did after the Lebanon war. The mood will change fast, he said. Matti Friedman reported from Jerusalem. Aron Heller reported from Sderot and Ashkelon, Israel.

Israeli minister: Gaza decisions made day-by-day By JOELLE DIDERICH, Associated Press Writer – Thu Jan 1, 1:38 pm ET

PARIS – Any decision by Israel to end fighting in Gaza will depend on a daily assessment of its military operations against the militant Islamic group Hamas, the Israeli foreign minister said Thursday in Paris.Tzipi Livni reiterated that a pause in Israel's six-day assault on Gaza would depend on Hamas suspending rocket attacks on southern Israel.We affected most of the infrastructure of terrorism in Gaza Strip, and the question (of) whether it's enough or not will be according to our assessment on a daily basis, Livni told reporters after meeting with French President Nicolas Sarkozy and her French counterpart, Bernard Kouchner.Sarkozy, who made no statement after meeting Livni, has been vocal in the diplomatic push for peace in Gaza and is set to travel to the Middle East next week.Livni said the violence could only stop completely once Hamas showed an understanding that enough is enough.She said Hamas had taken advantage of a six-month truce with Israel that expired last month to build up its arsenal.Even when we accept something in order to have a peaceful period of time, they abuse it in order to get stronger and to attack Israel later on, Livni said at the news conference in the courtyard of the Elysee presidential palace.The minister gave no details of her hourlong meeting with Sarkozy, but thanked him for "standing for the right thing.France chaired an emergency European Union meeting Tuesday to discuss the Gaza conflict.Sarkozy plans to meet Monday with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in Cairo and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah before dining with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert in Jerusalem. On Tuesday, the French president will travel to Syria and Lebanon for further talks.Livni also said Israel was doing its best to help Gaza civilians caught in the cross fire.More than 400 residents have been killed and about 1,700 wounded in the renewed fighting, Gaza health officials said. Israeli officials rejected calls for a 48-hour pause in fighting, which France had campaigned for to ensure humanitarian aid could get to victims.Israel distinguished the war against terror, against Hamas members, from the civil population in Gaza Strip and in doing so, we keep the humanitarian situation in Gaza Strip completely as it should be. The crossings are open, more than it used to be before the military operation, she said.(This version CORRECTS time element in lede)

Bush stance on cease-fire shows support for Israel By ROBERT BURNS, Associated Press Writer – Thu Jan 1, 4:23 am ET

WASHINGTON – By insisting that Hamas go first in any cease-fire with Israel, the Bush administration is sticking to its support for the Jewish state's right of self-defense while stopping short of encouraging an Israeli ground assault aimed at fully reoccupying the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip.The Bush administration on Wednesday asserted its desire for a halt to the fighting but also made clear its view that the first step in any cease-fire will require Hamas, the Islamic militant group that rejects Israel's right to exist, to agree to stop firing rockets from Gaza into Israel now and in the future.From his ranch in Crawford, Texas, President George W. Bush telephoned Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert for the first time since the conflict escalated last weekend. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice worked the phones with other leaders in the region.I think President Bush thinks that Hamas needs to stop firing rockets and that is what will be the first step in a cease-fire, White House deputy press secretary Gordon Johndroe told reporters. He said Hamas also needs to stop smuggling weapons into Gaza — a move that would show they don't intend to continue to target Israel.So I think they're certainly on the same page on that, Johndroe said of Bush and Olmert, briefing reporters on their phone call.Israel so far has resisted mounting international pressure to suspend its devastating air offensive in Gaza, which has enraged the Arab world. It sent more troops and tanks to the border as signs of an impending ground invasion multiplied.

The U.N. Security Council met Wednesday night to consider an Arab request for a legally binding resolution that would condemn Israel and halt the attacks. But the U.S. called a draft resolution unacceptable because it made no mention of halting the Hamas rockets. A vote on a resolution was not expected before Monday, Sudan's U.N. ambassador said.Although the Bush administration has only three weeks left in office, the Gaza crisis could look considerably different by the time President-elect Barack Obama and his designated secretary of state, Hillary Rodham Clinton, take office. And it is only one element of the broader challenges in the Middle East.

Two prominent Mideast analysts, Martin Indyk and Richard N. Haass, argued in an essay published this week by the Council on Foreign Affairs and the Brookings Institution that the Obama administration should push for a peace deal between Israel and Syria as a way of diminishing Iran's influence in the Palestinian territories and Lebanon.The Israeli air offensive is a response to rockets fired by Hamas militants. At least four Israelis have been killed, including three civilians. Gaza officials put the death toll from the Israeli retaliatory strikes at more than 390 dead and 1,600 wounded.France has urged Israel to halt its operation for 48 hours, but that proposal seemed to be overcome by events. Olmert discussed the idea with his defense and foreign ministers, but the trio decided to pursue the aerial bombing campaign.Calls for an immediate cease-fire that would be fully respected by Hamas and by Israel have also come from the U.S., the European Union, the United Nations and Russia, the group known as the Quartet.Asked if the president was disappointed that Israel hadn't accepted or responded to the international calls for a cease-fire, Johndroe put the onus squarely on Hamas.President Bush is disappointed that Hamas continues to fire rockets onto the innocent people of Israel, he said.

I think, probably, from the prime minister's perspective, an end to the violence first means that Hamas stops firing rockets into Israel. And then Israel won't need to go after the rocket launchers.Johndroe blamed Iran and Syria for supplying weapons to Hamas and Hezbollah.I'm not going to get into any specifics on supplies from Iran and Syria that we've seen over the last few days, he said. But there is no doubt that Iran and Syria are the ones who have assisted Hamas with their weapons acquisition, and that's a problem.Rice, meanwhile, continued her telephone diplomacy with officials in the region, pressing them on the need for a durable and sustainable cease-fire. Rice has said she plans a final diplomatic trip early next week to Beijing to celebrate the 30th anniversary of U.S-Chinese relations. U.S. officials say there will be other stops but have not disclosed them. Rice spoke Wednesday with Jordanian Foreign Minister Salaheddine Al-Bashir, their third conversation since Tuesday, State Department spokesman Gordon Duguid said. Rice spoke three times on Tuesday with the foreign minister of the United Arab Emirates and once each with Olmert, Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and Ahmed Aboul Gheith, the foreign minister of Egypt, he said. Associated Press writers Deb Riechmann in Crawford, Texas, Ibrahim Barzak and Matti Friedman in Gaza City, Gaza, Edith M. Lederer at the United Nations and Matthew Lee in Washington contributed to this report.

UN Security Council takes up Arab resolution on Gaza by Herve Couturier Herve Couturier – Thu Jan 1, 3:00 am ET

UNITED NATIONS, (AFP) – Libya presented a draft resolution from the Arab League to a UN Security Council emergency meeting that calls for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza between Israel and Hamas.The draft resolution strongly condemns all military attacks and the excessive, disproportionate and indiscriminate use of force by Israel, the occupying power, which have led to the death and injury of scores of innocent Palestinian civilians, including women and children.It calls for an immediate ceasefire and for its full respect by both sides.It also calls on Israel to scrupulously abide by all of its obligations under international humanitarian law, particularly under the Geneva Convention relative to the protection of civilians in time of war.The 15-member council is now expected to convene a public debate on the draft resolution that includes representatives from Israel, Egypt, the Arab League and the Palestinian territories.The resolution makes no mention of the ongoing Hamas rocket attacks on Israeli territory that Israel said prompted its retaliatory offensive against Gaza.At the start of the emergency council meeting -- requested by Egypt and Libya on behalf of Arab nations at the UN -- the British and American ambassadors to the United Nations said the draft resolution seemed too partial at first reading.This resolution as currently circulated by Libya is not balanced and therefore, as currently drafted, it is not acceptable to the United States, US ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad told reporters.

Israel's closest ally, Washington has regularly vetoed Security Council resolutions seen as too critical of Israel.We will study the text carefully but ... any resolution will need to reflect the responsibilities of all parties, said Britain's UN Ambassador John Sawers, adding: There is no mention so far of the rocket attacks that have triggered the Israeli offensive.Sudan's UN ambassador Abdalmahmud Abdalhaleem Mohamad and Arab League representative Yahya Mahmassani said the Council would likely meet at the foreign minister-level in the coming days, with at least eight Arab countries participating.Foreign ministers from Arab League nations meeting in Cairo Wednesday called for a binding UN resolution requiring an immediate halt to hostilities.A delegation headed by chief Saudi diplomat Prince Saud al-Faisal with foreign ministers from Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Qatar and Syria, a Palestinian representative and Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa will likely come to UN headquarters to argue the Arab League's case, Mohamad said.

The Sudanese ambassador said a Security Council meeting with these representatives could be held Sunday or Monday.The draft resolution also calls for the immediate and sustained opening of the border crossings of the Gaza Strip, and the resumption of humanitarian aid deliveries to its population.It stresses the need for restoration of calm in full in order to pave the way for resolving all issues in a peaceful manner within the context of the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.The text appears to have been amended since an initial version was released to the press in Cairo. It no longer includes a call for Israel to stop its barbaric aggression, lift its blockade of Gaza and stop the collective punishment of the Palestinian people.

Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas also appealed Wednesday for a UN resolution imposing a ceasefire. Abbas is set to meet Monday with the UN Security Council to discuss the situation. Hamas has controlled the Gaza Strip since ousting Abbas loyalists in June 2007. Despite winning Palestinian parliamentary elections in 2006, Hamas has since been boycotted by much of the West for refusing to recognize Israel.

Israel's pounding of Gaza began after the December 19 expiry of a six-month truce with Hamas brokered by Egypt and a resumption of rocket fire by Gaza-based militants. The Arab League talks were taking place as Israel rejected world calls for a truce and vowed to press ahead with its deadly Gaza offensive. Hamas on Wednesday vowed to fight until the last breath if Israel makes good on threats to send ground troops into Gaza. The Israeli attacks have so far lasted five days, killing 398 Palestinians, including 180 civilians, and wounding close to 2,000, according to Gaza emergency services.

Israel targets Gaza mosques used by Hamas By ARTHUR MAX, Associated Press Writer – Thu Jan 1, 2:34 am ET

JERUSALEM – Mosques and Muslim prayer halls have not escaped the relentless bombardment of Hamas targets in Gaza by Israel, which claims the Islamic militants misuse some of the holy sites as weapons depots and command centers.Yuval Diskin, the head of the Shin Bet security service, told the Israeli Cabinet Wednesday that Hamas leaders were taking shelter in the mosques on the assumption that Israel will not attack.Israeli bombs have damaged at least five mosques and two prayer halls during the five-day air campaign against Hamas facilities, according to a count by The Associated Press in Gaza.Israel historically has struck mosques when it deems them legitimate targets, although it is wary of the potential outrage from the Muslim world and sensitive to its own painful history of the desecration of synagogues.But Wednesday's air strike that left Gaza City's Tel Al-Hawa mosque in ruins, with only its minaret remaining upright, was deliberate.A security official said Israeli intelligence — probably surveillance aircraft — saw missiles being fired outside the mosque and the men who launched them running inside the building. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss intelligence operations.Worshippers denied the mosque was a military outpost.

This is a slap on the face of all Muslims, said area resident Iyad Akram, who prayed there just hours before it was leveled. This is a mosque, a holy site, and not the first one in this ugly war to be targeted by the Jews.The Israeli army spokesman's office said the mosque was hit because terrorists were hoarding weapons inside and using the compound to launch missiles.The strike set off numerous secondary explosions, caused by the munitions stockpiled in the mosque, the spokesman said. Israel would continue to attack militant targets, even if they (Hamas) cynically choose to operate from locations of religious or cultural significance.The small neighborhood mosque was built six years ago near the site of a Jewish settlement that was abandoned when Israel evacuated its civilians from Gaza in 2005.It's a mosque. You can't hide a tank. You can't hide anything inside, said Akram, a 38-year-old technician.Hamas' bitter Palestinian foe, the Fatah movement, also has accused the Islamists of storing weapons in the basements of mosques. Mosques also are commonly used as community centers and meeting halls, and a convenient place for Hamas leaders to gather.Hamas has controlled all the mosques in Gaza since it expelled Fatah in a fratricidal war in 2007.Even when not targets themselves, mosques have suffered collateral damage during Israeli air strikes. On Wednesday, windows were shattered at the Al Nasr mosque northwest of Gaza when an Israeli warplane bombed a money exchange office. Israel accused the money changers of laundering illicit funds.

Canada calls for sustainable and durable ceasefire in Gaza Wed Dec 31, 9:53 pm ET

OTTAWA, (AFP) – Canadian Foreign Minister Lawrence Cannon called for a sustainable and durable ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip after nearly 400 Palestinians have died since Israeli air raids began Saturday.Cannon spoke to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and several of his counterparts, including US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Tzipi Livni of Israel, Palestinian diplomatic chief Riyad al-Maliki, France's Bernard Kouchner and Egypt's Ahmed Abul Gheit.

Minister Cannon repeated Canada's call to all parties to reach a sustainable and durable ceasefire. The Minister reiterated his grave and growing concern with the loss of lives and suffering, and the disturbing humanitarian situation, the ministry of foreign affairs said in a statement.He also called on all parties and the international community to commit to the peace process.Cannon also repeated that the deliberate and constant targeting of civilians by Hamas was the main reason for these unfortunate events.The Canadian diplomatic chief urged his counterparts to take additional steps to ensure humanitarian access to those in need in Gaza.The ministry advised against all travel to Gaza.As diplomats scrambled to find a way to stop one of Israel's deadliest ever offensives against the Gaza Strip -- which has so far killed nearly 400 Palestinians -- the UN Security Council began consultations on a draft resolution about the Gaza conflict proposed by Libya on behalf of a group of Arab countries, diplomats said.The Islamist movement Hamas, which has controlled the Palestinian enclave since June 2007, vowed to fight until the last breath if Israel makes good on threats to send ground troops into Gaza after rejecting calls for a truce and pressing on with its air assault.

Israelis detail combat sorties over Gaza By ARTHUR MAX, Associated Press Writer – Wed Dec 31, 8:54 pm ET

JERUSALEM – Israeli jet fighters have flown 500 bombing missions in its offensive against Gaza-based Hamas, a senior officer said Wednesday. There have also been hundreds of combat sorties by helicopter gunships and surveillance aircraft, both manned and unmanned.The targets included command posts of the Islamic militant movement, some 130 missile launch sites, munitions dumps and individuals who appeared to be carrying weapons. Also among them was a Hamas center, the Islamic University, which the officer described as a weapons research facility.He said 95 percent of the targets were hit, and no major targets remained standing.Now the objective is to hunt down missile launchers and fighters one-by-one, said the officer, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with military regulations.

Describing a typical mission, the officer said it often begins when spy planes identify trucks or fighters transporting what could be a missile launcher.
Information on the target is fed into the command center, where a commander clears the mission. The data is relayed to the weapons system on board an F16 jet fighter, which plots the target. The pilot flies into position, and the bomb is released automatically, guided by laser beam onto the missile launcher.Just like a GPS telling you exactly where you are, we know exactly where the target is, he said.As the officer outlined the precision bombing, the reach of Israeli intelligence became apparent.Seeking to avoid civilian casualties, he said, an automated telephone service dials the phones of residents of a targeted building, warning them to evacuate. He shrugged when asked how Israel obtained the numbers.Since the air strikes began Saturday, most of the nearly 400 casualties have been Hamas fighters or officials, but dozens of civilians also have been killed.

Short-term goal is not to overthrow Hamas: Israeli FM Livni Wed Dec 31, 7:40 pm ET

WASHINGTON (AFP) – Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni told ABC television Wednesday that Israel's short-term goal in Gaza is not overthrowing Hamas.The only way that the Palestinians can create a state is also by changing the situation in Gaza ... So the changes in Gaza and the changes of regime are needed also to create this vision of two states ... or to translate it into reality, she said.Overthrowing Hamas, she added, is not the goal of the current operation, but at the end of the day, Gaza controlled by Hamas is a problem to Israel, a problem to the Palestinians and a problem to the entire region.Livni justified Israel's rejection of a truce in the fighting in Gaza because the humanitarian situation is not dire, and because knowing Hamas ... they are going to abuse any kind of ceasefire in order to put ... themselves in a better position for the next attack.Asked about the likelihood of a ground assault on Gaza by Israeli forces, the foreign minister said: I don't know yet. Everything is prepared. We started with the air force ... and we are making our decisions on a daily basis.And now it depends on the ability of Hamas and the willingness of Hamas to stop and to give the Palestinians also hope for a better life, she added.The actions in Gaza have so far lasted five days, killed nearly 400 Palestinians and left more than 1,900 wounded, according to Gaza emergency services.

Hezbollah-like tactic used by Hamas against Israel By PAMELA HESS, Associated Press Writer – Wed Dec 31, 5:43 pm ET

WASHINGTON – Since taking control of the Gaza Strip in 2007, Hamas has adopted the rocket tactics used by Lebanese Hezbollah, shifting away from its reliance on suicide bombers in attacks on Israel.Part of that shift may be attributable to Hamas' arsenal of longer-range rockets. Several Israeli towns that had previously been out of reach of Hamas' rockets now are being hit by them.Hamas rockets have struck the large southern cities of Beersheba and Ashdod, home of Israel's largest port, for the first time since the militant group broke its cease-fire with Israel on Dec. 19.A former U.S. intelligence official said Hamas is now using Iranian versions of the Katyusha and Grad rockets with a range of 18.6 to 21.7 miles. The new rockets dramatically extend Hamas' reach.Hamas had relied heavily on the shorter-range homemade Qassams that fly only up to 1.8 miles, the former official said. He spoke anonymously in order to discuss Israeli intelligence.The rockets do not have guidance systems so are indiscriminate in targeting. But that makes them well suited for a barrage on a town or a dispersed battlefield of soldiers, particularly if fired in great numbers.National Security Council spokesman Gordon Johndroe on Wednesday told reporters in Crawford, Texas, that there is no doubt both Iran and Syria are supplying Hamas with weapons. Iran has long been suspected of providing financial support to the militant Palestinian group.A U.S. counterterrorism official, however, said many of Hamas' rockets are cobbled together in a rudimentary way by militants in Gaza from parts smuggled into the region. The official, who declined to discuss numbers, spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss foreign intelligence.In the monthlong 2006 conflict with Israel, Lebanese Hezbollah fired more than 4,000 missiles into Israel, about a third of its missile stores at the time. Most were Katyusha-type rockets, which are quick to set up and have ranges of about 12 miles.

The Israeli government said in 2006 that Hezbollah also wielded Iranian-made missiles with ranges of up to 50 miles.Hamas does not appear to have used those longer-range tactical missiles.Four Israelis have been killed by Hamas' rocket fire in recent days, including three civilians, since the cease-fire broke on Dec. 19.
Gaza officials say Israel's retaliatory airstrikes have killed about 390 and wounded about 1,600. Hamas says some 200 uniformed members of Hamas security forces have been killed. The U.N. says at least 60 Palestinian civilians have died.

Gaza's tunnel economy collapses in bombing raids By IBRAHIM BARZAK and DIAA HADID, Associated Press Writers – Wed Dec 31, 5:11 pm ET

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip – The Gaza Strip has lost its last lifeline after five days of Israeli bombing raids that destroyed dozens of smuggling tunnels under the sandy border with Egypt.The passages did not just supply Hamas with arms, but brought in flour, fuel and baby milk. For Gazans, already used to blackouts and shortages from an 18-month border blockade, the daily hunt for basics is ever more desperate — though there are no reports of outright hunger.I fed the children cooked tomatoes today, I can't find bread, Nima Burdeini, a mother of 11, said Wednesday at the Rafah refugee camp on the Gaza-Egypt border.Israeli warplanes pounded the illicit tunnels as a part of the heavy bombardment of Hamas targets in Gaza that began Saturday. The hundreds of tunnels were seen as key to keeping Hamas in power.After the Islamic militants seized Gaza by force in June 2007, Israel and Egypt imposed a blockade on the territory, allowing in only basic goods and humanitarian supplies.

Most of Gaza's 3,900 factories have closed, unable to import raw materials or export products. Construction halted and thousands of people were thrown out of work, deepening poverty in an area where most of the 1.4 million residents rely on U.N. food aid to get by.At times, Israel tightened the closure, restricting the inflow of fuel, cash and other key supplies. The blockade caused frequent power outages and interruptions in the water supply.In the two months leading up to Israel's offensive, Israel kept Gaza tightly sealed in an attempt to force Gaza militants to stop firing rockets at southern Israeli towns.The tunnels became a lifesaver for Hamas — and for Gaza. Some were used to sneak in arms, including rockets that militants are now firing into Israel. But most of the underground passages were used to haul in consumer goods, from motor bikes to goats, refrigerators, flour and chocolates.The tunnel area that residents once jokingly referred to as Gaza's duty-free zone is now a wasteland of smashed concrete and deep craters, churned up by Israeli bombs.Late Wednesday, the tunnel area was struck by 19 times within a half hour, residents said. A Gaza health official, Moawiya Hassanain, said two people were killed and 42 wounded, including at least four children.Before that report, Israeli air force officials said the bombing campaign had demolished more than 80 tunnels. Egyptian officials said the number was at least 120.

Residents say there are several hundred tunnels under the 9-mile border. Owners said they believe many tunnels are badly damaged, but tunnel workers fear going near the area to check because of the attacks.The tunnels are not visible from the air, but their locations are well known — brazen owners put up colorful tents over tunnel entrances.Economist Omar Shaban estimated some two-thirds of goods sold in Gaza came through the tunnels. From diggers, drivers and haulers, the passages employed around 12,000 Gazans, Shaban said.It was Gaza's new economy, even if it was just importing commercial goods, Shaban said.Tunnel owner Abu Sufian said he and his colleagues lost millions of dollars in merchandise that they had paid for, but that cannot be delivered now from the Egyptian side.Shaban said destroying the tunnels would bruise, but not bloody Hamas' Gaza rule. The militant group also funds itself through local taxes and a network of businesses controlled by loyalists, he said.

But demolishing the tunnels has deepened civilian suffering.

Throughout Gaza, Israel's bombings have brought Gaza's dwindling economic activity to a halt. For fear of getting caught in an airstrike, wholesalers aren't distributing their goods and many shopkeepers stay home. Shelves are emptying at grocery stores. In most areas, the few shops open are those whose owners live nearby. People don't venture beyond their own streets, leaving them hostage to shortages and rising prices. Flour for baking is in short supply, and there is little cash to buy goods because banks are closed. Burdeni, 45, the mother of 11, relies on U.N. aid to feed her children, but officials halted food distribution Dec. 18, citing shortages caused by the border closure. People are doing pretty badly. Everyone we know is sharing whatever they have, not just with their families but with their neighbors, said Karen Abu Zayd, commissioner of the U.N. Relief and Works Agency, which helps needy Palestinians. We haven't seen widespread hunger. We do see for the very first time — I've been here for eight years and seeing new things nowadays — people going through the rubbish dumps looking for things, people begging, which is quite a new phenomenon as well, she said by video link to reporters at U.N. headquarters in New York. Chris Gunness, a U.N. spokesman, said aid distribution should resume Thursday as Israel allows humanitarian aid into Gaza. The United Nations issued a new emergency appeal Wednesday for $34 million to deal with the new crisis. Burdeni's brother gives her small amounts of cash, but the search for food is becoming tougher. Burdeni found tomatoes Wednesday, cooking them when electricity flickered on in her area. My children ate it with spoons, she said bitterly. In Gaza City, Hiba Dahshan, 22, said the price for a 110-pound bag of flour had jumped from $30 to $100. Her family can't afford it, but the local shop still has cheese and canned meat — their menu the past three days. She can't find vegetables on her street. Despite the shortages, some people said they are eating more than usual — because they're pinned down at home and gripped with anxiety from the sounds of bombs exploding around them. I'm eating like a savage, Dahshan said.

Bader Tulbeh, 46, described his eight children as locusts with newly enlarged appetites. They are an army, Tulbeh said while purchasing vegetables from a vendor in central Gaza City. Maher Lubad, 45, a salaried worker in the northern Gaza Strip town of Beit Lahiya, bought lentils on credit from his cousin's grocery shop because he couldn't withdraw any money from the bank. Meanwhile, tunnel owners watch and wait. Even as they bomb us, we are thinking of how to make new tunnels. Maybe we'll try go under the sea, said tunnel owner Abu Sufian. Associated Press writers Ibrahim Barzak reported from Gaza City and Diaa Hadid from Jerusalem. AP writer Edith M. Lederer in New York contributed to this report.

Israel takes battle with Hamas to YouTube By AMY TEIBEL, Associated Press Writer – Wed Dec 31, 3:41 pm ET

JERUSALEM – Israel's bruising war on the Islamic militants who control Gaza has moved online, where sites like YouTube and Facebook are the new battlegrounds.Israel posted video of its attacks on militants firing rockets over the past five days on a new YouTube channel to try to show the world the threat against it.YouTube temporarily yanked the clips on Tuesday after viewers, apparently supporters of Hamas, flagged it as objectionable and asked that it be taken down. The video-sharing Web site restored the video a few hours later, labeling it inappropriate for minors.Supporters of Gaza's Hamas rulers, meanwhile, have posted images of the devastating Israeli offensive on both YouTube and Facebook and on blogs, uploading images of the carnage and suffering in the tiny seaside territory.The militants themselves regularly update their Web sites in Arabic and English. In addition, they broadcast images of masked, uniformed fighters on Hamas TV, which was bombed by Israeli warplanes but continues to broadcast from a mobile unit.The blogosphere and the new media are basically a war zone in a battle for world opinion, an Israeli military spokesman, Maj. Avital Leibovich, said Wednesday.Gideon Doron, former chairman of the Israeli agency that oversaw the privatization of the country's television and radio services, said today's warfare includes fighting through the media.Many of the victories of modern warfare are mediated by the media, Doron said. We have Internet and all kinds of modern communication, and the Israeli military apparently decided that it has to broadcast its message through these tools.

Leibovich said the new YouTube channel and a new blog the military is launching are an important part of Israel's attempt to explain its actions abroad.One of the aerial surveillance videos Israel posted shows about a dozen figures that the military says are militants loading rockets onto a truck. They are eventually targeted by an air-launched missile and disappear in a white cloud as the truck explodes.We were saddened on Dec. 30, 2008 when YouTube took down some of our exclusive footage, the military wrote on its YouTube channel page. Fortunately, due to blogger and viewer support, YouTube has returned the footage they removed.In the past, YouTube has been pressed to take down videos depicting violence. The site has no automatic review, however, so anything posted runs until a viewer flags it and asks that it be taken down.YouTube, which is owned by Google Inc., said it counts on community members to flag content that violates the community's guidelines.We review all flagged content quickly, and if we find that a video does violate the guidelines, we remove it, on average in under an hour, Victoria Grand, Head of Policy at YouTube, said in a statement.Occasionally, a video flagged by users is mistakenly taken down. When this is brought to our attention, we review the content and take appropriate action, which may include restoring videos that had been removed.YouTube said it would not comment on individual videos or answer questions on the Israeli postings.In May, Sen. Joseph Lieberman complained that the process was flawed because al-Qaida recruitment videos could still be seen on the site.The Israeli military says its clips have attracted more than 230,000 views since going online Monday. Israel launched the air assault on Saturday in response to rocket barrages launched from Gaza at Israeli towns. Hundreds of airstrikes across the Palestinian territory have caused huge damage and Gaza officials say some 390 Palestinians have been killed. Hamas says some 200 were members of its security forces, and the U.N. says at least 60 were civilians. Militant rockets have reached farther into Israel than ever before, killing three Israeli civilians and a soldier.
On the Web: http://www.youtube.com/idfnadesk Associated Press Business Writer Andrew Vanacore contributed to this report from New York.

Turkey in Syria talks on ruthless Israel Gaza assault Wed Dec 31, 1:36 pm ET

DAMASCUS (AFP) – Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan met Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Wednesday on the first leg of a tour aimed at tackling what he called Israel's ruthless assault on Gaza.The two leaders agreed that the Israeli aggression against Gaza had shattered all efforts to achieve peace in the region and that in consequence it was impossible to speak of peace in the face of Israeli obstinacy.Turkey had already announced on Monday that it had suspended efforts to broker preliminary peace talks between Israel and Syria, saying that the onslaught on Gaza had led to deep disappointment in Ankara.Erdogan and Assad said it was essential that Arab and Islamic countries intervene to force Israel to immediately halt this holocaust against an unarmed population, the official Syrian Arab News Agency reported.They warned of the consequences of the continuation of the Israeli aggression on the security and stability of the region, it said.Before leaving Ankara, the Turkish premier said he was deeply concerned over the developments in Gaza since this ruthless operation began on Saturday. The objective of my tour is to help stop these dangerous developments.Erdogan called for an immediate halt to the Israeli attacks on Gaza, and said a permanent ceasefire should be urgently secured to prevent irreversible developments in the region.Assad on Tuesday underlined the necessity for halting the Israeli massacres which are being committed against the unarmed Palestinian people, lifting the unjust siege on them and opening all the crossings permanently, SANA said.

On Thursday the Turkish premier is to hold talks with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in Sharm el-Sheikh and on Saturday he will be in Saudi Arabia to meet King Abdullah.Turkey is Israel's main Muslim ally but also has close ties with the Palestinians, whose plight has drawn widespread sympathy around the world.The two countries, which remain technically at war from the first Arab-Israeli conflict in 1948, have held four rounds of Turkish-brokered indirect talks since May.Direct negotiations were halted eight years ago over the thorny issue of the Golan Heights.

Arabs tone down New Year fests amid Gaza violence By ADAM SCHRECK, AP Business Writer – Wed Dec 31, 12:38 pm ET

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – Dubai hotels scrambled to rework New Year's Eve plans Wednesday following a last-minute order to mute holiday festivities as Arab states sought to tone down celebrating amid the violence in Gaza.Beachfront fireworks and live music acts at the recently opened Atlantis hotel were canceled as the tourist spot followed Sheik Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum's ban on all forms of celebrations.Concerts were also canceled elsewhere in the region, including in Israel's neighbors Egypt and Jordan. A much-publicized concert by Shakira, the Colombian singer of Lebanese descent who is widely popular across the region, appeared to be going ahead in the United Arab Emirates' capital, Abu Dhabi.Dubai's order, announced by state news agency WAM late Tuesday, called for a somber tone as a token of solidarity with the Palestinian people and with the Gaza Strip in particular.It was unclear if the ban marked a halt to the city-state's famous New Year's Eve champagne dinners and raucous bar bashes. Many hotels, which are generally the only places licensed to serve alcohol, said they planned to keep food and drink sites open, but low key.Habib Khan, manager of the four-star Arabian Courtyard Hotel & Spa, said he supported the move.One night (of) business does not make us rich or poor, he said when asked if business would be hurt by the decision.

New Year's Eve is one of the busiest times of the year for Dubai's hotel bars and restaurants, which typically offer lavish dinner packages at steep prices. The iconic sail-shaped Burj al-Arab offered one of the dearest: a gala post-cocktail feast followed by live music and dancing for 9,900 dirhams a person, about $2,700.The hotel's parent, Jumeirah Group, which is controlled by Dubai's ruler, did not respond to requests for comment about possible changes to its New Year's plans.A number of celebrations were also canceled in Jordan, where roughly half of the 5.8 million people are of Palestinian descent from families displaced in two wars with Israel since 1948.Hotels, restaurants, malls and private parties in the capital, Amman, the Red Sea resort of Aqaba and the ancient rose-rock city of Petra, announced celebration cancellations in the local press.In Amman, concerts featuring renowned singers May Hariri from Lebanon and Ahmad Sharif of Tunisia were called off. Organizer Elias Nehme said the singers initially planned to go ahead with their concert to benefit the war-stricken strip but later reconsidered, saying it is a shame to have a party while people are dying in Gaza.

Egypt's culture and information ministries canceled official celebrations, including a concert by Egyptian superstar Mohammed Mounir at the Cairo Opera House.However, most private hotels and clubs appeared to be going forward with events.At one of the two Four Seasons hotels in Cairo, guests paying 1,500 Egyptian pounds ($270) a person could be treated to a five-course celebratory dinner set to classical music.We are not canceling any reservations, said Ahmed Ghany, the restaurant manager. He added that no prospective guests had canceled their reservations. The situation is far from us, he said.Bahrain News Agency said all New Year's concerts in the Persian Gulf island state were canceled in support of Gaza following a directive by the king. Hotels were also asked to abide by the ruling.In Lebanon, hardened by a devastating 34-day war between Israel and Hezbollah in 2006 and a fierce power struggle by rival factions, preparations to celebrate the New Year went ahead. Paul Ariss, president of the Restaurant Owners' Association, said there was a festive mood in the country despite the Gaza attacks. More than 60 percent of restaurants in the capital, Beirut, were fully booked, he said. Although our hearts are with the victims in Gaza life must go on after all, Ariss said. In Syria, celebrations at the country's major hotels were postponed until Friday, organizers said. Churches also canceled New Year's celebrations and kept only prayers for the event. Teams from the Syrian Red Crescent stood at traffic lights in downtown Damascus to collect donations for victims of the Gaza airstrikes. In Baghdad, normal New Year's celebrations already had been shelved due to the Islamic holiday of Muharram, and hotels and private clubs that usually host parties called them off. Muharram is important to Shiite Muslims, who dominate the government. Parties were still being held in the predominantly Sunni northern Kurdish region. Associated Press writers Rebecca Santana in Cairo, Dale Gavlak in Amman and Patrick Quinn in Baghdad contributed to this report.

Volunteer suicide bombers seek to attack Israel By ALI AKBAR DAREINI, Associated Press Writer – Wed Dec 31, 12:08 pm ET

TEHRAN, Iran – Hard-line Iranian student groups have asked the government to authorize volunteers to go carry out suicide bombings in Israel in response to the Israeli assault on the Gaza Strip.The government of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad had not responded to the call by Wednesday. Volunteer suicide groups have made similar requests in the past and the government never responded to their calls. The groups' activities appear to be mainly for propaganda purposes, and there has been no sign of Iranians carrying out suicide attacks in Israel.Five hard-line student groups and a conservative clerical group launched a registration drive on Monday, seeking volunteers to carry out suicide attacks against Israel.In an open letter to Ahmadinejad, the students said volunteer student suicide groups ... are determined to go to Gaza. You are expected to issue orders to the relevant authorities to pave the way for such action. A copy of the letter was made available to The Associated Press on Wednesday.The hard-liners started signing up volunteers after Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, issued a religious decree Sunday saying anyone killed while defending Palestinians in Gaza against Israeli attacks would be considered a martyr.The groups claim that more than 10,000 people throughout Iran have registered as volunteer suicide bombers in the past three days. At a gathering Tuesday in Tehran, hard-liners were distributing registration forms to volunteers.

How can I remain indifferent while defenseless Palestinians are being butchered, said one volunteer, Ali Reza Takrim Namini, as he filled out the registration form.
The volunteers wore white shrouds symbolizing their willingness to die and headbands with the slogan Defenders of Gaza and Ready for Martyrdom. Most of those registering were members of the Basij militia, a hard-line paramilitary group that has tens of thousands of members and is often involved in drumming up popular fervor against Israel and the West.Israel's bombardment of Gaza, which has killed hundreds of Palestinians, has sparked outrage in Iran and throughout the rest of the Muslim world. Israel says it launched its campaign in retaliation for rocket fire aimed at civilians in southern Israeli towns by Hamas. Iran is Hamas' main backer, providing it considerable financial aid, though Tehran denies sending it weapons.Protesters have held daily rallies outside the Egyptian interests section in Tehran, as well as the Jordanian and Saudi embassies, protesting what they call inaction by Arab nations. On Thursday, hard-line students threatened to storm the Egyptian mission unless Egypt open its Rafah border crossing with Gaza, a step Cairo has refused.

Late Tuesday, a branch of the Italian clothing retailer Benetton in northern Tehran was set fire, apparently as part of a protest. The branch showed minor damage, with some burned clothes and scorch marks.Criticism of Hamas is rare in Iran and on Wednesday, the government ordered shut a leading reformist daily, Kargozaran, for publishing a statement by a student group that blamed Hamas for provoking the Israeli offensive.The paper's editor Mehran Karami said the student statement condemned the Israeli attacks but also called Hamas a terrorist organization that hides in schools and draws civilian casualties.

Hamas must stop firing rockets as first step: White House Wed Dec 31, 11:30 am ET

CRAWFORD, Texas (Reuters) – President George W. Bush believes the militant group Hamas needs to stop firing rockets at Israel as a first step to a ceasefire and he spoke to Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, the White House said on Wednesday.

President Bush thinks that Hamas needs to stop firing rockets and that is what will be the first steps in a ceasefire, White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe said in Texas where Bush was on holiday.During the phone call with Olmert, Bush received assurances from the Israeli leader that Israel was only targeting Hamas and working to minimize civilian casualties, Johndroe said. The two did not discuss a timetable for halting Israeli airstrikes on Gaza, he said.(Reporting by Tabassum Zakaria, writing by Jeremy Pelofsky; Editing by Sandra Maler)

Israeli security cabinet rejects Gaza truce proposals: official Wed Dec 31, 8:57 am

JERUSALEM (AFP) – The Israeli security cabinet has rejected international proposals for a truce in its offensive on Hamas in Gaza, a senior government official told AFP on Wednesday.The cabinet decided to continue with the military operation, now in its fifth day, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.The government decided to adopt a success strategy. The government wants to reach the goals of halting terror from Gaza. Once we reach this goal we will be ready to discuss the possibility of a ceasefire.Quoting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, he added: We did not launch the Gaza operation only to end it with the same rocket firing that we had at its start.Imagine that a few days after we unilaterally stop the operation, a barrage of rockets hits Ashkelon, he quoted Olmert as telling the cabinet, referring to a southern Israeli town hit several times recently by rockets fired from Gaza.

Olmert chided those calling for a halt in Israel's massive bombing campaign of Hamas targets in Gaza and said the time was not yet ripe for a ceasefire.Do you realise the ramifications this would have in the country and the region and on Israel's deterrence? the official quoted him as saying.If the conditions are ripe and we think that they might offer a solution that will guarantee a better security reality in the south then we would weigh the issue.We are not there yet.

Hundreds in Mich., NYC, LOS protest Gaza attack By BEN LEUBSDORF, Associated Press Writer – Wed Dec 31, 8:21 am ET

DEARBORN, Mich. – Israel's military strikes on the Gaza Strip prompted pro-Palestinian protests in America, with marchers denouncing the violence in the Detroit suburb of Dearborn, New York City and Los Angeles.Hundreds of protesters braved 30-degree weather Tuesday and filled eight blocks of a major thoroughfare in Dearborn, widely seen as the heart of Arab America. They waved flags and carried signs condemning Israel and showing pictures of casualties.One group of protesters carried a mock coffin decorated with pictures of dead and injured children and labeled U.S. Tax Dollars at Work and Victims of Zionism. Some marchers chanted in English, Gaza, Gaza don't cry, Palestine will never die! and Israel is a terrorist state! Hundreds more gathered in New York City and Los Angeles outside the Israeli consulates, with rallies also reported in two cities in Florida.Since Saturday, hundreds of Palestinians have died in the Israeli air onslaught against Gaza militants. Most of the dead were members of Hamas security forces but the United Nations says at least 60 civilians have been killed. Four Israelis have been killed by militant rocket fire, including three civilians.Outside the Israeli consulates in Manhattan and Los Angeles, protesters Tuesday waved Palestinian flags and chanted Free Palestine.New York demonstrator Dalia Mahmoud said she was shocked at Israel's actions and that it was punishing an entire population for the actions of a few.

Police barricades separated the protesters from a smaller pro-Israel rally across the street, where one demonstrator carried a sign reading Israel must defend itself.
A few miles south at City Hall, Israeli Consul General Asaf Shariv met with Mayor Michael Bloomberg, displaying for reporters an exploded rocket that killed an Israeli woman out for a walk.We are obligated to defend our people, and that is what we are doing, Shariv said.

Bloomberg voiced his support.

I can only think what would happen in this country if somebody was lobbing missiles onto our shores or across the border, he said.On Wilshire Boulevard in Los Angeles on Tuesday evening, one pro-Israel sign read, Hamas, stop using children as human shields.A Palestinian supporter's sign declared, End the siege, end the bloodshed.In Florida, demonstrators also lined a Tampa highway Tuesday, waving Palestinian and American flags and yelling through megaphones, The Tampa Tribune reported. Further south in Fort Lauderdale, at least 200 pro-Palestinian demonstrators and a smaller group of pro-Israel protesters lobbed charges at each other Tuesday evening at an intersection, according to the Miami Herald.

Pro-Palestinian protesters at Obama's Hawaii house By Ross Colvin Ross Colvin – Wed Dec 31, 8:19 am ET

KAILUA, Hawaii (Reuters) – A small group of placard-waving pro-Palestinian demonstrators gathered near U.S. President-elect Barack Obama's vacation retreat in Hawaii on Tuesday to protest against the Israeli airstrikes in Gaza.Obama has made no public comment on the strikes, which Israel launched on Saturday. Aides have repeatedly said he is monitoring the situation and continues to receive intelligence briefings but that there is only one U.S. president at a time.Some critics, however, say Obama did choose to speak out after the attacks on the Indian city of Mumbai in November in which gunmen killed nearly 180 people, condemning them as acts of terrorism.Obama, who takes office on January 20 from outgoing Republican President George W. Bush, has also spoken out on economic issues facing the United States.He is talking about how many jobs he is going to create but he is refusing to speak about this, said one of the protesters, Carolyn Hadfield, 66.Hadfield was one of eight protesters standing with placards reading No U.S. support for Israel and Gazans need food and medicine, not war near Obama's rented vacation home in Kailua, an upmarket suburb on the Hawaiian island of Oahu, where Obama is in the second week of a vacation with his family.Obama had not left the compound on Tuesday morning and did not see the protest.Obama has in the past called Israel one of the United States' greatest allies and has vowed to ensure the security of the Jewish state.

He has also said he would make a sustained push to achieve the goal of two states -- a Jewish state in Israel and a Palestinian state.Israel on Tuesday pressed on with air strikes in Gaza that it says are in response to rocket fire by Hamas militants deep inside the Jewish state. Medical officials put Palestinian casualties at 383 dead and more than 800 wounded.The Bush administration has so far backed Israel's actions in Gaza and demanded the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas stop firing rockets into Israel and agree to a lasting ceasefire.We are very upset with what is going in Palestine. There is a very great need for change in U.S. foreign policy toward Israel and Palestine. We need to stop giving Israel a blank check, said another protester, Margaret Brown, 66.The protesters were rebuffed when they tried to hand a letter signed by dozens of U.S. activist groups to a Secret Service agent guarding the access road to Obama's beachfront compound.(Reporting by Ross Colvin; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)

India criticises Israeli airstrikes Wed Dec 31, 6:19 am ET

NEW DELHI (AFP) – India on Wednesday urged Israel to halt the air strikes that have killed at least 390 Palestinians and injured thousands in the Gaza Strip.We have strongly criticised that attack and we have urged Israel to stop those attacks, Home Minister Palaniappan Chidambaram told reporters.Israeli warplanes hammered Gaza for a fifth day on Wednesday and Islamists retaliated by firing rockets into Israeli territory.

Japan PM Aso tells Israel's Olmert to stop bombings Wed Dec 31, 5:06 am ET

TOKYO (AFP) – Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso told his Israeli counterpart Ehud Olmert Wednesday to halt air strikes that have killed at least 390 Palestinians and injured thousands in the Gaza Strip.In a 20-minute telephone conversation, Aso expressed Japan's regret and urged Olmert to swiftly stop the offensives, as many civilians were killed and harmed, the Japanese foreign ministry said in a statement.

While condemning rocket attacks by Palestinian militants, Aso said it is regrettable that the (Israeli) attacks have caused widespread damages, including deaths and injuries of civilians.He also urged Israel to allow the transportation of humanitarian assistance to Gaza.In response, Olmert stressed that the attacks against Hamas were being made in self-defence and that Israel was making efforts to avoid harming civilians.In the talks that took place around 0600 GMT, Olmert said Israel was committed to the peace talks and promised cooperation over delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza, according to the foreign ministry.Since being launched on Saturday, the Israeli offensive has killed at least 390 people, including 42 children, and wounded more than 1,900 others, according to Gaza medics.The intensive Israeli bombardment has killed several senior Hamas officials and reduced much of the Islamist movement's infrastructure in Gaza to rubble, but have failed to stop rockets being fired into Israel.Gaza militants have fired back more than 250 rockets, killing three civilians and one soldier and wounding several dozen people.

Iranians raid British diplomatic compound in Gaza protest Tue Dec 30, 9:57 pm ET

TEHRAN (AFP) – A group of Iranian demonstrators stormed the British diplomatic compound in Tehran to protest London's stance towards the Israeli onslaught on Gaza, state news agency IRNA reported.A large group of people and students entered the Gholhak gardens, which are occupied by the British embassy to protest at Britain's policies in supporting the Zionist regime and put up the Palestinian flag there, IRNA said Tuesday.A media officer at the British embassy in Tehran confirmed the report adding that diplomatic police had driven the demonstrators out.We do confirm the raid on our premises. We are in contact with Islamic republic authorities to resolve the matter, Mitra Behnam told AFP.Gholhak gardens, a sprawling compound in north Tehran, provides accommodation for British diplomats and their families.

Britain has called for an urgent ceasefire by both sides in Gaza , where Israeli warplanes have launched waves of airstrikes against the Islamist Hamas movement since Saturday, killing at least 368 Palestinians, and Hamas militants have been firing volleys of rockets into Israel.Several kilometres (miles) from the British embassy complex in central Tehran, the Gholhak gardens complex also houses the British Council and a school.Islamist students have frequently protested in front of the British embassy, throwing stones and petrol bombs at the building.In Tuesday's protest, demonstrators torched British, US and Israeli flags in front the Gholhak compound before moving towards the Egyptian interest section where they staged another protest and chanted Death to (Egyptian President) Hosni Mubarak, the Fars news agency said.Egypt has come in for strong criticism from Hamas and their sympathisers around the Muslim world for not fully opening its border with Gaza in the face of Israel's devastating four-day-old air blitz.Fresh protests against the Israeli offensive were Tuesday held across Iran, which is a staunch supporter of the Islamist movement and does not recognise its archfoe Israel.Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei decreed on Sunday that anyone who died in the defence of Gaza would be deemed a martyr.