On the sixth day of Israel's biggest military operation against the Palestinian territory in decades, Hamas also fired rockets into Israel which said it carried out about 20 overnight air raids on the battered enclave.

Israeli jets pounded Hamas government buildings, rocket launching sites and tunnels suspected of being used to smuggle weapons and supplies into the territory, the military said.

The death toll from "Operation Cast Lead" reached 400 with nearly 2,000 people wounded, the head of Gaza emergency services Moawiya Hassanein told AFP. The United Nations says at least 25 percent of those killed have been civilians.

Israel started the air strikes Saturday in response to rocket attacks from the Gaza that Israel has kept virtually sealed since the Islamists assumed power there in June 2007.

The army said about five Hamas rockets fell on Israeli territory on Thursday including two in the region of Beersheva, which is the deepest into Israel that Hamas has ever hit. More than 250 have been fired since Saturday, killing four Israelis.

Hamas vowed to fight "until the last breath" if Israel made good on threats to send ground troops into Gaza.

"We in Hamas are ready for all scenarios and we will fight until the last breath," senior Hamas official Mushir al-Masri told AFP late on Wednesday.

The Jewish state has been amassing tanks and personnel on the border of the territory, with Defence Minister Ehud Barak repeatedly warning of a ground assault to accompany the air raids.

In a defiant televised speech late Wednesday, the head of the Hamas government, Ismail Haniya, vowed Israel would be defeated.

"Our people will defeat those tanks," he said.

Despite international appeals for the bloodshed to end, Israel's security cabinet rejected proposals for a ceasefire on Wednesday, with Prime Minister Ehud Olmert saying conditions have not yet been met for a truce.

"We did not launch the Gaza operation only to end it with the same rocket firing that we had at its start," a senior official quoted Olmert as saying.

World leaders and diplomats continued to scramble to find a way to stop the operation that has sent anger spiralling in the Muslim world.

Libya on Wednesday presented a draft Arab League resolution to the UN Security Council calling for an immediate ceasefire.

But the United States and Britain said it appeared biased because it did not mention the Hamas rocket attacks.

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."

French President Nicolas Sarkozy would travel to Egypt, Israel and the West Bank on Monday, his office announced. In a New Year's message, Sarkozy said he will try to "find a roadmap towards peace."

The US presidency said it was up to Hamas to make the first move.

"I think President (George W.) 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.

Hamas said it would consider ceasefire proposals that include an end to the blockade Israel has imposed on Gaza since the Islamists seized power.

"If the aggression is halted unconditionally and the blockade is lifted and the passages are opened, we then can discuss all issues in a positive manner," Haniya said in his televised address.

Since the start of the offensive, Israel has hit more than 450 sites in Gaza, an overcrowded territory home to 1.5 million people sandwiched between the Jewish state and Egypt.

The bombardment has raised fears of a humanitarian crisis in Gaza, which is dependent on foreign aid and has been crippled by Israel's blockade.

Since the beginning of the operation, Israel has allowed some 6,500 tonnes of aid into Gaza, according to the defence ministry. It was not immediately clear whether aid would be allowed in on Thursday.

Share This Article With Planet Earth

del.icio.us	Digg	Reddit
YahooMyWeb	Google	Facebook

Related Links

Memory Foam Mattress Review

SPACE MEDIA NETWORK PROMOTIONS Solar Energy Solutions Tempur-Pedic Mattress Comparison ... Newsletters :: SpaceDaily :: SpaceWar :: TerraDaily :: Energy Daily XML Feeds :: Space News :: Earth News :: War News :: Solar Energy News