Israel bombed Gaza for a fourth day on Tuesday, warning the
blitz that has killed at least 360 people could last for weeks,
as Hamas fired back with deadly rockets landing deep inside
the Jewish state.
As anger over the devastating offensive spiralled in the
Muslim world and elsewhere, UN chief Ban Ki-moon again implored
world leaders to work urgently to end the "unacceptable"
violence.
Children again fell victim to Israel's "all-out war"
on the Islamist Hamas movement, with two sisters dying when
a missile slammed into their donkey cart in the northern town
of Beit Hanun.
In Gaza City, residents picked through rubble and broken
glass after a night in which Israel hammered the overcrowded
territory with some 40 strikes targeting Hamas buildings.
With tanks and personnel massed on the Gaza border, Israel
said infantry was ready to join what it warned would be a
prolonged offensive.
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said the bombardment so
far was "the first of several stages approved by the
security cabinet," while Deputy Defence Minister Matan
Vilnai warned the offensive -- one of Israel's deadliest ever
against Gaza -- could take weeks.
