Middle East conflict: Israel targets Hamas buildings on third day of offensive

Published on Monday 29 December 2008 10:10

ISRAELI air strikes continued to batter the Gaza strip for a third day today with government buildings coming under fire for the first time.

Air force jets bombed the Hamas-run interior ministry as part of Israel's attempts to stop Gaza's ruling body from launching rocket attacks.

Nearly 300 people are now said to have been killed since the bombing started on the highly populated territory on Saturday, with around 1,000 more including civilians and children caught up in the carnage wounded.

The continuing campaign comes despite Foreign Secretary David Miliband joining other international calls for an immediate halt to the violence.

Israel also looks poised to launch a ground assault on the Gaza strip after the country's leaders approved a call-up of 6,500 reserve soldiers. The country has also doubled the number of troops on the Gaza border in the past two days, and deployed an artillery battery.

Israel has said it is responding to Hamas-led rocket attacks on the southern part of the country, which have recently surged in numbers since a six-month ceasefire agreement expired last week.

Yesterday jets targeted smuggling tunnels in Gaza, a central prison and Gaza's Islamic University – a noted cultural symbol for Hamas.

Mr Miliband said an "urgent ceasefire" was needed to stop "massive loss of life" in the territory.

He insisted that Tel Aviv must abide by its "humanitarian obligations" and Prime Minister Gordon Brown shared his "grave concern" over the situation.

"The Prime Minister and I are following developments in Gaza with grave concern," he said.

"The rise in rocket attacks on Israel since December 19, and yesterday's massive loss of life, make this a dangerous moment which should be of concern to the whole of the international community.

"The UK supports an urgent ceasefire and immediate halt to all violence."

Israel has insisted it will keep up the assault until militants stop launching rockets, with defence minister Ehud Barack warning ominously that "the time has come to fight" and signalling willingness to put "boots on the ground".

After four hours of emergency talks yesterday, the United Nations Security Council upped the pressure on Tel Aviv by delivering a plea for the bloodshed to stop.

A statement made no direct reference to actions by either side, but said: "The members of the security council expressed serious concern at the escalation of the situation in Gaza and called for an immediate halt to all violence.

"The members called on the parties to stop immediately all military activities."

But US ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad stressed that Hamas held the key to restoring calm.

"We believe the way forward from here is for rocket attacks against Israel to stop, for all violence to end," he said.

Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas – whose Fatah faction is a bitter rival of Hamas – also blamed the group for failing to renew the ceasefire. He said if its leaders had heeded his advice "we could have avoided what happened".

Tel Aviv said at least 110 rockets had been fired into the country from Gaza since yesterday, with one person killed in the town of Netivot.

• In pictures: Israel attacks Gaza for third day