Gaza peace talks to start today, Egypt claims

Egypt's ambassador to the United Nations revealed plans for the summit in Cairo.

Maged Abdelaziz said "representatives from all sides" in the conflict would begin "technical discussions" on an Egyptian-French truce proposal.

Mr Abdelaziz added: "For anything to start, there has to be some positive move. And the positive move is the ceasefire."

The Egyptian plan, partly brokered by France, calls for an end to the rocket attacks on Israel, the opening of Gaza border crossings and an end to weapons- smuggling into Gaza.

Although the UN Security Council seemed deadlocked over the crisis last night, major strides appeared to being made on the diplomatic front, despite more heavy fighting.

Israel was reported to have agreed "on the principles" of a truce proposal.

Meanwhile, Israel resumed its bombing offensive on Gaza last night after a three-hour lull earlier in the day to allow in humanitarian aid. Hamas responded with a rocket barrage.

And in Gaza City, Palestinians said an airstrike had destroyed a mosque and wounded 15 people.

Egypt's foreign minister, Ahmed Aboul Gheit, confirmed Hamas had been invited to the Cairo talks, but "if they come" their representatives will not be in the same room as Israel's.

Nicolas Sarkozy, the French president, has said Israel and the moderate Palestinian Authority – Hamas's rival – accepted the ceasefire plan.

Mr Abdelaziz said the Cairo talks would shape whether the UN Security Council agreed to a council resolution, as Arab countries want, or a lesser statement issued by the 15-nation council's president, as the US, Britain and France have proposed.

He added: "We're not interested in a piece of paper. Egypt is receiving technical delegations from all parties."

Israeli officials said they viewed the French-Egyptian proposal positively and announced that they would be sending an envoy to Cairo later today.

In Turkey, a diplomatic source said that the country would be asked to put together an international force that could help keep the peace.

Meanwhile, it appeared last night as if both sides in the conflict were scrambling to get as many hits in as possible before any truce.

Israeli warplanes continued to bomb the Gaza-Egypt border as military officials decided to press ahead with a bloody offensive. Hamas kept up its rocket fire on Israel.

Israel had suspended its offensive from 1pm to 4pm to allow humanitarian supplies to reach Gaza, and Israeli officials said such lulls would be declared regularly. Fighting resumed minutes after the lull lapsed.

During the lull, Israel let in 80 lorry-loads of supplies as well as fuel for Gaza's power plant. Medics tried to retrieve bodies in areas that had previously been too dangerous to approach.

The Palestinian Red Crescent said one of its ambulance drivers was shot by Israeli soldiers during the lull. The Israeli military said it knew nothing of this.

Israeli strikes killed 29 Palestinians yesterday, bringing the Palestinian death toll during 12 days of devastating air and ground assaults to 688.

Ten Israelis have been killed, including three civilians, since the offensive began on 27 December.

A senior UN official yesterday said no Hamas militants were inside a UN-run school in Gaza where Israeli shells killed more than 40 people on Tuesday.

The Israeli army accused Hamas of using civilians as "human shields" and said its troops had returned fire after being mortared from within the al-Fakhora school.

West Bank moderates become militant

WITH every Israeli air and artillery strike in Gaza, hatred of the Jewish state is intensifying in the hearts of its Palestinian neighbours in the West Bank, writes Ben Lynfield in Jerusalem.

Many observers fear this will make it more difficult to relaunch peace talks with Palestinian moderates.

Yesterday in Ramallah, in the West Bank, nine-year-old girl scouts, their foreheads marked with the word "Gaza" in red ink, were among those who marched through the main al-Manara square in a protest.

The demonstrators held up pictures of bandaged toddlers and signs saying "Stop killing the children" while chanting: "With blood and spirit, we will redeem you, oh Gaza."

The anger is shared by young and old, rich and poor. Bassem Khoury, head of the Palestinian Federation of Industries, launched the National Palestinian Campaign to Relieve Gaza, supported by the Palestinian Authority.

It will include door-to-door fundraising in the West Bank. Mr Khoury held up a picture from the Al-Ayyam newspaper of the head of a girl who was buried in the rubble of an Israeli attack.

"This is unbelievable," he said. "How will this help the Israelis? It only generates more recruits for Hamas."

But some do not disguise hopes that the war will help Fatah recover control of Gaza from Hamas. "We might see a lot of questions raised," said Ziyad Abu Ain, deputy minister for prisoner affairs.

"People will ask, 'Why did we pay such a heavy price in blood for nothing in the end?' Not only the Israelis will be accused, but also Hamas."

Three-hour ceasefire 'not long enough'

ISRAEL temporarily halted its military operations in Gaza for three hours yesterday, the first of what of it is hoped will be a daily ceasefire.

The lull in fighting allowed vital aid supplies and fuel into the stricken area and also gave besieged Palestinians the opportunity to leave their homes and look for food.

Earlier in the day, one Israeli spokesman said the move could be a daily occurrence to "get medical attention, get supplies … whatever they need", however this could not be confirmed last night.

Some rations were distributed by aid workers, but charities warned this was a fraction of the amount needed. After the ceasefire ended at 4pm local time, there was a resumption of Israeli air strikes and the firing of rockets at Israel by Hamas militants.

So far, official figures put the Palestinian death toll at 670, including 300 civilians. Seven Israeli soldiers and three civilians have been killed.

David Miliband, the Foreign Secretary, made a fresh call for an end to the violence. He said: "I have seen the first glimmerings of the possibility for a ceasefire … but it is far too early to say there is a breakthrough."

The UN Security Council was due to hold talks late last night. Israel said it accepted the "principles" of a ceasefire, but the plan had to be worked out in more detail.