Israel in ’all-out war’ against Gaza-rulers

Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak, who has warned of a possible ground offensive, declared that Israel was in "an all-out war with Hamas and its proxies," saying his military is fighting a "war to the bitter end."

With Israeli tanks still idling along the border of the battered Palestinian enclave, the army declared the area "a closed military zone" Ğ a move that in the past has often been followed by ground operations.

The strikes appear to have gravely damaged Hamas' ability to launch rockets, but barrages continued. Sirens warning of incoming rockets sent Israelis scrambling for cover throughout the day.

One medium-range rocket fired at the Israeli city of Ashkelon killed an Arab construction worker there yesterday and wounded several others. He was the second Israeli killed since the beginning of the offensive, and the first person ever to be killed by a rocket in Ashkelon, a city of 120,000.

In all, the Israeli blitz, unleashed Saturday in retaliation for ongoing rocket and mortar fire from Gaza, has killed at least 312 Palestinians and wounded more than 1,400 others, according to Gaza medics. Nearly 60 civilians, including seven children under the age of 15, have died as a result of the Israeli bombardment.
Hamas lashed out at the world for not doing enough to end the blitz. Israel is "committing a holocaust as the whole world watches and doesn't lift a finger to stop it," Hamas spokesman said.

Meanwhile, the Senegalese foreign ministry said yesterday that exiled Hamas leader, Khaled Meshaal, is ready to sign a truce over Gaza if Israel agrees to a ceasefire and lifts its blockade, reported Agence France-Presse. "The Hamas leader said he was ready to sign such a deal in a place chosen by the parties by mutual consent" in a phone call to Senegalese President Abdoullaye Wade, who met with Meshaal late Sunday in his capacity as the president of the Organization of the Islamic Conference.