Death toll surges as Israel shuns ceasefire efforts to pound Gaza

hospitals overwhelmed with civilian casualties as two sides clash

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MOVING ON: A Palestinian family salvage the remains of their belongings from their house in Gaza City, after it was hit by an Israeli missile strike

The civilian death toll – including many children – increased yesterday as Israel continued its offensive against Gaza’s Hamas rulers.

Diplomats and European leaders, meanwhile, raced around the region in search of a ceasefire, but with Palestinian rocket fire continuing, Israel said it will not stop its crippling 10-day assault.

The operation’s ground phase, which began on Saturday, was going according to plan, the Israeli military said.

Israeli forces were sweeping through Palestinian rocket-launching locations near the border with Israel and the militants were suffering many casualties, he said.

But no militant casualties were seen yesterday by a reporter visiting Shifa Hospital, the Gaza Strip’s largest. Instead, the hospital was overwhelmed with civilians.

Bodies were held two to a morgue drawer, and the wounded were being treated in hallways because beds were full.

Three young brothers killed in an artillery strike were laid out on a floor.

One of them, Issa Samouni, aged three, was wrapped in a white cloth, showing only his pale, yellow face.

In one of the first major gun battles of the ground campaign, Israeli troops and Hamas militants clashed at close quarters on the outskirts of the crowded Gaza City district of Shajaiyeh, Israeli defence officials said.

From the air, jet fighters attacked houses, weapons storage sites and smuggling tunnels, as they have since the beginning of the offensive on December 27.

In another strategic move, Israeli forces have also seized a main road in Gaza, slicing the territory in two.

Details also emerged yesterday of an attempt by Hamas fighters to capture Israeli soldiers just hours after the start of the ground operation.

As infantrymen advanced up a strategic hill before dawn on Sunday, militants emerged from a tunnel dug into the hillside and tried to drag two Israeli infantrymen inside, according to Israeli defence officials.

The Israelis fought off the attempt, but one soldier was killed in the firefight.

Hamas already holds one Israeli soldier, whom it captured in June 2006, and another soldier would be an important bargaining chip for the group.

Israeli forces detained 80 Palestinians – some of them suspected Hamas members – and transferred several of them to Israel for questioning, said military officials.

The Gaza City area was rocked by shelling from both sides as gunboats in the sea and artillery and tanks closing in from the east unloaded thunderous fire.

After dark, the shelling reached deeper into residential areas. Fireballs lit up the horizon to the east of the city, setting off blazes on the ground and silhouetting Gaza’s tall buildings.

At least 20 Palestinian children were killed throughout the day, according to health official Moaiya Hassanain.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who unsuccessfully proposed a two-day truce before the land invasion began, met yesterday with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who lost control of Gaza to Hamas in June 2007.

He was also due to meet Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.

Europe wants a ceasefire as quickly as possible, Mr Sarkozy said after meeting Mr Abbas, calling on Israel to halt the offensive while blaming Hamas for acting “irresponsibly and unpardonably”.

A European Union delegation met Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni yesterday.

“The EU insists on a ceasefire at the earliest possible moment,” said Karel Schwarzenberg, the foreign minister of the Czech Republic, which took over the EU’s presidency last week.

The overall death toll continued to surge. UN and Gaza health officials reported more than 550 Palestinian dead and around 2,500 wounded since Israel embarked upon the campaign 10 days ago, including at least 200 civilians.

Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak said the offensive would go on until Israel achieved “peace and tranquility” for residents of southern Israel.

Israel has three main demands: an end to Palestinian attacks, international supervision of any truce and a halt to Hamas re-arming.

Hamas demands a cessation of Israeli attacks and the opening of vital Gaza-Israel cargo crossings, Gaza’s main lifeline.

Hamas leader Mahmoud Zahar yesterday exhorted Palestinians to fight the Israeli forces and target Israeli civilians and Jews abroad.

“The Zionists have legitimised the killing of their children by killing our children. They have legitimised the killing of their people all over the world by killing our people,” Mr Zahar said in a video broadcast on Hamas TV.