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| Israelis strike 60 Gaza targets | Israelis strike 60 Gaza targets |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| Israeli planes have attacked more than 60 targets in Gaza as its offensive against Hamas entered its 18th day. | |
| The air assault - on the 18th day of the conflict - came as Israeli troops advanced in the southern and eastern suburbs of Gaza City. | |
| Western areas of Gaza City later came under shellfire from Israeli gunboats. | |
| A three-hour ceasefire is being observed to allow aid lorries in. The head of the Red Cross is visiting the Gaza Strip to assess the situation. | |
| Shelling | |
| The BBC's Aleem Maqbool, on the Israeli-Gaza border, said shelling had continued, included air and land attacks, throughout the morning. | |
| One Israeli officer was critically wounded when a bomb exploded in a booby-trapped house, the Israeli military said. | |
| It earlier denied a Hamas claim that it had destroyed two Israeli tanks. | |
| During the ceasefire, which began at 0900 local time (0700 GMT), the president of the International Committee of the Red Cross, Jacob Kellenberger, went into the Gaza Strip. He was due to go the the main Shifa hospital. | |
| Ban Ki-moon calls for an immediate ceasefire | Ban Ki-moon calls for an immediate ceasefire |
| The UN secretary general, Ban Ki-moon, is due in the region on Wednesday to push for a truce. | |
| He has implored Israel and Palestinian militants to halt the fighting in Gaza immediately. | |
| Mr Ban said too many people had died and there had been too much civilian suffering. | |
| "My message is simple, direct and to the point: the fighting must stop," Mr Ban told a news conference in New York ahead of his departure on Tuesday for the Middle East. | "My message is simple, direct and to the point: the fighting must stop," Mr Ban told a news conference in New York ahead of his departure on Tuesday for the Middle East. |
| "In Gaza, the very foundation of society is being destroyed: people's homes, civic infrastructure, public health facilities and schools." | "In Gaza, the very foundation of society is being destroyed: people's homes, civic infrastructure, public health facilities and schools." |
| His diplomatic tour will see talks with the leaders of Egypt, Israel and Syria as well as the Palestinian president in Ramallah. | His diplomatic tour will see talks with the leaders of Egypt, Israel and Syria as well as the Palestinian president in Ramallah. |
| However, UN officials say he will not be meeting representatives of Hamas, and it is not clear whether he will go to Gaza itself during his week-long trip. | |
| class="" href="/1/hi/world/middle_east/7821512.stm">Analysis: Where is Israel heading? class="" href="/1/hi/world/middle_east/7820680.stm">Why Gaza war looks set to go on class="" href="/1/hi/in_pictures/7824750.stm">In pictures: Advance continues Also on Tuesday, the Israeli army said one of its patrol in the West Bank came under fire from inside Jordan. No-one was hurt in the incident and the patrol returned fire. | |
| However, the Jordanian Armed Forces General Command has denied there was any shooting from Jordan. | |
| An army spokesman called the Israeli military report "categorically baseless." | |
| "An investigation showed there was no shooting at the border into Israel," he said in the statement. | |
| Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Palestinian militants will keep on feeling Israel's "iron fist" as long as Hamas fires rockets at Israel. | Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Palestinian militants will keep on feeling Israel's "iron fist" as long as Hamas fires rockets at Israel. |
| But a senior Hamas leader, Ismail Haniya, said the group was "approaching victory". | But a senior Hamas leader, Ismail Haniya, said the group was "approaching victory". |
| Death toll | Death toll |
| Both Hamas and Israel rejected last week's UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire. | Both Hamas and Israel rejected last week's UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire. |
| Palestinian medical sources say 920 people have been killed in Gaza so far, of whom 292 were children and 75 were women. Israeli officials say 13 Israelis, including three civilians, have been killed. GAZA CRISIS BACKGROUND Profile: Gaza StripQ&A: Gaza conflictWho are Hamas?Middle East conflict: History in maps | |
| Israel is preventing international journalists from entering Gaza, making it impossible to independently confirm casualty figures. | Israel is preventing international journalists from entering Gaza, making it impossible to independently confirm casualty figures. |
| Meanwhile, reports suggest diplomatic efforts between Egypt and Hamas in Cairo are progressing. | Meanwhile, reports suggest diplomatic efforts between Egypt and Hamas in Cairo are progressing. |
| After meeting Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, Middle East Quartet envoy Tony Blair said the elements were in place for a ceasefire agreement. | After meeting Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, Middle East Quartet envoy Tony Blair said the elements were in place for a ceasefire agreement. |
| "I am hopeful we can put an agreement together but it's going to have to be worked on very hard and it's got to be credible," he told journalists. | "I am hopeful we can put an agreement together but it's going to have to be worked on very hard and it's got to be credible," he told journalists. |