With the war now in its 19th day, and concerns over civilian access to food
and water growing, witnesses said there were far fewer air strikes on Gaza
City and other parts of the north than on the previous night, but that heavy
fighting still continued.
Reports on the fighting said Israeli tanks had shelled Palestinian fighters,
who responded with rocket-propelled grenades.
One Palestinian was killed and another 20 wounded when an air strike destroyed
a house in the city's Sheikh Radwan neighbourhood, he quoted medics and
witnesses as saying. It was not immediately known why the house was hit.
Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas said Israel's offensive was "becoming more
ferocious each day as the number of victims rises.
"Israel is keeping up this aggression to wipe out our people over there," he
added from his base in the occupied West Bank.
The continued violence comes as divisions between Israel’s senior politicians
have been exposed as Benjamin Netanyahu, the opposition leader, said Hamas
should be "removed" from the Gaza Strip.
Mr Netanyahu, the leader of the Right-wing Likud Party who until recently
enjoyed a strong lead in the opinion polls for next month’s general
election, said Hamas was controlled by Iran and declared that it should
"ultimately be removed".
"Hamas is at the service of Iran and militant Islam," he said. "Israel cannot
tolerate an Iranian base next to its cities."
Mr Netanyahu, who was prime minister between 1996 and 1999, may return to
power at the elections due on Feb 10. The present coalition government,
dominated by the Labour Party and the centrist Kadima Party, has not
committed itself to the removal of Hamas, which has controlled Gaza since
June 2007.
Mr Netanyahu pointed to intelligence estimates that Iran would be able to
develop a nuclear weapon in two years and predicted that Tehran would use
Hamas to attack Israel. "If Iran has nuclear weapons then a forward base
like 'Hamastan’ in Gaza becomes 10 times more dangerous. They openly
proclaim their intention of using these weapons against us," he said.
But Mr Netanyahu refrained from saying that "removing" Hamas should be the aim
of the present offensive in Gaza, which entered its 18th day yesterday. The
campaign is designed to prevent Palestinian fighters from firing rockets at
Israel’s southern cities.
Mr Netanyahu believes that toppling Hamas from power in Gaza should be a
long-term policy objective. "If the government also decides to adopt this
goal, we will back it," he said.
Tzipi Livni, the foreign minister and leader of Kadima, and Ehud Barak, the
defence minister and leader of the Labour Party, will fight Mr Netanyahu in
the coming election.
So far, the security cabinet has refrained from authorising "phase three" of
the Gaza operation, which would involve an assault on Hamas strongholds in
heavily built-up areas.
Ehud Olmert, the prime minister, was thought to favour such an operation but
Mr Barak said yesterday that the military campaign was being conducted in
conjunction with diplomatic efforts to bring about a truce. He acknowledged
a visit by Ban Ki-Moon, the United Nations Secretary-General, who has called
on both sides to "stop now". "The operation is ongoing, alongside our
monitoring of diplomatic efforts," said Mr Barak.
Miss Livni was believed to favour resisting the calls for a ceasefire until
the army was satisfied that Hamas’s military wing had been crippled.
Israeli troops are within a mile of the centre of Gaza City and Gen Gabi
Ashkenazi, the chief of staff of the Israel Defence Forces, said the high
command was ready to intensify the offensive.
"We have achieved a lot in hitting Hamas and its infrastructure, its rule and
its armed wing, but there is still work ahead," he said.
About 950 Palestinians, half of them civilians, have been killed. Nine Israeli
soldiers and three civilians have died since the offensive began on Dec 27.
