Israel ploughs on with Gaza battering

Both Israeli and international media sources continued the phoney presentation of the conflict as between two equally aggressive forces, but the figures told the tale more clearly than any propaganda barrage could.

According to the Israeli Defence Force, over 800 missiles have so far been fired at Israel from the Gaza Strip.

But the total of targeted air strikes by Israel's sophisticated US-sponsored armed forces exceeded 1,400 and while the death toll in Israel remained at three, the butcher bill faced by the Palestinians rose to top the hundred mark as the conflict entered its sixth day and the list of injured Palestinians neared 750. Among the wounded were 225 children.

For Gazans, every day doubles the list of the dead, the orphaned and the maimed.

Israel continued its strategy of attacking homes - claimed to be an attempt to hit Hamas leaders - but more likely to result in killing their families.

In a typical incident an Israeli missile struck a home in the Zeitoun area, flattening the building and badly damaging nearby homes.

The strike killed two children and two adults and injured 42 people.

And Israel is still hitting the media centres that are spreading the stories of their war crimes across the world.

Three further strikes today made it clear to the world's journalists that their complaints over the targeting of their colleagues were being ignored.

Israel targeted the media centre holding the al-Aqsa TV station in the second strike on the building in two days.

Islamic Jihad announced later that leading member Ramez Harb had been killed in the strike.

Meanwhile, Egyptian attempts to broker a ceasefire continued.

However, Israel and Hamas appeared far apart in their demands and a quick end to the fighting seemed unlikely.

Hamas and Israel were each presenting Egypt with conditions for a ceasefire.

"I hope that by the end of the day we will receive a final signal of what can be achieved," said an official involved in the talks.

He said Israel and Hamas are both looking for guarantees to ensure a long-term stop to hostilities.

Egypt's aim, he said, "is to stop the fighting and find a way to lift the siege of Gaza."