Israel presses on with bombardment

Dozens of Palestinian civilians died in a constant stream of attacks, doubling the death toll over the last few days and taking it to over 65, including five women and three children from just one family.

Israel also widened its range of targets from alleged rocket sites to include journalists in media centres which it decided were hostile, while also striking at the homes of suspected Hamas commanders in the densely populated territory.

And over the weekend Israel began to target government installations as well, including the offices of the prime minister.

New strikes levelled homes in Gaza, burying residents under the rubble and rescuers frantically dug for survivors.

The media centre strikes hit two high-rise buildings, damaging the offices of al-Aqsa and Lebanon-based broadcaster al-Quds. Eight journalists were wounded, including one who lost a leg.

Foreign broadcasters, including British, German and Italian TV outlets, also had offices in the high-rises, but staff escaped injury.

Meanwhile, the Israeli government and its US apologists were keeping up an equally heavy barrage of contradictory and bare-faced propaganda.

Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu told today's cabinet session that he had told world leaders of "the effort Israel is making to avoid harming civilians."

And US President Barack Obama leapt to the defence of Israel's air strikes.

"Israel has every right to expect that it does not have missiles fired into its territory," he declared, ignoring the plight of the Palestinians under ferocious attack in Gaza.

Israeli troops and armour were assembling at the Gaza border, apparently in readiness for a land offensive.

Israel's cabinet decided on Friday to double the current reserve troop quota set for the Gaza campaign to 75,000.

Around 31,000 soldiers have already been called up.

Egypt was almost alone in trying to broker peace talks.

President Mohamed Mursi said in Cairo that "there were some indications that there is a possibility of a ceasefire soon, but we do not yet have firm guarantees."

Nabil Shaath, an aide to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas who was in Cairo, confirmed that an Israeli envoy had arrived in Egypt for talks, saying there were "serious attempts to reach a ceasefire."