News Service from House Harris

MID: Israeli troops battle Hamas as Gaza war toll mounts

GAZA CITY, Jan 4 AFP - Thousands of Israeli troops backed by scores of tanks battled Hamas fighters in Gaza fields and roads on Sunday, surrounding the battered territory's main city on a mission to end militant rocket attacks.

At least 39 Palestinians were killed by tank shells or missiles fired from warplanes as families fled battlefield towns in packed trucks and cars to escape the biggest Israeli military operation since its 2006 war in Lebanon.

International efforts to halt the conflict sought new impetus after the UN Security Council failed even to agree on the wording of a statement on the conflict, with the United States giving strong backing to Israel.

A Russian presidential envoy and an EU ministerial mission headed to the Middle East to make pleas for a ceasefire.

Israeli troops and tanks took over areas around Gaza City. Heavy fighting was also reported around the northern towns of Beit Lahiya, Beit Hanun and Jabaliya.

Explosions shook the Hamas-controlled enclave, home to 1.5 million people, as the Israeli army took control of main roads. Machinegun fire echoed across the territory, which has been under a tight Israeli blockade for months.

At least 39 people were killed after the night-time offensive was launched late on Saturday, Gaza medics said.

Five members of the same family were killed when a tank shell hit their car near Gaza City, emergency services said.

More than 490 Palestinians have been killed and more than 2,500 wounded since air raids started on December 27, the medics said. More than 80 children are among the dead.

The Israeli army said on Sunday that one of its soldiers had been killed in the clashes.

The army and medics had earlier reported that 30 Israeli soldiers and "several" Hamas fighters were wounded in the ground offensive.

Hamas has vowed to make Gaza a "cemetery" for Israeli troops.

Hamas fighters fired mortar rounds and detonated roadside bombs in front of advancing Israelis, witnesses said.

But the Israeli army took control of the Salaheddine Road, the main highway along the length of the enclave, and caught Gaza City in a pincer movement.

Defence Minister Ehud Barak said before a cabinet meeting in Tel Aviv that "the operation will be expanded and intensified as much as necessary. War is not a picnic."

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said the Gaza offensive had been "unavoidable" but Israel would not open a new front in the north, a veiled reference to tensions with the Hezbollah militia in Lebanon.

Olmert said he had ordered the army to be "extremely alert" in case "someone might think that this is his opportunity to take advantage" of the conflict in Gaza.

Israel unleashed "Operation Cast Lead" on December 27 with the declared aim of ending rocket attacks into Israel from Gaza that resumed after a six-month truce ended.

Rocket fire over the past week has killed four people in Israel. Thirty-two rockets and mortar rounds were fired across the border on Sunday and hit Sderot, Ashdod and other towns, lightly injuring three people.

Schools in southern Israel remain closed. Streets clear as soon as siren alerts of incoming rockets are sounded by authorities.

Israel's offensive has sparked spiralling anger in the Muslim world and protests across the globe.

Israeli troops shot and killed a protester during a demonstration in the West Bank. Tens of thousands of Turks also staged an anti-Israeli rally in Istanbul.

The UN Security Council failed to agree on a statement calling for a ceasefire in closed-door consultations late on Saturday.

Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhum condemned the Security Council action as "a farce" dominated by the United States, which has strongly supported Israel.

Deputy US ambassador to the United Nations Alejandro Wolff said: "The efforts we are making internationally are designed to establish a sustainable, durable ceasefire that's respected by all. And that means no more rocket attacks. It means no more smuggling of arms."

France has led criticism of the Israeli offensive that Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas warned would have "grave consequences" for the region.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy was to hold talks on Monday with Olmert in Jerusalem and Abbas in Ramallah.

French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner called the attack a "dangerous military escalation" that would undermine truce efforts.

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said the Israeli attack had created a "very dangerous moment" in the conflict.

"I think everybody around the world is expressing grave concerns. What we've got to do almost immediately is to work harder than we've done for an immediate ceasefire," he told the BBC.

The European Union's foreign policy chief Javier Solana called on Sunday for an immediate ceasefire, adding that European nations were ready to contribute international monitors to help keep the peace.

Israel has called a snap general election for February 10, and the current leadership has widespread public support for the offensive.