Foreign powers pressed Israel and Hamas on Tuesday to accept a truce allowing humanitarian aid into Gaza Strip, after four days of Israeli air attacks and rocket salvoes by Hamas deep inside the Jewish state. According to Reuters, a senior Western diplomat said European Union states were discussing ways to open aid corridors to the Strip, by land, air or sea, but establishing them would require Israel and Hamas to hold their fire.
Medical officials put Palestinian casualties since the air strikes began on Saturday at 384 dead. A U.N. agency said at least 62 of the dead were civilians. In all, four Israelis have been killed since the operation started
Israel said French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner spoke to Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak by telephone and proposed a 48-hour calm to allow in aid. Paris said it would host Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni for talks on Thursday.
"We want to see convoy after convoy of humanitarian support and we are willing to work closely with all relevant international parties to facilitate that goal," Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's spokesman, Mark Regev, said. He added: "At the same time, it is important to keep the pressure up on Hamas, not give them a respite, time to regroup and reorganise."
Hamas has said a ceasefire must be accompanied by a lifting of Israel's Gaza blockade. Hamas official Mushir al-Masri said: "We are not begging for calm and there is no room to talk about calm amid the continued aggression and siege."
The White House said President George W. Bush spoke to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Salam Fayyad on Tuesday to review how to end the violence. He also called Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak to thank him for "the positive role" that Egypt was playing.
Foreign ministers from the Quartet of Middle East peace brokers -- the United Nations, the United States, Russia and the European Union -- called on Tuesday for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and southern Israel after a telephone consultation.
Late Tuesday, a rocket fired from the Gaza Strip hit the city of Beersheba, 42 km inside Israel on Tuesday, medical officials said, the deepest such attack yet by Hamas gunners. There were no reports of casualties inside Israel. A day earlier three Israelis were killed by rockets.
