Israel rains fire on Gaza with phosphorus shells 05 Jan 2009 Israel is believed to be using controversial white phosphorus shells to screen its assault on the heavily populated Gaza Strip yesterday. The weapon, used by British and US forces in Iraq, can cause horrific burns but is not illegal if used as a smokescreen. As the Israeli army stormed to the edges of Gaza City and the Palestinian death toll topped 500, the tell-tale shells could be seen spreading tentacles of thick white smoke to cover the troops’ advance. Burning blobs of phosphorus would cause severe injuries to anyone caught beneath them and force would-be snipers or operators of remote-controlled booby traps to take cover. Israel admitted using white phosphorus during its 2006 war with Lebanon.

Israel Stocks Rise With Global Equities as Investors Ignore War 05 Jan 2009 Investors in Israeli stocks are disregarding a war less than 60 kilometers (37 miles) away from the commercial center in Tel Aviv, helping the TA-25 index rebound from its worst year since 1983... The benchmark TA-25 index has climbed 7.4 percent since Dec. 27 when Israel started its campaign against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, tracking a rise in global equities.

Israel drives deeper into Gaza, rebuffing diplomatic efforts 06 Jan 2009 Israeli troops commandeered high-rise buildings in three eastern districts of Gaza City on Monday, expelling residents and shooting militants civilians in the streets in its furious effort to break Hamas's fighting ability as European diplomats poured into the region seeking a cease-fire. The 10th day of Israel's war on the Islamist rulers of Gaza also killed more civilians, including about 12 children, pushing the total death toll to 550, and severely strained fuel and water supplies for hundreds of thousands.

Olmert rebuffs Sarkozy call for Gaza ceasefire 05 Jan 2009 French President Nicolas Sarkozy urged Israel on Monday to halt its war in Gaza, but was rebuffed by Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, who rejected any truce that fails to end the Islamist group's rocket attacks on Israel. Sarkozy met Olmert after talks with Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, the architect of a six-month truce whose expiry on December 19 unleashed a series of events that resulted in the Israeli invasion of Gaza.

Israeli army moves on Gaza City as war toll passes 510 05 Jan 2009 Israeli troops and Hamas fighters battled at dawn in Gaza on Monday amid tank, artillery and air strikes, as the death toll from the offensive to end rocket attacks passed 510. Israeli forces moved into the fringes of Gaza City as families fled or remained hidden after a second night of combat.

Israel intensifies violations of Lebanon's airspace 06 Jan 2009 Israel's air force stepped up reconnaissance flights over Beirut on Monday after a senior Israeli intelligence chief warned politicians that Hizbullah could launch an attack across the Lebanese border. Several Israeli warplanes violated Lebanese airspace on Monday, flying over Hizbullah's political strongholds in Beirut's southern suburbs.

Israeli killings 'state terrorism,' Brown told by advisory group 06 Jan 2009 The Young Muslim Advisory Group (YMAG) has raised concerns in a letter to Prime Minister Gordon Brown about the failure by the Government to condemn Israel’s killing of more than 500 Palestinians in Gaza as an 'act of state terrorism.'

70,000 Iranian suicide bombers ready to fight Israel --Tens of thousands of Iranian students said to respond to hardliners' call to avenge Israeli offensive in Gaza 05 Jan 2009 More than 70,000 Iranian student volunteers have registered to carry out suicide bombings against Israel because of Israel's assault on the Gaza Strip. According to the official IRNA news agency, hard-line student leader Esmaeil Ahmadi said the students want to fight Israel in support of Hamas – Gaza's Islamic militant rulers.

Keeping out the cameras and reporters simply doesn't work By Robert Fisk 05 Jan 2009 What is Israel afraid of? Using the old "enclosed military area" excuse to prevent coverage of its occupation of Palestinian land has been going on for years. ...[T]he Israelis are so ruthless that the reasons for the ban on journalism may be quite easily explained: that so many Israeli soldiers are going to kill so many innocents – more than three score by last night, and that's only the ones we know about – that images of the slaughter would be too much to tolerate. Not that the Palestinians have done much to help.

Hands off Gaza! (WSWS) 05 Jan 2009 The International Committee of the Fourth International and the World Socialist Web Site denounce the Israeli military's murderous assault on the Palestinian population of Gaza. The combined air and ground attack on the densely populated and virtually defenseless enclave is a war crime.