Tentative talks of Gaza aid truce
Updated on 30 December 2008
The familiar ceremony of war continues to grip Gaza, but Israel may be considering a humanitarian pause in the bombing.
Day four of the Israeli air strikes has been as intense as any of the last three.
On the streets, exhaustion and grief are mixed as Palestinians seek shelter from the bombing campaign and Hamas keeps up its barrage of rockets.
The death toll has risen, and it's now thought 380 Palestinians have been killed and around 800 injured.
Israeli civilians also have continued to be killed by rockets - four since Saturday.
But above the thunder of the guns, for the first time today there is some movement on the political front, with a ceasefire being urged by the EU foreign ministers meeting in Paris and suggestions that Israel might consider ways to deliver more humanitarian aid.
Viewers may find some of the images in the report distressing.
The events of day four
- There have been more Israeli air strikes on northern Gaza where at least twelve people were killed.
- Palestinian rockets fired into Israel killed two people overnight and there were further attacks today. One missile landed in the town of Rahat - the furthest point east a rocket has ever reached.
- Israel, which earlier today said the current situation could go on for weeks, is continuing to amass tanks along the crossing into Gaza but it did allow one hundred trucks with humanitarian supplies into the area.
- There are reports though that a boat from Gibraltar which was carrying aid supplies and doctors on board was rammed by an Israeli naval ship whilst in International waters. 'Free Gaza' campaigners claimed they were accused of being involved in terrorist activities. The Israeli Foreign Ministry said the boat had failed to respond to radio contact.
Interview: Israeli cabinet minister
From Tel Aviv, the Israeli cabinet minister and a member of his country's Security cabinet Isaac Herzog spoke to Kylie Morris.
Interview: Hamas leader
The Hamas leadership inside Gaza is for obvious reasons difficult to talk to, but Kylie Morris talked to one of the movement's most senior leaders from outside the Palestinian territories, Osama Hamdan represents Hamas in Lebanon.
