海角大神

Egypt's prime minister prepared to visit the聽Gaza Strip聽on Friday in an unprecedented display of solidarity with聽Hamas聽militants embroiled in a new escalation of conflict with聽Israel聽that risks spiraling into all-out war.

Two rockets from聽Gaza聽crashed near聽Tel Aviv聽in the first such attack on聽Israel's commercial capital for 20 years. One fell into the聽Mediterranean聽Sea and the other in an uninhabited part of one of the聽Tel Aviv聽suburbs south of the city.

Two days of Israeli air strikes have killed 19 Palestinians, including seven militants and 12 civilians, among them six children and a pregnant woman. A聽Hamas聽rocket killed three Israelis in the town of聽Kiryat Malachi聽on Thursday morning.

The latest upsurge in a long-running conflict came on Wednesday when聽Israel聽killed聽Hamas's military mastermind, Ahmed Al-Jaabari, in a precision air strike on his car.聽Israel聽then began shelling the coastal enclave from land, air and sea.

Israel聽says its offensive responded to increasing missile salvoes from聽Gaza. Its bombing has not yet reached the saturation level seen before it last invaded聽Gaza聽in 2008, but Israeli officials have said a ground assault remains possible.

罢丑别听Gaza聽conflagration has stoked the flames of a Middle East ablaze with two years of Arab popular revolution and a civil war in聽Syria聽that threatens to spread further afield.

Israeli warplanes bombed targets in and around聽Gaza City, rattling tall buildings. In a hint of escalation, the spokesman for聽Israel's military聽said it had received the green light to call in up to 30,000 reserve troops.

Egypt's new聽Islamist聽President, Mohamed Mursi, viewed by聽Hamas聽as a protector, led a chorus of denunciation of the Israeli strikes by allies of the Palestinians.

Mursi's prime minister,聽Hisham Kandil, is to visit聽Gaza聽on Friday with other Egyptian officials in a show of support for the enclave, an Egyptian cabinet official said.聽Israel聽promised that the delegation would come to no harm.

An聽Egyptian government聽source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said officials accompanying Kandil would explore the possibility of brokering a ceasefire.

Mursi faces domestic pressure to act tough. But Egypt聽gets $1.3 billion a year in U.S. military aid and looks to Washington for help with its ailing economy, constraining Mursi despite his need to show Egyptians that his policies differ from those of his U.S.-backed predecessor聽Hosni Mubarak.

Tel Aviv targeted聽

Air raid sirens sent residents running for shelter in Tel Aviv, a聽Mediterranean聽city that has not been hit by a rocket since the 1991 Gulf War when it was targeted by聽Saddam Hussein'蝉听Iraq.

罢丑别听Tel Aviv聽metropolitan area is home to more than 3 million people, more than 40 percent of聽Israel's population.

"This escalation will exact a price that the other side will have to pay," Barak said in a television broadcast shortly after the strike.

But an Israeli cabinet statement on Wednesday spoke only of "improving" national security - acknowledgement that the Jewish state has no illusions about crushing the militants once and for all.

Speaking at the same time in聽Gaza,聽Hamas聽leader Haniyeh urged Egypt聽to do more to help the Palestinians.

"We call upon the brothers in Egypt聽to take the measures that will deter this enemy," the聽Hamas聽prime minister said.

The resurgent conflict will be the biggest test yet of Mursi's commitment to Egypt's 1979 peace treaty with聽Israel, which the West views as the bedrock of聽Middle East聽peace.

Cairo聽recalled its ambassador from聽Israel聽on Wednesday.聽Israel's ambassador left聽Cairo聽on what was called a routine home visit;聽Israel聽said its embassy would remain open.

罢丑别听Muslim Brotherhood, which brought Mursi to power in an election after the downfall of聽Hosni Mubarak, has called for a "Day of Rage" in Arab capitals on Friday. The Brotherhood is seen as the spiritual mentors of聽Hamas.

罢丑别听Israeli army聽said 300 targets were hit in聽Gaza, including more than 130 militant rocket launchers. It said more than 270 rockets had struck聽Israel聽since the start of the operation, with its Iron Dome interceptor system shooting down more than 130 rockets bound for residential areas.

Expecting days or more of fighting and almost inevitable civilian casualties, Israeli warplanes dropped leaflets in聽Gaza聽advising residents to stay away from聽Hamas聽and other militants.

Diplomatic efforts聽

罢丑别听United States聽has asked countries that have contact with聽Hamas聽to urge the聽Islamist聽movement to stop its recent rocket attacks from聽Gaza, a聽White House聽adviser said.

"We've ... urged those that have a degree of influence with聽Hamas, such as聽Turkey, and Egypt聽and some of our European partners, to use that influence to urge聽Hamas聽to de-escalate,"聽Ben Rhodes, deputy national security adviser, said in a conference call with reporters.

French President Francois Hollande began talks with Israeli Prime Minister聽Benjamin Netanyahu聽and other world leaders in an attempt to avert an escalation of violence in the聽Gaza Strip, Prime Minister聽Jean-Francois Ayrault聽said.

British Prime Minister聽David Cameron聽spoke to Netanyahu too, saying聽Hamas聽bore the principal responsibility for the crisis.

Israel's sworn enemy Iran, which supports and arms聽Hamas, condemned the Israeli offensive as "organised terrorism".

Lebanon's Iranian-backed Shi'ite Muslim militia Hezbollah, which has its own rockets aimed at the Jewish state, denounced strikes on聽Gaza聽as "criminal aggression", but held its fire.

罢丑别听Organisation of Islamic Cooperation聽condemned聽Israel's action.