From the US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation, Dec. 28:

Dear President-Elect Obama,

Congratulations on your historic election as the next President of the United States.

Last year, you pledged to "take an active role, and make a personal commitment to do all I can to advance the cause of [Israeli-Palestinian] peace from the start of my Administration." We are eager to work with you to fulfill this goal.

The number of Palestinians killed in the ongoing Israeli offensive on the Gaza Strip reached 434, with at least 2,280 wounded as the air campaign entered its seventh day Jan. 3. Five children were killed in al-Qarara town, east of Khan Younis, in the southern part of the Strip. Two more children were killed at Jabalia in the north, when missiles struck the home of Imad Aqel, a leader of the al-Qassam Brigades, armed wing of Hamas. Civilian casualties were also reported at al-Boreij refugee camp. Schools and civilian vehicles were also hit. (International Middle East Media Center, Jan. 3)

Israeli warplanes carried out some 20 strikes in the Gaza Strip overnight, destroying a mosque in the northern town of Jabaliya that the military said was a "terror hub." As the air offensive entered its seventh day, Hamas ordered a "day of wrath" against Israel over the killing of a senior commander. Israeli security personnel are on alert following Hamas' call for "massive marches" following Friday's Muslim prayers throughout the Occupied Territoires. The army is also enforcing a 48-hour lock-down of the West Bank, with movement in and out of the territory prohibited except for emergencies. At least 422 Palestinians have now been killed in the air campaign, and some 1,850 injured.

As Israel continued its bombing of the Gaza Strip targets for a sixth day, targets included the offices of Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh, and a Gaza City mosque where Hamas activists were reportedly hiding. Rockets had also been fired at Israel from the mosque, Israel asserted. Among those killed in the New Years Eve air-strikes were a Palestinian doctor and medic. (Ha'aretz, Jan. 1) The death toll from "Operation Cast Lead" reached 400 with nearly 2,000 wounded, the head of Gaza emergency services Moawiya Hassanein said. Some 25% of the dead are civilians, the UN says. (Middle East Online, Jan. 1)

The Israeli cabinet rejected calls from France and other nations for an immediate 48-hour pause in the devastating air offensive against Gaza, continuing the assault into a fifth day Dec. 31 despite mounting international pressure. A foreign ministry spokesman said that Israel would only consider a "permanent" halt to its operation, and only under "certain conditions." The spokesman said "Hamas must stop its rocket fire and acquiring arms" before Israel would "consider" a truce. By a UN count, the offensive has now killed at least 390 people, including 42 children, and wounded more than 1,900 others. (Middle East Online, Dec. 31)

Israeli air-strikes on the Gaza Strip entered a fourth day Dec. 30, with raids on a number of Hamas government buildings and security installations, as well as the Islamic University. Defense Minister Ehud Barak told the Knesset that Israel is engaged in an "all-out war with Hamas." UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has called for an immediate ceasefire and condemned both Israel and Hamas. While recognizing Israel's right to defend itself from rocket attacks, he condemned its "excessive use of force." The death toll has surpassed 350, some 60 of them civilians, by a UN count. (BBC News, IHT, Dec. 30)

Israeli air-strikes continued on Gaza for a second day Dec. 28, bringing the death toll to 292, with more than 1,000 injured, 180 of them seriously. (Ma'an News Agency, Dec. 28) At the 36-hour point in Israel's "Operation Cast Lead," Israeli missiles hit some 40 smuggling tunnels under the Egyptian border, killing two and injuring 22. Smuggled fuel being stored in the tunnels ignited, causing huge fires. The blasts prompted hundreds to race for new gaps in the border wall, but the refugees were met by Egyptian security forces, who used force to repel the crowds. (Ma'an News Agency, Dec. 28) Some 150 rockets and mortars have been fired from Gaza into Israel since the air-strikes began, killing one person and injuring about 12. (BBC News, Dec. 28)

A statement from Gush Shalom, the Israeli Peace Bloc, via the independent Palestinian Ma'an News Agency, Dec. 27:

Bloodshed and suffering on both sides of the border could have been avoided.

It is possible to return immediately to the ceasefire, make it stronger and firmer.