Israeli troops bombed Gaza into a third week Jan. 10 as both Tel Aviv and Hamas ignored a UN Security Council demand to end the fighting. The Palestinian death toll reached 854 as Israel carried out more than 40 air-strikes against the territory overnight, mostly in the Zaytoun neighborhood of Gaza City and the Jabaliya refugee camp in the north. Bombs also fell on al-Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza, where a mosque came under missile fire. In Khan Younis, the Israeli army shelled a security compound and a civil defense building. Although Hamas and its allies now claim to have fired more than 600 rockets into Israel, the Israeli toll since the start of the offensive still stands at 10 soldiers and three civilians.

The US Senate unanimously approved a bipartisan resolution Nov. 8 voicing strong support for Israel's Gaza offensive, while urging a ceasefire that would prevent Hamas from launching any more rockets into Israel. The House followed up the next day with a similar resolution, expressing "unwavering" support for Israel's right to "self-defense" against "unceasing aggression" by Hamas. It said the civilian lives must be protected to the maximum extent possible, and expressed condolences to Palestinian and Israeli victims and their families. But the text "lay[s] blame both for the breaking of the 'calm' and for subsequent civilian casualties in Gaza precisely where blame belongs, that is, on Hamas."

Israel pounded Gaza with bombs and shells Jan. 9, vowing to pursue its war despite a UN Security Council resolution calling for a ceasefire. Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Israel would not bow to "outside influence," as its warplanes carried out more air-strikes and the army's tanks shelled several locations despite an announced three-hour "humanitarian" lull. Hamas meanwhile also rejected the UN resolution on the grounds that it only serves Israel's interests. Gaza medical authorities say the death toll in the offensive now stands at 801, with more than 3,500 injured. Children account for 230 of the dead.

Israel carried out new deadly air raids on the Gaza Strip early Jan. 9, even as the UN Security Council finally passed a resolution calling for an "immediate, durable" ceasefire leading to the "full withdrawal" of Israeli forces from Gaza. The text, while stopping short of demanding that Israel call off the offensive before a ceasefire is implemented, does call for "the unimpeded provision and distribution throughout Gaza of humanitarian assistance, including of food, fuel and medical treatment." The US abstained but refrained from vetoing the resolution. The vote was otherwise a unanimous 14-0. The death toll in the offensive now stands at 778.

Survivors of the 1995 Srebrenica massacre of 8,000 Bosnian Muslims protested in front of the US Embassy in Sarajevo Jan. 8 to demand Washington call a halt to Israel's offensive in the Gaza Strip. Said Munira Subasic, who lost her husband and son in the massacre: "In 2009, Palestinian mothers are going through ordeals we experienced in 1995 and we are raising our voice because we know about pain and suffering. We know how it feels to lose a child or husband."

Peace brokers proclaimed a breakthrough in efforts to halt the Gaza conflict Jan. 7 as Israel's cabinet considered a Franco-Egyptian initiative and Russia pressed for a diplomatic solution in talks with Hamas. Israel stopped short of saying whether the plan floated by the presidents of Egypt and France after a summit at the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh would be accepted. Hamas representatives also said the plan was under consideration. (Middle East Online, Jan. 7)

Israeli tanks and troops surged into towns across the Gaza Strip Dec. 6, battling Hamas fighters through the streets and alleys of Gaza City in the heaviest fighting of the 11-day-old offensive. Israeli air-strikes hit three UN-run schools, killing at least 45 people—bringing the Palestinian death toll in "Operation Cast Lead" to 635 and sparking urgent new ceasefire calls.

The Palestinian death toll reached 530 as Israel's assault on Gaza entered its tenth day Jan. 5, and Israeli ground forces encircled Gaza City. Defense Minister Ehud Barak declared the city "partially besieged." Israeli air-strikes continued, and armed Palestinian groups launched dozens of projectiles across the border. Dozens of artillery shells landed in residential houses in outlying Gaza City neighborhoods and east of Jabalia refugee camp. Palestinian fighters continued to exchange fire with Israeli troops, primarily in northern towns and the outskirts of densely-populated Gaza City. Three Israeli soldiers were killed and 24 others wounded by a tank shell in a "friendly fire incident" in the northern Gaza Strip, the military said in a statement.