Israel weighs 48-hour halt to Gaza air campaign

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Source: CCTV.com | 12-31-2008 08:17

Israeli warplanes continued to pummel Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday. Israel is considering a suspension of its Gaza offensive to give Hamas militants a chance to halt their rocket fire. But the threat of a ground attack remains if the truce does not hold.

Israel on Wednesday mulled a proposed 48-hour truce as world  leaders stepped up calls for an end to the violence and  warplanes pummelled Hamas targets in the battered Gaza Strip. (AFP/Hazem Bader)

Reports say Israel's defence minister is to raise the proposal of suspending its military offensive for 48 hours during a meeting of Israel's security Cabinet on Wednesday.

The Cabinet will also be asked to consider various plans for a ground invasion. Thousands of Israeli ground troops, backed by tanks and artillery, remain massed along the border.

Israeli Prime Minister, Ehud Olmert, says the current, aerial phase of the operation is the first of several stages that has been approved.

On Tuesday, Israeli aircraft kept up a relentless string of assaults on Gaza. The assaults smashed a Hamas government complex, security installations and the home of a top militant commander.