One of the acme Hamas leaders clothed in Gaza has been killed clothed in an atmosphere strike, Hamas plus Israeli officials boast said.

Said Siyam, the Hamas interior minister, was killed clothed in an atmosphere raid taking place his brother s dwelling in close proximity to Gaza City.

Earlier, Israeli troops plus tanks stimulated faster hooked on the tenderness of Gaza City, prompting fierce pistol battles by armed forces commencing Hamas.

The UN s relief agency, Unrwa, understood carve up of its head office clothed in Gaza wedged launch following living being cuff via Israeli shells.

UN chief forbid Ki-moon spoken outrage. Israeli PM Ehud Olmert apologised except understood troops returned launch following future beneath harm commencing the UN s compound.

Speaking headed for newspapers taking place the Israel-Gaza border, Unrwa spokesman Christopher Gunness understood three of the organization s employees were hurt clothed in the harm taking place its compound clothed in Gaza City.

See plan of Gaza municipality plus area

About 700 nation were immobile sheltering clothed in the compound, he said, plus the launch had been burning secure headed for five bursting fuel tanks.

Mr Gunness additional with the intention of Unrwa would not be present clever headed for allocate victuals before medicinal food taking place Thursday because its trucks were not capable headed for abandon the compound.

Mr Olmert met Mr forbid plus apologised representing the attack, except blamed it taking place Palestinian armed forces firing commencing the UN site.

"It is totally veritable with the intention of we were attacked commencing with the intention of place, except the penalty are self-same distressing plus we apologise representing it," he said.

"I put on t ponder it must boast happened plus I m self-same sorry."

Senior figure

Siyam is individual of the a large amount chief Hamas leaders killed clothed in the 20-day Israeli act clothed in the Gaza Strip.

He became a associate of the "collective leadership" of the combative grouping clothed in 2004 following Sheikh Yassin plus Abdel-Aziz Rantissi were assassinated via Israel.

His mortality came next to the stop of a calendar day of fierce clashes.

The coastal co-op came beneath tedious launch commencing the east clothed in the first daylight because soldiers plus tanks short of hooked on Gaza City.

Witnesses understood they axiom soldiers taking place bottom marching at the back of bulldozers plus tanks.

The advancing troops came beneath launch commencing armed forces commencing Hamas plus additional Palestinian factions positioned taking place rooftops plus balconies, understood the BBC s Rushdi Abualouf.

The edifice everyplace he lives clothed in the Gaza municipality colony of Tel al-Hawa was surrounded via Israeli tanks next to individual point, he said, plus some shells cuff the worse floors.

Columns of thick smoke rose hooked on the sky greater than Gaza commencing fires touched rotten via the fighting.

In pictures: anguish clothed in Gaza

Eyewitness: Tanks surround us

Eyewitness: Gaza s medicinal crisis

Bowen diary: Damascus headed for Jerusalem

About 70 nation boast been killed clothed in the fighting taking place Thursday, Gaza s office of wellbeing said.

Reports understood next to smallest amount 15 rockets had been fired commencing Gaza hooked on Israel because the first morning, injuring eight nation clothed in Beersheba.

Nearly 1,100 Gazans plus 13 Israelis boast allegedly died as a result further clothed in the conflict.

Speaking headed for the force down following convention Israeli leaders clothed in Tel Aviv, Mr forbid recurring preceding calls representing an burning ceasefire, plus understood the anguish clothed in Gaza was a "dire caring crisis" with the intention of had reached an "unbearable point".

In additional developments:The UK overseas place of work minister lady Malloch-Brown says the British administration "utterly" condemns the harm taking place the UN nerve center clothed in Gaza. Fierce assessment too came commencing the French overseas office Two hospitals clothed in Gaza municipality are cuff via shellfire: the al-Quds hospice clothed in Tel al-Hawa neighbourhood, prospect of tedious fighting, plus a cherry curved hospital, the UK cherry irritated says The Shurouq tower stop clothed in Gaza City, which houses the offices of the Reuters reports organization plus some additional media organisations, is cuff via an explosion, injuring a journalist representing the Abu Dhabi small screen waterway Leaders of the six-member Gulf Cooperation assembly are headed for get together clothed in Saudi Arabia headed for converse the crisis. The Saudi monarch, sovereign Abdullah, understood the convention was convened for the reason that of come again? he called Israeli violence next to the Palestinian nation A ship transport medicinal food headed for Gaza is surrounded via Israeli warships clothed in intercontinental waters rotten Lebanon s southern coast plus mandatory headed for homecoming headed for Cyprus, according headed for donations uncontrolled Gaza Palestinian deaths clothed in the Gaza Strip get to 1,083 according headed for Gaza medicinal sources. near a third of the quiet are understood headed for be present brood

exhaustive dream

Meanwhile, Hamas plus Israeli negotiators were understood headed for be present creation move forward towards a truce accord because they under arrest dispersed meetings by Egyptian disinterested party clothed in Cairo.

Egypt has been chief hard work headed for adviser a truce with the intention of may possibly comprise a mediation break open living being deployed the length of its border by Gaza headed for preclude the smuggling of weapons.

GAZA disaster BACKGROUND

In depth: Gaza conflict

Q&A: Gaza conflict

Who are Hamas

Middle East conflict: times past clothed in maps

On Wednesday, Hamas bureaucrat Salah al-Bardawil understood his advance had unfilled Egyptian negotiators by a "detailed vision" of how headed for convey concerning a ceasefire.

Hamas, which wheel Gaza, has understood some truce accord would boast headed for comprise a halt headed for Israeli attacks, the thorough withdrawal of Israeli army plus the hole of border crossings headed for stop the cordon of Gaza.

Israeli administration spokesman stain Regev understood in attendance was "momentum" headed for the talks.

"Ultimately we lack headed for distinguish a long-term sustainable soothe clothed in the south, a soothe with the intention of s departing headed for be present based taking place the calculate nonattendance of every one hostile launch commencing Gaza hooked on Israel, plus an worldwide supported instrument with the intention of willpower preclude Hamas commencing rearming," Mr Regev said.

Israel launched its abusive taking place the Gaza Strip taking place 27 December plus has refused headed for let intercontinental journalists headed for write Gaza exclusive of supervision, creation it headed for non-centrally prove sufferer figures.

The abusive has provoked general intercontinental condemnation next to the expense clothed in civilian fatalities plus the ongoing caring disaster clothed in the coastal enclave.

Click at this point headed for homecoming