DW-World.de
Deutsche Welle

Palestinian officials say more than 300 people have been killed and a thousand wounded after Israel launched a second day of air strikes against Hamas military installations in the Gaza Strip. Israeli war planes bombed more than 40 tunnels on the Gaza-Egyptian border, which Israel claims are being used to smuggle arms to militant groups in the Hamas-controlled territory. Palestinian militants have responded by firing 80 rockets at southern Israel. Earlier Israeli tanks deployed on the edge of the Gaza Strip, poised to enter the densely populated enclave of 1.5 million Palestinians. Meanwhile Israel's cabinet has approved plans to call up more than 6,000 reserve soldiers, raising the possibility of a ground invasion. Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak has said that operations could begin on the ground if rocket attacks on Israel did not cease.