Some fourteen hundred years on, the battle between the followers of Mohammad and Moses, both part of a trinity followed by a huge majority the world over, continued on Sunday as invading Israeli ground forces and Hamas fought pitched battles in Gaza after Israeli ground troops moved into the strip to follow up on the bloody airstrikes that caused hundreds of Palestinian casualties in the last eight days.
The rumble of forwarding Israeli tanks, artillery and missiles mixed with the clatter of machine-gun fire echoed through the silence of the night which was repeatedly pierced by wails of women and children after.
The rattling gunfire on the Gaza strip is a stark contrast to the studied diplomatic silence over the matter across the world, as save a few nations no serious efforts were launched to ensure the safety of civilians on the Palestinian side.
International peacemakers have repeatedly urged Israel to lift the embargo it placed the Gaza under since Hamas seized power there from forces loyal to Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas in 2007.
Heavy fighting was reported in the north of the densely populated coastal strip around Gaza City, Beit Lahiya, Beit Hanun and Jabaliya.
Israel began its week-long air campaign two days after Christmas in a bid to halt rocket fire from Hamas, most of it coming from that part of Gaza.
An Israeli military spokesman said dozens of Hamas fighters were killed in the initial battles, while the Islamist group said nine Israeli soldiers had also been killed.
There was no independent confirmation of the claims, as ambulances were unable to reach casualties because of the fighting.
An army spokeswoman told reporters that 28 soldiers had been wounded, two of them seriously.
Gaza emergency services said five civilians had been killed, including one child.
Israel did not say how many men were involved in the attack, but around 9,000 reservists had been called up in advance of the assault and media reports said another 10,000 were being mobilised.
"We are facing several hubs of resistance, yet we are not dealing with massive resistance,” Israeli military officials were quoted as saying by the Ynet news website.
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's office said the army would capture sites used to fire rockets and vowed to deal a "hard blow."
Defence Minister Ehud Barak said "it will not be easy or short but we are determined."
The army had "dealt an unprecedented heavy blow to Hamas" he declared. "Our aim is to force Hamas to stop its hostile activities against Israel and Israelis from Gaza, and to bring about a significant change in the situation in southern part of Israel."
Hamas remained defiant, vowing the Israeli army would pay a "high price."
Hours before the invasion, an Israeli fighter hit the Ibrahim al-Maqdana mosque in Jabaliya, killing at least 16 people among more than 200 people at prayer, medics and witnesses said.
Four children were among the dead and dozens of wounded were dragged from the rubble.
Two Hamas military commanders were also killed in air strikes on Saturday.
Israel has staged nearly 800 air raids against Hamas leaders and targets since "Operation Cast Lead" began on December 27.
At least 463 Palestinians, including 75 children, have been killed in the strikes while another 2,300 are reported to have been wounded.
Four people have been killed in Israel by more than 500 rockets fired from Gaza over the same period.
A report on the Associated Press website on Sunday said that the United States late Saturday blocked approval of a UN Security Council statement calling for an immediate cease-fire between Israel and Gaza's Hamas rulers, diplomats said.
French UN Ambassador Jean-Maurice Ripert, the council president, said the 15 council members could not agree on a statement in closed discussions held after Israel launched a ground invasion into the Gaza Strip on Saturday.
But Ripert added that there were "strong convergences" among the members to express concern about the deteriorating situation in Gaza and the need for "an immediate, permanent and fully respected cease-fire."
The rumble of forwarding Israeli tanks, artillery and missiles mixed with the clatter of machine-gun fire echoed through the silence of the night which was repeatedly pierced by wails of women and children after.
The rattling gunfire on the Gaza strip is a stark contrast to the studied diplomatic silence over the matter across the world, as save a few nations no serious efforts were launched to ensure the safety of civilians on the Palestinian side.
International peacemakers have repeatedly urged Israel to lift the embargo it placed the Gaza under since Hamas seized power there from forces loyal to Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas in 2007.
Heavy fighting was reported in the north of the densely populated coastal strip around Gaza City, Beit Lahiya, Beit Hanun and Jabaliya.
Israel began its week-long air campaign two days after Christmas in a bid to halt rocket fire from Hamas, most of it coming from that part of Gaza.
An Israeli military spokesman said dozens of Hamas fighters were killed in the initial battles, while the Islamist group said nine Israeli soldiers had also been killed.
There was no independent confirmation of the claims, as ambulances were unable to reach casualties because of the fighting.
An army spokeswoman told reporters that 28 soldiers had been wounded, two of them seriously.
Gaza emergency services said five civilians had been killed, including one child.
Israel did not say how many men were involved in the attack, but around 9,000 reservists had been called up in advance of the assault and media reports said another 10,000 were being mobilised.
"We are facing several hubs of resistance, yet we are not dealing with massive resistance,” Israeli military officials were quoted as saying by the Ynet news website.
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's office said the army would capture sites used to fire rockets and vowed to deal a "hard blow."
Defence Minister Ehud Barak said "it will not be easy or short but we are determined."
The army had "dealt an unprecedented heavy blow to Hamas" he declared. "Our aim is to force Hamas to stop its hostile activities against Israel and Israelis from Gaza, and to bring about a significant change in the situation in southern part of Israel."
Hamas remained defiant, vowing the Israeli army would pay a "high price."
Hours before the invasion, an Israeli fighter hit the Ibrahim al-Maqdana mosque in Jabaliya, killing at least 16 people among more than 200 people at prayer, medics and witnesses said.
Four children were among the dead and dozens of wounded were dragged from the rubble.
Two Hamas military commanders were also killed in air strikes on Saturday.
Israel has staged nearly 800 air raids against Hamas leaders and targets since "Operation Cast Lead" began on December 27.
At least 463 Palestinians, including 75 children, have been killed in the strikes while another 2,300 are reported to have been wounded.
Four people have been killed in Israel by more than 500 rockets fired from Gaza over the same period.
A report on the Associated Press website on Sunday said that the United States late Saturday blocked approval of a UN Security Council statement calling for an immediate cease-fire between Israel and Gaza's Hamas rulers, diplomats said.
French UN Ambassador Jean-Maurice Ripert, the council president, said the 15 council members could not agree on a statement in closed discussions held after Israel launched a ground invasion into the Gaza Strip on Saturday.
But Ripert added that there were "strong convergences" among the members to express concern about the deteriorating situation in Gaza and the need for "an immediate, permanent and fully respected cease-fire."
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