Israel Pumps New Troops And Tanks Into Gaza Israel yesterday poured fresh troops and tanks into the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip, splitting the territory in half, as it pursued a massive ground offensive that defied mounting European and Arab calls for an immediate ceasefire. The Israeli assault was accompanied by an intense bombardment from warplanes, helicopters, artillery and naval forces off the Gaza coast, and, according to local reports, it cut off the population centre around Gaza city from the southern strip. The ground offensive claimed the lives of dozens of Palestinians, including several civilians, while one Israeli soldier was reported killed in the clashes. In eight days of conflict, more than 500 Palestinians have been killed in the Gaza Strip. Israel has lost five of its citizens, including two soldiers. Hamas fighters appeared to offer only limited resistance to the Israeli assault yester- day, though one Hamas spokesmen warned that Gaza would become a “graveyard” for Israeli soldiers. Gaza-based militants also fired a fresh barrage of rockets on nearby Israeli towns. The group yesterday also called on all Palestinian factions to unite to counter the Israeli “aggression”, saying it was ready to hold unconditional talks with the rival Fatah movement of Mahmoud Abbas, the president of the Palestinian Authority. Amid rising concern around the world over the suffering of civilians in the territory and fears that the hospitals of Gaza are close to collapse, the European Commission condemned Israel, saying it was “blocking access to people who are suffering and dying”, which it described as a breach of humanitarian law. 以色列昨日向哈马斯(Hamas)控制的加沙地带派出更多军队和坦克，将该地区一分为二。以色列不顾欧洲及阿拉伯地区日益高涨的立即停火呼吁，继续对加沙地带展开规模地面进攻。 以色列地面攻势伴随着由战机、直升机、炮兵部队以及加沙附近海面海军部队的猛烈炮击。据当地报道，以军已经切断了加沙城周围居民中心与南部地带的联系。 地面进攻导致数十名巴勒斯坦人死亡，其中包括数名考试&平民。同时据报道称有一名以色列士兵在冲突中丧生。 在为期8天的冲突中，加沙地带有超过500名巴勒斯坦人遇难。以色列公民有5人遇难，其中包括两名士兵。 哈马斯士兵昨天对以色列的攻击似乎只进行了有限的抵抗，尽管一位哈马斯发言人警告称，加沙地带将成为以色列士兵的“墓地”。 驻扎在加沙的哈巴斯武装力量也向邻近的以色列城镇进行了新一轮火箭攻击。该组织昨日还号召巴勒斯坦所有派别团结起来抵抗以色列的“侵略”，并表示已经准备好与巴勒斯坦总统马哈茂德•阿巴斯(Mahmoud Abbas)领导的对抗力量法塔赫(Fatah)进行无条件对话。 世界各国对加沙地带平民遭受的苦难日益表示关切，并担心加沙的医院濒临倒闭。欧盟委员会对以色列的行动予以了谴责，称其“阻碍了对受难和垂死民众的救助”，违反了国际人道主义法。 英国《金融时报》托拜厄斯•巴克(Tobias Buck)加沙边境、佩吉•霍林格(Peggy Hollinger)巴黎、乔治•帕克(George Parker)伦敦报道。