Egyptian Prime Minister Hisham Kandil has denounced Israel's attacks on the Gaza strip. On a sudden trip to Gaza on Friday, he told that such a tragedy cannot pass in silence and the international community should come forward to stop this aggression. Kandil also said that Egypt would spare no effort to achieve a truce between the two sides.

The Egyptian Prime Minister met the Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh and visited the hospitals to see those wounded in Israeli airstrikes. Israel stopped its offensive in the Gaza Strip during his three-hour visit to Gaza strip.

The death toll in the fresh Israeli offensive in Gaza has gone up to 28 while 270 others have been injured. Three persons have been killed and 19 others injured in Southern Israel in a series of rocket attacks launched by Islamist militants from Gaza strip.

The Israeli military reported a rocket strike in Jerusalem while two rockets from Gaza strip fell out in open in Tel Aviv without any casualties. It said that since Wednesday it has hit over 450 targets while militants have fired over 330 rockets inside Israeli territory.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told that Israeli Defence Forces will continue to hit Hamas hard and are prepared to broaden the action inside Gaza. According to reports a ground offensive in Gaza is likely in the coming days as Israel has put 75000 reserve forces on alert and amassed ground troops along the Gaza border.

Hamas Interior Ministry Spokesman told that Israel carried a series of airstrikes in Gaza city and one of the interior Ministry building which was used for passport renewals in the Tel al-Hawa was destroyed.

The Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said in Ramallah that the assault on Gaza is an attack on all the Palestinians. Mr. Abbas ruled out any changes in his plan to make a bid for Observer state status for Palestine at the UN General Assembly on November 29.