Palestinian foreign ministry ruined

With Israel showing no let-up in its deadly offensive, launched with the twin aims of retrieving 19-year-old Corporal Gilad Shalit and stopping Palestinian rocket fire, a civilian was killed by tank fire in Beit Hanun.

Israeli troops have been operating for the past two days in the northern town, where three gunmen were wounded in Israeli attacks on Monday and dozens of panicked local residents have fled for shelter further south.

Operation Summer Rain has now left at least 85 Palestinians and one Israeli soldier dead, with Israel opening a second front, waging six days of war in Lebanon after Hezbollah captured another two soldiers last week.

Israel confirmed the overnight attack on the foreign ministry, accusing minister Mahmud al-Zahar, a leading member of Hamas, whose armed wing was jointly responsible for Shalit's abduction, of planning "terrorist attacks".

Meanwhile, EU foreign ministers yesterday renewed calls for restraint from Israel and Hezbollah as they awaited a briefing from foreign policy chief Javier Solana, back from a snap trip to violence-torn Lebanon.

The appeals came as Lebanon shook under a new wave of killer air raids after Israel vowed a fierce response to a deadly Hezbollah rocket attack deep inside its territory, with no sign of a let-up in the conflict.