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Gaza: Israel's government ordered the military to pause its Gaza offensive for three hours on Wednesday to allow food and fuel to reach besieged Palestinians, as the country's leaders debated whether to accept an international cease-fire plan or to expand the assault against Hamas.
With criticism rising of the operation's spiraling civilian death toll and Gazans increasingly suffering the effects of nonstop airstrikes and shelling, Israel's military said it would open "humanitarian corridors" to allow aid supplies to reach Palestinians.
Israeli military spokesman Peter Lerner said there would be a "recess in offensive operations" during the day to allow in supplies and fuel. Government officials said the lull would last from 1 to 4 pm (1100-1400GMT) local time. They spoke on condition of anonymity because the plan had not been officially announced.
The military said it had been given the directive by the government and will carry it out.
Israeli tanks, infantry and aircraft hammered dozens of Hamas targets overnight on Wednesday as Israel's leaders discussed whether to expand the 12-day operation meant to stop rocket fire into Israel.
Sounds of heavy gunfire and thick plumes of smoke engulfed the Zeitoun neighborhood east of Gaza City. Israel said it struck 40 Hamas targets during the hours of darkness. One morning airstrike killed four people, Gaza officials said. Their identity was unclear.
Outrage over an Israeli strike Tuesday near a UN school that killed 39 people continued, with the UN agency responsible for the building demanding an "impartial investigation" into the attack.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's security cabinet met on Wednesday to discuss the third stage of the offensive, two senior political sources said, though the ministers may defer a vote on approving the plan.
"The plan is to enter the urban centres," said one source, declining to be named.
Olmert's spokesman Mark Regev declined to comment on Wednesday's meeting, saying: "We do not generally discuss the agendas of the security cabinet."
"The assumption was that our forces could draw out the enemy into open areas where they could
The latest fighting comes one day after a proposed truce presented by Egypt and France.
Egyptian and French presidents released no details of their proposal, saying only that it involved an immediate cease-fire to permit humanitarian aid into Gaza and talks to settle the differences between Israel and Hamas, which rules the small coastal territory.
They said they were awaiting a response from Israel. Officials in Jerusalem declined comment on the announcement, which came amid diplomatic efforts by the US and other nations to resolve a conflict that has seen 600 Palestinians killed.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice welcomed the initiative, but cautioned that no agreement would succeed unless it halted Hamas rocket attacks on Israel and arms smuggling into Gaza.
Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan slammed Israel over its offensive in Gaza on Tuesday and said it was a bid by its leaders to score points ahead of the general elections in February.
Earlier on Tuesday, President-elect Barack Obama broke his silence on the crisis, saying that "the loss of civilian life in Gaza and in Israel is a source of deep concern for me." He declined to go further, reiterating his stance that the US has only one president at a time.
Meanwhile, Palestinian militants said they ambushed an Israeli tank and set it ablaze, but the Israeli military said it had no information on any such incident.
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