RAY SUAREZ: There was talk of a possible truce in Gaza today, four days into the Israeli air assault. The Associated Press and others reported Israeli leaders considered a possible cease-fire for 48 hours.
Meanwhile, Israeli planes blasted Hamas government sites, and casualties rose to nearly 370 Palestinians killed.
We have a report from Julian Manyon of Independent Television News.
JULIAN MANYON: An Israeli helicopter gunship fires a missile into Gaza. It's a deadly game of cat and mouse, after Palestinians fired more homemade rockets into Israel. As ever, the weight of fire power is overwhelmingly on Israel's side.
The Israeli army says this video shows a Palestinian rocket crew preparing to fire. Moments later, they are obliterated by an air strike.
The defense minister, Ehud Barak, spelt out once again the aims of the Israeli attacks.
EHUD BARAK, defense minister, Israel: We will do whatever it takes. We are ready to deepen and widen the operation in order to make sure that calm and tranquility will come back to the region.
JULIAN MANYON: Israeli armor has massed at several points along the Gaza border, but so far there is no sign of a grand invasion. Palestinian civilians will be praying that it doesn't happen. And already there are reports of Palestinians fleeing their homes on the other side of the border wall.
But today in Gaza, there is no such thing as a place of refuge.
Scores of Hamas fighters have been killed or injured in Israel's punitive attacks, but at least 60 women and children have also died in the bombings.
The bodies of two more children were buried today after another Israeli air strike hit civilians. Samira Balousha was the mother of the five young girls killed yesterday. Today, she broke down as she told ITV News about her terrible loss.
SAMIRA BALOUSHA (through translator): The ones who were killed were Tahrir, 17 years old; Ikram, 15; Samar, 13; Lina, 8; and Jawaher, 4. Two others came out from the rubble alive.
JULIAN MANYON: On the Israeli side, there are also moments of fear. In a town near Gaza, an Israeli government minister ducked for cover in a rocket alert. A soldier was the fourth Israeli to die since the operation began.
RAY SUAREZ: Hamas insists today it will go on firing rockets until the Israeli assault and blockade are ended. And the dozen or so rockets fired today reached deeper into the Jewish state. Two landed near Beersheba, 28 miles outside Gaza. The Israeli military estimates 700,000 Israelis are now within Palestinian rocket range.
Egypt refused today to open a border crossing with Gaza to allow more aid and wounded to get through. President Hosni Mubarak said the border would reopen only when Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas regains control of border stations from Hamas.
In a televised address, Mubarak condemned the Israeli attacks, but he said Palestinian divisions are also to blame.
HOSNI MUBARAK, president, Egypt (through translator): We say to our Palestinian brothers to unite your ranks and set aside your differences. We say to them that we have warned you so many times, because this will push Israel to attack Gaza again.
RAY SUAREZ: Egypt's decision drew protests from Arab nations across the Middle East. Demonstrators attacked Egyptian embassies in Yemen and Syria. They accused the Egyptian government of helping Israel.
The U.S., the U.N., and the European Union urged a halt in the fighting today. They said they want a truce that would be "fully respected."
In Crawford, Texas, President Bush spoke by phone with Palestinian and Egyptian leaders. Spokesman Gordon Johndroe said they agreed the burden is on Hamas.
GORDON JOHNDROE, White House spokesman: We have got to get a commitment from Hamas that they would respect any cease-fire and make it lasting and durable. And so, until we can get that assurance, not the United States, but until Israel can get that assurance from Hamas, then you were not going to have a cease-fire that is worth the paper it's written on.
RAY SUAREZ: Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice made phone calls to Israeli and Arab leaders today.
In Hawaii, President-elect Obama had no public comment on the crisis. A small group of pro-Palestinian demonstrators showed up outside his vacation home. They urged him to take a more active role. We'll have much more on the situation in Gaza and Israel right after this news summary.
Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich named a replacement today to fill President-elect Obama's Senate seat. The choice was former state Attorney General Roland Burris. He said he's eager to get to work in Washington.
Blagojevich is facing federal criminal charges that he plotted to sell the Senate appointment. But in Chicago today, he said none of that involves Burris.
GOV. ROD BLAGOJEVICH, D.-Ill.: Please don't allow the allegations against me to taint this good and honest man. I'm absolutely confident and certain that the United States Senate is going to seat a man of Roland Burris' unquestioned integrity, extensive experience, and his long history of public service. This is about Roland Burris as a United States senator, not about the governor who makes the appointment.
RAY SUAREZ: But the appointment may never get off the ground. In Washington, Senate Democratic leaders said today they'd refuse to seat anyone appointed by the governor. And in a statement, President-elect Obama said he supports that position. We'll have more on this story later in the program.
The Senate race in Minnesota finished another phase today, with Democrat Al Franken leading Republican incumbent Norm Coleman by 50 votes. The state canvassing board finished allocating ballots that had been challenged. Now it has to deal with at least 1,300 absentee ballots. That process could finish next week, but it's expected the loser will challenge the outcome in court.
The financing arm for general motors, GMAC, announced plans to expand lending today after a federal rescue. On Monday, the U.S. Treasury Department injected $5 billion into the company in exchange for stock. It's all part of the government's $700 billion rescue program.
Also today, G.M. announced 0 percent financing for up to five years on several car and truck models in a bid to jumpstart weak sales.
Wall Street rallied today, mostly on the rescue of GMAC. The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 184 points to close at 8,668. The Nasdaq rose 40 points to close at 1,550.
The rally came despite a report that consumer confidence hit an all-time low this month. The Conference Board, a business research group, said Americans are worried about the worst job market in 15 years.
Pakistan launched a new attack on militants today, and it blocked a main supply route to U.S. troops in Afghanistan. Government forces, backed by helicopters and tanks, raided 26 targets in the Khyber Pass region. U.S. military officials welcomed the Pakistani move. They said the closure of the pass will not have a major effect on U.S. operations in Afghanistan.
