Floods: Man Dies As More Rain Expected

Britain is bracing itself for more flooding this weekend as forecasters predict further heavy downpours.

An elderly man died after becoming trapped in his 4x4 in floods after large parts of the UK were hit by strong winds and heavy rain.

There has been a respite in the weather, but the wet conditions are expected to return with gale force winds in parts.

Flood warnings and flood alerts are in place for rivers.

The areas most affected by the heavy downpours were Wales and southwest England.

But the majority of the UK was hit by the storms as they were pushed eastwards throughout Thursday, causing flash flooding. Much of the rain fell on already saturated ground.

The 4x4 became wedged underneath a bridge

Hundreds of drivers were stranded, thousands of homes were without power and more than 100 people were evacuated as winds reached more than 86mph.

The unnamed man who died after becoming trapped in his car in floodwater is believed to have been visiting a relative when his 4x4 was swept away crossing a ford.

The Mitsubishi Shogun was completely submerged, wedged under a small wooden bridge at Rectory Fields, in Chew Stoke, Somerset, at 8.50pm on Wednesday.

Fire crews, police and search and rescue teams attended the scene and found the victim who was pronounced dead on the way to hospital.

The man died in his car in Chew Stoke, Somerset

The vehicle was winched from the stream by a forklift truck and lifted onto a truck before being taken away.

Chew Stoke resident David Smith, 76, said it was the second time in 24 hours in which a 4x4 had got into trouble crossing the ford.

:: See the latest weather forecast

Mr Smith said: "About 24 hours ago, a Land Rover came past here and I flagged him down and told him he ought not to try and cross the ford, but he did and he was swept away in the middle of the ford.

Homes in Torquay were evacuated after a landslide: (Pic: Ellacombe Police)

"Fortunately, his vehicle was caught by one of the bollards on the road and he was able to climb out of the window on to the roof."

In Torquay, Devon, several homes were evacuated after a landslide. Part of a cliff face was hit by a landslip after netting was washed away.

Amid the wet and windy weather, thousands of commuters also suffered disruptions, with many train services in the South West and connections to London Paddington either cancelled or delayed.

Sky's weather producer Joanna Robinson said: "There's some respite in the weather today, but it's been a windy and wet week, with local flooding.

"A deep area of low pressure is set to move in over the weekend, bringing yet more heavy rain to areas already badly hit. England and Wales could see 15 to 25mm quite widely, with up to 50mm possible in some spots."

South and west Wales and the West Country will be worst affected, she said.

"The wind will strengthen over the weekend too, with gales or perhaps even severe gales possible Saturday night and Sunday morning," she said.

Driving conditions have been treacherous

"There's still some uncertainty about where the strongest winds will be, but it looks like southern counties of England will bear the brunt, with exposed parts seeing gusts up to 70mph."

The Met Office said some areas saw up to 60mm of rain on Thursday.

Thousands of households in the South West and hundreds in Wales have been left without power after high winds brought down power lines.

The AA said the last few days have been some of its busiest for flood-related call-outs, with many roads impassable.

The RSPCA said it had received more than 140 calls about animals affected by flood water. In Barrow Upon Soar, Leicestershire, four horses which were unable to feed were rescued from a submerged field.

:: Send us your flooding photos and videos.

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PM Faces Tory Rebellion Over Gay Marriage

By Darren McCaffrey, Sky Reporter

David Cameron could be facing the biggest Conservative rebellion of his premiership over plans to introduce gay marriage.

Some 118 Tory MPs - more than a third of the party's representatives- have indicated to their constituents that they are uneasy about the highly controversial move, according to The Daily Mail.

The reported figure is a sign of how divided the Conservative Party is over gay marriage, despite both the Prime Minister and Chancellor George Osborne being personally committed to legislating for it.

Ministers have promised to introduce a Bill before 2015, although it has been claimed this week that Mr Cameron actually wants to fast-track legislation and bring it before Parliament early next year.

The Government has indicated that there will be a free vote, meaning that MPs will be able to vote against the Prime Minister's position without facing disciplinary action.

However it is far from clear if all 118 MPs would vote against the legislation.

Sky News have spoken to several MPs quoted in the article who have ruled out voting against the Government.

Openly gay MP for Bournemouth West, Conor Burns, said he hasn't decided whether to abstain or vote in favour but says he doesn't understand why it's being brought forward now.

Other MPs have expressed concerns over whether enough safeguards are in place to protect religious institutions but refuse to indicate whether they oppose the principle of gay marriage.

The Chancellor however believes a large Tory vote against gay marriage will not help the party appeal to centre ground voters.

Mr Osborne warned last week that ditching the policy would be toxic electorally.

He said that polls indicate a "clear majority" in favour of the change, particularly among the young and women.

A significant vote in opposition to the Government's proposals from within Conservative ranks would certainly be an embarrassment for the Prime Minister and a further blow to his credibility.

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Thousands Lose Power As Rain Batters Britain

Thousands of people have been left without power and scores evacuated from their homes after heavy rain battered Britain for a second day.

Up to 60mm (5ins) of rain fell in some areas as winds gusted up to 70mph, leaving vast swathes of the country under water.

People trying to escape the rising waters were forced to abandon their cars and the AA reported that 900 incidents were being reported every hour. 

Around 2,000 homes in the South West and 500 in Wales were without power, as Western Power said it was looking to restore electricity.

There is more bad weather to come with forecasters predicting storms over the weekend, although Friday will bring a brief respite with calm and sunny weather.

Sky News weather producer Joanna Robinson said: "The threat of flooding looks to remain into the weekend, with potentially stormy conditions across England, Wales and Ireland on Saturday night.

"The threat of yet more heavy rain falling on already saturated ground is not good news and will only increase the risk of flooding."

The South West, Midlands and west of England again bore the brunt of the bad weather.

Commuters were faced with widespread delays and some cancellations, including at London Paddington where some trains to south west stations were scrapped. Minor delays were reported on cross-Channel ferry journeys from the Port of Dover in Kent.

The Environment Agency has scores of flood warnings - where flooding is expected - in place, most of them in the South West and the Midlands, and nearly 200 less serious flood alerts have also been issued.

John Curtin, head of incident management at the Environment Agency, said they had sent out teams to check on flood defences and monitor river levels.

Darron Burness, the AA's head of special operations, said: "Drivers really need to be careful and be prepared for sudden road closures."

He said that some drivers ploughed into flood waters "oblivious to the risks" and warned that this could wreck a car's engine.

The motoring organisation was expecting to attend as many as 13,000 call-outs by the end of the day - 3,500 more than they normally would.

The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals criticised a decision to allow a ship carrying hundreds of sheep to set sail across the English Channel in such bad weather conditions.

RSPCA chief executive Gavin Grant said the crossing amounted to torture and added: "It is barbaric that animals are at sea on open decks in these appalling weather conditions."

People were evacuated from Billing Aquadrome campsite in Northamptonshire following flood warnings from the nearby River Nene.

Coastguards issued a warning after a man narrowly avoided being swept out to sea in his canoe off the south Devon coast.

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Tottenham Hotspur Fans Attacked In Rome

Lazio have denied their fans were responsible for a bar brawl that left one Tottenham Hotspur fan with serious injuries and at least six others needing medical treatment.

Spurs fans are returning home after a clash involving fellow supporters in Rome in the early hours of Thursday.

It happened ahead of Spurs' Europa League match at the Stadio Olimpico.

Witnesses said there was an element of anti-Semitism to the attack, with shouts of "Jews" directed at Tottenham fans. The north London team is known for having a large Jewish fan base.

During the match there were anti-Semitic chants from Lazio fans towards Spurs but there were no reports of violence.

Police in Rome said the homes of more than a dozen people suspected of involvement in the violence were searched.

The pub trashed in the attack is in the vibrant Campo de Fiori square

The brawl in The Drunken Ship - a popular tourist spot in Rome's busy Campo de Fiori - had been blamed on "Ultras", or fanatical fans, although Lazio president Claudio Lotito denied their supporters were responsible.

"When it emerges who was really responsible, some people will be surprised," he said.

"It is all too easy to speak about aggression from people whose faces are covered and say that they are Lazio fans."

In a statement, the club added: "Incidents like what happened last night have nothing to do with football and instead represent pure delinquency, against which the police and magistrates must intervene with every instrument at their disposal."

Tottenham supporters had been urged to use shuttle buses to travel to and from the ground to avoid confrontation with rival supporters.

Tottenham Hotspur are in Rome for a match against Lazio

Dave Webster, a Spurs fan who witnessed the attack in The Drunken Ship from a nearby bar, described a chaotic, violent scene, saying the attack had left some supporters "covered in blood, heads bleeding, arms bleeding".

He told Sky News: "The first thing we heard was broken glass. The main pane of glass at the bar got broken and then all of a sudden we heard women screaming and running out and running away from the bar, and then it was sort of a back-and-forth chase between the two sets of fans and more Italians started pouring in."

Christopher Allen, who suffered injuries to his head and hand as the masked assailants tore through the pub shortly after 1am, said: "The bar was nice and civilised and there was some chanting, then I looked up and saw a big gang of lads outside pulling scarves up over their faces. That is when it all began."

The most seriously injured fan was named by police as Ashley Mills. He was being treated at the city's San Camillo Hospital after reportedly being stabbed, although his injuries are not thought to be life threatening.

Dave Lesley, Stephen Tierney and Christopher Allen were identified as being among the other Britons hurt.

Speaking to ITV4 ahead of tonight's match, Spurs boss Andre Villas Boas wished them a "speedy recovery".

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Cameron To Insist On Austerity In EU Budget

David Cameron travels to Brussels later insisting that austerity being enforced around Europe is reflected in the EU's budget.

He will join leaders from all 27 countries at a special summit to set the European Union's spending limits from 2014 to 2020.

It is a complex and deeply divisive process, with the UK balking at the European Commission's opening gambit - to increase the overall spending ceiling to a maximum €1,091,000,000,000.

This was flatly rejected by Britain and nearly all the net contributors to the European Union.

The European Council, which represents the interest of the member states, chimed in with its own plan, which represents a real-terms 2% cut from the spending ceiling approved for the current seven-year period.

But the proposal, penned by the Council President Herman van Rompuy, would reduce Britain's rebate and only contains a 1% reduction under so-called "Heading 4", which details the EU's spending on administration costs.

Mr Cameron, and other leaders, believe Brussels should accept some symbolic reductions in red tape and make deeper cuts to the legions of Eurocrats who work in the EU institutions.

The British Prime Minister believes Mr van Rompuy's proposals are moving in the right direction, but he needs to go further.

He has also insisted that the UK's £3bn a year rebate, which was negotiated to compensate Britain for money disbursed to other nations, is not up for discussion.

He told MPs yesterday he would be "fighting incredibly hard" to get the best deal for the UK, but he could use the veto to protect British interests.

The budget has to be agreed by all 27 members and by a majority in the European Parliament.

Other countries also have reservations with the proposals on the table: France and Ireland want to protect agricultural payments to their farmers, Italy is unhappy that other countries' rebates due to expire in 2013 might be renewed while Denmark wants to negotiate its own rebate.

Earlier this month Mr Cameron was blindsided by a Tory rebellion calling for a budget cut, not just a freeze. He may yet face their wrath.

The budget being discussed is about setting an absolute limit on EU spending, but the money spent is always considerably less.

So while the British Prime Minister might be able to claim a victory in securing a freeze in total EU spending limits, UK taxpayers may still have to fork out more cash to Brussels.

If no agreement is reached, more summits will be held in the new year.

If there are still problems, the annual budget will roll over with an extra 2% added to take account of inflation.

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Gaza: Israel And Hamas Ceasefire Under Way

A ceasefire between Hamas and Israel has come into effect after eight days of violence that has left more than 140 Palestinians and five Israelis dead.

Egyptian foreign minister Mohamed Kamel Amr announced the breakthrough at a news conference in Cairo. The truce began at 7pm (UK time).

There was a last spasm of Palestinian rocket attacks and Israeli airstrikes just minutes before the deal came into effect.

After 7pm, people took to the streets of Gaza City to celebrate, with gunmen firing into the air and others setting off fireworks.

An Israeli artillery gun fires into the Gaza Strip earlier on Wednesday

But the mood was more subdued in Israel. Speaking from Tel Aviv, Sky News defence correspondent David Bowden said: "The people I've been speaking to say: 'We will believe it when we see it. We've been here before and it eventually breaks down'."

He said in the city of Sderot - near the border between Israel and the Gaza Strip - there were reports of demonstrations against the ceasefire, with residents expressing disappointment at Israel's decision not to send ground troops across the border.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has described the ceasefire agreement as "a critical moment for the region".

"Egypt's new government is assuming the responsibility and leadership that has long made this country a cornerstone of regional stability and peace," she said.

"The United States welcomes the agreement today for a ceasefire in Gaza. For it to hold the rocket attacks must end, a broader calm returned.

Mr Ban and Mr Abbas discussing the crisis in Ramallah

"The people of this region deserve the chance to live free from fear and violence, and today's agreement is step in the right direction that we should build on.

"Now we have to focus on reaching a durable outcome that promotes regional stability and advances the security, dignity and legitimate aspirations of Palestinians and Israelis alike."

Mrs Clinton pledged the US would continue to work with Egypt to consolidate the truce in the days ahead by improving conditions for the people of Gaza and providing security for Israelis.

According to reports, Israel and Hamas have agreed to an immediate halt in the violence. Israel will end its policy of assassinating top Hamas officials, while Hamas has promised to halt all rocket fire by the many militant groups operating in the Gaza Strip.

After a brief cooling off period, Israel has also pledged to ease its blockade of Gaza, though there have been no firm assurances on how that will be done. Israel has maintained the blockade since Hamas seized power of Gaza in 2007, though it has gradually lifted many of the restrictions.

UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon welcomed the truce, but said some details of the deal were yet to be agreed.

The destroyed compound of the internal security ministry in Gaza City

"We are encouraged and relieved that they have reached this ceasefire," Mr Ban said.

"There are still many details to be solidified for a durable ceasefire. I hope they will finalise these details as soon possible."

Moussa Abu Marzouk, a top Hamas official, said on his Facebook page that talks on a new border arrangement would begin after the 24-hour cooling off period.

The deal follows talks between Mr Amr, Mrs Clinton and Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi, who also sat down with Mr Ban separately to discuss the crisis.

Mr Ban also met with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to discuss the crisis.

Earlier, a bus bombing in the Israeli city of Tel Aviv that left at least 21 people wounded had threatened to derail the negotiations.

Moments after the deal was announced, an air-raid siren signalled a rocket attack in southern Israel, while an airstrike could be heard in Gaza.

Palestinian militants fired five rockets into the southern Israeli city of Beersheba. One rocket hit a house inside the city, police said. No injuries were reported.

In the last-minute burst of fire, Palestinian militants fired five rockets into the southern Israeli city of Beersheba. One rocket hit a house inside the city, police said. No injuries were reported.

Immediately after the announcement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had agreed to "give a chance" to the Egyptian-brokered agreement after speaking to US President Barack Obama.

A statement from his office said Mr Netanyahu "agreed to his recommendation to give a chance to an Egyptian proposal for a ceasefire and thereby give an opportunity for the stabilisation of the situation and a calming of it".

Mr Obama welcomed the move and said the United States would use the opportunity to intensify efforts to help Israel address its security needs, particularly the smuggling of weapons and explosives into Gaza, the White House said.

The US President also said he would seek more money for the Iron Dome defence system that has protected Israel from rocket attacks.

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Israel: Gaza Ceasefire Is 'Not There Yet'

An Israeli government spokesman has told Sky News a ceasefire with Gaza militants is "not there yet".

Hamas official Ayman Taha said earlier that an Egyptian-brokered truce had been finalised and would take effect from 10pm UK time.

But spokesman for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Mark Regev said the announcement of a ceasefire was premature and Israeli military operations in Gaza would continue in parallel with diplomacy.

Mr Regev would not give any details of the discussions but told Sky News Israel wants a long-term resolution and does not want to just give Hamas a "time out to lick its wounds".

Hamas' Ezzat al Rishq said the truce had been held up because Israel had not responded to the proposals and it was confirmed there would be no announcement from Cairo on Tuesday.

Israeli homeowners inspect damage after a rocket attack in Beersheba

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton met Mr Netanyahu in Jerusalem and pledged her continued support to Israel and praised its Iron Dome defence system.

She also offered her sympathy to those affected by the rocket attacks: "Our hearts break for the loss of every civilian; Israeli and Palestinian.

"In the end there is no substitute for security and for a just and lasting peace," she added.

President Barack Obama phoned Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi for a third time in 24 hours to commend him on his efforts to ease the tensions.

Speaking during talks with the UN secretary general Ban Ki-Moon in Jerusalem, Mr Netanyahu said his country would be a "willing partner" in a long-term solution to the conflict.

Gaza residents flee their homes on November 20

He reiterated that Israel will not tolerate rocket attacks on its cities and people but said he wanted to work towards a diplomatic resolution.

The Israeli military said an 18-year-old soldier was killed in a rocket attack on southern Israel.

It was the military's first fatality since it launched an offensive in the Gaza Strip last Wednesday.

At least 130 people have been killed in Gaza, including around 31 children, and at least five Israelis are also dead as the conflict continues.

Mr Ban said his "paramount concern" is for all civilians, both in Israel and Gaza and urged strong caution against an Israeli ground offensive.

A bus in southern Israel damaged by a rocket attack from Gaza

"Further escalation would be dangerous and tragic for the entire region," he added.

In a press conference with Mr Ban later, Israel's President Shimon Peres said he would prefer to deal with Gaza by "talking and not shooting" but added that the defence forces were "extremely careful not to hit civilian life".

"Hamas opened it, Hamas can end it," he added.

Six Palestinian men accused of being spies for Israel were executed at an intersection in Gaza, just hours after Mr Ban called for a halt to the conflict during talks in Cairo with the Arab League chief Nabil Elaraby.

Witnesses said the six men were dragged out of a van and forced to lie down in the street before they were shot by masked gunmen.

Sky News chief correspondent Stuart Ramsay, reporting from Gaza, said: "We understand six men were taken into a square ... and were executed in front of crowds."

Israeli troops near the Gaza border prepare weapons ahead of any invasion

It has been reported that five of the bodies lay in a pile as a mob stomped and spit on them. A sixth body was tied to a motorcycle and dragged through the streets as people screamed, "Spy! Spy!"

The Hamas military wing has claimed responsibility for the executions.

Earlier Israel's air force dropped leaflets across areas of Gaza City urging people to evacuate their homes "immediately".

"For your own safety, you are required to immediately evacuate your homes and move toward Gaza City centre," the one-page Arabic-language leaflet said.

Map of Israel and Gaza

Sky's Sam Kiley said the leaflet drop could be part of a propaganda exercise to show Hamas that Israel is seriously considering an imminent ground invasion.

Meanwhile a man identified as the most elusive top Hamas commander, and a founder of its military wing, has urged the group's fighters to keep up attacks on Israel.

Mohammed Deif, seriously wounded in an Israeli airstrike in 2003, reportedly said on Hamas-run radio that fighters "must invest all resources to uproot this aggressor from our land".

Foreign Secretary William Hague told the Commons: "We have made clear that Hamas must bear primary responsibility for the start of the current crisis but also that all side have responsibilities."

"We quickly called on Israel to seek every opportunity to deescalate their military response and to observe international humanitarian law and avoid civilian casualties."

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Report: Thousands Of Children Raped And Abused

By Richard Suchet, Sky News Reporter

At least 2,409 children were raped or abused by gangs or groups in England between August 2010 and October 2011, according to the Office of the Children's Commissioner.

Their interim report - the most in-depth investigation to date of child exploitation by gangs and groups in England - found a further 16,500 children were at "high risk" of abuse.

Deputy Children's Commissioner Sue Berelowitz – who is leading the inquiry - told Sky News that the figures are likely to be an "under-counting".

"Agencies across England are not sufficiently aware of the warning signs and they are not taking action to protect children," she said.

"There are of course some who are doing good work on this but too many are not taking this seriously enough, which means some children are falling through the net.

"It's a very, very worrying situation. It's absolutely not good enough that there are children in need of protection and are not being protected."

Much of the evidence presented in the report is too harrowing and graphic to be reported here.

It comes just months after nine Asian men who groomed white girls as young as 13 in Rochdale with drink and drugs were jailed at Liverpool Crown Court.

But Ms Berelowitz insists the "model" of Asian men targeting white girls "is just one of a number of models", and has warned that if investigators concentrate on those patterns, victims could be missed.

White men form the largest group of perpetrators in gangs and groups, according to the report.

28% of the victims brought to the attention of the inquiry were from black and ethnic minority backgrounds.

Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said the report is a "wake-up call"

The report looks at the nature of sexual, physical and emotional abuse.

It also highlights the use of mobile phones, social networking sites and other forms of technology through which perpetrators groom, bully and pursue victims - and the impact of violent pornography.

The report authors say it is "clear that sexually exploited children are not always identified even when they show signs of being victims".

They are now calling for "urgent action" to make sure that all agencies are made explicitly aware of the warning signs of child exploitation, and act on them.

Those signs include children going missing, offending, drug and alcohol abuse, self-harming and mental health problems.

It is also encouraging agencies to share information and work together.

Councillor David Simmonds, chairman of the Local Government Association's children and young people board, said: "While these are uncomfortable lessons for the organisations tasked with looking after children they will help to ensure improvements are put in place to better protect young people in future."

Andrew Flanagan, chief executive of the NSPCC, said: "This report quite clearly shows that the terrible problem of children being groomed for sexual abuse is widespread and needs urgent action to bring it to a halt.

"Sex offenders come from all backgrounds but if there is a problem with one community in a particular area we must be bold enough to address it and not just turn a blind eye."

Shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper said the evidence should act as "a wake-up call to the Government and other agencies that urgent action is needed".

If you are a child or young person affected by abuse or exploitation you can call Childline for advice and support 24 hours a day on 0800 11 11.

If you are an adult who needs support or information, or are concerned about a child or young person, call the NSPCC helpline on 0808 800 5000.

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Gaza: Israel Launches 'Citizen's War Room'

By David Bowden, Defence Correspondent

The Eshkol region runs two thirds of the length of Israel's border with Gaza and consequently has suffered most from the persistent rocket attacks fired by militants from the strip.

Locals say that more than half of all of the hundreds of rockets and mortars that have targeted Israel in the last week have been aimed at Eshkol.

It is a farming area and provides much of Israel's home-grown produce. The area is also covered with Kibbutz.

The number of attacks from Gaza and the proximity of Eshkol to the Hamas-controlled enclave, has led the 14,000 or so residents to set up their own emergency control centre.

They call it their 'War Room'. It warns of incoming missiles and assists neighbours when and if they are hit by them. It has a direct link to the Israeli Defence Forces, but is staffed entirely by civilians.

Many of the families who live in Eshkol have sent their children north to stay with friends or relatives to keep them safe from the rocket attacks.

In just 20 minutes, while we were talking to 'Eyal' in the Sufa Kibbutz, two mortars whizzed over our heads and exploded harmlessly behind us.

They are over Eshkol before the warning system can even kick in. As the second lands with a loud thump, 'Eyal' calmly tells us: "That was an unannounced mortar; welcome to Israel."

In the War Room, down two flights of steps deep underground and safe from overhead rockets, the emergency council meets around a long table to discuss their safety plans.

Emergency co-ordinator Tamara Cohen (R) with Sky's David Bowden

Next door in the information room a bank of computers, telephones and maps monitor the airwaves for rocket warnings. Tamara Cohen, who in more peaceful times is the mayor's PA, acts as emergency co-ordinator.

When asked how long the residents have to take cover after a rocket is launched, she says: "We have 15 seconds at the most. Most of the time less than that."

Asked what you can do such little time, her answer is succinct: "Run, run fast."

The people of Eshkol are advised not to leave their homes unless absolutely necessary, which is why the roads are all but deserted.

Those vehicles that are moving around now tend to be military; tanks, Humvees and armoured personnel carriers.

Israel has made it clear that if air strikes do not silence the rockets from Gaza then the army will launch a ground offensive into the strip by sea.

Most in Eshkol see it as the only realistic long-term solution. "We have to think what will happen if we stop it now," says council member Ronit Minaker.

"What will be the next day? Will we still have rockets here on our citizens? We can't allow that, no one can allow it."

It is a view echoed by the council's head of information, Boaz Kretchmer, whose son is in the Israeli army. "I'm not Chief of Staff of Israel, but I believe it should go on until it will be a solution for a long term," he says.

Asked if that means a ground war is inevitable, he says: "Yes."

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UN Chief To Meet Israeli And Palestinian Leaders

The UN secretary general will meet the Israeli and Palestinian leaders as part of a growing effort to stop the ongoing Gaza conflict.

Ban Ki-moon will host talks with Israel's prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas this week.

Mr Ban arrived in Cairo late on Monday, where UN spokesman Martin Nesirky confirmed that the UN chief would later meet Egypt's foreign minister Mohammed Kamel Amr.

He is also due to host talks with Egypt's president Mohamed Morsi and Arab League chief Nabil al Arabi on Tuesday.

President Barack Obama has called both Mr Netanyahu and Mr Morsi to discuss ways to de-escalate the conflict.

In a statement, the White House said Mr Obama expressed regret for the deaths of Israeli and Palestinian civilians in his calls with both leaders.

The Israeli cabinet also met late met late on Monday to discuss an Egyptian proposal for ending the violence.

A report on Israeli public radio did not identify the main points of the Egyptian plan, which emerged following indirect negotiations in Cairo between Israeli officials and Palestinian representatives.

The report said Israel wanted to see a 24 to 48-hour truce take effect that could then be used to negotiate the finer details of a full ceasefire agreement.

There was no immediate indication on whether a firm decision on Egypt's proposal would emerge from the cabinet meeting.

Gaza, left, and Ashkelon, in Israel, right, have been targeted

Both sides continued their attacks on Monday as the efforts to bring about a truce gathered pace.

One person was confirmed dead following a large explosion at a central Gaza building used by local and foreign media, including Sky News Arabia.

Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad said the dead man was Ramaz Harab, one of its senior commanders.

Israel Defence Forces (IDF) later said it had targeted a "hideout" used by senior operatives from Islamic Jihad.

It named four individuals, including Ramaz Harab, who were in the building and said they had been involved in firing rockets at Israel.

Health officials said several others were wounded in the attack, which is the second strike on the building in two days.

The IDF accused militants of "cynically (using) those inside civilian-populated institutions as human shields".

The Hamas TV station Al Aqsa is located on the top floor of the building. The third floor took the brunt of the explosion.

The building is also said to house communications equipment used by Hamas.

Thousands of Israeli troops have been readied for a ground offensive

Israeli aircraft struck several crowded areas in the Gaza Strip, driving up the Palestinian death toll to above 90 over the six-day offensive, including 50 civilians, according to reports.

Hamas fighters have fired hundreds of rockets into Israel since Wednesday, including one that hit an empty school in the southern Israeli city of Ashkelon on Monday.

On the Israeli side, three civilians have died from Palestinian rocket fire since the violence erupted and dozens have been wounded. An Israeli rocket-defence system has intercepted hundreds of rockets bound for populated areas.

Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal said on Monday that Mr Netanyahu has requested a truce - a claim denied by Israel - and he called on Israel to initiate a ceasefire because "they started the war".

Speaking at a news conference in Cairo, Mr Meshaal called on rights groups to "expose" Israeli "crimes" and said Gaza-based Hamas would not yield to any Israeli conditions.

Israeli officials said earlier that the country was ready to launch a ground offensive but that it preferred a diplomatic solution.

After an initial lull in attacks on Monday morning, airstrikes escalated as Egypt was trying to broker a ceasefire with the help of Turkey and Qatar. Egypt's prime minister said a peace deal between the two sides could be close.

In Gaza City, thousands of mourners attended funerals of four children who were killed on Sunday in an Israeli airstrike. The missile reduced their home to rubble - the Israeli navy said a wanted militant was hiding inside.

Turkey's foreign minister and a delegation of Arab foreign ministers were expected in Gaza on Tuesday.

Middle East envoy Tony Blair met Israel's president, Shimon Peres, for talks earlier and said he hoped both sides could find a way to end the violence.

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Gaza: Israel Prepares To Widen Offensive

At least 11 people have been killed by a strike on a home in Gaza, in the deadliest incident of Israel's offensive against Hamas militants.

The airstrike targeted the home of the Dalou family in Gaza City's Nasser district, reducing it to rubble.

Gaza health official Ashraf al-Kidra said five women, including one 80-year-old, and four small children were among the dead.

Frantic rescuers pulled the children's bodies from the ruins of the house as survivors and bystanders screamed in grief. Later, the bodies of the children were laid out in the morgue of Gaza City's Shifa Hospital.

As Israel expanded its operation to target the homes of suspected militants. The Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) said the target of the attack was a top rocket mastermind of the Islamic Jihad militant group.

"The massacre of the Dalou family will not pass without punishment," Hamas's armed wing said in a statement.

Following the incident, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas called for an intensification of peaceful protests against Israel, the AFP news agency reported.

Meanwhile, Gaza militants continued their barrage of rocket fire into Israel, with the IDF claiming 114 rockets were fired on Sunday and reports of seven people injured in southern Israel.

A woman takes cover in Ofakim, Israel, as sirens warn of incoming rockets

The attacks included longer-distance rockets that targeted Tel Aviv for a fourth straight day, but they were intercepted by Israel's Iron Dome defence system.

One person was hurt by falling debris from one of the rockets that was intercepted south of the city.

Health officials say 66 Palestinians have been killed since the operation began on Wednesday, including 32 civilians. More than 400 people have been wounded in the strikes.

On the Israeli side, three civilians have been killed and more than 50 wounded by rocket fire.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said the country is ready to "significantly expand" its Gaza offensive.

"We are extracting a heavy price from Hamas and the terror organisations," Mr Netanyahu said at the start of the weekly cabinet meeting on the fifth day of the conflict.

"The soldiers are ready for any activity that could take place."

On Friday, ministers doubled the current reserve troop quota set for the offensive to 75,000 in preparation for a possible ground invasion.

A car is examined after a rocket attack in Holon, near Tel Aviv

Some 30,000 soldiers have already been called up.

Israeli President Shimon Peres told Sky's Murnaghan programme that he does not see a ground invasion as an escalation of the conflict.

"What we are doing is self defence," he said.

"What would you do in London if you would have 900 missiles aimed at your schools, at your homes, at your houses? Would you call it an escalation if you tried to stop it?

"We don't have any purpose to control Gaza or to go into Gaza.

"Basically our purpose is peace, their purpose is to destroy Israel. It is not an easy situation."

Foreign Secretary William Hague told Murnaghan that Britain has warned Israel against a ground invasion.

"The Prime Minister and I have both stressed to our Israeli counterparts that a ground invasion of Gaza would lose Israel a lot of the international support  and sympathy they have in this situation," he said.

Israel pounded Gaza from the air and sea overnight

"A ground invasion is much more difficult for the international community to sympathise with or support, including the United Kingdom."

But Mr Hague blamed Hamas for sparking the current conflict in Gaza.

"We call on Hamas again to stop the rocket attacks on Israel. It is Hamas that bears principal responsibility for starting all of this and we would like to see an agreed ceasefire - an essential component of which is an end to those rocket attacks."

US President Barack Obama said it was "preferable" for the crisis to end without a "ramping up" of Israeli military activity, but he, too, blamed Hamas militants for causing the showdown.

"Israel has every right to expect that it does not have missiles fired into its territory," Mr Obama said, in Thailand.

Republican senator John McCain called for a senior figure such as former President Bill Clinton to be appointed as a negotiator.

He told CBS: "The United States of America has got to push as hard as we can to resolve this Israeli-Palestinian issue."

Israel's bombardment of Gaza entered a new phase overnight, with the military shelling the Palestinian territory from the sea, and targeting the homes of suspected militants.

Palestinian girls in the northern Gaza Strip

A Palestinian official told AFP a truce was possible "today or tomorrow", after Egypt's President suggested that there could be a ceasefire soon.

Mohamed Morsi said: "There are now intensive efforts through communication channels with the Palestinian side and with the Israeli side and there are now some indications that there is possibility of a ceasefire soon between the two sides."

Israel has said it is not prepared to enter into a truce without guarantees the rocket fire will stop.

The latest Israeli strikes also hit two Gaza media centres housing the offices of Al Quds TV and Al Aqsa, both seen as sympathetic to Hamas, along with foreign journalists including a Sky News team. None was hurt.

Israel unleashed its massive air campaign on Wednesday, killing a leading militant of the Hamas Islamist group that controls Gaza and rejects Israel's existence.

Israel says it is trying to stop militants in the coastal enclave from launching rockets that have plagued its southern communities for years.

More than 500 rockets fired from Gaza have hit Israel since the recent violence flared on Wednesday.

The Jewish state has launched more than 950 air strikes in return.

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Gaza: Israel Denies Strikes Targeted Media

Gaza: The Moment Media Buildings Were Hit

Updated: 9:37pm UK, Sunday 18 November 2012

By Sam Kiley, Middle East Correspondent, in Gaza City

An orange flash lingered, windows bulged pregnant, and burst – the bang came last.

It's odd the things you notice in the blink of an eye.

We had chosen to sleep on the floor in a small room in the Sky studios in downtown Gaza City for our own safety.

The previous two nights had been interrupted every few minutes with the cataclysmic detonations of air strikes near the hotel we had picked in the north of the city.

Hamas has rocket firing points not far from the hotel, a training ground, and the home of Ismail Haniye, the Hamas Prime Minister were about 500 years away.

One can only take so a few nights of the "waterbed effect" – when the shock waves of a nearby blasts seem to liquefy the mattress and its occupant flows onto the floor.

More fools us.

Mick Deane, Sky's veteran cameraman, News Editor Tom Rayner, and I convinced ourselves that the Sky Arabia studios that we were borrowing were well known to the Israeli Aid Force, and would never be targeted.

At around midnight on Saturday we might have taken a hint. A building about 100 yards away was hit twice.

Our local colleagues reacted with horror. Eight journalists were injured, one losing a leg, they were from two Arab TV Channels.

Ambulances screeched up and down the streets while we considered out options.

We had none.

It was too dangerous to leave in the middle of the night, we risked being picked off as militants by an Israeli drone.

Surely they would not hit us here, we reasoned, they have good intelligence?

We wrapped ourselves in the miraculous, dream coat-coloured polyester blankets that are ubiquitous in the Third World, and tried to catch up on missed sleep.

An hour after dawn, the first flash, the bubbling windows.

We struggled into our dirt-stiffened clothes to figure out how badly hit we were and look for any injured.

As I approached the stairwell leading to the floor above and the roof, another blast drove a wall of choking dust down at me and I spun away.

Water poured out of burst mains on the roof and cascaded down the outside of the building.

Later Israeli military officials said that a Hamas communications facility had been "surgically targeted" on the roof above us and an especially small munition used to destroy it.

Air strikes have become an everyday experience for Gazans.  Except we were luckier than many.

Gaza's trapped population has endured raids against 1,000 targets across this tiny coastal enclave. After a house was hit he death toll shot up to around 60, with some 300 wounded.

The majority, medical officials say, are civilians.

Just like the Sky News team, Gazans don't know where they can be safe.

Hamas or other militants use rocket launching sites that are tucked into residential neighbourhoods to fire at Israel.

Gaza is so densely populated it's difficult to see how the militants could find anywhere to use their weapons that did not endanger civilians. Equally, however hard Israel tries to avoid hitting the innocent, it surely has and surely will.

The only advice Israel's military give to Gazans is to try to stay away from Hamas installations and personnel.

But as we spent several hours trying to figure out how to do that, we drew a blank.

Hamas is the government here. It runs the schools and other ministries. Its security officers are on every street corner, and its guerrilla fighters experts at concealment.

Nowhere is safe.

So we are back at our hotel in the north of the city enduring the orange flashes, the bulging windows, the nauseating process of actually counting luck.

Just like everybody else.

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Israel Readies Forces For Gaza Border Assault

By David Bowden, Senior News Correspondent, in southern Israel

Israel is massing troops and military equipment close to the border with Gaza after hundreds of airstrikes on the Palestinian enclave failed to stop militants launching scores of rockets into the South and central areas of the country.

The government has given the go-ahead for 75,000 reservists to be put on stand by for call-up for any ground incursion into Gaza.

Israel knows that the eyes of the world are on it and that a ground war brings not only military dangers, but international and diplomatic ones too.

But the politicians are all too aware that with an election now just two months away they have to be seen to be doing something to clampdown on the missile strikes coming out of Gaza and forcing Israeli citizens to have to run to their shelters.

"We are under attack," Israeli Defence Ministry spokesman Josh Hantsman said.

"Three million Israeli citizens are now within the range of the Hamas fire, we have a responsibility and a duty to make sure the other side knows we are serious. We will consider all the options."

For now the option appears to be a show of strength and a hope that Hamas will back down and stop targeting Israel before a ground war becomes inevitable.

That means more airstrikes and more attempts to degrade Hamas's ability to hit back from Gaza.

In the mean time the diplomatic pressure carries on apace with the Tunisian foreign minister visiting political leaders in Gaza, 24 hours after the Egyptian Prime Minister did the same thing.

US President Barack Obama has been in touch with both the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu and President Morsi of Egypt - whose Muslim Brotherhood is sympathetic to Hamas - to try and mediate.

As yet there has been no breakthrough, so the very public military build-up from Israel carries on as do the airstrikes which the Israeli government hopes will mean the soldiers and their kit can be stood down as quickly as they were called up.

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Gaza Conflict: Two Killed In Israeli Strike

Fresh Israeli air strikes have hit a Gaza City media centre and homes in northern Gaza as the death toll continues to mount.

The pre-dawn strikes came despite suggestions from Egypt's President Mohamed Morsi that there could be a "ceasefire soon".

Witnesses reported extensive damage to the al Quds TV building, and said journalists in the building had been evacuated after an initial strike, which was followed by at least two more on the site.

"We can hear and see an extremely heavy bombardment across Gaza City and the Gaza Strip," said Sky's Sam Kiley.

Rocket warning sirens sounded in Tel Aviv on Saturday for a third day

"Right now we're about 400-metres from a location where al Quds TV and al Manar TV (was bombed) or a location very close to that building was bombed.

"We have early reports of three journalists injured. There are ambulances on the scene at the moment.

"Clearly all of the efforts put into what were negotiations over a truce have come to nought."

In the northern strip, Israeli war planes carried out two separate raids on houses that killed two and injured 10 others, health ministry spokesman Ashraf al Qudra said.

Egypt's president Mohamed Morsi had suggested a ceasefire was close

Israeli air strikes killed 16 Palestinians in Gaza on Saturday, prompting the Arab League to announce a visit to the area and a review of its Middle East peace policy.

As the toll rose, sirens sounded in Tel Aviv for a third day, sending people running for cover a day after a rocket fired by militants in Gaza hit the sea near the city centre.

Israeli officials said one rocket was intercepted by the Iron Dome anti-missile system while a second hit somewhere in the Tel Aviv metropolitan area. The attack was claimed by Hamas' armed wing.

More follows...

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