"War to the bitter end". That's how Israeli defence minister Ehud Barak has described Israel's military assault against Hamas on the third day of air and naval strikes targeting the Gaza Strip. But Barak stressed the operations are not aimed at the residents of Gaza. Palestinian medical officials say more than three hundred people have been killled. UN officials confirmed almost 60 were civilians. Israel says it is not ruling out a ground offensive to stop Palestinian rocket and mortar fire - which have killed two Israeli civilians since the week-end.