PALESTINIANS HOLDING AN ISRAELI SOLDIER ISSUED A NEW SET OF DEMANDS SATURDAY, CALLING FOR THE RELEASE OF 1,000 PRISONERS AND A HALT TO ISRAEL'S MILITARY OFFENSIVE IN GAZA, IN A SIGN THAT DIPLOMATIC EFFORTS TO RESOLVE THE STANDOFF WERE MAKING LITTLE PROGRESS. THEY ISSUED THEIR LATEST DEMANDS AS ISRAEL KEPT UP THE MILITARY PRESSURE. AIRCRAFT STRIKES POUNDED GAZA FOR A FOURTH STRAIGHT NIGHT, AND ARTILLERY FROM TANKS AND GUNBOATS BOMBARDED NORTHERN AND SOUTHERN GAZA SATURDAY MORNING. ONE OF THE TARGETS WAS A HAMAS TRAINING CAMP, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS REPORTED. THERE WERE NO REPORTS OF CASUALTIES. CONCERNED ABOUT THE RISING TENSIONS, THE U.N. SECURITY COUNCIL HELD AN EMERGENCY MEETING FRIDAY. THE PALESTINIANS ASKED THE UNITED NATIONS' MOST POWERFUL BODY TO CONDEMN ISRAEL'S ACTIONS AND ORDER A HALT TO THE ISRAELI OFFENSIVE. BUT NO RESOLUTION WAS CIRCULATED, APPARENTLY BECAUSE OF OPPOSITION BY THE U.S., ISRAEL'S CLOSEST ALLY. THE NEW CALL FOR A PRISONER SWAP WAS ISSUED BY HAMAS' MILITARY WING AND TWO SMALLER GROUPS WITH TIES TO HAMAS _ THE POPULAR RESISTANCE COMMITTEES AND THE ARMY OF ISLAM. THE THREE GROUPS HAVE CLAIMED RESPONSIBILITY FOR SUNDAY'S ABDUCTION OF CPL. GILAD SHALIT IN A CROSS-BORDER RAID. IN A JOINT STATEMENT, THEY CONDEMNED ISRAEL FOR LAUNCHING A MILITARY OPERATION WHILE DIPLOMATIC EFFORTS WERE CONTINUING. EGYPTIAN MEDIATORS HAVE BEEN TRYING TO FIND A RESOLUTION FOR DAYS. «DESPITE THE EFFORTS OF THE MEDIATORS, WHO QUIETLY TRIED TO QUICKLY RESOLVE THIS HUMANITARIAN CASE, THE ENEMY AND ITS POLITICAL LEADERSHIP IS STILL UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF THEIR MILITARY AND SECURITY COMMANDERS, WHO KNOW NOTHING BUT THE LANGUAGE OF INVASION, DESTRUCTION AND KILLING,» IT SAID. THEY CALLED FOR THE RELEASE OF 1,000 PRISONERS, INCLUDING NON-PALESTINIAN MUSLIMS AND ARABS HELD BY ISRAEL. THE GESTURE APPEARED TO BE AIMED AT BOOSTING SUPPORT IN THE BROADER ARAB WORLD. THE STATEMENT REPEATED A DEMAND MADE EARLIER THIS WEEK FOR THE RELEASE OF ALL PALESTINIAN WOMEN AND MINORS HELD IN ISRAELI PRISONS _ AN ESTIMATED 500 PEOPLE _ IN EXCHANGE FOR INFORMATION ABOUT SHALIT.
