A concession offered by president Mohamed Morsi failed to placate opponents who accused him yesterday of plunging Egypt deeper into turmoil by refusing to postpone a vote on a constitution shaped by Islamists.

Israel bombed dozens of targets in Gaza and said that while it was prepared to step up its offensive by sending in troops, it preferred a diplomatic solution that would end rocket fire from the Palestinian enclave.

Israel’s cabinet authorised the mobilisation of up to 75,000 reservists late last night, preparing the ground for a possible Gaza invasion after Palestinians fired a rocket toward Jerusalem for the first time in decades.