Violence shatters Mideast peace hopes

EFFORTS to find peace in the Middle East were damaged further yesterday as the Israeli prime minister vowed to hunt Hamas militants “to the bitter end” and the Islamic terror group threatened to unleash multiple attacks.

At least 35 Israelis and Palestinians have been killed and more than 130 wounded in a cycle of tit-for-tat violence that has escalated sharply.

Israeli helicopter gunships launched their third missile attack in 24 hours against vehicles carrying Hamas activists in Gaza City yesterday. A Hamas military activist, Yasser Taha, was killed along with his 25-year-old wife Fatima, their two-year-old daughter Asnan and four other people, doctors said. Twenty-five people were wounded.