241 Pizza

"This is not a solution ... We don’t want escalation. We are for a peaceful, quiet resolution. The solution is simple: an exchange. But Israel refuses that."

Mr Mashal also accused Israel and the United States of providing the "ugliest example of terrorism" in their dealings with the Palestinians, saying that Israel was breaking international law. He criticised the West for keeping silent on the Israeli offensive to free a captured Israeli soldier.

"The Palestinian people are facing consecutive strikes by the Zionist, aggressive and terrorist entity," he said.

"Today, Israel is really terrorising our people ... Israel and America, which talked too much about this terrorism in past are the worst, severest and ugliest examples of terrorism."

Israel accuses the Syrian regime of supporting the Palestinian militants behind Corporal Shalit's abduction. Today Mr Mashal hailed the Damascus government for standing up against international pressure.

"We thank and praise the positions of Syria, its leadership and particularly President Bashar al-Assad," he said. "Syria is rejecting pressure because it knows that it is right."

Israel has ruled out any negotiations with Hamas or any prisoner swap to secure the release of 19-year-old Gilad Shalit.

"Khaled Meshaal is a terrorist with blood on his hands and he is not a legitimate partner. I will not negotiate with Hamas, I don’t negotiate with Hamas and I did not negotiate with Hamas," Ehud Olmert, the Israeli Prime Minister, said today.

He defended Israel’s offensive in Gaza against international criticism, and rejected any suggestions that Israel was seeking to bring down the Hamas-led government - which has at times seemed sidelined as the violence escalated.

"We haven’t set a particular timetable for this operation. We will continue in places, in time, in measures that will suit our purposes," said Mr Olmert.

"The main purpose of this military operation is, as I said, to help release the Israeli kidnapped soldier who is a victim of a terrorist action... and the other purpose is to stop Qassam missile shooting against the Israeli people."

Mr Olmert is facing the biggest test of his premiership in the crisis. The Hamas-led Palestinian Authority criticised his comments, saying the only way forward was to resume stagnant negotiations and for Israel to implement a full withdrawal from Palestinian land.

Israeli aircraft fired missiles at a car in southern Gaza today, killing two Islamic Jihad militants. Islamic Jihad said two of its members were killed en route to an attack against Israel. The car was hit in the village of Abassan in southern Gaza, hospital officials said.

Times Recommends

• 'New York has lost its edge'
• Copenhagen will fail – and quite right too
• More than 17,000 new underwater species found