Jan. 3 (Bloomberg) -- Israeli fighters and ships pounded tunnels, camps and houses in the Gaza Strip as the military operation against Hamas entered its second week, and a leader of the Islamist group warned of a “black destiny” if a ground invasion follows.

An Israeli air strike overnight killed a second senior Hamas leader, Abu Zakaria al-Jamal, a commander of their armed wing, the daily Haaretz reported on its Web site.

President George W. Bush blamed Hamas for instigating the fighting, describing the Islamist movement’s rocket attacks on Israel as an “act of terror” and saying that any “one-way ceasefire that leads to rocket attacks on Israel is not acceptable.”

Israeli jets and naval vessels hit 35 Hamas targets yesterday, including training camps, five tunnels dug under the Egyptian border, a mosque in the Jabaliya refugee camp where weapons were kept and the homes of senior Hamas military operatives Muhammed Madhun and Imad Akel, the army said in an e- mailed statement. Neither was reported injured.

Palestinian militants fired at least 31 rockets into southern Israel throughout the day, seven striking the coastal city of Ashkelon, said police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld. There were no serious injuries.

‘Black Destiny’

“If you commit the stupidity of launching a ground offensive, then a black destiny awaits you,” Damascus-based Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal said to Israel last night on Al- Jazeera television, according to Agence France-Presse. The Associated Press quoted Mashaal as saying the group, which controls Gaza, is prepared to cooperate with “any effort leading to” an end to the offensive.

In his weekly radio address, Bush vowed that his administration will “stay closely engaged” in multinational efforts to end the conflict. He called for “monitoring mechanisms” to prevent the smuggling of rockets and other weapons into the Gaza Strip.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice told reporters in Washington yesterday that the U.S. is seeking a “durable and sustainable” cease-fire between Israel and Hamas.

The U.S. is seeking a third-party to mediate between it and Hamas, Israel’s Channel 2 news said last night without citing sources. Hamas is classified as a terrorist organization by Israel, the U.S. and the European Union.

Ground Offensive

Israel massed infantry and tank divisions on the Gaza border after its Cabinet cleared the way Dec. 28 for the army to draft as many as 7,000 reserves and the military on Dec. 29 declared a swath of Israel just north of the southern coastal region to be a closed zone.

“The Israeli military is already in place, ready and on alert,” said army spokeswoman Major Avital Leibovitz. “But currently the operation is aircraft and navy only.”

In Gaza, the death toll has reached 430, with around 2,200 wounded, according to the Palestinian emergency services office in Gaza City. Four Israelis have been killed by rockets since the fighting began.

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and Defense Minister Ehud Barak met yesterday to review the security and diplomatic situation, said Mark Regev, a spokesman for the prime minister’s office, in a telephone interview.

“Israel seeks a sustainable and durable cease-fire in the south that will free the people of southern Israel from the daily terror of Hamas rockets,” said Regev.

Rockets Barrage

Livni met in Paris with French President Nicolas Sarkozy on Jan. 1 after Israel rejected a proposal by his government for a 48-hour cease-fire. Sarkozy is scheduled to visit the region next week to help “establish peace” he said in a televised address.

A six-month cease-fire with Hamas expired Dec. 19, after the Islamic movement said Israel must end what it called a blockade of Gaza’s border crossings and launched a barrage of rockets at southern Israeli towns a day before the truce ended.

The funeral of Nizar Rayyan was held yesterday in Gaza after the top Hamas leader was killed by an Israeli air strike on his home.

“Israel is mistaken if it thinks that by killing Hamas leaders it will put an end to the group,” Mkhaimar Abusada, a professor of political science at Al-Azhar University in Gaza, said in a telephone interview. “Hamas is a movement that has the support of 35 to 40 percent of the Palestinian people.”

Hamas seized control of Gaza, vanquishing the Fatah forces of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, in June 2007. This brought to an end a power-sharing agreement, which began after the Islamic movement won parliamentary elections in January 2006.

To contact the reporters on this story: Calev Ben-David in Jerusalem at phirschberg@bloomberg.net; Saud Abu Ramadan in Gaza City through the Tel Aviv newsroomt .

Last Updated: January 3, 2009 02:39 EST