Newscast for Tuesday, December 30, 2008

• Israel Continues Attack
• Dignity Hit
• Argentina Protests Israeli Attacks
• Protests Against Fighting in Gaza Across the US
• Pakistan Strikes Tribal Areas
• Top Censored Stories

Israel Continues Attack
Isreal's air strikes on Gaza continues into day 4. Isreali Prime Minister Ehud Olmert says officials are considering a 48 hour ceasefire but that the air strikes are the first stage of an attack approved by the the Israeli security cabinet. The Israeli attack has killed an estimated 368 people, including dozens of children according to Gaza health officials. Another 1700 are wounded, some seriously. Palestinian militants killed 2 Isrealis. FSRN Reporter Rami Al-Meghari live in Gaza. Israeli planes struck his home town today. He spoke to us about the situation on the ground.

Rami told us movement on the ground is very restricted, many Palestinians do not have power, nor can they seek food or medical aid out of fear of air strikes.

An estimated 1.5 million Palestinians live in the small coastal Gaza strip, most of them civilians. Today the US State Department said it "holds Hamas fully responsible for breaking the ceasefire and for the renewal of violence." It also pledged some $25 million to a United Nations relief agency to help Palestinians Refugees in Gaza and the West Bank. The US gives billions of dollars in aid to Isreal.

Dignity Hit
Meanwhile, a ship carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza was hit by the Isreali Navy. The ship called Dignity was in international waters when passengers say it was attacked. Witnesses say several Israeli warships surrounded the boat and fired ammunition around it, then rammed it three times. There were 16 passengers on the boat including physicians from Britain, Germany and Cyprus along with human rights activists, including former U.S. Rep. Cynthia McKinney. The ship was on it way to assessing the impact of Isreal's military strikes on the civilian population. After being hit by the Isreal navy the boat made it's way to Tyre, Lebanon

Argentina Protests Israeli Offensive
Around the world communities are calling for an end to the Israeli attacks against occupied Gaza. FSRN's Marie Trigona reports from actions in Buenos Aires.

Protests Against Fighting in Gaza Across the US
Across the US, crowds are gathering to protest the Israeli bombing of the Hamas-run Gaza strip. Demonstrations began last night in some cities, and continue today in a national day of action. FSRN will brings you voices from two of these demonstrations on opposite sides of the country. First, we go to Melinda Tuhus in Washington, DC.

Pakistan Strikes Tribal Areas
The Pakistan Army began air strikes in Jamrud, in Khyber Agency. Targeting the main Pakistan-Afghan highway where truck convoys carry supplies to NATO forces in Afghanistan. Militants have been looting many NATO supply trucks in this area, but civilians live in this area too. It is the second time Pakistan gunship helicopters attacked the same area, killing and injuring civilians. Many villages are under attack in this new military operation. FSRN's Afridai Afridi reports for FSRN from the scene.

Top Censored Stories
We're closing out 2008, and the New Year brings, as always, top ten lists of the bests and worst and what's in and what's out. Our look back at the year comes from Project Censored, a media research program that bridges advocacy and academia to shine a light on the 25 most underreported, ignored, misrepresented, or censored stories from the year. FSRN's Tanya Snyder has more.