Israeli troops amass outside Gaza City

TEL AVIV

Israeli ground forces took up positions on the outskirts of Gaza City and other towns in northern Gaza while Hamas snipers shot back and both sides braced for close-quarter combat with dramatic increases in soldier and civilian casualties.

As a result of the fighting, Gaza City and its main medical center, Shiffa Hospital, were without electricity. More than one of every three residents were without water and sewage was running in the streets, according to Gisha, an Israeli human rights group.

Gaza officials put the Palestinian death toll at 50 since the Israeli ground incursion began Saturday night and more than 500 since Dec. 27, when the Israeli air assault began.

So far, the offensive has failed to stop Palestinian rocket fire.

Sunday, militants launched more than 40 missiles into southern Israel, and army officials warned a half-million Israelis in cities and towns near Gaza to expect prolonged periods of rocket fire.

“The ground action that we began last night, as part of the overall operation, is designed to establish our aspiration to change the security reality in the south,” Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told the Israeli Cabinet.

“It cannot be that the home front will be subject to attack and a daring, strong and well-trained military does not defend it,” Mr. Olmert said.

Israel said that one of its soldiers was killed in Sunday’s fighting, bringing its death toll to five since the offensive began.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy and other officials from the European Union were to arrive in the region Monday in an attempt to arrange a cease-fire. But no substantive moves toward a halt in fighting were evident Sunday.

Israel says it doesn’t want to be drawn back into a permanent occupation of Gaza, but it intends to strike a lasting blow to Hamas’ military capabilities.

By ignoring Hamas’ warnings that its forces will suffer heavy losses, Israel also hopes to send a message to ordinary Gazans about the severity of retaliation if its rulers continue to shoot missiles at the Jewish state.

Human rights organizations warned of a burgeoning humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

Hamas’ military wing distributed a flier pledging to battle “the invading Zionist forces.” Hamas also claimed that dozens of Israeli soldiers were killed and wounded, but those claims were not confirmed.

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