video transcript

Smoke rises over southern Gaza, as Israel continues its air assault on the strip, leaving scores dead and wounded. Israel launched the offensive on Wednesday, assassinating Ahmad al-Jaabari, the head of Hamas' military command in a rocket attack on his car and threatening an invasion of ground troops. Hamas, reeling at the strategic loss of its top commander, resumed rocket attacks against the Jewish state's southern desert. As the aggression intensifies, Egypt has recalled its ambassador from Tel Aviv, with President Mohamad Mursi condemning what he called "unacceptable" Israeli aggression. (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) EGYPTIAN PRESIDENT, MOHAMED MURSI, SAYING: "Our position yesterday was clear, and we expressed our position by withdrawing the Egyptian ambassador from Israel and recalled the Israeli ambassador to deliver to him a message through the Foreign Ministry on our position on the aggression against Gaza." In an early morning telephone conversation with U.S. President Barack Obama, Mursi said the leaders discussed the need to end the aggression and bloodshed.