GAZA CITY - ISRAELI tanks massed at the Gaza border on Sunday as warplanes again pounded Hamas targets in the densely populated enclave where raids have killed nearly 290 people in less than two days.

Dozens of tanks and personnel carriers idled at several points near the border after Israel warned it could launch a ground offensive in addition to its massive air bombardment, AFP photographers reported.

JERUSALEM - ISRAEL took extraordinary care to lull Hamas into a sense of complacency ahead of its deadly air campaign against the Islamists in their Gaza Strip stronghold, officials and media said on Sunday.

Disinformation and secrecy were essential elements that Israel took in the week before the bombardment to coax Hamas into believing that no major attack was imminent, they said.

ATHENS - DOZENS of pro-union demonstrators disrupted shopping on Athens' busiest high street on Sunday to protest an exceptional one-day opening aimed at helping businesses recover after recent violent youth protests.

About 100 protestors fanned out as hundreds of Athenians descended on central Ermou Street. The demonstrators blocked the entrance to several retail chains and traded barbs with shoppers, prompting some stores to shut down to avoid trouble.