Israel has killed the military commander of the Palestinian Hamas movement in a missile strike on the Gaza Strip and launched air raids across the enclave, pushing the two sides to the brink of a new war.br br The attacks on Wednesday marked the biggest escalation between Israel and Gaza fighters since the 2008-2009 conflict and came despite signs on Tuesday that neighbouring Egypt had managed to broker a truce in the territory after a five-day surge of violence.br br Al Jazeera's Caroline Malone reports.