Tuesday, 13 January 2009
Four IDF troops were wounded in an explosion in a booby-trapped house overnight Monday as the army advanced into Gaza City suburbs for the first time in more than two weeks of fighting with Hamas.
One of the soldiers was listed in moderate condition, while the other three were lightly hurt, the army said.
The IDF also reported that 30 Hamas gunmen had been killed in overnight battles on the outskirts of Gaza City.
In addition, two booby-trapped tunnels and a weapons cache were discovered by troops next to the security fence in northern Gaza, the army said.
In another overnight incident in northern Gaza, Hamas gunmen fired at troops from a mosque. The soldiers returned fire and the IAF then bombed the mosque's courtyard after spotting the armed men.
The air force bombed some 40 targets in overnight air raids, including seven weapons storehouses, 15 Kassam launching pads and 10 Hamas outposts.
Gaza residents said early Tuesday that IDF tanks had rolled into public areas of the Tel Hawwa neighborhood, pushing back gunmen.
On Monday night, four soldiers were injured in a friendly-fire incident between IDF paratroopers in northern Gaza. One of the soldiers was listed in moderate condition early Tuesday morning, his condition having improved overnight, while the other three were lightly hurt.
IDF reservists had taken up responsibility for areas in northern Gaza earlier Monday, enabling regular-service infantry units to push deeper into Gaza City as defense officials said that Israel would continue expanding the ground operation until it received assurances that weapons smuggling would stop along the Philadelphi Corridor.
They said that thousands of reservists had entered Gaza and thousands of others had been called up.
The IDF was "tightening" its grip on Gaza City and was sending troops deeper into the built-up urban centers where Hamas fighters are believed to be holed up, the officials said. The IDF has also been operating in southern Gaza.
Defense officials said that at least 150 smuggling tunnels were still believed to be intact in the Philadelphi Corridor after the IAF destroyed some 200. Hamas was still using the tunnels and trying to smuggle weaponry into Gaza, although in much smaller quantities than before the operation, they noted.
Herb Keinon and AP contributed to this report
