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IDF soldiers battle Palestinian gunmen throughout Gaza
By Amos Harel, Haaretz Correspondent and The Associated Press
Tags: Israel, Gaza, Hamas 

Israeli ground forces battled with Palestinian gunmen throughout Gaza early Wednesday, as the army pressed on with its offensive against the coastal strip's Hamas rulers.

The Israel Defense Forces used infantry, tanks, combat engineers, artillery, and intelligence units against the Palestinian militant group, on the twelfth day of Operation Cast Lead.



Sounds of heavy gunfire and thick plumes of smoke engulfed the Zeitoun
neighborhood east of Gaza City early Wednesday.

The Israel Air Force and Israel Navy assisted in the operation, with the IAF attacking about 40 targets in Gaza overnight, including 15 arms smuggling tunnels and Hamas weapons caches, the army said.

One morning air-strike killed four people, Gaza officials said. Their identity was unclear.

On the ground, five brigade-level contingents of Israeli forces searched for rocket launching sites and bunkers used by Gaza militants. Two IDF soldiers were lightly wounded during the operation.

Meanwhile, Israel's political leadership met in Tel Aviv on Wednesday morning to discuss expanding the ground offensive in Gaza at a time when most of the aims of the operation have been met.

On Tuesday, an Israeli soldier was killed and four were lightly wounded on Tuesday in clashes with Hamas in northern Gaza City. The soldiers reported casualties among the Hamas gunmen as well.

Staff Sgt. Alexander Mashvitski, 21 from Be'er Sheva, was part of a combat Engineering Corps unit that was removing explosives placed by Hamas. He was killed by Hamas gunmen during an operation with the Golani infantry brigade.

The IDF has strengthened its control over positions around Gaza City. The fiercest battles are currently in eastern Gaza City, on the outskirts of Sajaiyeh and the Jabalya refugee camps, and in the northern part of the Strip.


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