It took Abu al-Abed, a resident of the town of Beit Hanun in the Gaza Strip, a few seconds to realize that something was amiss in the local radio broadcasts. At 1:30 AM, the Saut al-Huriyeh (the Voice of Freedom) station reported that "Israeli special forces have taken control of houses in the Saka area of Beit Hanun."

It followed with repeated reports on the dead and wounded. But the voice and message were completely different from the usual broadcasts: "The Israel Defense Forces orders the residents of Beit Hanun not to leave their houses until further notice. The IDF action will continue until the release of the soldier Gilad Shalit and the cessation of firing on Israel. Those who assists terrorists or hide weapons in their houses will be punished. We are working to protect the residents of Israel."

Abu al-Abed, father of seven, understood from this to mean that "the Israel Defense Forces" had taken over the local broadcast.

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Tanks rolled into the streets of Beit Hanun. Abu al-Abed gathered his children into one room. "A few minutes later, massive firing started. Not from a distance, but it sounded like the helicopter was right above the house," he said. "Mahmoud, aged two and a half, started crying, and so did the older ones. I could not calm them down."

A few tanks took up positions outside the homes of other families on the northern outskirts of Beit Hanun. "The radio said there were two martyrs, and two hours later - four, until we reached seven. The city is cut off and no one can leave their homes."

During a lull in the afternoon, he said, "we made a small field in the house and played soccer. My wife cooked a little and we watched TV. But then the electricity went out. One of your tanks or bulldozers hit a water pipe and the water stopped. Soldiers prevent ambulances from going out. My niece has diabetes and has to get to the hospital for treatment and she can't. I don't know what we'll do."

As of last night, the shooting was still going on. "If you want to strike at the terrorists, fine, but this way the whole town is being punished," he said.