MIDDLE EAST: Wounded Palestinians arrive at hospital after Israeli shelling, Gazans flee southern town of Rafah

Record ID: 566537

  • Title: MIDDLE EAST: Wounded Palestinians arrive at hospital after Israeli shelling, Gazans flee southern town of Rafah
  • Date: 4th January 2009
  • Summary: LITTLE GIRL CARRYING BABY IN HER ARMS, EVACUATING AREA WITH HER FAMILY WOMAN CARRYING BABY IN ONE HAND AND PERSONAL BELONGINGS IN OTHER, WALKING AWAY BOY CARRYING A BAG WALKING BEHIND WOMAN
  • Embargoed: 19th January 2009 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Topics: Health
  • Reuters ID: LVACY54UBB4SS14CF9LCF53EDBKG
  • Story Text: More than 30 Palestinians, most of them civilians, were killed on Sunday (January 4) as Israeli shells slammed into houses and Gaza's main shopping district, witnesses and Palestinian medical sources said. Thirty Israeli soldiers have been wounded, Israel said.
    The Israeli shells wounded around 40 others who were transported to Gaza City's Shifa hospital.
    The shells landed on Gaza's main shopping district and witnesses and Palestinian medical sources said that several Hamas militants and civilians had been killed or wounded.
    Ambulances struggled to reach the victims as fighting intensified in the territory crammed with 1.5 million people.
    In the southern Gazan town of Rafah, residents packed their personal belongings and left their homes, fleeing the Israeli ground incursion.
    The long-predicted ground invasion of Hamas-ruled Gaza followed a week of Israeli bombardment from land, sea and air, intended to stop Hamas launching rockets into southern Israel.
    So far, Israeli aircraft have struck dozens of targets, including tunnels used to smuggle arms, weapons depots and mortar squads.
    Major Avital Leibovich, an Israeli army spokeswoman, confirmed that the operation was continuing "as planned".

    "Over the night we have targeted over 40 different targets including tunnels, including launching sites, some training facilities, other military facilities. As I said before it is going as planned. We still have a long way ahead of us , we still have many more targets to come. this is really just the first part of the second stage of the operation," she said.
    Israeli commentators said the offensive was aimed at destroying the "Hamas terror infrastructure" and boosting Israel's deterrence power.
    Israeli troops face Hamas fighters who the United States and Israel say have received arms and training from Iran. Hamas is believed to have about 25,000 fighters and has placed landmines and other traps in anticipation of an invasion.
    An Egyptian-brokered six-month truce expired on December 19. It had been strained throughout by Hamas rocket strikes, Israeli operations against the attacks and an Israeli economic blockade of Gaza.
    But the fighting also holds significant political risks for Israeli leaders before a February 10 national election, especially if its forces take heavy casualties in street fighting.
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