Region | Palestinian Territories
Fighting rages in Gaza
Death toll in brutal offensive rises to 900 as Israel says end in sight.
- Gulf News Report
- Published: 23:41 January 11, 2009
- Image Credit: Reuters
- Pages of the Quran are retrieved from the ruins of the Al Fadilah mosque in Rafah in southern Gaza on Sunday. Israeli forces edged into Gaza’s most populous area on Sunday, killing at least 14 fighters.
Dubai: Troops pushed deeper into Gaza in a day of fierce fighting on Sunday as Israel brushed off continuing global protests but indicated an end was in sight to its war on the Palestinian enclave since most of its strategic objectives were close to being fulfilled.
Civilians again fell victim to Israel's brutal offensive that has left more than 900 people in the Gaza Strip dead in the 16-day-old war, including 275 children. Two women and four children were killed in a strike on a house in Beit Lahiya, medics and witnesses said, while 12 bodies were pulled from the rubble in Tal Al Hawa.
In Tel Aviv, Israel's Deputy Defence Minister Matan Vilnai told public radio: "The decision of the [UN] Security Council doesn't give us much leeway. Thus it would seem that we are close to ending the ground operation and ending the operation altogether."
Earlier Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said the Jewish state was nearing the goals it had set for its operation and Hamas had been dealt "an unprecedented blow", but said fighting would continue for now.
Hamas, however, vowed to keep fighting and on Sunday 19 rockets were fired into Israel from Gaza.
In the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, shots were fired from Syria at Israeli army engineers but no one was hurt.
Related Links
- Israel tells Gazans to brace for escalation
- After two weeks, still no end in sight
- 20,000 gather in London to protest
- Questions linger over tactical gains
- Children traumatised by brutal war
- Internal divisions thwart Arab initiative
- First ladies appeal for end to bloodshed
- Hypocrisy of the international community in the face of Israeli crimes stands out
- The world should unite to enforce Resolution 1860 and bring about a ceasefire
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