Israeli Troops Reach the Edge of Gaza City

Source: Times Online

Israeli tanks and infantry battalions swept up to the very edges of Gaza City today, battling die-hard Hamas fighters and sealing off the bomb-scarred capital city from the rest of the coastal territory.

With the civilian death toll rising by the hour and diplomatic efforts to halt the fighting making no headway, the head of the UN refugee agency called the situation a “catastrophe”.

But Israel made clear it was not about to heed calls for a swift ceasefire to “Operation Cast Lead”. It insisted that it had to smash Hamas and destroy its weapons stockpile in order to ensure a lasting peace not just for its citizens, who have endured years of Palestinian rocket fire, but for the people of Gaza themselves.

Ehud Barak, the Defence Minister and architect of the assault on Gaza, said that the operation would be “expanded and intensified” as much necessary. “War is not a picnic,” he said.

Hamas fired more rockets into southern Israel today despite the Israeli army’s push to the very edges of Gaza City. With armoured columns pressing in from three different points on the northern end of the strip and from the centre, the territory was cut in half.

more: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/middle_east/article5446175.ece