Middle East

Fighting continues in Gaza City, Palestinians say 930 now dead

Article published on the 2009-01-13 Latest update 2009-01-13 12:55 TU

A residential building destroyed after an Israeli air strike in Gaza city, Tuesday
(Photo: Reuters)

Fighting continued overnight in most of Gaza city between Palestinian fighters and Israeli tanks and airforce.

The Israeli offensive into the Gaza strip entered its eighteenth day on Tuesday with Palestinian medical sources putting the latest Palestinian death toll at 930 and estimating the injured at over 4,000.

Israeli casualities are currently at 13 soldiers and civilians.

Before dawn on Tuesday Israeli tanks moved to neighbourhoods at the edges of Gaza City, Tal al-Hawa, Zitoun and Cheikh Ajline, where they were met with mortar and rocket fire.

Witnesses said dozens of houses were destroyed or damaged in tank fire while the armed wing of Hamas, Ezzedine al-Qassam said it had destroyed two Israeli tanks in Zeitoun and killed several soldiers in the south of the Gaza strip.

These military fatalities were denied by the Israeli army although it said three soldiers had been injured overnight in the north of the Gaza strip.

Gabi Ashkenazi of the Israeli military said the "mission is not finished" while Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said on Monday that Israel would strike the Gaza strip as long as rocket fire came into Israel from Gaza. Hamas' Ismail Haniyeh however promised "victory" and said "Gaza will not fall".