Tonight:
8°c
Tanks roll into heart of Gaza
Martin Bentham, Home Affairs Editor13.01.09
ISRAELI forces pushed deeper into Gaza City today amid reports of some of the most fierce fighting so far in its war against Hamas.
Israeli tanks rolled into densely populated parts of the city as flashes of light lit up the sky. There were repeated explosions and the sound of heavy machinegun fire as Israeli troops advanced before dawn in a bid to secure more key sites in the city.
At the same time, there were claims by Hamas - denied by Israel - that it had destroyed two Israeli tanks, while the militant group also proclaimed that it was "approaching victory" in the conflict. "After 17 days of this foolish conflict, Gaza has not been broken and Gaza wil not collapse," the Hamas leader Ismail Haniya said in a broadcast from a secret location.
The renewed clashes came as an Israeli army patrol on the country's border with Jordan came under fire from gunmen in an attack which will heighten fears about the wider regional impact of the Gaza offensive. Although no one was injured, the attack appears to be a further sign of the growing antagonism towards Israel that its conflict with Hamas is causing.
There was a similar shooting incident on Sunday along the Israel-Syria border, while Palestian militants are thought to have been behind the firing of several rockets from Lebanon last week. Dipolmatic efforts to halt the violence continued with a new call from the United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon for a ceasefire as he travelled to the Middle East to begin a week of talks with leaders in Egypt, Israel, Jordan and Syria.
"My message is simple, direct, and to the point: the fighting must stop. To both sides, I say: just stop now," Mr Ban said before his departure. "Too many people have died. There has been too much civilian suffering. Too many people, Israelis and Palestinians, live in daily fear of their lives."
Diplomatic hopes remain focused on a Franco-Egyptian peace plan, although Hamas has so far refused to agree to the proposed terms during negotiations in Cairo. Its main objections are understood to centre on the call for a long term truce and to the idea of any ceasefire being put in place before Israel withdraws all its forces from Gaza. Israel has said it is willing to discuss a settlement, but has rejected a UN Security Council call for a truce and said it will only agree to peace if concrete measures are taken to prevent the smuggling of arms into Gaza and the firing of rockets by Hamas into Israel.
Tony Blair, who now serves as an international Middle East envoy, said in Cairo that the "elements of an agreement ... are there" and that he hoped to see a truce "in the coming days".
Today's renewed Israeli push into Gaza City, which follows the deployment yesterday of thousands of reservists to bolster Israel's military strength in the territory, was backed up by around 60 air strikes and naval shelling. Medical officials now put the current Palestinian death toll from the conflict at around 910, including nearly 300 children. Israel has suffered 13 fatalities.
Reader views (2)
More young men radicalised,more young people angry,more people willing to lay down there lives to take on the Israeli's in the future,Its going to be a bitter harvest Israel reaps.
- Kev, London-UK
About time-maybe this will convince Hamas and their followers Israel means business.
- Harvey Lawrence, London
