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Gaza offensive kills 10 Israeli troops, 42 Palestinians, including 30 HAMAS fighters

04 January 2009 18:02 (UTC +04:00)

As Israelâ€™s ground forces pushed deeper into Gaza, Hamas said it had captured two soldiers - a claim which the Israeli military said it believed was untrue.

The Jerusalem Post quoted an Israeli military spokesperson as saying the Israeli airstrike on the southern Gaza Strip city of Khan Younis killed two top Hamas militants - Hussam Hamdan who was held responsible for the firing of long-range Grad missiles toward the southern Israeli cities of Beersheba and Ofakim, and Mohammed Hilo who was in charge of Hamas â€™special forcesâ€™ in Khan Younis.

Fighting is ongoing around Gaza City, where an Israeli tank killed 12 civil people and shells killed dozens in a shopping area.

Israeli warships fired naval artillery at the road that runs along the shoreline to stop movement of militant groups.

Media reports say that at least 10 Israeli troops and 30 HAMA fighters have been killed during the invasion.

Israel says its "defensive" action is in response to the ongoing Hamas rocket attacks which have killed four Israelis and reached further into the country than ever before.

The violence has been condemned by many world leaders and large demonstrations have been held around the world. Tanks supported by helicopter gunships were battling, while Hamas fighters firing back with mortars, rockets and roadside bombs.

The ground operation is the second phase in an offensive that began as a weeklong aerial onslaught aimed at halting Hamas rocket fire that has reached deeper and deeper into Israel, threatening major cities and one-eighth of Israelâ€™s population.

Israel has called a snap general election for February 10, and the current leadership has widespread public support for the offensive.

Israel launched the air campaign against Gaza on Dec. 27 with the aim of halting incessant rocket fire on its south.

Since the launch of "Operation Cast Lead" about 500 Palestinians, the majority of them civilians, have been killed, including 80 children, and more than 2,500 wounded in Gaza, according to Gaza medics.

Israel called up thousands of reservists to join the offensive aimed at ending rocket and mortar attacks by Hamas.

Prime Minister Ehud Olmertâ€™s office said the army would capture sites used to fire rockets at Israel, and vowed to deal a hard blow to the attackers.
International efforts to halt the conflict sought new impetus after the UN Security Council failed even to agree the wording of a statement on the conflict, with the United States giving strong backing to Israel.