Israeli Troops Close In On Gaza City; Livni: "(Israel) Is Not Going To Show Restraint" [View All]

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Source: Telegraph

As the conflict entered its third week, airstrikes were intensified and Israeli Defence Force (IDF) troops moved deeper into the outskirts of Gaza City, engaging militants in gun battles.

With Palestinian medics saying the death toll had risen to more than 780, two Hamas rockets hit the Israeli town of Ashkelon.

"Israel is not going to show restraint anymore," Mrs Livni said in an interview in the United States. "It is not a missile against a missile. We are going to attack strongly if they continue."

The IDF killed 15 Hamas fighters some of the most intense close-quarter fighting of the conflict so far, raising the possibility that Israel is preparing for its final push against the militant group's stronghold.

Some of the heaviest clashes took place on a coastal road north of Gaza City, with IDF troops moving to within a mile of the city before pulling slightly back.

Although a few hundred Hamas fighters are believed to have died in the fighting, there are thousands more who are thought to be waiting in urban areas to take on the Israeli ground forces.

Overnight, Israeli aircraft hit more than 40 targets throughout Gaza, including rocket-launching sites, weapons-storage facilities and smuggling tunnels, a military spokesman said.

more: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/israel/4212956/Israeli-troops-close-in-on-Gaza-City.html