Major clashes between IDF troops and Hamas gunmen reportedly took place late Monday evening in the northern Gaza Strip.
The clashes marked the first time the IDF extended its ground operation into the densely populated Gaza urban centers.
Live footage from Al-Jazeera showed numerous explosions and fires in the area where the soldiers were said to be operating. Heavy firepower could be heard, and reports told of dozens of artillery shells, as well as air support which had been concentrated in the area.
Just over an hour earlier, the IAF bombed at least 40 smuggling tunnels along the Philadelphi Corridor on Gaza's southern border with Egypt. There were no immediate reports of casualties in the strikes. |