Israel continues Gaza offensive

Israeli troops continued to battle Hamas gunmen in northern Gaza on the tenth day of Operation Cast Lead, the Jerusalem Post reported. Five Israel Defense Force, IDF, soldiers and an officer were lightly to moderately wounded in the early hours of Monday. Israel continues Gaza offensive Overnight Sunday, the IAF attacked more than 30 Gaza targets, including an underground Hamas bunker, weapons caches and sites from where Grad rockets were fired at Ashkelon. Meanwhile, Palestinian officials reported that a family of seven was killed overnight Sunday in an IDF shelling. According to the report, five children and their parents died when a shell fired by the navy hit their home in the Shati refugee camp in Gaza City. In two incidents in Gaza City's Zeitun neighborhood, three children were said to have been killed in an IDF strike and a man and his granddaughter were reportedly killed by gunfire in their home. The IDF said it was looking into the various reports. Meanwhile, the IDF infiltrated Hamas's television and was broadcasting a call to Palestinian non-combatants not to serve as human shields to Hamas terrorists, Israel Radio said. Palestinians reported that 64 people had died in battles since the ground offensive began Saturday afternoon, saying most of them were civilians. However there was no objective monitor to the number of Palestinian casualties and The Jerusalem Post could not confirm the report. Since Cast Lead began, 512 Palestinians have been killed and approximately 2,500 wounded, Palestinian medics said. Unconfirmed reports cited 87 children among the dead. The UN estimated that a quarter of fatalities on the Palestinian side were civilians. On Monday morning, five Kassam rockets fired by Gaza terrorists hit open areas in the western Negev. No one was wounded and no damage was reported. On Sunday, defense officials said the IDF was prepared to deepen and escalate its ground operations in Gaza, after the army split the territory in half and began surrounding Gaza City. Hamas, the officials said, was encountering difficulties in delivering orders to its forces. St.-Sgt. Dvir Emmanueloff, 22, from Givat Ze'ev and of the Golani reconnaissance unit, was killed on Sunday by mortar shell shrapnel during clashes with Hamas terrorists near Jabalya. Another soldier was critically wounded in the attack. Two soldiers and three civilians have been killed by Hamas rockets and mortar shells since the Gaza operation began. Explosions from Israeli fire are seen over the northern Gaza Strip (Beta/AP)

Israel continues Gaza offensive

Overnight Sunday, the IAF attacked more than 30 Gaza targets, including an underground Hamas bunker, weapons caches and sites from where Grad rockets were fired at Ashkelon.

Meanwhile, Palestinian officials reported that a family of seven was killed overnight Sunday in an IDF shelling. According to the report, five children and their parents died when a shell fired by the navy hit their home in the Shati refugee camp in Gaza City.

In two incidents in Gaza City's Zeitun neighborhood, three children were said to have been killed in an IDF strike and a man and his granddaughter were reportedly killed by gunfire in their home.

The IDF said it was looking into the various reports.

Meanwhile, the IDF infiltrated Hamas's television and was broadcasting a call to Palestinian non-combatants not to serve as human shields to Hamas terrorists, Israel Radio said.

Palestinians reported that 64 people had died in battles since the ground offensive began Saturday afternoon, saying most of them were civilians.

However there was no objective monitor to the number of Palestinian casualties and The Jerusalem Post could not confirm the report.

Since Cast Lead began, 512 Palestinians have been killed and approximately 2,500 wounded, Palestinian medics said. Unconfirmed reports cited 87 children among the dead. The UN estimated that a quarter of fatalities on the Palestinian side were civilians.

On Monday morning, five Kassam rockets fired by Gaza terrorists hit open areas in the western Negev. No one was wounded and no damage was reported.

On Sunday, defense officials said the IDF was prepared to deepen and escalate its ground operations in Gaza, after the army split the territory in half and began surrounding Gaza City. Hamas, the officials said, was encountering difficulties in delivering orders to its forces.

St.-Sgt. Dvir Emmanueloff, 22, from Givat Ze'ev and of the Golani reconnaissance unit, was killed on Sunday by mortar shell shrapnel during clashes with Hamas terrorists near Jabalya. Another soldier was critically wounded in the attack.

Two soldiers and three civilians have been killed by Hamas rockets and mortar shells since the Gaza operation began.