Israel pressed on with its assault on the Gaza Strip, sending its tanks into built-up areas in the city of Gaza, the deepest thrust since the attack began as the military said "there is still work ahead" against Hamas in a devastating 18-day-old attack. Israel continued its air and sea bombardment of the strip as its ground troops traded gunfire with Hamas forces on the streets and the Palestinian death toll rose to 952 with thousands injured, Gaza's Health Ministry said. Israel says 10 Israeli soldiers and three civilians hit by Hamas rockets have died.
Explosions and heavy machinegun fire echoed through the city of 500,000 after Israeli tanks moved nearer to its densely populated downtown area but did not enter, residents said.
Talat Jad, a 30-year-old resident of the Gaza suburb of Tel al-Hawa where tanks thrust overnight, said he and 15 members of his family gathered in one room of their house, too frightened to look out the window. "We even silenced our mobile phones because we were afraid the soldiers in the tanks could hear them," Jad said. "Some of us recited from the Quran and others prayed the sounds of explosions would die down."
