Israeli troops step up attacks on Hamas outside Gaza City
Palestinian death toll tops 900 on the 17th day of the offensive. Hamas continues to fire rockets into southern Israel. Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair arrives in Cairo for peace talks.
Reporting from Gaza City and Jerusalem — Israeli troops stepped up attacks on Hamas fighters in the outskirts of Gaza City today as the death toll of Palestinians in recent fighting surpassed 900 and Hamas militants fired off another volley of rockets into southern Israel.
On the 17th day since Israel launched its offensive into the Gaza Strip, the conflict appeared to be reaching a crucial juncture. Israeli leaders faced a decision on whether to escalate the military operation by driving into the heart of Gaza City and engaging Hamas forces in street combat in one of the world's most densely populated urban areas.
Meanwhile, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair arrived in Cairo for talks with President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt, a key player in diplomatic efforts to end the fighting in Gaza. Israel wants Egypt and the international community to shut down the smuggling tunnels that provide Hamas with the rockets used in years of aerial attacks on Israel from across the southern border. Hamas has said it wants border crossings reopened and an end to the crippling blockade that has shut off supplies to Gaza.
Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni today described the talks in Cairo as negotiations "against Hamas and not with it."
"I have no intention of negotiating with Hamas, and I don't need them to sign some paper, and what Hamas has to say is meaningless," Livni said in an interview with Army radio. "This is called deterrence: they know that the next time they attack us they will be hurt."
Israeli troops today continued periodic incursions in the northeast edge of Gaza City, but did not push into the center core of the city, where close-quarters combat would further raise the risk of civilian casualties.
In one clash, Israeli soldiers exchanged fire with Hamas fighters barricaded in a mosque, where soldiers later found a stockpile of rockets and mortar shells, according to Israeli military officials. Israeli aircraft hit 25 targets, including eight squads of armed militants, two mortar launchers and two vehicles driven by Hamas fighters, military officials said.
Israeli authorities have not allowed the foreign press into the Gaza Strip, limiting the flow of information that can independently confirm official accounts.
Palestinian hospital sources reported that the death toll had risen from 884 Sunday to more than 900 today, but exact figures were not available. Israel has suffered 13 dead, three of them civilians killed by Hamas rockets.
