Invading Israeli troops battle Hamas fighters in Gaza

by Sakher Abu El Oun and Mai Yaghi

GAZA CITY (AFP) – Invading Israeli ground forces fought fierce battles with Hamas in Gaza on Sunday after escalating an eight-day bombing blitz that killed hundreds of Palestinians and wreaked widespread destruction.

The thunder of Israeli tanks , artillery and missiles mixed with the clatter of small-arms throughout the night after troops crossed the border at around 8:00 pm (1800 GMT) on Saturday in the biggest Israeli military operation since the 2006 Lebanon war.

Operational details were sketchy, but heavy fighting was reported in the north of the densely populated coastal strip around Gaza City, Beit Lahiya, Beit Hanun and Jabaliya.

Israel began its week-long air campaign two days after Christmas in a bid to halt rocket fire from Hamas, most of it coming from that part of Gaza.

An Israeli military spokesman said dozens of Hamas fighters were killed in the initial battles, while the Islamist group said nine Israeli soldiers had also been killed.

There was no independent confirmation of the claims, as ambulances were unable to reach casualties because of the fighting.

An army spokeswoman told AFP that 28 soldiers had been wounded, two of them seriously.

Gaza emergency services said five civilians had been killed, including one child.

France led criticism of the invasion as the UN Security Council met to discuss the crisis, which has caused critical shortages of food, water, fuel and electricity for Gaza's 1.5 million people.

Israel did not say how many men were involved in the attack, but around 9,000 reservists had been called up in advance of the assault and media reports said another 10,000 were being mobilized.

Israel has kept Gaza virtually sealed off since Hamas seized power there from forces loyal to Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas in 2007.

An Israeli military official was quoted by the Ynet news website as saying, "We are facing several hubs of resistance, yet we are not dealing with massive resistance.

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's office said the army would capture sites used to fire rockets and vowed to deal a "hard blow" to the Islamists.

Defense Minister Ehud Barak said "it will not be easy or short but we are determined."

The army had "dealt an unprecedented heavy blow to Hamas" he declared. "Our aim is to force Hamas to stop its hostile activities against Israel and Israelis from Gaza, and to bring about a significant change in the situation in southern part of Israel."

Hamas remained defiant, vowing the Israeli army would pay a "high price."

"Your incursion into Gaza will not be a walk in the park and Gaza will become your cemetery," spokesman Ismail Radwan said.

Militant rocket fire into Israel on Saturday slightly wounded three people, with six projectiles fired after the ground offensive began, Israeli police said.

Hours before the invasion, in one of the deadliest strikes of the campaign, an Israeli jet hit the Ibrahim al-Maqdana mosque in Jabaliya, killing at least 16 people among more than 200 people at prayer, medics and witnesses said.

Four children were among the dead and dozens of wounded were dragged from the rubble.

Two Hamas military commanders were also killed in air strikes on Saturday.

Israel has staged nearly 800 air raids against Hamas leaders and targets since "Operation Cast Lead" began on December 27.

Gaza medics said at least 463 Palestinians had been killed -- including 75 children -- and 2,310 wounded in the air campaign.

Four people have been killed in Israel by more than 500 rockets fired from Gaza over the same period.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon urged an immediate end to the offensive, and the Security Council met but failed to agree on a statement calling for a ceasefire, French ambassador and current president Jean-Maurice Ripert said.

US President George W. Bush called on Hamas "to turn away from terror" and rejected calls for a unilateral ceasefire that he said would allow the Islamists to continue hitting Israel with rockets.

US president-elect Barack Obama made no immediate comment, while many international leaders condemned the offensive.

Abbas said the onslaught will have "grave consequences" for the Middle East, senior aide Saeb Erakat reported.

"President Abbas vigorously condemns this aggression and calls for an urgent meeting of the UN Security Council to put an end to it," he told AFP.

Abbas is to meet French President Nicolas Sarkozy in the West Bank on Monday before going to the Security Council to make a plea for a ceasefire. The French leader is also due to meet Olmert in Jerusalem.

French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner called the invasion a "dangerous military escalation" that would undermine attempts to broker a ceasefire.

"France condemns the Israeli ground offensive against Gaza just as it condemns the continuing firing of rockets," Kouchner said in a statement.

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown spoke with Olmert, "pressing hard for an immediate ceasefire," a statement from Brown's office said.

Demonstrations against the Israeli action were staged around the world.

Up to 100,000 Arab-Israelis attended a rally in northern Israel and tens of thousands joined demonstrations in London, Paris -- where police fought demonstrators -- and other European cities.