The Israeli military says the ground offensive has been expanded to destroy a Hamas tunnel network
When we arrived at the edge of the neighbourhood, Palestinians were
still fleeing in their hundreds: carrying nothing but their children, some
pausing to vent their anger in front of cameras.
They spoke of bodies lying in the street and the wreckage of buildings,
including a mosque.
After a night of ferocious bombardment, they seem traumatised and
stunned. For
three days, Israel had warned them to leave their homes, but
Shejaiya is home to 80,000 people. Most stayed put, not expecting the ferocity
of last night's bombardment.
One man, his eyes glassy, said his father had been killed. He didn't
know where other family members were or even if they were alive.
An elderly woman, in traditional Palestinian costume, raised her arms to
the sky and asked how God could let this happen.
A handicapped girl winced as she was lifted into the back of a pickup
truck.
And all the time, more and more civilians emerged from Shejaiya.
Five Israeli soldiers and two Israeli civilians have died since Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu launched the military offensive on 8 July.
The district of Shejaiya came under heavy Israeli bombardment overnight, Palestinians say
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) sent ground troops into Gaza on Thursday
after days of heavy air and naval barrages failed to stop rocket fire from
Gaza.
In other developments:
Hamas claims it carried out a major attack on Israeli forces in Gaza,
causing multiple casualties. There has been no comment from the Israeli
military on this
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon is due to arrive in Qatar later to meet
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas
Hamas is continuing to fire rockets into Israel, with one landing in the
city of Ashkelon
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