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| Version 3 | Version 4 |
|---|---|
| Gunmen barricaded in Gaza mosque | Gunmen barricaded in Gaza mosque |
| (40 minutes later) | |
| Dozens of Palestinian gunmen have exchanged fire with Israeli forces from inside a mosque in the town of Beit Hanoun, in the northern Gaza Strip. | Dozens of Palestinian gunmen have exchanged fire with Israeli forces from inside a mosque in the town of Beit Hanoun, in the northern Gaza Strip. |
| Several dozen gunmen took refuge in the mosque, as Israeli forces sealed off the town and demanded their surrender. | |
| Israel's military entered Beit Hanoun on Wednesday seeking, it said, to stop rockets being fired into Israel. | |
| Twenty Gazans and an Israeli soldier have died in the operation, one of the biggest in the strip in recent months. | |
| In Gaza City overnight an Israeli air strike killed four Hamas militants. | In Gaza City overnight an Israeli air strike killed four Hamas militants. |
| The four were travelling in a vehicle that was hit by a missile, Hamas and medical sources said. | The four were travelling in a vehicle that was hit by a missile, Hamas and medical sources said. |
| A local commander of Hamas' military wing was reportedly among the casualties. | A local commander of Hamas' military wing was reportedly among the casualties. |
| Toll rising | Toll rising |
| In Beit Hanoun, witnesses said bulldozers demolished a wall as the Israelis tried to force those inside to surrender. | In Beit Hanoun, witnesses said bulldozers demolished a wall as the Israelis tried to force those inside to surrender. |
| But an Israeli military source told the BBC's Matthew Price in Jerusalem that the operation was not going as well as hoped. | But an Israeli military source told the BBC's Matthew Price in Jerusalem that the operation was not going as well as hoped. |
| It is one of biggest Israeli incursion in Gaza in recent months. | It is one of biggest Israeli incursion in Gaza in recent months. |
| Many of the 20 Palestinians killed in three days of violence have been gunmen, but a four-year-old boy died from his wounds overnight. | |
| On Thursday seven Palestinians were killed in northern Gaza. | On Thursday seven Palestinians were killed in northern Gaza. |
| Both Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Ismail Haniya have described the Beit Hanoun operation as a massacre. | Both Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Ismail Haniya have described the Beit Hanoun operation as a massacre. |
| The Israeli army confirmed that one of its soldiers had been killed on Wednesday. | The Israeli army confirmed that one of its soldiers had been killed on Wednesday. |
| Israeli forces have made regular incursions into Gaza and the West Bank following the capture of an Israeli soldier, Cpl Gilad Shalit, in a cross-border raid by Palestinian militants on 25 June. | Israeli forces have made regular incursions into Gaza and the West Bank following the capture of an Israeli soldier, Cpl Gilad Shalit, in a cross-border raid by Palestinian militants on 25 June. |
| More than 300 Palestinians have been killed in army operations since then, according to Israeli human rights group B'Tselem. | More than 300 Palestinians have been killed in army operations since then, according to Israeli human rights group B'Tselem. |
| Rocket attacks by militants against towns close to the Gaza border, including Sderot and Ashkelon, have continued since Israel pulled its troops out of Gaza in 2005. | Rocket attacks by militants against towns close to the Gaza border, including Sderot and Ashkelon, have continued since Israel pulled its troops out of Gaza in 2005. |