Word: gaza
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...Gaza NO END IN SIGHT With the battle in Gaza well into its third week, Israeli troops deepened their incursion into the Palestinian territory, entering the suburbs of densely populated Gaza City and engaging in street fighting with Palestinian militants. The offensive, which has claimed the lives of more than 950 Palestinians and 13 Israelis so far, has hardened attitudes on both sides: numerous civilian deaths have led to an outpouring of support for Hamas among Palestinians in the Fatah-controlled West Bank, while Israelis have united behind their military's efforts...
...next step is getting the Israelis to accept. Israeli officials say a bitter feud has erupted between Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and his Defense Minister Ehud Barak over how long to prolong the Gaza assault. Barak says he is ready for a truce, arguing that Hamas has suffered a punishing blow from the Israeli blitzkrieg and the next step - sending troops into Gaza City's crowded streets - could raise the casualty figures far higher among Palestinian civilians and Israeli soldiers. But Olmert wants to press on until Hamas' leadership and 15,OOO to 20,000 fighters are weakened even more...
Even if Hamas does agree to a cease-fire, it must persuade other radical militant groups to sign on. Hamas sources told TIME that the other main militant group in Gaza, Islamic Jihad, wants to keep fighting, despite its many casualties. Israeli officials say they have killed hundreds of militants but say privately that there's no way of knowing yet how severe a blow this is to Hamas' military command, which is operating from well-hidden underground bunkers...
TIME's Azmy Keshawi reported by telephone from Gaza that Israeli tanks were advancing on Gaza City along the coastal road, backed by heavy shelling from navy gunships. "One navy shell hit a 13-story apartment building," says Keshawi. "Then when the fire trucks arrived and the firemen were carrying out the injured, a second shell struck the building, and through the clouds of dust I could see many were wounded...
Meanwhile, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad warned Israel in a television interview that Israel's attack on Gaza is "sowing seeds of extremism" around the Arab world. His words may prove prophetic: yesterday an audio message purportedly from al-Qaeda's fugitive leader, Osama bin Laden, surfaced calling on Muslims to wage a holy war against Israel. With reporting by Jamil Hamad/Bethlehem and Aaron J. Klein/Jerusalem...