Word: gaza
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...days, Israeli forces have punished Hamas fighters in Gaza with scorching firepower delivered by helicopter gunships, aircraft and artillery. Israeli troops are edging toward Gaza City, one of the most crowded places on earth, where most of Hamas' 15,000 fighters are holed up. As they do so, both Israel and Hamas are disputing claims over how much damage the assault has inflicted so far on the Islamist militia. (See pictures of chaos in the Middle East...
Israeli government spokesman Mark Regev said Hamas' military structure was taking "serious punishment" and that Israel was "advancing toward the endgame." Other Israeli officials say the Hamas chain of command is panicked and in disarray, with fighters deserting and the two branches of Hamas' leadership, in Gaza and Damascus, split on whether to accept a cease-fire. One Israeli military source told TIME that Hamas' walkie-talkie frequency had been cracked, and Israeli Arabic speakers have interrupted the fighters to say, "You're the ones spilling blood, not your leaders, who are safe in hiding." Israeli officials are so confident...
Hamas, not surprisingly, offers a different version of how much it has suffered in the assault. TIME's reporter in Gaza met with brigade commander Abu Azam, who laughed off Israeli claims that senior Hamas officials were all hiding in underground bunkers. "See? I'm out on the street checking on my men," he said. While admitting that Hamas had suffered casualties, he claimed that its military wing was still intact. "Our proof is that we are still firing rockets at the Israelis," he said. But the number of Hamas rockets has fallen from about...
...From Fire Mountain, black plumes of smoke are visible over Gaza, the result of the latest Israeli air strikes. In a matter of days, or hours, the reservists could be ordered into the war zone. It is not something they relish. But, they say, Israel's security is under threat and must be defended. "We have nowhere else to go. Even if our land is burning, it's still ours," says a soft-spoken reservist named Noam, a TV producer in civilian life. He tells me: "Do me a favor, OK? Tell your readers that we're just normal guys...
...with reporting by Aaron J. Klein/ Gaza border...