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Israeli Forces Divide Gaza in Two
(Wall Street Journal) Dov Lieber - Israeli forces pushed across Gaza and in from the Mediterranean coast Thursday, dividing the enclave in two and isolating urban areas in the north. "IDF forces have finished encircling Gaza City, the stronghold of the Hamas terrorist organization," Israeli military spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said Thursday. Fighting was especially intense in Karama and Zeitoun in northern Gaza, as Israeli troops moved closer to the center of Gaza City, backed by airstrikes and gunfire from naval ships offshore. Hamas fighters used antitank missiles to target Israeli tanks and armored personnel carriers as Israeli ground forces pressed into the city's outskirts. Clashes were also reported further south in Al Maghazi, Al Bureij and An Nuseirat, according to the UN. "Everywhere they go, soldiers are describing what they see - terrorists who come out of tunnel shafts, underground tunnels under buildings, under hospitals, under schools, they see it all," Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said Wednesday. Giora Eiland, a former Israeli general and national security adviser, said Israeli troops are now focusing on finding entrances to the tunnel network used by Hamas and seeking to kill them while they are still below ground. "Gaza is probably the most fortified military position in the world," said Eiland. "We are speaking about a tough battle that can last weeks."