On Thursday, Operation Cast Lead entered its 20th day as 23 rockets struck southern Israel through mid-afternoon hitting Sderot, Beersheva, Ofakim, Gedera and Eshkol Region.
Through late Wednesday afternoon and evening a revised count of rockets hitting the south stood at 16, including a Grad hitting an unpopulated area of Ashdod. There were no injuries from the blast, but 5 people were treated for trauma.
In all, 22 soldiers were wounded on Wednesday, six of them in the northern Strip when a house collapsed on them and several others were wounded when an anti-tank missile hit a paratroopers force near Gaza City.
Also on Wednesday evening, away from Gaza, three more live and ready-to-launch
Grad rockets were found in South Lebanon where, earlier Wednesday, 3 Katyushas were launched which struck open areas near Kiryat Shemona.
The IDF Spokesperson summarized
overnight fighting in Gaza:
IDF forces operating in Gaza hit approximately 35 armed gunmen during the night, mostly in aerial attacks directed by ground forces.
The IAF attacked approximately 70 terrorist sites, including:
A mosque in Rafah used to stockpile rockets that served as an assembly area for senior operatives involved in launching rockets.
14 cells of armed gunmen.
14 sites used to launch rockets and mortars at Israeli communities and
cities.
Five weapon storage facilities located in houses of Hamas operatives.
* One tunnel located under the house of a Hamas operative.
The Israel Navy accompanied the ground forces and provided assisted in
attacking Hamas outposts.
Jerusalem Post's Yaakov Katz added this
report on overnight fighting:
In one incident in Gaza City on Wednesday, paratroopers near the Shati refugee camp encountered two suicide bombers on their way to blow themselves up next to the troops. One of the bombers was killed as he ran toward the troops and the other was found during searches of a home. Bullets fired at him detonated the belt, but no soldiers were injured.
In a different area of Gaza City, an Engineering Corps force discovered 20 Katyusha rockets inside a home. The rockets were destroyed in a controlled explosion.
