What happened
Israeli troops poured into the Gaza Strip this week after several days of aerial bombing aimed at neutralizing Hamas. The massive assault, which was launched in response to continued Hamas rocket attacks on Israeli civilians, is intended to “change the equation” in the region, said Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni. More than 600 Palestinians have been killed in the operation, nearly half of them civilians, according to U.N. and Palestinian officials. Israel, which has lost at least six soldiers, disputes the number of civilian casualties. In one of the most deadly attacks, Israel launched mortars at two U.N. shelters where militants were “using civilians as human shields,” said the Israeli army; some 70 civilians were killed. U.N. officials called for an investigation.
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