3 IDF soldiers injured in Gaza Friday evening
IDF soldier moderately wounded, two others sustain minor injuries during IDF activity in northern Strip. Iranian TV station says two people wounded in Air Force strike on Gaza City building housing its office; army sources deny report
Three IDF soldiers were injured in north Gaza Thursday evening, shortly after the cabinet decided to press ahead with the offensive in the Hamas-controlled territory despite a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire.
One of the soldiers sustained moderate wounds, while the other two were lightly injured. The troops were evacuated to Beersheba's Soroka University Medical Center for treatment.
Meanwhile, Palestinian sources in Gaza City said the Israeli Air Force struck a compound that housed offices of TV stations covering the fighting. One journalist was injured in the attack, they said. An Iranian state television station said two people were wounded in the strike on the building housing its office in Gaza on Friday.
"Israeli rocket strikes Gaza media building, wounding two," Press TV said in a breaking news headline after initially reporting there were no casualties in the incident.
"Israeli forces have targeted Press TV and al-Alam television stations in the Gaza Strip," the English-language satellite station said. Al-Alam is Iran's Arab-language television station. Army officials have denied the report.
'Israel has a right to defend its citizens'
The Air Force has struck some 70 targets throughout Gaza since the morning hours, and Navy vessels hit dozens of terror cells.
It was further reported that in recent hours the IDF fired dozens of artillery shells toward northern Gaza.
Later on in the evening Palestinian sources said one person was killed and several others were wounded during an IDF strike in south Gaza. The IDF has yet to confirm the report.
A statement issued following Friday's cabinet meeting read, "The State of Israel has a right to defend its citizens, and therefore the IDF will continue to operate (in Gaza) in order to complete its mission, which is to bring about a change in the security situation in south Israel in accordance with plans that had been approved prior to the launching of the offensive."
It was further decided that the activity against the smuggling of arms into Gaza will also continue, as will the transfer of humanitarian aid to the Strip's residents.
Also on Friday, the Ministerial Committee on National Security Affairs convened in Tel Aviv on Friday to discuss the operation in Gaza. Ministers were briefed by senior security officials on the recent talks the head of the Defense Ministry's Diplomatic-Security Bureau, Amos Gilad held with Egyptian officials in Cairo.
Ali Waked and Reuters contributed to the report
