Fighting in dense Gaza brings child casualties ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press January 2, 2009 - 1:00am Samar Hamdan ran weeping through the street, trying to touch the body of her dead 11-year-old brother during a funeral procession in this northern Gaza town. Just a day before, the 15-year-old girl's two sisters were also buried, victims of the same strike from an Israeli missile. As Israel steps up its attacks on the Hamas rulers of the Gaza Strip, one of the most densely populated spots on Earth, children are paying the price. "In this crowded strip, everything is beside everything else," said Karen Abu Zayd, a top U.N. official in Gaza. » Read more

Israel destroys Hamas homes, flattens Gaza mosque ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press January 2, 2009 - 1:00am Israel destroyed the homes of more than a dozen Hamas operatives and bombed one of its mosques on Friday, the seventh day of a blistering offensive in Gaza and the day after a deadly strike killed a prominent Hamas figure. In what appeared to be a new Israeli tactic, the military called at least some of the houses ahead of time to warn inhabitants of an impending attack. In some cases, it also fired a sound bomb to warn away civilians before flattening the homes with powerful missiles, Palestinians and Israeli defense officials said. » Read more

Israel Lets Some Foreigners Leave Gaza as Bombing Continues ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Taghreed El-Khodary, Isabel Kershner - January 2, 2009 - 1:00am Israeli warplanes pounded Hamas targets in Gaza for a seventh day on Friday while Israel allowed hundreds of foreigners, many of them married to Palestinians, to leave the enclave, raising fears here that Israel was planning to escalate its week-old campaign. Tensions spread to the West Bank and East Jerusalem, where Palestinian anger at reports of civilian casualties in Gaza seemed to be translating into at least a temporary increase in popular sympathy for Hamas. » Read more

Hamas Resilient Despite Israeli Onslaught ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press January 2, 2009 - 1:00am Israel is methodically targeting the Hamas domain, bombing government offices, security compounds, commanders, and even Hamas-linked clinics, mosques and money changers. Yet Gaza's Islamic rulers show no sign of buckling under the aerial onslaught. Israel says Hamas still has thousands of rockets. Hamas TV and radio remain on the air, broadcasting morale-boosting battle reports. Hamas' political and military leaders communicate from hiding places by walkie-talkie. Police patrol streets to prevent price gouging and looting. » Read more

IAF strikes more than 30 Hamas targets in Gaza ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Amos Harel, Yoav Stern - January 2, 2009 - 1:00am The Israel Air Force pressed on with its assault on Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip Friday evening, bombing the home of Hamas member Mohammed Madhoun, who was responsible for rocket attacks against Israel. Madhoun's house was also used as a laboratory for the manufacturing of rockets and explosive devices and as a storage facility for rockets, mortar shells, and various weapons. At least eight people, among them five children, have been killed in Israeli airstrikes in Gaza on Friday. In all, the IAF reportedly hit 35 Hamas targets throughout the day Friday. » Read more