Israeli troops have pushed deeper into the Gaza Strip with the aim of weakening the enclave’s Hamas rulers by destroying rocket launching sites and tunnels. <br /><br />They have fired volleys of tank shells and clashed with Palestinian fighters. It’s still unclear how long the ground offensive, which began on Thursday night, will last.<br /><br />Israel has said its forces, which are mainly in the north, east and south of the Gaza Strip, have faced little resistance.<br /><br />Israel has reported further rockets being launched from the enclave into their territory.<br /><br />Meanwhile, a funeral was held for three children from the same family who were killed by an Israeli strike on their home in Beit Lahiya.<br /><br />Over 25 Palestinians have been killed since Israeli ground forces entered the enclave pushing the total since the start of the conflict to around 260. <br /><br />The UN refugee agency has said around 17,000 Palestinians have been sheltering from the violence in 20 special United Nations schools in Gaza.<br /><br />One Israeli soldier also died overnight and became the country’s second victim since the beginning of Operation Protective Edge.
