'Israeli strikes in Gaza down overnight'

Israeli warplanes struck some 12 targets in Gaza overnight on Monday, the army said, marking the lowest level of night-time bombing in Israel's 17-day-old war on Hamas.

Israeli warplanes struck some 12 targets in Gaza overnight on Monday, the army said, marking the lowest level of night-time bombing in Israel's 17-day-old war on Hamas.

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The targets included weapon storage sites in homes of Hamas fighters, smuggling tunnels and groups of fighters, an army spokesman told AFP.

Ground troops engaged in clashes with Palestinian fighters across the territory, he said.

Since the start of Operation Cast Lead against Hamas on December 27, the military has each night carried out at least 30 bombardments on the territory, with the exception of the night of January 1, when 20 strikes were conducted.

For the third consecutive night, no rockets were fired from Gaza into Israel overnight, the army said. Over the past three days, militants in Gaza have been firing rockets beginning after dawn.