By Xinhua
Gaza : At least 30 Israeli tanks rolled in southeast Gaza Strip early Tuesday morning, creating fears among residents that it might be a beginning of a larger ground operation.
Residents of eastern Khan Younis town in southern Gaza Strip said the tanks took up positions inside the Palestinian territories after passing through security fence that separates between Israel and Gaza.
Some tanks stopped 100 meters away from the houses amid heavy machine gunfire, the residents added.
The Israeli army frequently enters the border areas in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip but often uses a smaller number of tanks and vehicles.
Meanwhile, in West Bank, the army arrested 17 Palestinians in the cities of Nablus, Jenin, Ramallah and Hebron, hours after a meeting between Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Premier ended without making notable progress, Palestinian security sources said.
The sources added that the detainees were taken for security backgrounds.