By Xinhua
Jerusalem : Israeli military operations in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday don't indicate any changes in the army's policy, military sources were quoted by local Yedioth Ahronoth as saying.
"The IDF (Israel Defense Forces)'s activities in the Gaza Strip are not indicative of any change in policy, but are rather preventive measures taken against terror," said military sources." If we don't act, we'll see more abduction attempts and more attacks," the sources added, stressing the very nature of the operation was defensive instead of offensive.
Earlier in the day, at least 12 Palestinians were killed and two IDF soldiers lightly wounded in two separate IDF operations in the Gaza Strip. Roughly 40 Palestinians were wounded in the fighting.
The IDF confirmed both operations, saying they were aimed at "negating threats." The army added that troops penetrated between one and two kilometers into the Strip, and conducted searches for wanted militants, explosive devices, and tunnel shafts.
The IDF Southern Command stressed that all the Palestinian casualties, with the exception of one Islamic Jihad operative whose death was still investigated, were gunmen struck in battles with IDF troops operating in north and southern Gaza. Also on Wednesday, several dozen of Palestinians were held for questioning in southern Gaza.
"This isn't about taking over Gaza. These are pinpointed raids aimed at destroying terrorist infrastructure," sources in the IDF Southern Command were quoted as saying.
The IDF's Gaza Division is free to operate up to 1.3 miles inside the Strip. The Southern Command can determine how broad the operations are, in accordance with general IDF directives. Three Qassam rocket fired at Israel's western Negev town on Wednesday, causing no damage or injuries.