From Al Jazeera:Thousands of Israeli troops, backed by tanks, have entered the Gaza Strip as Israel escalated its offensive into the territory on the eighth day of operations.
A column of tanks entered the besieged territory through the Beit Hanoun crossing shortly after nightfall on Saturday, officials said, while the Israeli cabinet said it had also called up about 9,000 reservists.
Al Jazeera's Alan Fisher on the Israeli-Gaza border said heavy artillery fire, tracer fire and rockets could be heard in the area as Israeli forces moved in, along with some gunfire.
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