Israel continues to press on with its military campaign

Israel continues to press on with its military campaign (Operation Cast Lead) against Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip as of 12 January 2009. On 11 January Israel began deploying thousands of additional reserve troops into Gaza, while forces already inside the territory began pushing deeper into urban areas. Israel continues to observe a daily three-hour truce to allow the distribution of humanitarian aid. Despite the massive military operations, Hamas is still able to launch rockets, including several that hit areas of southern Israel on 12 January. Ceasefire negotiations are ongoing, but it is not known when an agreement may be implemented. Israel has stated that any truce agreement must include Hamas halting all rocket attacks against Israel as well as a stop to smuggling operations to Gaza. Since the air strikes began on 27 December 2008, as many as 900 people in the Gaza Strip have been killed; it is believed that 13 Israelis have been killed. In an incident reported along the border with Syria on 11 January, an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) vehicle came under fire in the Golan Heights. Officials believe that the shots were fired from one gunman on the Syrian side of the border. The situation along the Lebanon-Israel border remains tense but calm. No major incidents have occurred since three rockets were launched from southern Lebanon into Israel on 8 January. Meanwhile, protests both in support of Israel and against its actions continue to occur worldwide.