Today, the IDF opened a Humanitarian Affairs Coordination Center (HACC) today, in Tel-Aviv.

The center’s aim is to coordinate between the different organizations operating in the field and those of the IDF and will not replace existing structures. The center will place highest priority to the evacuation of foreign nationals and to coordinating the flow of food, fuel and supplies of goods to the humanitarian organizations.

Organizations represented include the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), USAID, World Food Program, the European Commission, the United Nations Special Coordintor for the Middle East (UNSCO), UNRWA, Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, as well as Israeli governmental agencies and IDF departments.

Furthermore, over twenty rockets were launched today from the Gaza Strip to Israel, wounding two people.

IDF forces, including infantry, tanks, combat engineers, and intelligence, continue to operate throughout the Gaza Strip.  The Israel Air Force, Israeli Navy, and Artillery Corps all provided support and struck concentrations of Hamas fighters that were within range of the IDF forces.  Rocket launching sites that were used for attacking IDF forces were also struck.

On a number of occasions, the ground troops came under fire from armed Hamas gunmen and responded with direct fire.

One IDF soldier was moderately wounded and an additional eight soldiers were wounded in the fighting.

IAF aircraft attacked over 40 additional targets throughout the day, including a number of smuggling tunnels in southern Gaza, 14 rocket launching sites, 4 armed terror cells, a Hamas outpost, 9 tunnels dug under houses, and a weaponry storage facility.

The IDF will continue to operate against all terror organizations, and anyone harboring terror.

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Summary of Overnight Events,  Wed, Jan 7, 2009

IDF Infantry Corps, Armored Corps, Engineering Corps, Artillery Corps and Intelligence Corps forces continue operating throughout the Gaza Strip with Israel Air Force and Israel Navy support. 

Throughout the night Ground Forces in Gaza clashed with several groups of gunmen and neutralized booby-trapped structures. Soldiers also uncovered a number of weapon storage facilities, large stores of explosives, and smuggling tunnels.  A soldier was lightly injured during the operations. 

The IAF struck over 40 targets throughout Gaza, including:

• Rocket launching sites and bunkers used by armed terrorists.
• Squads of armed Hamas operatives.
• Various structures used by Hamas terror operatives.
• More than ten smuggling tunnels used by Hamas, some of them located under the homes of operatives.

Large secondary explosions were observed following some of the air strikes, indicating the presence of explosives inside the tunnels.

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