The IDF dropped flyers over the southern Gaza city of Rafiah on Wednesday warning civilians to leave the area by 8 p.m.
By 9 p.m. an intense anti-tunnel operation had began, and dozens of buildings that hid the entrances to tunnels had been destroyed.
Several thousand residents of Rafiah fled the area after being warned of the impending attack, United Nations officials in the area said. Witnesses reported exchanges of heavy fire between IDF soldiers and terrorists in the southern part of the city, where the anti-tunnel operation was in full swing.
The Air Force took part in the operation, bombing tunnels from the air. The system of tunnels under Rafiah has taken several hits since operation "Cast Lead" began in Gaza, and several dozen tunnels were already destroyed. The tunnels are used to smuggle weapons and merchandise into Gaza.
Senior IDF officers say hundreds of tunnels remain under the Gaza-Egypt border.
Gaza residents reported that one man was killed in IAF strikes on the tunnels. Earlier in the day, Gaza doctors reported that four people had been killed in a strike on a car. Another three deaths were reported in the neighborhood of Jabaliya, where intense fighting has been taking place for several days. Gaza sources said the dead were children.
Soldiers Wounded, Kidnappings Thwarted
Nine soldiers were lightly wounded in battles throughout Gaza on Wednesday. Soldiers reported shooting armed Hamas terrorists on several occasions.
According to Army Radio, soldiers in Gaza have been targeted in several attempted kidnappings. Soldiers have uncovered several tunnels that were apparently meant to be used in kidnappings, and soldiers in the paratroopers brigade fought off armed Hamas men who had grabbed a soldier and were attempting to drag him away.
Soldiers have also encountered dozens of booby-trapped buildings. "We've neutralized hundreds of bombs," one commander said.