Members of the al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, managed to infiltrate into the southern Israeli region of Eshkol this morning. The group used a tunnel and once on the other side attacked an Israeli army patrol. Some Israeli sources report that one Palestinian was killed and two soldiers were injured during the confrontation, and that the rest of the fighters re-entered the tunnel and returned to Gaza.
The spokesperson of the Israeli Occupation Forces said that the al-Qassam Brigades opened fire against the army patrol with machine guns and an anti-tank missile and that the two soldiers were moderately injured. The Israeli military added that they pursued the attackers into Gaza.
The Israeli media has been reporting the sound of explosions and sirens in the region of Eshkol since the morning.  Eshkol is located some 15 kilometers from the southern Gaza border. The Israeli authorities told residents of the area to remain in their homes during the incident.
In Dimona, an Israeli city located in the Naqab, a Palestinian bedouin was killed by a rocket launched from Gaza. Four of his family members were also injured in the attack, two boys, aged 1 ad 4, and two women aged 35.
Ynet reports that four rockets also fell in open areas of Dimona, causing no injuries.
Last night, in Beit Lahya, northern Gaza, the Palestinian resistance injured three Israeli soldiers during intense fighting as the ground operation entered its second day. The Palestinians claim they took over an Israeli tank during the confrontations. One of the soldiers is in serious condition while the other two were light-to-moderately wounded.
In light of all these events, the Israeli Occupation Forces have announced they plan to expand their ground offensive today.