Explosions in Gaza, Israeli troops near border, IDF says it blocked attack via tunnels

(21 Jul 2014) Israeli airstrikes continued to pound Gaza on Monday, as the death toll among Palestinians from the Israeli offensive reached 508, according to Gaza health officials. The two sides counted their dead on Monday following the bloodiest day of fighting so far in the two-week campaign. On Sunday, the first major ground battle in two weeks of Israel-Hamas fighting exacted a steep price, killing 65 Palestinians and 13 Israeli soldiers. Thousands of terrified Palestinian civilians were forced to flee the neighbourhood of Shijaiyah, reportedly used to launch rockets at Israel and now devastated by the fighting. The Israeli military said it foiled a Hamas infiltration attempt on Monday through two tunnels leading from northern Gaza into southern Israel. The military said 10 militants were killed after being detected and targeted by Israeli aircraft. Israeli soldiers were seen patrolling the area and searching for any militants who may have escaped. The 13 Israeli soldiers who died in Shijaiyah brought the overall Israeli death toll to 20, including two civilians who died from rocket and mortar fire directed at Israeli towns and villages from different parts of Gaza. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...