http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=newsOne&storyID=2006-06-27T234228Z_01_SCH354578_RTRUKOC_0_US-MIDEAST.xml AZA (Reuters) - Israeli tanks and troops rolled into the southern Gaza Strip on Wednesday after mediators said hope was running out of recovering a soldier abducted by Palestinian gunmen.
The night-time incursion came shortly after Palestinian security forces deployed near the border town of Rafah, site of Gaza's only airport, said they were ordered out by the Israeli military.
The Israeli army confirmed its forces had crossed the border, the first major ground offensive in Gaza since the Jewish state withdrew last year after 38 years of occupation.