Tel Aviv  - An Israeli airstrike on the southern Gaza Strip city of Khan Younis Sunday killed two top Hamas militants, an Israeli military spokeswoman said.

New York, Jan 4 : Israeli tanks and troops crossed over to the Gaza strip on Saturday, killing nearly 30 Hamas militants in fierce attempt to end rocket attacks, but question remains: Will the rockets really be stopped while Hamas remains in power in Gaza?

"If the war ends in a draw, as expected, and Israel refrains from re-occupying Gaza, Hamas will gain diplomatic recognition," wrote Aluf Benn, a political analyst with newspaper Haaretz. "No matter what you call it," he added, "Hamas will obtain legitimacy."

Oslo  - Norway urged Israel to "immediately" halt its ground offensive in the Gaza Strip, which Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Store described as "a dramatic escalation of the conflict."

Tel Aviv/Gaza  - Israeli troops pushed further into the Gaza Strip Sunday morning, battling Palestinian militants in the north of the salient as they advanced on Beit Lahia and Beit Hanoun, supported by air attacks.

An Israeli military spokesman said 30 soldiers were wounded in overnight fighting, including two seriously.

Palestinian medical officials spoke of 17 killed, and 130 wounded, since the Israeli ground operation began. At least four of the dead were civilians who were killed by an Israeli tank shell.

Brussels  - The European Union's executive on Sunday pledged 3 million euros (4.2 million dollars) in emergency aid to civilians in the Gaza Strip affected by Israel's week-long bombardment, even as Israeli tanks pushed into the territory.

The European Commission "will provide an extra 3 million euros' relief assistance in the Gaza Strip ... The aid will be deployed as rapidly as possible to meet the basic needs of people affected by the Israeli airstrikes and by continuing access restrictions," a statement released in Brussels said.

The EU is already the largest aid donor to the Palestinian Territories, providing over 73 million euros in humanitarian assistance in 2008, according to official figures.

Tel Aviv/Gaza  - Israeli troops pushed further into the Gaza Strip Sunday morning, battling Palestinian militants in the north of the salient as they advanced on Beit Lahia and Beit Hanoun, supported by air attacks.

An Israeli military spokesman said 30 soldiers were wounded in overnight fighting, including two seriously. Israel also says it has killed "dozens" of Palestinian militants, but this figure could not be independently confirmed.

The spokesman dismissed as a "complete lie" militants' claims that they killed nine Israeli soldiers and a senior Israeli military official said reports that an Israeli soldier had been captured by the militants was "untrue."