Olmert vows to press forward with offensive

? Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Sunday he would push ahead with the army’s widescale offensive in the Gaza Strip, saying the fight to free an abducted soldier and stop militant rocket fire would last for a “long time.” The 12-day-old operation has caused widespread destruction in Gaza, left 51 Palestinians dead and led to international complaints that Israel was using excessive force.

Despite the offensive, militants launched three rockets into Israel on Sunday, wounding one person in the town of Sderot and damaging a house.

An Israeli airstrike Sunday night targeted a car carrying Hamas militants near Gaza City, wounding five people, including an 8-year-old girl, Palestinian health officials said. The vehicle was filled with explosives, which led to a series of large secondary explosions, the army said.