Romanian wounded as Israeli army closes in on Gaza City

A Romanian woman was wounded in Israeli air raids on Gaza, according to Romanian news television Realitatea TV. Over 1,000 Romanian citizens cannot leave the area because they do not hold any passport, as international news agencies report that troups and armoured personnel carriers were closing in on Gaza City on Sunday.

Following heavy air raids on Hamas positions, the Israeli army launched a major ground offensive in the area. Israeli tanks opened fire on several objectives they say were controlled by the radical Islamist group. For their part, Hamas troups responded with Kassam missiles, according to international media reports.

The total toll after eight days of war exceeded 460 dead and some 4,000 wounded people.

The large majority of Romanian citizens in Gaza are women married to Palestinian men. There is no indication yet whether a number of 48 Romanians who demanded help would be able to leave Gaza city. For the moment, even if they receive approval to leave the Gaza Strip, they would not be able to leave because of ground operations in the area.

A Romanian woman, Mitrea Ana, aged 42, was wounded during the armed operations in the area over the past days, but her situation is stable now. She could not leave Gaza in due time because her passport had expired, according to Realitatea TV.