Israeli army bulldozers backed by tanks rolled Tuesday into an area near Kissofim military post east of central Gaza Strip town of Deir el-Ballah, as naval gunship vessels fired at Gaza coastal areas, witnesses said.

The witnesses in the area said that Israeli army bulldozers razed trees and leveled the ground into a Palestinian farm in the neighborhood of Abu Hamam east of Deirt el-Ballah in central Gaza Strip.

Also residents of al-Maghazi refugee camp in central Gaza said that several Israeli army tanks rolled into an area near the border between east of the refugee camp and Israel. No injuries or damages were reported.

The Israeli arm incursions into central Gaza Strip were carried out, although the Israeli army had announced that it would gradually pull out its ground forces from areas it seized during 22 days of Israeli offensive on Gaza began on Dec. 27 last year.

Meanwhile, Palestinian witn  esses living in western Gaza said that Israeli army naval gunship vessels opened heavy fire at the coastal area of northern Gaza Strip, no injuries or damages were reported.

The Israeli army forces which seized large areas into Gaza in early January, had withdraw from most of these posts, but kept some forces into the territories, near the outskirts of northern Gaza.

Meanwhile, the rescue teams and civil defense forces continued on Tuesday searching for dead Palestinians under the rubbles of the destroyed houses all over Gaza. 12 bodies were found on Monday, medics said.

(Xinhua News Agency January 20, 2009)