The usual daylong and even week-long bombardments were replaced by shorter, more intensive barrages in which gas and high explosive were carefully coordinated and which lasted no more than a few hours.
But despite the fear caused by years of intermittent rocket fire and the intensive barrages of recent days, many residents said that without a cease-fire guaranteeing long-term quiet on Israel's terms, they would prefer the Israeli offensive to carry on.
Roiling the emotions on both sides, some of the victims of violence have been small children: a 10-month-old Israeli girl killed last week in Hebron, a 10-month-old Israeli boy wounded today in the Gaza Strip settlement of Atzmona and a 4-year-old Palestinian girl who lost her left eye as a result of an intensive Israeli barrage on Bethlehem on Monday.
An intensive German barrage decimated the occupants of the second-line trenches, while the 10th's temporary commanding officer, Lieutenant-Colonel E.G. Thin, was wounded by gunfire.
At 7 30 PM on 24 August, a pair of Fireflies conducted a photo-reconnaissance sortie over Kaafjord to gather intelligence on the results of the attack; their presence caused the Germans to generate a smoke screen over the fjord and fire an intensive anti-aircraft barrage.
Sirens wailed through Gaza City late Monday night while Israeli fighter jets continued to tear through the darkness overhead, after one of the most intensive, lethal air barrages of the conflict, now more than three years old.
Following an intensive artillery and mortar barrage the Marine tank company, two companies of the 158th Infantry and C Troop, 112th Cavalry Regiment attacked.
At a news conference today, Foreign Minister Abdul Sattar refused to answer a barrage of questions about Pakistan's willingness to agree to American proposals that emerged from days of intensive discussion between the two nations, calling them "details" that remained to be settled.
Wednesday brought another barrage.
