Israeli military tour of northern Gaza reveals ravaged buildings, toppled trees, former weapons lab

By OHAD ZWIGENBERG
Associated Press

INSIDE THE GAZA STRIP (AP) — International journalists escorted by the Israeli military got a glimpse of the devastation wrought by nearly two weeks of heavy fighting in the northern Gaza Strip. A journalist from The Associated Press and other reporters rode on Wednesday in a windowless armored vehicle, inside of which they could view the passing landscape on a screen. Damaged buildings could be seen in every direction, and toppled trees lay along the Mediterranean shoreline. At one point, an Israeli tank rolled across what looked like a sandy moonscape, surrounded by rubble. During the tour, the army said it had found ammunition and a weapons-making facility inside one building.