Hamas said to be damaged but still intact

GAZA, Jan. 13 (UPI) -- The Palestinian militant group Hamas has been damaged but is still substantially intact after Israel's incursion into Gaza, intelligence officials say.

Unnamed Israeli officials told The New York Times Tuesday Hamas' military wing has been damaged "to a certain extent" with "a few hundred" fighters killed during the country's ground offensive into Gaza.

That view stands in contrast to Israeli officials' comments Sunday suggesting Hamas' leadership had been badly damaged and was ready to accept a truce. Israel's Cabinet secretary, Oved Yehezkel, told reporters then the heads of army intelligence and the Shin Bet security service had determined Hamas was ready to agree to a cease-fire, "given the harsh blow it received and given the absence of accomplishment on the ground."

The anonymous intelligence officials told the Times that greater damage had been done to Hamas's ability to administer the Gaza Strip, with many governmental buildings destroyed during the operation.

There was little respite from the fighting in Gaza Tuesday, as Hamas said it had "substantial reservations" about an Egyptian proposal for a cease-fire and Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi told Israel Army Radio Israeli forces had yet to complete their mission.

Israeli tanks moved into the city of Gaza from two directions, approaching the headquarters of the Palestinian security forces.

More than 900 Palestinians have been killed, nearly half of them women and children, Palestinian medical personnel said Monday. More than 4,000 people have been wounded.

Israeli officials report 13 Israelis, including 10 soldiers, have died in the operation in Gaza and from rocket strikes on southern Israel.