Scoop's Gaza correspondent Julie Webb-Pullman is without power or Internet in Gaza in the middle of the night as an "informal truce" appears to have settled over Gaza City for a brief period.

However the situation in the area: in Gaza; the West Bank; Egypt and now Jerusalem is deteriorating rapidly.

Yesterday foreigners were offered passage to leave Gaza by Israel. There are reports of tanks massing on the Israel/Gaza border and the local population fear an invasion similar to Operation Cast Lead is now imminent.

Meanwhile according to Twitter reports in the past half hour 1500 Palestinians have become locked in Al-Aqsa mosque - The Dome of the Rock on Temple Mount - after settler and Palestinian protests in Jerusalem got out of control. And there are now also reports of military strikes on the West Bank.

For recent coverage of the attacks on Gaza from Julie Webb-Pullman including a building exploded by a missile just a few blocks from Julie Webb-Pullman's accommodation, see:

Images of Gaza After Bombing
This afternoon I hired a car with another woman and went around Gaza to see some of the devastation wrought by israeli attacks overnight. We were warned it might not be safe, as we drove to the accompaniment of the humming of drones, and the distant ... More >>
Gaza: Five reasons Israel should cease its attacks on Gaza
Eilat incidents Israel has provided the flimsiest of evidence that either the Popular Resistance Committees (PRC), or any Gazans at all, were responsible for the attacks near Eilat that killed eight Israelis on Thursday. To claim that Kalashnikov bullets ... More >>

Hamas has closed down all government offices and prisoners have been released and told to go home as there have also been strikes on prisons. Julie says the injuries suffered by some of those who have been killed and injured in the most strikes are truly horrific, and there are rumors that some new kind of bomb is being used by the IDF

The Israeli military strikes on Friday were sparked by a terrorist attack in Israel last Thursday near Eliat. This attack in Eliat had none of the hallmarks of a Hamas operation, the people carrying it out were dressed in Egyptian uniforms, and the low likelihood of Hamas involvement has now even been acknowledged in the Israeli media.

But nevertheless the situation seems to be escalating out of control. The strikes on Gaza were devastating killing many civilians. The military wing of Hamas Gazan responded by firing missiles at Israel over the weekend. And Israeli attacks inside Egypt has also raised tensions markedly in the Sinai.

Yesterday all foreigners in Gaza were advised by their embassies that they could leave via the Erez Crossing into Israel. The Rafah Crossing to Egypt is well and truly closed and has been the site of widespread bombing.

A large number of foreigners working for NGOs did pull out and expats from the UK, US and Canada were advised by their offices to Leave. Those from some other nations including France were not. Scoop's correspondent contacted NZ's Embassy in Egypt but was told that they were unable to communicate with the Israeli Embassy to discuss her leaving as it was under siege by protestors.

This Scoop Full Coverrage page will be updated with the latest news from Julie in Gaza as it breaks - plus links to . Scoop has contacted the Israeli Embassy in Wellington and asked for reaction.

Media wishing to speak to Julie by phone should contact Scoop Co-Editor Alastair Thompson on +64 21 707044.

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