Shooting erupts near Bethlehem church

Gunshots and explosions have been heard around Manger Square in Bethlehem, as Israel presses ahead with its offensive against Palestinian militants.
Palestinian fighters inside the Church of the Nativity told the BBC that Israeli forces had blown open the back door, leaving only a corridor separating them from the soldiers.

The Israeli army denied that it had stormed the church, but said its soldiers fired shots while chasing militants who had escaped from the church.