Israel has announced the start of a Gaza ground campaign after 10 days of aerial and naval bombardments failed to stop persistent Palestinian rocket attacks, but it signalled the invasion would be limited in scope.
A statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office on Thursday said he had given orders to destroy tunnels that militants had dug to infiltrate Israel and carry out attacks.
An Israeli military spokesman said Israel was not out to try to topple the dominant Hamas Islamist group. Such a goal would likely entail a move into densely populated Gaza City, where urban warfare could prove costly to both sides.
Israel last mounted a large-scale invasion of the Gaza Strip during a three-week war in late 2008 and early 2009 that claimed 1400 Palestinian and 13 Israeli lives.
No time frame was announced for the new operation, and the length and intensity of Israel’s assaults could depend on the scale of civilian deaths – casualties likely to boost international pressure for a ceasefire.
Late on Thursday, Gaza residents and medical officials reported heavy shelling along the eastern border from the southern town of Rafah to the north of the strip. But there was no immediate sign that tanks, deployed for days near the border, were moving in.
Explosions echoed and flashes of orange lit the sky in the eastern Gaza Strip as Israeli gunboats fired shells and tracer bullets. Israeli artillery pounded the area and helicopters fired across the border, witnesses said.
Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri responded with defiance to Israel’s invasion announcement: “We warn Netanyahu of the dreadful consequences of such a foolish act.” .
The post Israel starts ground operation in Gaza to stop Hamas rockets appeared first on Trunews:.
from Trunews: http://ift.tt/1r7Olgr
via IFTTT
No comments:
Post a Comment