Israel Launches Ground Offensive In Gaza

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sent ground forces into Gaza Thursday night.

“A large IDF force has just launched a ground operation in the Gaza Strip,” Israel Defense Forces . “A new phase of Operation Protective Edge has begun.”

Israel is targeting tunnels Hamas uses to infiltrate its territory.

The army said the offensive is meant to strike a “significant blow to Hamas’ terror infrastructure.”

Netanyahu’s office instructed the army to prepare for a ground offensive after Hamas rejected a cease-fire proposal from Egypt, The Associated Press reports.

The army has not provided details about the scope of the operation or the number of troops involved.

The IDF’s Southern Command is leading the ground offensive, to the Jerusalem Post. The army will be calling up reservists.

“In light of the despicable and relentless aggression by Hamas and the dangerous infiltration into Israel, Israel is obliged to protect its citizens,” the prime minister’s office said in a statement.

Sirens could be heard across Israel, to Barak Ravid, diplomatic correspondent for the Israeli newspaper Haaretz.

Copyright 2014 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.image
Read original article – Published
Israel Launches Ground Offensive In Gaza

NPR News

KTOO is the NPR member station in Juneau. NPR offers its members radio and digital stories.

Sign up for The Signal

Top Alaska stories delivered to your inbox every week

Site notifications
Update notification options
Subscribe to notifications