Israel Expanding Ground Invasion Of Gaza

The first night of the Israeli ground offensive against Gaza has killed at least 20 Palestinians and one death in the ranks of the army of Israel, which is investigating whether the soldier was a victim of friendly fire.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has now ordered to intensify the raid on Gaza: “I have given instructions to prepare to significantly expand ground operations and the Army is responding accordingly,” he said after a meeting with his security cabinet.

The number of Palestinians killed since the fighting began on July 7th to July 18th reached 260. That number increased after Israeli soldiers entered Gaza around midnight and attacked civilian populations from two different fronts; the north and the east. The troops invaded the neighborhoods of Beit Lahia and Beit Hanoun. Palestinians in those neighborhoods say that Israel has been slow and cautious when entering Gaza.

As in past invasions, the Israeli army pounded the area with artillery and bombs launched from airplanes and then moved in with their tanks. They cleaned the area of mines and possible resistance before advancing with tanks and the infantry. Army sources explained that they found resistance found in Beit Lahia.

The Israeli army has fired against 103 targets in Gaza, as reported on Friday. The Army claims to have “neutralized” 14 militants, according to the terminology used in the official note.

“They were all legitimate targets,” said spokesman, Capt. Roni Kaplan, because, they had fired against the soldiers before, he explained. One of his soldiers has died from gunshots, which becomes the second Israeli fatality since the operation began Margin Protector.

On this first night of ground offensive, Israel has also destroyed 20 rocket launchers hidden in nine tunnels, which was precisely one of the first priorities for Netanyahu. Kaplan described the sweep of Gaza as “moderate“.

“We will continue advancing on Gaza, damaging Hamas,” said another military source. Hama’s response was not delayed. Apparently, 50 rockets were fired from Gaza into Israel, towards the center of the country, which caused the Israeli alert system to go on. None of the rockets caused significant damage or deaths in Israel.

Washington approved the ground offensive through the Secretary of State, John Kerry, who called Prime Minister Netanyahu on Thursday night. Kerry said he expects a “precision operation” against the tunnels used by Palestinians from Gaza to harass Israelis.

The U.S. statement emphasized the need for the “safety of civilians” on both sides. According to the UN, civilians were more than 75% of the 260 Palestinians killed during this Israeli operation. Over 40 were children. In the same period, only one Israeli soldier and a Jewish civilian have died.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, has also supported the Israeli decision. Stressing that Hamas has “new quality” weapons and insisted that the attacked countries should be able to defend themselves. “Both sides must accept painful compromises but we are on Israel’s side when it comes to defending itself.”

Israel began a ground invasion of Gaza during the tenth night of the massive military operation. According to various Israeli media, Israel made the decision to invade on Tuesday, after negotiations between the two governments collapsed.

It is the first ground invasion of the besieged and impoverished Gaza Strip since Operation Cast Lead, launched in late 2008. Hamas warned that Israel will pay a “high price” for this raid.

Luis R. Miranda is the Founder and Editor of The Real Agenda. His 16 years of experience in Journalism include television, radio, print and Internet news. Luis obtained his Journalism degree from Universidad Latina de Costa Rica, where he graduated in Mass Media Communication in 1998. He also holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Broadcasting from Montclair State University in New Jersey. Among his most distinguished interviews are: Costa Rican President Jose Maria Figueres and James Hansen from NASA Space Goddard Institute. Read more about Luis.