IDF begins ground invasion of Gaza: updated


July 20, 2014
Sarah Benton

This posting has 3 articles, 2 sets of photos and 2 live blogs on the ground invasion of Gaza
1) Photos: Ground invaders, fuzzy photos from IDF;
2) Ma’an: Army: 13 Israeli soldiers killed in Gaza Sunday, July 20th, 2014;
3) AP:
Israel deepens Gaza push to destroy Hamas tunnels, the news agency toes the Israeli line;
4) Photos: Children being treated for wounds inflicted by the ground invaders;
5) Ma’an news: 27 Palestinians killed as Israel presses Gaza ground assault;
6) Times of Israel: Netanyahu: IDF prepared for expansion of ground op; LIVE UPDATES: Israel launches ground incursion in Gaza Strip, first of two live blogs. They have some nuggets of new information and are useful for the sequence, if not the cause, of events
7) Haaretz: LIVE UPDATES: Israel launches ground incursion in Gaza Strip x ;



Stills from a video released by the IDF of tanks and troops entering Gaza.

Army: 13 Israeli soldiers killed in Gaza Sunday

By Ma’an
July 20, 2014

BETHLEHEM — An Israeli military spokeswoman told Ma’an that 13 soldiers have been killed in intense fighting in the Gaza Strip on Sunday alone, bringing the total to at least 18 since the beginning of a ground invasion late Thursday.

The Israeli military spokeswoman said that all of the soldiers killed were from the elite Golani Brigades.

The military said in a statement released around 6:30 p.m. on Sunday that it was still “completing the identification process” and that the names would be made public following checks with the families.

Earlier on Sunday, the Israeli military confirmed that 60 Israeli soldiers had been wounded in fighting, a number which is expected to rise.

The wounded include a commander in the Golani Brigade.

Palestinian militants have engaged the Israeli military in fierce fighting across the Gaza Strip since they launched a ground invasion on Thursday.

Since the fighting began, Hamas has released numerous videos and images which purport to show captured Israeli weapons.

The Israeli deaths include a Hamas cross-border raid into Israel on Saturday that killed two Israeli soldiers as they were patrolling in the southern region of Eshkol.

In Friday, meanwhile, eyewitnesses said that Israeli forces had been forced to retreat from Beit Lahiya, even while Israeli forces made progress in their invasion across swathes of northern and southern Gaza.

Israel launched its assault on the Gaza Strip 13 days ago, with near continuous air strikes and shelling from land and sea on the besieged coastal enclave of 1.7 million people.

Israeli forces launched a ground invasion on late Thursday which has so far killed more than 200 Palestinians, the vast majority of whom are civilians, including 66 in one neighborhood of Gaza City alone on Sunday.

Israel said that the operation — which it called “Protective Edge” — was meant to reduce rocket fire from the region into Israel, which ahd increased in June and early July after Israel launched a massive assault against Hamas in the West Bank that left 10 Palestinians dead, 130 injured, and more than 600 Hamas-affiliated individuals in prison.

That operation was launched in response to the disappearance of three Israeli teenagers from a Jewish settlement in the West Bank in June, which Israel accused Hamas of involvement in but which Hamas denied.



Israel deepens Gaza push to destroy Hamas tunnels

By Ibrahim Barzak and Tia Goldenberg, AP
July 18, 2014

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israeli troops pushed deeper into Gaza on Friday to destroy rocket launching sites and tunnels, firing volleys of tank shells and clashing with Palestinian fighters in a high-stakes ground offensive meant to weaken the enclave’s Hamas rulers.

Israel launched the operation late Thursday, following a 10-day campaign of more than 2,000 air strikes against Gaza that had failed to halt relentless Hamas rocket fire on Israeli cities.

Israel’s first major ground offensive in Gaza in just over five years came as Egyptian cease-fire efforts stalled. Earlier this week, Israel accepted Cairo’s offer to halt hostilities, but Hamas refused, demanding that Israel and Egypt first give guarantees to ease the blockade on Gaza.

Israel had been reticent about launching a ground offensive for fear of endangering its own soldiers and drawing international condemnation over mounting Palestinian civilian deaths.

But after thousands of troops had been on standby for several days, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had ordered the military to prepare for a “significant expansion” of the ground offensive.

“Since it is not possible to deal with the tunnels only from the air, our soldiers are doing it also from the ground,” he said before a special Cabinet meeting in Tel Aviv.

“We chose to begin this operation after the other options were exhausted and with the understanding that without the operation the price we will pay can be very high.”

Throughout the night, the thud of tank shells echoed across Gaza, often just a few seconds apart. Several explosions from Israeli missile strikes shook high-rise buildings in central Gaza City and sent pillars of smoke into the sky.

The wounded were rushed to Gaza’s main Shifa Hospital, including several members of the same family struck by shrapnel from tank shells. Among those hurt were a toddler and a boy of elementary school age, their bodies pocked by small bloody wounds.

Gaza health officials said at least 20 Palestinians have been killed since the ground operation began, including three teenage siblings killed by shrapnel from a tank shell attack. At the morgue, one of the victim’s faces was blackened by soot and he and his siblings were each wrapped in a white burial shroud.

The Israeli military said it killed 17 militants in different exchanges of fire, while 13 were captured after surrendering. It was not immediately clear if the militants were among the casualties reported by Gaza authorities.

“The ground offensive does not scare us and we pledge to drown the occupation army in Gaza mud,” Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said in a statement.

The Israeli military said one soldier was killed in the northern Gaza Strip, the first Israeli casualty among troops. The circumstances behind the death of Staff Sgt. Eitan Barak, 20, were not immediately clear, with Hamas’ military wing saying it ambushed Israeli units in the northern town of Beit Lahiya and caused casualties but Israeli media saying it was likely a case of friendly fire.

Israel’s chief military spokesman Brig. Gen. Moti Almoz told Army Radio the military was investigating the circumstances behind the soldier’s death.

Tanks, infantry and engineering forces were operating inside the coastal strip. The military said it targeted rocket launchers, tunnels and more than 100 other targets, and that a number of soldiers were wounded throughout the night.

Israeli officials have said the goal is to weaken Hamas militarily and have not addressed the possibility of driving the Islamic militants from power.

However, Hamas has survived Israeli offensives in the past, including a major three-week ground operation in January 2009 from which it emerged militarily weaker, but then recovered. Hamas has since assembled thousands of rockets and built a system of underground bunkers.

Since the July 8 start of the air campaign, more than 260 Palestinians have been killed and more than 2,000 wounded, Palestinian health officials said. In Israel, one civilian died and several were wounded.

Israeli public opinion appears to strongly support the offensive after days of unrelenting rocket fire from Gaza and years of southern Israeli residents living under the threat. Gaza militants have fired more than 1,500 rockets at Israel over the past 11 days.

Israel said it launched an open-ended assault on several fronts, with the primary aim being to destroy underground tunnels into Israel built by Hamas that could be used to carry out attacks.

On Thursday, 13 heavily armed Hamas militants tried to sneak in through such a tunnel, but were stopped by an airstrike after they emerged some 250 meters (820 feet) inside Israel.

Israeli defense officials said soldiers faced little resistance during the first night of the ground operation, but the longer troops remain in Gaza, the greater the risk for heavy casualties on both sides.

Forces are expected to spend a day or two staking out positions in the north, east and south of the Gaza Strip before moving to the second phase, which is to destroy tunnels, an operation that could take up to two weeks.

Once Hamas is able to study the military’s positions and movements, it may push back more forcefully, the officials said.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the military’s strategy.

“The mission is progressing well,” said Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz, Israel’s military chief. “There were a number of incidents overnight that we overcame and moved forward.”

Prior to the Israeli Cabinet meeting, several ministers said they expected a prolonged offensive.

“We need to go in and finish the job. We need to eliminate every terrorist. They have no immunity.” said Uri Ariel, a Cabinet minister from the hard-line Jewish Home party.

Meanwhile, Egypt continued its efforts to get the Palestinians factions to agree to its truce proposal. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas told reporters on Friday in Cairo that while the ground offensive complicated matters he met with the Islamic Jihad leadership and “found a kind of acceptance of this initiative and readiness to convince others to accept it.” Islamic Jihad, a smaller militant faction in Gaza, says it is open to the proposal but not in its current form.

French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius was travelling Friday to Egypt, Jordan and Israel as part of a diplomatic push to stop the fighting in Gaza.

He said in a statement that he wants a cease-fire and lasting truce “that responds to Israel’s security needs and Palestinian economic needs.” He also urged Israel to show “restraint.”

Heller reported from Jerusalem. Associated Press writers Ian Deitch and Tia Goldenberg and Yousur Alhlou in Jerusalem and Karin Laub in Gaza City contributed to this report.




Palestinian medics check a wounded boy at Shifa hospital in Gaza City, northern Gaza Strip, early Friday, July 18, 2014. Israel intensified its 11-day campaign against Gaza’s Hamas rulers by launching a ground operation late Thursday. Photo by Khalil Hamra / AP.


A wounded girl is treated at the emergency room of the Shifa hospital in Gaza City, northern Gaza Strip, early Friday, July 18, 2014 after being injured by troops entering Gaza. Photo by Khalil Hamra / AP.

27 Palestinians killed as Israel presses Gaza ground assault

By Ma’an news
July 18, 2014, 12:23pm

GAZA CITY — At least twenty-seven Palestinians have been killed in Gaza by airstrikes and artillery fire since Israel launched a ground operation late Thursday, medics said.

Three children were killed in a targeted shelling on a home in northern Gaza, medics said. The bodies of Ahmad Ismail Abu Musallam, 14, his sister Alaa, 13, and their brother Muhammad, 15, were taken to Kamal Adwan hospital.

The children were killed when a shell hit their room.

Earlier, ambulance crews said nine people were killed in the shelling of a home east of Khan Younis. Their bodies were found under the rubble of a residential building.

Among those identified were Hammad Abdulkarim Hammad Abu Lihyeh, 23, Muhammad Abdulfattah Rashad Fayyad, 26, and Mahmoud Muhammad Fayyad, 25, from Khan Younis.

Relatives Bilal Mahmoud Radwan, 23, Munthir Radwan, 22, Ahmad Fawzi Radwan, 23, and Mahmoud Fawzi Radwan, 24, were also killed.

Amal Khader Ibrahim Dabbur, 40, Ismail Youssif Taha Qassem, 59, Nassim Mahmoud Nassir and Karam Mahmoud Nassir were killed in Beit Hanoun and at least 25 injured in heavy shelling.

In Rafah three people were killed and 11 others wounded by Israeli forces, who fired foul-smelling gas during the operation.

In the Gaza City neighborhood of Shujaiyeh, Rani Abu Tawileh was killed and 12 members of his family injured in heavy bombings.

The body of Hussam Abu Issa was pulled from rubble in central Gaza on Friday. It is believed he was killed in overnight attacks.

On the ground, witnesses reported gun battles breaking out east of the southern city of Khan Younis, with military sources confirming it was one of the areas in which the troops were operating.

An Israeli military spokeswoman told AFP ground and air forces had attacked at least 36 targets in Gaza since the incursion was launched.

Over 260 Palestinians have now been killed in Gaza since Israel began it’s military assault on the coastal territory last week.

One Israeli soldier was reported killed early Friday and five others injured.

“What the occupier Israel failed to achieve through its air and sea raids, it will not be able to achieve with a ground offensive. It is bound to fail,” Hamas chief Khaled Mashaal said from his exile in Doha.

A Hamas spokesman in Gaza earlier said “Israel will pay a high price” for launching the ground operation and that his movement “is ready for the confrontation”.

President Mahmoud Abbas said Israel must stop its ground operation, warning it would lead to “more bloodshed” and complicate efforts to end the conflict in the enclave.

Israel approved the call-up of another 18,000 reservists, taking the total number approved to 65,000 for an operation aimed at protecting Israeli lives and striking “a significant blow to Hamas’s terror infrastructure,” the army said.

“I regret that despite my repeated urgings, and those of many regional and world leaders together, an already dangerous conflict has now escalated even further,” UN chief Ban Ki-moon said, urging Israel to “do far more” to spare Palestinian non-combatants.

The majority of those killed in Gaza are civilians, according to local and international rights groups.



Netanyahu: IDF prepared for expansion of ground op

IDF soldier killed in Gaza identified as Eitan Barak, 20, from Herzliya; At least 14 Hamas fighters killed, but IDF has not entered population centers; Security cabinet meets in Tel Aviv; Large numbers of troops tackling Hamas tunnels, infrastructure

By Ilan Nben Zion, Lazar Berman and Haviv Rettig Gur, Times of Israel
July 18, 2014, 12:46 am

BLOG IS NOW LIVE
13:11
Housing minister urges expansion of ground op into Gaza’s cities
“We can’t limit ourselves to blowing up tunnels,” says Housing Minister Uri Ariel. “Hamas will continue firing rockets. There is no escaping the need to bring quiet to Israel’s citizens,” and that will only be achieved “by a massive ground incursion…including to urban areas” the IDF has so far avoided.

Transportation Minister Yisrael Katz says the goal of the operation must be “to demilitarize Gaza from rockets and tunnels.”

13:06
IDF blowing up tunnels throughout Gaza
IDF forces reportedly blow up multiple tunnels in the areas in which troops are operating. Helicopter gunships are firing missiles at tunnel openings and at anti-tank and rocket launching cells in the Strip.

A mosque containing a large cache of explosives was also attacked by IDF forces, the army says.

The fighting is currently going according to prepared battle plans, officials say.

12:49
Rockets fired at Ashkelon area
Sirens sound in the Ashkelon industrial zone and Kibbutz Carmia as rocket barrages return to southern towns after a short noon-time lull.

12:48
PA sources see Hamas trapped by its own demands
Palestinian Authority sources say Hamas political chief Khaled Mashaal has avoided traveling to Cairo to take part in the ceasefire talks.

According to the sources, Mashaal and Hamas are trying to avoid the Egyptian framework for a ceasefire, so Mashaal has not even spoken to Egyptian intelligence officials or Palestinian Authority leaders discussing the ceasefire.

Egypt is insisting that the negotiations over the conditions of the ceasefire must take place only after Hamas stops fighting. Egypt has refused to accept Hamas’s conditions, including the opening of Gaza’s Rafah border crossing with Egypt, as a precondition for the ceasefire, the PA sources tell The Times of Israel.

Egypt has informed Hamas that most of their conditions, particularly over Rafah and Gaza’s economic development, are addressed to Cairo, not Jerusalem, and therefore Hamas must end its fighting with Israel before negotiations with Cairo can begin.

The sources believe that Hamas is in a trap, since it cannot end the fighting at this stage without appearing to lose, while its long list of preconditions for the ceasefire have raised expectations among Gazans. If Hamas ends the fighting now, after 260 dead and 2,000 wounded in Gaza, according to Palestinian figures, the Gazan public will accuse it of dragging the beleaguered territory to a pointless, bloody adventure.

This fear has driven many Hamas supporters and fighters in Gaza to insist the organization not stop the fighting at this time.

– Avi Issacharoff

12:47
Sirens sound in Yad Mordechai, Netiv Ha’asara
Sirens sound in Gaza periphery towns, including Yad Mordechai and Netiv Ha’asara.

12:33
Sirens sound in Ofakim
Sirens sound in Ofakim and surrounding villages. A rocket is located in an open area in the Sha’ar Hanegev Regional Council.

12:17
Three Gaza teens killed by IDF tank fire
Three teenagers are killed by IDF tank fire near the northern Gaza Strip town of Beit Hanoun.

In all, 22 Gazans have died since the start of the IDF’s ground incursion on Thursday night at 10 p.m. local time. The IDF has said at least 14 of them are Hamas fighters.

The three adolescents killed Friday are members of the same family.

In east Rafah, IDF forces are reportedly working to clear debris and flora from fields in the area to begin searching for tunnels.

The IDF is also reportedly operating in rural areas near Khan Yunis.

12:06
Eitan Barak to be buried Sunday at 5 p.m.
The funeral of 20-year-old Sgt. Eitan Barak, the first IDF soldier killed in the Gaza ground operation, will take place at 5 p.m. on Sunday in the military section of Herzliya’s Old Cemetery.

12:03
Turkey condemns Gaza ground incursion
The Turkish foreign minister is “vehemently” condemning Israel’s ground invasion of Gaza.

Using his Twitter account, Ahmet Davutoglu says the ground operation is testing “the conscience of humanity.”

Hundreds of protesters, meanwhile, pelt the top Israeli diplomat’s residence in Ankara with stones, and the Dogan news agency says police in Istanbul dispersed protesters trying to enter the Israeli Consulate grounds. Turkish legislators leaving a late-night debate in parliament also protested against Israel.

Davutoglu calls for emergency meetings of the UN Security Council, the UN Human Rights Council and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has strongly spoken out against Israel’s bombardment of Gaza and says the operations are derailing Turkish and Israeli efforts to mend ties.

11:59
Gaza’s 11-day death toll reaches 264
The Gaza death toll hit 264 on Friday, AFP reports.

During the morning, medics in Gaza find the body of a man killed in a strike south of Gaza City, emergency services spokesman Ashraf al-Qudra says, raising Friday’s toll to 23 dead.

Three teens were killed by tank fire in Gaza City.

Earlier, two men from the Shami family are killed in the southern city of Khan Yunis.

And four members of the same family are also killed in another strike on the city, he said.

Three more are killed by tank fire there.

11:56
‘Offensive limited to two kilometers from border’
Military sources are quoted saying that the ground offensive is currently limited to engagement with Hamas up to two kilometers from the border.

They also say the operation could last one to two weeks.

11:53
Netanyahu: IDF prepared for expansion of ground op
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu suggests that the ground operation in Gaza may be expanded soon.

“My and the defense minister’s instruction to the IDF, after the approval of the cabinet, is to prepare for a significant expansion of the ground operation. The chief of staff and the IDF are prepared accordingly,” the prime minister says in a statement at IDF headquarters in Tel Aviv.

11:29
IDF releases footage of troop movements in Gaza
The video shows the slow, methodical movement of IDF troops in the Gaza Strip, confirming, even if circumstantially, reports from Gaza that troops are avoiding densely populated areas and resistance is minimal.

11:15
IDF explains why tunnels are operation’s target

11:08
Cabinet meets at IDF headquarters in Tel Aviv
A special cabinet meeting is underway in Tel Aviv, at the IDF’s Kirya headquarters. After the meeting, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to release a statement to the public.

The Times of Israel is liveblogging events as they unfold through Friday, the eleventh day of Operation Protective Edge. On Thursday night, Israel launched a major ground offensive on Hamas in Gaza, initially focused on Hamas’s under-border tunnels, after a day of ceasefire efforts in Cairo. The land operation was approved unanimously by the Israeli security cabinet. Hamas, which failed with a pre-dawn terror attack from a tunnel near a border kibbutz, and fired rockets into Israel throughout the day, is vowing that Israel will pay dearly for sending in its troops. Remember, you can also follow @TOIAlerts on Twitter — we’re live-tweeting all the updates there as well.



LIVE UPDATES: Israel launches ground incursion in Gaza Strip

20 Palestinians killed in IDF bombardments overnight ● Home Front Command prohibits gatherings of over 1,000 people throughout most of Israel ● Netanyahu to make statement at 11:00

By Haaretz
July 18, 2014, 12:26 PM

A large contingent of Israeli ground forces entered the Gaza Strip last night for the first time since Operation Protective Edge began 10 days ago.

The government made the decision after efforts to reach a cease-fire with Hamas collapsed.

Palestinian sources reported heavy IDF artillery fire throughout the entire Gaza Strip. A Gaza resident told Haaretz, “They’re firing from every direction, everything here is shaking.”

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the ground operation’s main goal will be to deal with the threat posed by the tunnels Hamas has dug along the Gaza-Israel border. The operation, he added, will continue until it has achieved its goals, restored quiet on the security front and dealt a severe blow to the capabilities of Hamas and other terrorist organizations in Gaza.

A statement issued by the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit said that infantry, armored, engineering and artillery corps troops are participating in the operation, with assistance from the air force and the navy. The IDF plans to ask the cabinet to approve the call-up of additional reservists.

Latest updates:

12:37 P.M. Number of Palestinians killed since start of IDF’s ground invasion now stands at 27, thus raising the Palestinian death toll since the beginning of the operation to 267. (Jack Khouri)

12:30 P.M. German Chancellor Angela Merkel says there is a “new quality” to weapons used by Hamas against Israel and added that countries that come under attack must be allowed to defend themselves.

“Both sides must accept painful compromises but we stand by the side of Israel when it comes to self-defense,” she said at a news conference in Berlin. (Reuters)

12:26 P.M. Rocket alerts sound in Be’er Sheva region (Haaretz)

11:45 A.M. Israel chose to launch the ground operation after exhausting all other possibilities and in the knowledge that, without it, the price the country would have to pay could be a lot higher, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a public statement at the start of the government meeting in Tel Aviv.

“We have no guarantee of 100 percent success, but we are doing all we can to achieve the utmost,” Netanyahu said.

The security cabinet had instructed the Israel Defense Forces to prepare for a significant expansion of the ground operation and the chief of staff and IDF were appropriately prepared, he added.

The operation’s focus is on eliminating the threat presented by Hamas’ tunnels, said the prime minister, who added that such a danger cannot be confronted using airpower alone.

There were many considerations in launching the ground offensive, some of which cannot be discussed publicly, the premier said. But the main consideration was to “ensure the security of the Israeli population and return quiet to the country.”

“I know that international public opinion always receives a distorted picture of operations such as these, Netanyahu said. “It’s unavoidable. But this time, in contrast to the past, there are many in the international community who understand that the responsibility for the victims rests with Hamas, and only Hamas. That’s an important thing for Israel.”

“The IDF is a moral army like no other, said the PM. “Those responsible for the damage to uninvolved civilians are the Hamas, and Hamas alone, who use civilians as human shields.”

Addressing the Israeli population, Netanyahu said: “Your unity gives us the ability to act powerfully against our enemies. We are proud of you… At this moment, we are all united behind the soldiers and commanders of the IDF. I know that I speak in the name of you all when I say that we support them in their mission and pray for their safety.” (Haaretz)

11:33 A.M. Thousands more Palestinians expected to flee homes in Strip, says speaker of UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees. (Gili Cohen)

10:59 A.M. According to the Palestinian Health Ministry, the number of Palestinians killed in Gaza since the beginning of Operation Protective Edge now stands at 260. Nearly 2,000 people have been wounded.

Bodies of nine men in their 20s and 30s found east of Khan Yunis. It is yet unclear if the men were uninvolved civilians or militants. (Jack Khouri)

10:57 A.M. Palestinian news agency Ma’an reports that news media offices in Gaza City bombed; one journalist wounded. (Haaretz)

10:40 A.M. IDF forces operating within the Gaza Strip have located, and are investigating, a number of suspected tunnels. (Gili Cohen)

10:22 A.M. Rocket alerts sound in Sderot, Gaza-bordering regions (Haaretz)

10:04 A.M. Rocket alerts sound across Ashdod, Ashkelon regions (Haaretz)

9:48 A.M. The IDF soldier killed in the Gaza Strip overnight is Eitan Barak, a 20-year-old sergeant from Herzliya. (Gili Cohen)

9:21 A.M. PM Netanyahu to make statement at 11 A.M. After that, Israeli ministers, security cabinet will convene in Tel Aviv (Barak Ravid)

8:52 A.M Three wounded IDF soldiers were hospitalized in Soroka Hospital overnight. One, in moderate condition, was hit by light fire in his neck and arm. Another was injured when a military vehicle overturned. The third is suffering head wounds due to mortar fire. (Shirley Seidler)

8:43 A.M. Rocket alerts sound in Gaza bordering regions. Iron Dome intercepts rocket fired at Ashdod. (Haaretz)

8:07 A.M. Rocket alerts sound in Be’er Sheva, Arad region, Northern Negev, Dimona area, Ashkelon. (Haaretz)

7:40 A.M. At least 11 Palestinians, including a number of children and a 64-year-old woman, have been killed in Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip since the start of the ground operation on Thursday night, according to reports from Gaza.

In addition, the heavy bombardment has prevented the transfer of wounded to hospital in several areas, according to the reports.

The Hamas armed wing announced that it was already conducting ambushes against Israel Defense Forces soldiers crossing the border. “We are ready and will teach the Israelis a lesson,” the Izz a-Din al-Qassam Brigades said in a pamphlet.

Sami Abu Zuhri, Hamas spokesman in Gaza, said that the Israeli ground operation had torn the Egyptian cease-fire proposal to shreds. “This is not the time for diplomacy; this is the time for bullets and missiles,” Zuhri said.

Haled Mashal, head of the Hamas political bureau, said on Thursday night that Hamas was ready for any eventuality. Mashal was speaking during a phone conversation with Ali Larijani, speaker of the Iranian parliament, who reiterated Iran’s support for the Palestinian people.

The cease-fire efforts in Cairo are continuing, despite the Israeli ground operation. Egypt and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas are continuing to call for an immediate cease-fire, after which the terms and conditions will be discussed, while Hamas is insisting on getting agreement on its terms before a cease-fire.

The Islamic Jihad is taking a more flexible stance, though they are staying in line with Hamas.

The diplomatic efforts are set to continue on Friday, according to senior Palestinian sources, with Abbas’ representative, Fatah faction head Azzam al-Ahmad, meeting with Moussa Abu Marzouk of Hamas and an Islamic Jihad representative.

Abbas himself is due to fly to Turkey on Friday in an attempt to get the Turkish government to back the Egyptian cease-fire proposal. Some reports say the Mashal is also due in Turkey, but there is little expectation on the Palestinian side that the move will lead to a breakthrough, so long as the ground operation is in progress and the number of victims is growing. (Jack Khouri)

7:32 A.M. The IDF has struck over 100 targets in the Gaza Strip overnight, among them 20 rocket launchers and 9 tunnels, the IDF says.

The incursion began at around 10:00 P.M. on Thursday night, when a large number of Israeli soldiers crossed into the strip. There have been several exchanges of fire with Gaza militants, a senior IDF official told Haaretz.

According to the IDF, 14 militants were killed overnight. The majority of them were involved in rocket launches, and were struck by Israeli aircraft.

Since the land incursion began, over 20 rockets and mortars have been fired toward Israel, in addition to 16 others that were intercepted by Iron Dome. “The night passed largely as planned, but the major friction is expected to begin with daylight,” said the officer. (Gili Cohen)

IDF artillery fire directed at northern Gaza targets. July 18, 2014 (Ilan Assayag)
7:27 A.M. Israeli soldier killed in fighting in northern Gaza Strip.

The soldier was apparently killed by light arms fire, during a Nahal brigade operation. The IDF is investigating whether friendly fire was involved in his death.

Two other soldiers were lightly wounded in the incident. This is the first Israeli military casualty since Operation Protective Edge was launched 10 days ago. (Gili Cohen)

7:05 A.M. Death toll in Gaza Strip from overnight IDF attacks rises to 20, Palestinian Health Ministry says. (Jack Khoury)

6:50 A.M. Two Israeli soldiers lightly wounded in fighting in Gaza Strip overnight. (Gili Cohen)

6:45 A.M. Home Front Command prohibits gatherings of over 1,000 people in open areas 40-80 kilometers from the Gaza Strip, a perimeter which includes Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. (Gili Cohen)

6:24 A.M. Speaking with reporters in Cairo, Abbas demanded Israel stop its offensive and said the ground operation would “lead to more bloodshed and complicate efforts to end the aggression”, according to Egyptian State media. Abbas is set to travel to Turkey later on Friday to push for a deal, the Palestinian news agency Wafa reported. (Reuters, DPA)

Nine Palestinians were killed and more than 20 injured in Israel’s artillery and tank shelling of the Strip overnight, Gaza Health Ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qedra said, bringing the death toll since the Israeli operation began 10 days ago to 246 people, with 1,850 injured. Most of the victims were civilians, he said. (DPA)

Palestinians treat a wounded boy at the Shifa hospital in Gaza City. July 18, 2014 (AFP)
6:05 A.M. Palestinians fire anti-tank rocket at Israeli army bulldozer in southern Gaza Strip. The vehicle was damaged, but there were no casualties. (Gili Cohen)

5:52 A.M. In a phone conversation between U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu late on Thursday, Kerry said the U.S. expects the ground offensive in Gaza to be a precise operation targeting the Hamas tunnels from the Strip to Israel.

According to a statement from the State Department, “The Secretary emphasized the need to avoid further escalation and to restore the 2012 cease-fire as soon as possible, reinforced our continuing commitment to the Egyptian initiative as the way to do so, and underscored the importance of Hamas accepting this plan as soon as possible.”

“The Secretary also reiterated our concern about the safety and security of civilians on both sides and the importance of doing everything possible to prevent civilian casualties,” said the statement. (Chemi Shalev)

4:23 A.M. Gaza Strip residents say heavy clashes between Israeli and Palestinian forces took place along the border, including in the northern towns of Beit Hanoun and Beit Lahiya. (Reuters)

IDF soldiers near the Gaza border. July 17, 2014 (Reuters)
3:52 A.M. Seven Palestinians were killed and dozens wounded from IDF artillery fire and air force strikes across the Gaza Strip, the Palestinian news agency Ma’an reports. Palestinian Health Ministry says reports that the IDF is using poison gas are false, and are meant to confuse civilians. (Haaretz)

2:47 A.M. Rocket siren sounded in Ashkelon. (Haaretz)

1:57 A.M. Iron Dome intercepts three rockets over Ashdod. Earlier, rocket sirens were sounded in Ashdod and in the Sdot Negev Regional Council. The IDF Southern Command believes that the rocket launches from the Gaza Strip at Israel will increase during the IDF ground operation. According to estimations in the IDF, Hamas is prepared for a ground incursion, and will utilize snipers, charges and anti-tank rockets, alongside underground activities. (Gili Cohen)

1:33 A.M. The Egyptian Foreign Ministry has denounced Israel´s operation in Gaza and again demanded that both sides accept a Cairo-proposed cease-fire.

1:26 A.M. Iron Dome intercepts four rockets above Ofakim in southern Israel. Three rockets explode in open areas. Earlier, rocket sirens were sounded in the Merhavim Regional Council (Gili Cohen, Shirly Seidler)

00:54 A.M. Israel Air Force strikes 11 targets in Gaza Strip. (Gili Cohen)

00:29 A.M. UN chief Ban Ki-moon says regrets Israeli ground offensive in Gaza, urges Israel to ‘do more’ to stop civilian casualties

France’s Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius also says France is “extremely concerned” by the ground offensive, and called on Israel to show “utmost restraint.” (DPA, Reuters)

00:15 A.M. Cabinet approves recruitment of 18,000 additional reserves. (Gili Cohen)

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