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Israel said its infantry and tanks had carried out small raids inside the Gaza Strip on Friday, its first announcement of a shift from an air war to ground operations to root out Hamas fighters a week after their deadly rampage in southern Israel. Israeli military spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said troops backed by tanks had mounted raids to attack Palestinian rocket crews and seek information on the location of hostages taken by Hamas.
“Soldiers thwarted terrorist cells and infrastructure located in the area, including a Hamas cell that fired anti-tank missiles toward Israeli territory,” the statement said. The announcement did not appear to be the beginning of an expected ground invasion of Gaza.
In a nationally televised address, PM Netanyahu vowed to destroy Hamas. “This is just the beginning. We will end this war stronger than ever,” he said, saying Israel has widespread international support for the operation. However, some countries urged Israel to hold off on plans for the assault on Gaza, where more than a million civilians largely defied its order to evacuate. Hamas, which controls the densely populated Palestinian territory, vowed to fight until the last drop of blood and told residents to stay put after Israel said they should move to the south within 24 hours.
The UN said Gaza’s civilians were in an impossible situation. “How are 1.1 million people supposed to move across a densely populated warzone in less than 24 hours?” UN aid chief Martin Griffiths said. Mahmoud Abbas, President of Palestinian Authority that is a rival of Hamas, said the forced displacement of Palestinians will constitute a repeat of 1948, when Palestinians fled or were driven from what is now Israel. Arab League said Israel’s evacuation order is a “forced transfer” that constitutes “a crime”. Jordan called for “humanitarian corridors”. Russian President Vladimir Putin said Israel was replying to an attack of unprecedented cruelty by cruel methods of its own.
But there was no indication ally US was trying to prevent the ground offensive. US secretary of state Antony Blinken said although the US continues to discuss with Israel the importance of precautions to “avoid harming civilians”, it was also the case that any country “faced with what Israel has suffered would likely do the same.”
“Soldiers thwarted terrorist cells and infrastructure located in the area, including a Hamas cell that fired anti-tank missiles toward Israeli territory,” the statement said. The announcement did not appear to be the beginning of an expected ground invasion of Gaza.
In a nationally televised address, PM Netanyahu vowed to destroy Hamas. “This is just the beginning. We will end this war stronger than ever,” he said, saying Israel has widespread international support for the operation. However, some countries urged Israel to hold off on plans for the assault on Gaza, where more than a million civilians largely defied its order to evacuate. Hamas, which controls the densely populated Palestinian territory, vowed to fight until the last drop of blood and told residents to stay put after Israel said they should move to the south within 24 hours.
The UN said Gaza’s civilians were in an impossible situation. “How are 1.1 million people supposed to move across a densely populated warzone in less than 24 hours?” UN aid chief Martin Griffiths said. Mahmoud Abbas, President of Palestinian Authority that is a rival of Hamas, said the forced displacement of Palestinians will constitute a repeat of 1948, when Palestinians fled or were driven from what is now Israel. Arab League said Israel’s evacuation order is a “forced transfer” that constitutes “a crime”. Jordan called for “humanitarian corridors”. Russian President Vladimir Putin said Israel was replying to an attack of unprecedented cruelty by cruel methods of its own.
But there was no indication ally US was trying to prevent the ground offensive. US secretary of state Antony Blinken said although the US continues to discuss with Israel the importance of precautions to “avoid harming civilians”, it was also the case that any country “faced with what Israel has suffered would likely do the same.”
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