INQUISITR.COM / News & Politics

Israel Ground Invasion Of Gaza Strip Just Began [Breaking]

By Tara Dodrill
Published on: 07:46 PST, Jul 17, 2014

Israel’s ground invasion of the Gaza Strip just began, according to breaking news reports. A five-hour cease fire has ended and any hopes of peace talks now appear dashed. Prime Minister Netanyahu has confirmed that a ground invasion was ordered. Power has allegedly been cut in the region. Live video of the invasion is being broadcast by Fox News. The Israeli ground invasion follows 10 days of Hamas attacks.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he instructed the military to initiate the ground offensive in Gaza. “A new phase of Operation Protective Edge has begun,” Netanyahu said. As previously reported by The Inquisitr, three Palestinian children were killed after an Israeli aircraft bombed a Gaza City house. Two other children reportedly died in a separate earlier attack. Hamas has been encouraging Gaza residents not to evacuate their homes despite Israeli warnings, greatly increasing the chance of civilian casualties.

To date, only one Israeli has reportedly been killed during the hostilities, but 1,300 rockets have been fired upon the Jewish state. A senior Israeli official confirmed that negotiators in Cairo had approved a full truce, but Hamas flatly rejected the offer.

For the past two days, Israel has gone to extensive efforts to warn those in Gaza City to evacuate the area. A statement from Israel published by the New York Times said the goal of the operation was to “establish a reality in which Israeli residents can live in safety and security without continuous indiscriminate terror.”

http://youtu.be/fK7BZjybaqs

Journalists and Palestinians near Gaza report witnessing heavy artillery fire coming from ground troops and gunboats near the port, and continual air strikes.

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