Israel invades Gaza

With Hamas refusing a ceasefire after its rocket attacks on Israel were met by air attacks, Israeli ground forces have launched an invasion of Gaza.

From Israel launches ground invasion of Gaza – The Washington Post:

Israeli forces, backed by artillery shells and airstrikes, launched a major ground offensive into Gaza late Thursday, marking a dramatic escalation in the 10 day-old conflict with the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

Declaring a new phase in its operation, Israel’s military said it was entering the coastal strip to wipe out Hamas’s rocket capabilities and to dismantle what is believed to be an extensive network of tunnels used by the militants to infiltrate Israel.

The operation came hours after diplomatic efforts in Cairo to negotiate a sustainable truce between Israel and Hamas failed. It was Israel’s first ground incursion into Gaza since January 2009, during a three-week-long conflict against Hamas that killed more than 1400 Palestinians and 13 Israelis.

The ground offensive began at 10 p.m. Thursday and involves dozens of infantry, armed core, and artillery units, as well as air and naval support, said Israeli Defense Forces spokesman Lt. Col. Peter Lerner. The military, he added, plans to call up additional reservist troops to bolster the 50,000 reservists called up so far.