Israel launched a series of airstrikes on Gaza militants early on Tuesday, dubbing the offensive "Operation Protective Edge." More than 50 targets were hit in the offensive.
Meanwhile, rocket fire on Israel's south continued. According to the IDF, eight projectiles were launched between 2 and 6 A.M.
Militants in Gaza fired more than 85 rockets toward Israel on Monday evening, with Hamas openly claiming responsibility for some of the launches for the first time since the current round of fighting began. The rockets hit several major cities in the south and, also for the first time in the current fighting, caused alarms to go off in central Israel and Jerusalem. The barrages lightly wounded two Israelis and caused property damage.
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5 Palestinians reportedly killed in IDF strikes on Gaza; Rocket fire on Israel's south continues. |
The Israel Defense Forces called up 1,500 infantry and Border Police reservists in preparation for further escalation, after the security cabinet decided on Monday afternoon to intensify attacks against Hamas and other terrorist groups in the Gaza Strip. A senior official said the ministers want to refrain from a large-scale military operation for now, but they instructed the army to prepare for significant expansion of its current operations.
Palestinian officials said Gaza was bracing for further Israeli attacks. They said Hamas had evacuated likely targets and its leaders had gone underground lest Israel attempt to assassinate them. Hamas also issued a statement on Monday night demanding that the Palestinian Authority take action against Israel, saying “national unity sometimes requires paying a price.”
Latest updates:
3:15 P.M.: Two Arabs are arrested for allegedly trying to kidnap a 15-year-old girl in a suburb of Jerusalem. (Nir Hasson)
3:12 P.M.: Ismail Ashkar, a Palestinian parliament member for the Hamas, says: "There will be no respite from the fighting as long as the attacks on Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank continue." He went on to say that a respite is contingent also on the release of the prisoners released in the Shalit prisoner exchange and that were rearrested, as well as the ending of the siege on Gaza. (Jack Khoury)
3:10 P.M.: The cabinet discusses plans to call up 40,000 reservists as the situation in the south escalates. The forces will join the 1,500 reservists already called up.
2:45 P.M. Two rockets were fired toward Be'er Sheva. Iron Dome intercepted one, the other landed in an open area. Another rocket exploded in the Merhavim Regional Council. (Shirly Seidler, Gili Cohen)
2:22 P.M. Four Palestinians were killed in an IDF strike on a vehicle in the center of the Gaza Strip, Palestinians report, raising the death toll in the Strip since this morning to five. Their identity is still unclear, but Shin Bet said the airstrike was a joint IDF and Shin Bet operation, targeting Mohammed Shaaban, 24, a commander in the Hamas naval forces. (Jack Khoury, Gili Cohen)
1:50 P.M. Hamas militant killed in IAF strike in central Gaza Strip, Palestinians report. According to the Gaza Health Ministry, the militant was Rashad Yassin, a member of the Izz a-Din al-Qassam, Hamas' military arm, who was in the Nuseirat refugee camp when he was hit. Emergency teams are looking for another casualty under the rubble. According to reports, 29 wounded were admitted in Gaza's hospitals in the last hours. (Haaretz) (Jacky Khoury)
1:18 P.M. In last hours IDF strikes 40 targets in Gaza Strip, including the home of Mohammed Abdel Rahman Guda, a Hamas commander.
Since the morning, Magen David Adom teams treated seven people lightly wounded by rocket fire at Ashdod. Of which, one was wounded by shrapnel, another was wounded when he fell en route to a bomb shelter, and the rest suffered from shock. Two were taken for additional treatment at Ashkelon and Rehovot hospitals. (Gili Cohen, Shirly Seidler)
12:56 P.M. Islamic Jihad's military arm states it has fired over 60 rockets toward Israel since the morning, and that it will continue to fire as long as "Israeli aggression" persists. (Jack Khoury)
12:40 P.M. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu instructed the Israeli army to prepare for a possible ground offensive in the Gaza Strip in meeting in the Defense Ministry in Tel Aviv, a senior Israeli official said.
Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon, Chief of Staff Lieut. Gen. Benny Gantz and Shin Bet Chief Yoram Cohen attended the meeting, along with other defense officials.
"The prime minister's instruction by the end of the meeting was to prepare for a thorough, long, continuous and strong campaign in Gaza," the senior Israeli official said. "The prime minister instructed the army to be ready to go all in. A ground offensive is on the table."
During the meeting the defense minister and the chief of staff asked for additional reservists to be called up.
The senior Israeli official added that the purpose of the operation is to exact a heavy price from Hamas, in order to restore deterrence and calm in the south. "Our increased response will be well felt on the ground," he said.
Netanyahu intends to speak with foreign leaders throughout the day to rally their support of Israel's Gaza operation. The prime minister will stress that Israel had tried to bring about calm in Gaza but Hamas has escalated the situation and increased the rocket fire on Israel. (Barak Ravid)
12:24 P.M. President Elect Reuven Rivlin says in southern town of Sderot: "It's impossible that people are sitting in cafes and restaurants in Tel Aviv and in Jerusalem, while in Sderot people are sitting in bomb shelters. We're at war with Hamas because they declared war on us. Hamas want to bring the state of Israel to an end, and make life in Israel impossible, and we have to handle that. We have to fight back to ensure the safety of Israeli citizens. It's not our right, but our duty." (Shirly Seidler)
12:16 P.M. Iron Dome intercepts two rockets above Sdot Negev. At the same time, Israel Railways stops train traffic between Ashkelon and Ashdod due to rockets. (Shirly Seidler)
12:10 P.M. IDF strikes in Gaza Strip. Palestinians report eight were wounded in Israeli strikes in the center and the north of the Gaza Strip in the last hour. Five suffered moderate wounds in an agricultural area in Beit Lehi in the north Strip. East from there, a man and a woman were moderately wounded, and a woman in her 50s was wounded in the Dir al-Balah area in the center of the Strip. (Gili Cohen, Jack Khoury)
11:53 A.M. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu instructs the military to "take off gloves" in fight against Hamas. "Hamas chose escalation and it will pay a heavy price for it," Netanyahu says. (Barak Ravid)
11:28 A.M. The IDF intends to call up several thousand more reservists, in addition to the 1,500 already called up, to replace infantry and tank battalions deployed in the West Bank. These battalions will be sent to South Command ahead of a possible ground offensive in Gaza.
However, the steps taken by the IDF since last night are still relatively restrained, and Israel is so far avoiding a full-scale aerial assault against Hamas.(Amos Harel)
11:13 A.M. Police arrests 63 persons on suspicion of involvement in disruptions of order in demonstrations in Jerusalem and in the Negev in last two days. (Shirly Seidler, Nir Hasson)
10:52 A.M. Iron Dome intercepts three rockets fired at Ashdod. Soreq Nuclear Research Center near Yavne halts activity due to rocket fire. (Gili Cohen, Shirly Seidler)
10:41 A.M. Rocket explodes near house in Hof Ashkelon in southern Israel; emergency team fights fire at scene. (Shirly Seidler)
10:08 A.M. IDF strikes targets in northern Gaza Strip. At the same time, rocket sirens were sounded in Ashdod, Yavneh, and in Be'er Tuvia. Later, Iron Dome intercepted two rockets above Ashkelon and Ashdod. (Gili Cohen)
10:00 A.M. Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon is expected to declare a "special situation" in Israeli communities located 40 kilometers away from the Gaza Strip. A short time ago Ya'alon held a discussion on the issue with Home Front Commander Brig. Gen. Eyal Eisenberg and other high ranking officials in the defense establishment.
"We're heading toward a campaign against Hamas, which will not be over after a few days," Ya'alon said at the discussion, adding that Hamas intends to exact a price from the Israeli home front. "In the last hours we've attacked with force and hit dozens of Hamas assets, and the IDF is continued with the assault, in a way which will exact a very heavy price from Hamas. We'll not tolerate rocket fire at Israel." (Gili Cohen)
8:37 A.M. Palestinians report at least 17 wounded following the IDF airstrikes in the Gaza Strip overnight. Among the wounded are nine family members from Khan Yunis who suffered light to moderate wounds when their home was bombed, and two children, a seven-year-old boy and a four-year-old girl, who were moderately wounded.
According to reports, Israel Navy Dabur class patrol boats also participated in the overnight bombings, and targeted an Izz a-Din al-Qassam base northwest of Khan Yunis. Targets in the Rafah area and in the central Strip were also attacked, and at least three youths were wounded in the central Strip, two of them moderately and one seriously. To the north of the Strip, hits were reported in open agricultural areas in Beit Hanoun and in sites northwest of Gaza City, including a Hamas base near Jabalya.
Hamas' military arm said the strikes on the homes of its top members have "crossed the red line," and that the group would attack targets at the heart of Israel. Hamas top official Musa Abu Marzouk says "attacks on civilian homes is a serious escalation," and adds that "the time when attacks on homes went without a response has passed." (Jack Khoury)
8:20 A.M. The IDF Spokesperson's Unit says the targets hit by the Israel Air Force strikes overnight include the homes of Iad Sakhik, a top Hamas operative who participated in rocket and mortar fire; Abdallah Hashash, a Hamas operative from Rafah involved in recent rocket fire; Samer Abu Daka, top Hamas member in Khan Yunis involved in terror activity; and Hassan Abdallah, top Hamas operative also involved in recent rocket fire. (Gili Cohen)
6:53 A.M. Rocket explodes in open area in Eshkol Regional Council (Shirli Seidler)
6:48 A.M. A military source said in a media briefing that Operation Protective Edge will be expanded in the coming days, and will include prepping up forces for a ground invasion of the Gaza Strip. According to him, "The operation will intensify with regards to the quality and quantity of targets the Israel Air Force is attacking in the Strip, after Hamas stepped it up yesterday. The IDF is continuing to draft forces for the Strip, and intends to draft more, even though the effort is currently concentrated on IAF strikes."
Regarding how long the operation is expected to last, the source said the army "is not committed to any end-date. This could take days and even longer. The IDF is acting in attempt to bring back the calm the south enjoyed before the operation, and there are many avenues for actions and targets, but that requires patience." (Shirly Seidler)
6:00 A.M. Israel's air force strikes 50 targets in Gaza as part of Operation Protective Edge. According to the military, more than eight rockets were fired toward Israel over the past four hours. (Gili Cohen)
4:15 A.M. A rocket fired from Gaza explodes near Kiryat Malachi. (Haaretz)
2:40 A.M. The IDF dubs the aerial offensive on Gaza "Operation Protective Edge." The airstrikes are targeting sites in the center of the Strip. (Haaretz)
1:24 A.M. The IAF strikes Gaza targets in retaliation for the rocket fire. (Gili Cohen)
12:32 A.M. Rocket alarm sounds in the Hof Ashkelon Regional Council. (Shirley Seidler)
12:08 A.M. Due to the rocket fire from Gaza, Home Front Command instructs towns within 40 kilometers of the Gaza Strip to cancel school and summer camp activity. (Haaretz)
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