Israel mounts limited Gaza ground raids as troops mass on border
\nGAZA CITY\/ JERUSALEM:
\nThe Palestinian death toll from ongoing Israeli airstrikes on the Gaza Strip has climbed to 5,087, the Health Ministry in the blockaded enclave said on Monday.
\n\u201cThe fatalities include 2,055 children, 1,119 women and 217 elders,\u201d ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qudra told a news conference in Gaza City.
\nHe said 15,273 people were also injured in the Israeli attacks.
\n\u201cThe Israeli occupation committed 23 massacres in the past 24 hours that left 436 people dead, including 182 children,\u201d al-Qudra also said.
\nThe Health Ministry has so far received reports about 1,500 people, including 830 children, who are still trapped under the rubble.
\nThe conflict in Gaza, which has been under Israeli bombardment and a blockade since Oct. 7, began when Hamas initiated Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, a multi-pronged surprise attack that included a barrage of rocket launches and infiltrations into Israel by land, sea and air. It said the incursion was in retaliation for the storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque and growing violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinians.
\nThe Israeli military then launched Operation Swords of Iron against Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip.
\nMore than 1,400 Israelis have been killed in Hamas attacks since Oct. 7, according to Israeli authorities.
\nGaza ground raids
\nIsrael\u2019s military said on Monday its ground forces mounted limited raids into Gaza and airstrikes targeted Palestinian militants assembling to repulse any wider Israeli invasion, as each side prepares for the next stage of the escalating war.
\nPalestinian group Hamas said on Sunday its fighters had engaged an armoured force infiltrating a southern area of Gaza and destroyed some Israeli military equipment before returning to base. There was no Israeli comment on such losses.
\nHow soon Israel might launch a full-scale invasion is not clear, and neither side can know exactly what to expect when it does. The Middle East\u2019s most powerful military faces a group that has built up a powerful arsenal with Iran\u2019s help, fighting in a crowded urban setting and using a vast tunnel network it has built that Israeli troops have dubbed the \u201cGaza Metro\u201d.
\nIn a televised briefing describing Israel\u2019s latest moves on the ground, Israel\u2019s chief military spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari also said 222 people had now been confirmed as taken hostage during the Oct. 7 cross-border onslaught by Hamas.
\n\u201cDuring the night there were raids by tank and infantry forces. These raids are raids that kill squads of terrorists who are preparing for the next stage in the war,\u201d he said, describing incursions that went \u201cdeep\u201d into Gaza.
\n\u201cThese raids also locate and search for anything we can get in terms of intelligence on the missing and the hostages.\u201d
\nHagari said such interventions helped understand where \u201cthe terrorists are assembling, the terrorists are getting organised in anticipation of the next stages of the war. And our role is to reduce these threats.\u201d
\nStoking expectations of a full-scale ground offensive by Israeli forces massed around Gaza, he said the military\u2019s operational readiness was improving and being enhanced \u201call the time\u201d.
\nIzz el-Deen al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, said in a statement on Sunday that its forces had engaged with a force infiltrating east of Khan Younis in southern Gaza.
\n\u201cFighters engaged with the infiltrating force, destroying two bulldozers and a tank and forced the force to withdraw, before they returned safely to base,\u201d the statement said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Israel mounts limited Gaza ground raids as troops mass on border GAZA CITY\/ JERUSALEM: The Palestinian death toll from ongoing Israeli airstrikes on the Gaza Strip has climbed to 5,087, the Health Ministry in the blockaded enclave said on Monday. \u201cThe fatalities include 2,055 children, 1,119 women and 217 elders,\u201d ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qudra told […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":363488,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-363476","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n