Israel starts Gaza ground offensive
Al-Huriya News Agency - The Israeli military has begun a ground offensive against Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip, extending its 10-day-old Operation Protective Edge. It said it was in response to continued militant rocket fire and to strike a "significant blow to Hamas", which controls Gaza.
Hamas said Israel would pay a high price for the ground offensive. There had been a five-hour humanitarian truce on Thursday, but exchanges of fire resumed when it ended.
Some 230 Palestinians and one Israeli have died during the Operation Protective Edge period.
In a statement, the Israel Defense Forces said: "Following 10 days of Hamas attacks by land, air and sea, and after repeated rejections of offers to de-escalate the situation, the IDF has initiated a ground operation within the Gaza Strip."
"Clearly this is a major escalation of this conflict," reports Quentin Sommerville in Tel Aviv
It said the goal was to "establish a reality in which Israeli residents can live in safety and security without continuous indiscriminate terror, while striking a significant blow to Hamas' terror infrastructure".
Military spokesman Gen Moti Almoz said: "I ask the residents of Gaza to evacuate the areas in which the army is operating. This operation will be extended as much as necessary."
Israel has approved the drafting of 18,000 more reservists.
One Hamas spokesman told Reuters news agency the ground offensive was "foolish" and would have "dreadful consequences".
Another, Fawzi Barhum, said: "The start of the Israeli ground attack on Gaza is a dangerous step, the consequences of which have not been calculated. Israel will pay a high price and Hamas is ready for the confrontation."
