Israel readies 'ground assault' on Gaza, calls up 40,000 reservists

Published time: July 08, 2014 12:47
Edited time: July 08, 2014 16:38

Israeli soldiers stand on Merkava tanks in an army deployment area near Israel's border with the Gaza Strip on July 8, 2014 (AFP Photo / Jack Guez)

Israel’s army is formulating options to eradicate rocket fire coming from Gaza, “including ground assault,” an anonymous Israeli official stated on Tuesday. An unspecified number of troops are being called up after preliminary approval for 40,000.
Air raid sirens rang through Tel Aviv as Israel’s Iron Dome anti-missile system intercepted a rocket in images shown on live television, shortly after the troop mobilization.
The reserve soldiers were mobilized as backup for the regular forces in anticipation of a possible escalation in the conflict, spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel Peter Lerner told Reuters.
Some 1,500 reservists had already been mobilized by the time that Israel approved the calling up of the extra 40,000. Israel’s security cabinet voted in favor of calling up the tens of thousands of extra personnel as part of a potential “ground operation.”
“The army is preparing for all possible scenarios, including an invasion or a ground operation,” an anonymous official told the AFP agency.
Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon said on Tuesday: “We are preparing for action against Hamas, which will not end within a few days,” according to RT’s Paula Slier from the Israeli/Gaza border area.
Six Palestinians have already been killed and a further 25 injured in an Israeli assault on a house in the Gaza Strip, the Palestinian Interior Ministry reported on Tuesday. The home had belonged to the family of a Hamas member, local residents told Reuters.
Hamas stated shortly afterwards that "all Israelis" would be considered legitimate targets; the airstrike killed two children, according to AFP.