Israel - Hamas: ground offensive to be launched in Gaza as civilians urged to move south

Israel expects to launch a long and difficult ground offensive into Gaza soon to destroy Hamas, the country’s defence minister said after describing a campaign to dismantle a vast network of tunnels used by the territory’s militant rulers.

Yoav Gallant spoke to a small group of foreign reporters in Tel Aviv after Israeli forces backed by fighter jets and drones carried out a second, limited ground raid into Gaza in as many days, striking the outskirts of Gaza City.

Gallant said the ground invasion follows weeks of air strikes “will take a long time”, and will lead to another lengthy phase of lower-intensity fighting as Israel destroys “pockets of resistance”.

In a sign of the rising tensions in the region, US war planes earlier struck targets in eastern Syria which the Pentagon said were linked to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard after a string of attacks on American forces, and two mysterious objects hit towns in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula.

After three weeks of war sparked by a bloody Hamas incursion into southern Israel, the Palestinian death toll has soared past 7,300, according to officials in Gaza and a blockade on Gaza has meant dwindling supplies of food, fuel, water and medicine, and UN and Arab leaders have called for a ceasefire to allow entry of humanitarian aid that is only trickling in.

Palestinian telecom provider Paltel said internet service in the Gaza Strip has been cut off by the Israeli bombardment.