URGENT- Netanyahu orders IDF to prepare for Gaza ground offensive

Slaughterer 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.

Gaza Resistance 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 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.”

Haaretz