Israeli tanks and troops launch Gaza raid ahead of ‘next stage’
- Israeli soldiers make a limited tank foray into the Gaza Strip ahead of an expected wider incursion
- Israel’s prime minister says nation is preparing attack, while Palestinian foreign minister says Tel Aviv is waging a ‘war of revenge’
Israel said on Thursday that a column of tanks and infantry had launched an overnight raid into Hamas-controlled Gaza, striking “numerous” targets before retreating to home soil.
The military announced the incursion into the north of the Palestinian territory hours after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared preparations for a ground war were under way.
The Israel Defence Forces described the operation as a “targeted raid” that hit “numerous terrorist cells, infrastructure and anti-tank missile launch posts”.
It said the operation was “preparation for the next stages of combat” adding that “the soldiers have since exited the area and returned to Israeli territory”.
Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki said Israel was waging a “war of revenge”.
“So many wars have taken place (in Gaza), this is different. This time it’s a war of revenge,” he told reporters at the International Criminal Court in The Hague on Thursday.