Israel launches major military offensive against Hamas

The Israeli military launched what could be a long-term offensive against the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip on Tuesday - striking at least 50 sites in Gaza and mobilizing troops for a possible ground invasion aimed at stopping a barrage of rocket attacks against Israel.

According to sources, the military said "Operation Protective Edge" aims at striking the Islamic Hamas group and ending the intensified rocket fire that has reached deeper into Israel in recent weeks, adding to the tensions over the killing of three Israeli teenagers and the apparent revenge killing of a Palestinian teenager.

In a statement, the military said it was seeking to "retrieve stability to the residents of southern Israel, eliminate Hamas' capabilities and destroy terror infrastructure operating against the State of Israel and its civilians."

"We have repeatedly warned Hamas that this must stop and Israel's defence forces are currently acting to put an end of this once and for all," said Mark Regev, a spokesman for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
 
Nearly 300 rockets and mortars have been fired at Israel in recent weeks, including a barrage of close to 100 projectiles on Monday alone.

The Israeli military then launched 'Operation Protective Edge' in the pre-dawn hours Tuesday, striking at least 30 targets in an effort to neutralize suspected Hamas rocket-launch sites in Gaza.

Israel responded with dozens of airstrikes, and eight Palestinian militants were killed on Monday. Israel had signaled that it would not launch a larger offensive if the militant group Hamas ceased the rocket fire.

"They chose the direction of escalation," said military spokesman Lt. Col. Peter Lerner, in a telephone briefing to reporters.

"So the mission will go on as long as we feel it is necessary to carry it out. We don't expect it to be a short mission on our behalf."

SOURCE: CBC NEWS