Palestinian first responders search through the rubble of a family's home in Beit Lahia, Gaza following Israeli bombing on May 13, 2021. The body of a child--one of at least 27 killed by Israeli bombing--was recovered from the home's ruins. (Photo: Mustafa Hassona/Andalou Agency via Getty Images)
Israeli Ground Troops Attack Gaza as Palestinian Death Toll Tops 100
"We will continue to do what we're doing with great intensity," said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after Defense Minister Benny Gantz vowed that "Gaza will burn."
Israel further escalated its latest assault on Gaza early on Friday as ground troops joined warplanes in attacking targets in the besieged strip where health authorities said the death toll from over four days of bombing has now surpassed 100.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced shortly after midnight local time that "IDF air and ground troops are currently attacking in the Gaza Strip." An Israeli colonel who initially told the New York Times that IDF troops were attacking inside Gaza later clarified that no soldiers had entered the strip, raising the possibility of artilley or tank fire against the territory.
IDF officials said Thursday that over 600 targets in Gaza have been bombed by Israeli warplanes during Operation Guardian of the Walls, while Israeli authorities said more than 1,750 rockets have been launched by Palestinian militants from Gaza into Israel.
While Israel's air defenses, including the U.S.-Israeli Iron Dome system, have destroyed the vast majority of incoming rockets, seven people inside the country have been killed, including an IDF soldier hit by an anti-tank missile and an elderly woman who suffered a fall while attempting to reach a bomb shelter.
As was the case during Israel's last three major assaults on Gaza, Palestinians are suffering exponentially more deaths than Israelis. Gaza health officials said late Thursday that the relentless Israeli onslaught has killed at least 109 Palestinians, including 28 children.
Earlier on Thursday, Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz threatened that "Gaza will burn" as Israeli military commanders planned for a possible ground invasion of Gaza, the first since Operation Protective Edge in 2014. More than 2,100 Gazans--mostly civilians, including over 500 children--died during that war, while 67 Israeli troops and six civilians were killed by Palestinians.
Early on Friday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed that Hamas, the democratically elected government of Gaza whose armed wing is responsible for most of the rocket attacks on Israel, will pay a "very heavy price" for its militant resistance.
"We will continue to do what we're doing with great intensity," the politically embattled Israeli leader said. "The last word has not yet been uttered, and this operation will continue as long as necessary."
Speaking of the escalating violence between Israeli Jews and Arab Israelis throughout the nation, Netanyahu added that "we will give complete backing to the police, the Border Police, and the rest of the security forces to restore law and order to the cities of Israel--we will not tolerate anarchy."
Israel's escalation came amid a wave of global demonstrations of solidarity with Palestine and against what critics call Israeli war crimes, including the bombing of civilian infrastructure such as high-rise apartment towers and other homes.
Urgent. It's never been this bad.
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission from the outset was simple. To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It’s never been this bad out there. And it’s never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed and doing some of its best and most important work, the threats we face are intensifying. Right now, with just three days to go in our Spring Campaign, we're falling short of our make-or-break goal. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Can you make a gift right now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? There is no backup plan or rainy day fund. There is only you. —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Israel further escalated its latest assault on Gaza early on Friday as ground troops joined warplanes in attacking targets in the besieged strip where health authorities said the death toll from over four days of bombing has now surpassed 100.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced shortly after midnight local time that "IDF air and ground troops are currently attacking in the Gaza Strip." An Israeli colonel who initially told the New York Times that IDF troops were attacking inside Gaza later clarified that no soldiers had entered the strip, raising the possibility of artilley or tank fire against the territory.
IDF officials said Thursday that over 600 targets in Gaza have been bombed by Israeli warplanes during Operation Guardian of the Walls, while Israeli authorities said more than 1,750 rockets have been launched by Palestinian militants from Gaza into Israel.
While Israel's air defenses, including the U.S.-Israeli Iron Dome system, have destroyed the vast majority of incoming rockets, seven people inside the country have been killed, including an IDF soldier hit by an anti-tank missile and an elderly woman who suffered a fall while attempting to reach a bomb shelter.
As was the case during Israel's last three major assaults on Gaza, Palestinians are suffering exponentially more deaths than Israelis. Gaza health officials said late Thursday that the relentless Israeli onslaught has killed at least 109 Palestinians, including 28 children.
Earlier on Thursday, Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz threatened that "Gaza will burn" as Israeli military commanders planned for a possible ground invasion of Gaza, the first since Operation Protective Edge in 2014. More than 2,100 Gazans--mostly civilians, including over 500 children--died during that war, while 67 Israeli troops and six civilians were killed by Palestinians.
Early on Friday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed that Hamas, the democratically elected government of Gaza whose armed wing is responsible for most of the rocket attacks on Israel, will pay a "very heavy price" for its militant resistance.
"We will continue to do what we're doing with great intensity," the politically embattled Israeli leader said. "The last word has not yet been uttered, and this operation will continue as long as necessary."
Speaking of the escalating violence between Israeli Jews and Arab Israelis throughout the nation, Netanyahu added that "we will give complete backing to the police, the Border Police, and the rest of the security forces to restore law and order to the cities of Israel--we will not tolerate anarchy."
Israel's escalation came amid a wave of global demonstrations of solidarity with Palestine and against what critics call Israeli war crimes, including the bombing of civilian infrastructure such as high-rise apartment towers and other homes.
Israel further escalated its latest assault on Gaza early on Friday as ground troops joined warplanes in attacking targets in the besieged strip where health authorities said the death toll from over four days of bombing has now surpassed 100.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced shortly after midnight local time that "IDF air and ground troops are currently attacking in the Gaza Strip." An Israeli colonel who initially told the New York Times that IDF troops were attacking inside Gaza later clarified that no soldiers had entered the strip, raising the possibility of artilley or tank fire against the territory.
IDF officials said Thursday that over 600 targets in Gaza have been bombed by Israeli warplanes during Operation Guardian of the Walls, while Israeli authorities said more than 1,750 rockets have been launched by Palestinian militants from Gaza into Israel.
While Israel's air defenses, including the U.S.-Israeli Iron Dome system, have destroyed the vast majority of incoming rockets, seven people inside the country have been killed, including an IDF soldier hit by an anti-tank missile and an elderly woman who suffered a fall while attempting to reach a bomb shelter.
As was the case during Israel's last three major assaults on Gaza, Palestinians are suffering exponentially more deaths than Israelis. Gaza health officials said late Thursday that the relentless Israeli onslaught has killed at least 109 Palestinians, including 28 children.
Earlier on Thursday, Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz threatened that "Gaza will burn" as Israeli military commanders planned for a possible ground invasion of Gaza, the first since Operation Protective Edge in 2014. More than 2,100 Gazans--mostly civilians, including over 500 children--died during that war, while 67 Israeli troops and six civilians were killed by Palestinians.
Early on Friday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed that Hamas, the democratically elected government of Gaza whose armed wing is responsible for most of the rocket attacks on Israel, will pay a "very heavy price" for its militant resistance.
"We will continue to do what we're doing with great intensity," the politically embattled Israeli leader said. "The last word has not yet been uttered, and this operation will continue as long as necessary."
Speaking of the escalating violence between Israeli Jews and Arab Israelis throughout the nation, Netanyahu added that "we will give complete backing to the police, the Border Police, and the rest of the security forces to restore law and order to the cities of Israel--we will not tolerate anarchy."
Israel's escalation came amid a wave of global demonstrations of solidarity with Palestine and against what critics call Israeli war crimes, including the bombing of civilian infrastructure such as high-rise apartment towers and other homes.