Israel threatens Gaza ground invasion despite truce efforts

Israel on Thursday said it was massing troops along the Gaza frontier and calling up 9000 reservists ahead of a possible ground invasion of the Hamasruled territory as the two bitter enemies plunged closer to allout warEgyptian mediators rushed to Israel for ceasefire efforts but showed no signs of progressThe steppedup fighting came as communal violence in Israel erupted for a fourth night with Jewish and Arab mobs clashing in the flashpoint town of Lod The fighting took place despite a bolstered police presence ordered by the nations leadersThe fourday burst of violence has pushed Israel into uncharted territory dealing with the most intense fighting it has ever had with Hamas while simultaneously coping with the worst JewishArab violence inside Israel in decades A latenight barrage of rocket fire from Lebanon that landed in the sea threatened to open a new front along Israels northern borderSaleh Aruri an exiled senior Hamas leader told Londonbased satellite channel Al Araby early Friday that his group has turned down a proposal for a threehour lull to allow for more negotiations toward a full ceasefire He said Egypt Qatar and the United Nations were leading the truce effortsAlso early Friday the Israeli military said air and ground troops struck Gaza in what appeared to be the heaviest attacks yet Masses of red flames illuminated the skies as the deafening blasts from the outskirts of Gaza City jolted people awake The strikes were so strong that screams of fear could be heard from people inside the city several kilometres awayAlso read Hamas will receive blows it did not expect says Israel PM NetanyahuI said we would extract a very heavy price from Hamas Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a videotaped statement We are doing that and we will continue to do that with heavy forceThe fighting broke out late Monday when Hamas claiming to be the defender of Jerusalem fired a barrage of longrange rockets toward the city in response to what it said were Israeli provocations Israel quickly responded with a series of airstrikesSince then Israel has attacked hundreds of targets in Gaza The strikes set off scores of earthshaking explosions across the densely populated territory Gaza militants have fired nearly 2000 rockets into Israel bringing life in the southern part of the country to a standstill Several barrages targeted the seaside metropolis of Tel Aviv some 70 kilometres 45 miles awayGazas Health Ministry said the death toll has climbed to 109 Palestinians including 28 children and 15 women with 621 people wounded The Hamas and Islamic Jihad militant groups have confirmed 20 deaths in their ranks though Israel says that number is much higher Seven people have been killed in Israel including a 6yearold boyIn Washington President Joe Biden said he spoke with Netanyahu about calming the fighting but also backed the Israeli leader by saying there has not been a significant overreactionHe said the goal now is to get to a point where there is a significant reduction in attacks particularly rocket attacks that are indiscriminately fired into population centres He called the effort a a work in progress Thursdays visit by Egyptian officials marked an important step in the ceasefire effortsEgypt often serves as a mediator between Israel and Hamas and it has been a key player in ending past rounds of fighting The officials met first with Hamas leaders in Gaza before holding talks with Israelis in Tel Aviv two Egyptian intelligence officials saidThey spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media Hamas exiled leader Ismail Haniyeh was also in touch with the Egyptians the group saidDespite those efforts the fighting only intensified Israeli aircraft pummeled targets in Gaza throughout the day And late Thursday Israel fired tank and artillery shells across the border for the first time sending scores of terrified residents fleeing for safetyThe airstrikes have destroyed scores of buildings including three high rises Israel says the buildings housed Hamas militants or facilities but civilians were inside as wellIn the northern Gaza Strip Rafat Tanani his pregnant wife and four children were killed after an Israeli warplane reduced the building to rubble residents saidSadallah Tanani a relative said the family was wiped out from the population register without warning It was a massacre My feelings are indescribable he saidIsrael has come under heavy international criticism for civilian casualties in Gaza fighting It says Hamas is responsible for endangering civilians by hiding and launching rockets from civilian areasLate Thursday Israels Defense Minister Benny Gantz ordered the mobilization of an additional 9000 reservistsThe chief military spokesman Brig Gen Hidai Zilberman said troops were massing along the Gaza border for a possible ground operation He said tanks armoured vehicles and artillery were being prepared for mobilisation at any given momentHamas showed no signs of backing down It launched several intense barrages of rockets throughout the day and fired its most powerful rocket the Ayyash nearly 200 kilometres 120 miles into southern Israel The rocket landed in the open desert but briefly disrupted flight traffic at the southern Ramon airport Hamas also launched a drone that Israel said it quickly shot downHamas military spokesman Abu Obeida said the group was not afraid of a ground invasion saying any invasion would be a chance to increase our catch of dead or captive soldiersThe fighting cast a pall over the Muslim holiday of Eid alFitr normally marked by family gatherings and festive meals Instead the streets of Gaza were mostly emptyHassan Abu Shaaban tried to lighten the mood by passing out candy to passersby but acknowledged there is no atmosphere for celebrating It is all airstrikes destruction and devastation May God help everyone he saidThe current eruption of violence began a month ago in Jerusalem where heavyhanded Israeli police tactics during Ramadan and the threatened eviction of dozens of Palestinian families by Jewish settlers ignited protests and clashes with police A focal point of clashes was Jerusalems AlAqsa Mosque built on a hilltop compound that is revered by Jews and MuslimsIsrael regards Jerusalem in its entirety as its capital while the Palestinians want east Jerusalem to be the capital of their future state