Israel steps up Gaza campaign
July 13, 2014
After a brief ground attack aimed at destroying a rocket-launching site early on Sunday, Israel's air force dropped leaflets in the Gaza Strip warning residents to evacuate their homes in northern Gaza ahead of a "short and temporary" campaign that was to begin sometime after midday local time (09:00 UTC).
At least 4,000 people have since fled the border town of Beit Lahiya and crowded into eight UN-run schools in Gaza City on Sunday, according to a UN spokesman.
Islamist Hamas, which is in charge in the Gaza Strip, dismissed the Israeli warnings as "psychological warfare" and instructed those who left their homes to return and others to stay put.
Under "Operation Protective Edge," Israel has launched more than 1,300 air strikes in the past six days. Palestinian militants have launched more than 800 rockets at Israel, including 130 in the last 24 hours, the Israeli military said on Sunday. At least 160 Palestinians have died, but there have been no fatalities on the Israeli side.
That is in large part due to Israel's Iron Dome missile defense system, which has intercepted most of the rockets from Gaza.
On Saturday night, hundreds of thousands of Israelis had sought shelter as Palestinians in the streets of Gaza City cheered the fresh launchings - the biggest strike yet on the Tel Aviv metropolitan area.
'It might take a long time'
Despite international and UN calls for a ceasefire, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that "we don't know when the operation will end" and that "it might take a long time."
Although Israel has been reluctant to launch a bigger ground offensive in Gaza, Netanyahu has not ruled it out. He has warned that preparations are under way, with tanks and artillery massed along the border and some 33,000 reservists mobilized.
French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius on Sunday called for an immediate ceasefire. "In this context of an absolutely disastrous escalation, France - like the UN Security Council - calls for a return to the truce of 2012," he said arriving for the next round of talks on Iran's nuclear program in Vienna. He was referring to a ceasefire agreement that ended the last round of fighting between Israel and Hamas militants in November 2012.
On Monday, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier is to fly to Israel for talks with both the Israelis and the Palestinians. The Arab League will also meet on Monday to discuss the offensive.
ng/tj (AP, Reuters, AFP)