Jon88
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By Diana Magnay and Ed Payne, CNN
updated 9:30 AM EDT, Tue July 8, 2014
An Israeli security operation against the militant group Hamas "will probably not end within several days," Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon said Tuesday.
The development appeared to confirm fears that the conflict would continue to escalate.
"We will not tolerate rocket fire and we are prepared to expand the operation and to exact a heavy toll on Hamas," he said.
Militants have fired more than 100 rockets at Israel since Monday night, the Israeli military said on Twitter on Tuesday.
Overnight, Israel ramped up its airstrikes on Hamas in Gaza.
At least 16 people have been killed in Israeli airstrikes targeting militants since Monday night, according to Palestinian sources. Among them was Mohammad Sha'aban, a leader of Hamas' militant wing. Another militant was killed in an Israeli airstrike on an open field in Gaza.
Ten people were killed Tuesday while forming a "human shield" on the roof of a home belonging to members of Hamas' militant wing. The home was near another home belonging to the same Hamas members that Israel struck Monday night, Palestinian sources said.
Hamas security sources reported at least 60 Israeli airstrikes across Gaza, including from F-16s, Apache helicopters and drones.
The Israeli military's Operation Protective Edge against Hamas has entered a "substantial phase," with airstrikes hitting around 50 targets, including militant houses and military compounds, Israeli military spokesman Lt. Col. Peter Lerner told CNN.
"We are determined to restore a state of security," he said.
The Israeli military has already called up several hundred reservists and is planning to recruit many more to strengthen its positions around Gaza "with a view to possible ground maneuvers," Lerner said Tuesday.
At least 24 people were wounded, Palestinian medical sources in Gaza said.
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas called on Israel to immediately stop its strikes, warning the operation would drag the region into instability.
Abbas said a truce was needed to "spare the innocent from mass destruction."
Flare-up in Israeli-Palestinian violence: Why now?
Long-range threat
Lerner said that Israel is prepared for the possible threat of long-range rocket fire.
Hamas is estimated to have 10,000 rockets of varying ranges, he said, including some that can reach as far as north as Tel Aviv and beyond.
"They have substantial armaments which can strike the soft underbelly of Israel," Lerner said.
Israel says the aim of its offensive is to strike Hamas in Gaza and stop rocket fire into Israel that threatens civilians.
"It's an unacceptable situation," Lerner said. "We're not willing just to let it go by, and we have to operate in order to protect them."
He said at an earlier news briefing that the Israel Defense Forces' position had changed from focusing on de-escalation to preparing for a deterioration of the situation.
'Red lines' crossed
The conflict between the two sides has worsened in the past few days.
"The enemy has crossed the red lines and will be made to pay the price for its crimes," Mushir Al-Masri, a Hamas leadership figure and member of the Palestinian parliament, wrote on his Facebook page Monday. "The blood of our martyrs is precious ... and is fuel for the intifada and the resistance."
After that statement, the barrage of rockets from Gaza into Israel increased, with Hamas claiming responsibility.
The conflict is creating strains within the governing coalition of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, head of the Yisrael Beiteinu party, said in a news conference Monday that he told Netanyahu of his intention to dissolve his party's joint faction with Netanyahu's Likud party, saying it was "not working."
Lieberman criticized Netanyahu's handling of Gaza.
Tensions are also increasing between Hamas, which controls Gaza, and the more moderate Palestinian Authority in the West Bank.
updated 9:30 AM EDT, Tue July 8, 2014
An Israeli security operation against the militant group Hamas "will probably not end within several days," Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon said Tuesday.
The development appeared to confirm fears that the conflict would continue to escalate.
"We will not tolerate rocket fire and we are prepared to expand the operation and to exact a heavy toll on Hamas," he said.
Militants have fired more than 100 rockets at Israel since Monday night, the Israeli military said on Twitter on Tuesday.
Overnight, Israel ramped up its airstrikes on Hamas in Gaza.
At least 16 people have been killed in Israeli airstrikes targeting militants since Monday night, according to Palestinian sources. Among them was Mohammad Sha'aban, a leader of Hamas' militant wing. Another militant was killed in an Israeli airstrike on an open field in Gaza.
Ten people were killed Tuesday while forming a "human shield" on the roof of a home belonging to members of Hamas' militant wing. The home was near another home belonging to the same Hamas members that Israel struck Monday night, Palestinian sources said.
Hamas security sources reported at least 60 Israeli airstrikes across Gaza, including from F-16s, Apache helicopters and drones.
The Israeli military's Operation Protective Edge against Hamas has entered a "substantial phase," with airstrikes hitting around 50 targets, including militant houses and military compounds, Israeli military spokesman Lt. Col. Peter Lerner told CNN.
"We are determined to restore a state of security," he said.
The Israeli military has already called up several hundred reservists and is planning to recruit many more to strengthen its positions around Gaza "with a view to possible ground maneuvers," Lerner said Tuesday.
At least 24 people were wounded, Palestinian medical sources in Gaza said.
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas called on Israel to immediately stop its strikes, warning the operation would drag the region into instability.
Abbas said a truce was needed to "spare the innocent from mass destruction."
Flare-up in Israeli-Palestinian violence: Why now?
Long-range threat
Lerner said that Israel is prepared for the possible threat of long-range rocket fire.
Hamas is estimated to have 10,000 rockets of varying ranges, he said, including some that can reach as far as north as Tel Aviv and beyond.
"They have substantial armaments which can strike the soft underbelly of Israel," Lerner said.
Israel says the aim of its offensive is to strike Hamas in Gaza and stop rocket fire into Israel that threatens civilians.
"It's an unacceptable situation," Lerner said. "We're not willing just to let it go by, and we have to operate in order to protect them."
He said at an earlier news briefing that the Israel Defense Forces' position had changed from focusing on de-escalation to preparing for a deterioration of the situation.
'Red lines' crossed
The conflict between the two sides has worsened in the past few days.
"The enemy has crossed the red lines and will be made to pay the price for its crimes," Mushir Al-Masri, a Hamas leadership figure and member of the Palestinian parliament, wrote on his Facebook page Monday. "The blood of our martyrs is precious ... and is fuel for the intifada and the resistance."
After that statement, the barrage of rockets from Gaza into Israel increased, with Hamas claiming responsibility.
The conflict is creating strains within the governing coalition of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, head of the Yisrael Beiteinu party, said in a news conference Monday that he told Netanyahu of his intention to dissolve his party's joint faction with Netanyahu's Likud party, saying it was "not working."
Lieberman criticized Netanyahu's handling of Gaza.
Tensions are also increasing between Hamas, which controls Gaza, and the more moderate Palestinian Authority in the West Bank.