Palestinian sources put the Gaza death toll since this conflict began at over 290. Israel does not issue official statistics of the Gaza fatalities; Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu again on Friday expressed regret for all loss of innocent life, and blamed Hamas for using Gazans as human shields for its attacks on Israel.
One Israeli has been killed directly by Hamas fire, an IDF soldier was killed yesterday in an apparent IDF error by a tank shell, and two people have died of heart attacks in Israel during rocket alerts. Some 1,400 rockets have been fired by Hamas all over Israel, with the Iron Dome scoring a reported 90% success rate in intercepting those of them heading for residential areas. Hamas fired 105 rockets at Israel yesterday, defiant as the ground offensive gathered pace.
Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon said troops would attack Hamas targets in Gaza for “as long as necessary” to restore calm. The IDF said it killed at least 20 Hamas gunmen yesterday, and captured 13 more. Israel has also thwarted two infiltrations from the sea, and on Thursday foiled an infiltration of more than a dozen gunmen who were apparently planning an attack on Kibbutz Sufa — the incident that, along with Hamas’s rejection of ceasefire efforts, seems to have been central to the decision to begin the ground offensive on Thursday night.
A picture released by the Israel Defense Forces shows weapons found inside a tunnel near Kibbutz Sufa, by the Israeli Gaza border on July 17, 2014 (photo credit: IDF Spokesperson’s Unit/Flash90)
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