20 Palestinians Killed after Israeli Ground Invasion of Gaza
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – At least 20 Palestinians, including a 3-month-old boy, have been killed in the first hours of the ground invasion of the Gaza Strip by the Israeli forces.
The Palestinian infant died after a shell hit his family's Bedouin tent in southern Gaza, AP reported, citing Gaza health officials.
An Israeli soldier was also killed early Friday as the violent conflict in the region entered its 11th day.
According to Israeli news outlets, the soldier may have been killed by friendly fire. An Israeli Army statement on the overnight action in Gaza did not describe the circumstances of his death, but said the military had hit more than 100 sites in the coastal territory.
Thousands of Israeli soldiers backed by tanks invaded the Gaza Strip on Thursday. The first major Israeli ground offensive in Gaza in just over five years was announced despite a blunt warning to Israel against invading the Gaza Strip by the leaders of Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) who promised to exploit any ground incursion to kidnap Israeli soldiers.
Palestinian health officials reported that an 18-year-old young man were also among 20 Gaza residents killed as the total death toll from the Israeli attacks topped 260, with some 1,800 injured.
Israel launched the new wave of military strikes on the besieged Gaza Strip after tensions raged between Palestinians and Israelis following the burning alive of a Palestinian teen in East al-Quds by Israeli settlers.
16-year-old Mohammed Abu Khdeir’s death sparked a wave of protests across the Palestinian territories earlier this month.
It came a few days after the Israeli military found the dead bodies of three settler teenagers who had been allegedly kidnapped in the occupied West Bank.
Israel was quick to point the finger of blame at the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas. The resistance group, however, strongly rejected the allegations, saying Tel Aviv, which was outraged with the formation of a Palestinian unity government, was looking for a pretext to launch a new aggression against the people of Gaza.