Israel expands Gaza military campaign

World Today

Israeli troops pushed farther into Gaza Saturday in a campaign that Israel’s officials say could continue for weeks. Hundreds have been killed in Gaza and thousands are reported wounded.

Urging Hamas and Israel’s government to arrive at a ceasefire agreement, UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon is scheduled to arrive in the region on Saturday. As CCTV’s Stephanie Freid reports from the Israel-Gaza border, the sides are mismatched and Gaza’s residents are paying the price.

Conflict in Gaza: Israel to expand military campaign

Israeli troops pushed farther into Gaza on Saturday in a campaign that Israel's officials say could continue for weeks. Hundreds mostly civilians have been killed in Gaza and thousands are reported wounded. Urging Hamas and Israel's government to arrive at a ceasefire agreement, UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon is scheduled to arrive in the region on Saturday. As CCTV's Stephanie Freid reports from the Israel-Gaza border, the sides are mismatched and Gaza's residents are paying the price.

Night two of Israel’s ground invasion to Gaza. Troops and tanks are on the move. Thousands of Israeli soldiers have been deployed to the 360-square kilometer strip in order to root out Hamas operatives, eradicate rocket launchers and rockets trained on Israeli cities and destroy intricate underground tunnel systems used by Hamas operatives to move into Israel and carry out attacks.

There is a mounting death toll that has topped 300. According to the UN, most of the victims are civilians at least 50 are children. Despite mounting international pressure for heavy handedness in Gaza, Israel’s government says the current ground, air and sea campaign may be broadened further.

Literally overnight, dozens of Israeli military tanks were transported to the border with Gaza. They will be deployed if and when Israel’s government chooses to go deeper into the Strip. Israel’s military superiority far outweighs the capability in Gaza: air power, tank fleets and intelligence surveillance hardware that includes Drone technology. In Gaza, most don’t have bomb shelters for taking cover during shelling and air strikes.

Grossly mismatched capacities and the rising civilian death toll in Gaza are key factors motivating international bodies pushing for an urgent ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.