BICOM

Israel intensified its air campaign against armed groups in the Gaza Strip overnight, following the launch of Palestinian rockets at the areas of Tel Aviv. The IDF reported that it targeted approximately 150 medium range (40km) rocket launching sites and ammunition storage facilities across the Gaza Strip. This followed an intense series of 70 strikes on Thursday evening also targeting underground medium range rocket launching sites. Destroying the medium range rocket capability appears to be the next strategic goal of the IDF, following air strikes on Palestinian groups’ longer-range missiles in the first afternoon of the operation.

The Israeli Air Force overnight also struck, what they have called, a ‘central terror activity site in the southern Gaza strip in order to harm the command and control posts’ of Hamas. According to Palestinian reports, an interior ministry building was bombed. An Israeli ship of the coast of Gaza also fired close to the house of Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh last night, in what is being interpreted by the Israel media as a warning shoot. Altogether the IDF has hit around 450 targets since operation Pillar of Defence began on Wednesday afternoon, with 20 Palestinians reportedly killed and 180 injured. Israel announced this morning that it had suspended its operations this morning during the visit of the Egypt’s Prime Minister.

Reports this morning indicate that Israel is threatening to intensify its operation with a ground offensive, though a decision to send in troops has not been made yet. The IDF announced last night that it had received permission from the political echelon to call up 30,000 reservists, and updated this morning that it had begun to actually call up 16,000. Many Israeli analysts assess Israel would still prefer not to use ground forces, but that if Hamas and other armed groups continue their rocket fire there is a strong possibility they will go in.