According to the Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak, the preparations are complete for a large-scale invasion of the Gaza Strip. Israeli military forces are lined up at the Gaza border, ready to attack.Barak gave no concrete timetable, but said that an invasion is imminent.
This announcement comes after three days of massive bombing on the Gaza Strip, in which 35 Palestinians have been killed, including several infants and small children. In the past 3 months alone, the Israeli army has killed more than 200 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip – one of the most densely-populated areas of the world. In comparison, one Israeli has been killed by Palestinians in that time period.
In addition to Barak, other Israeli officials are calling for an immediate and massive invasion of Gaza, due to the fact that one Israeli was killed this week by a Palestinian rocket, in the midst of a barrage of casualties of Palestinian children and adult civilians.
Tzachi Hanegbi, the chairman of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee and a member of the ruling Kadima Party, told Israel Radio on Friday that Israel should reoccupy parts of Gaza and topple the Hamas-led government.
