ISRAEL has ferociously pounded Gaza with a total of 710 shells for every square mile since the beginning of the bloody war.
As Israel is pushing its ground offensive into the besieged enclave the IDF has revealed details of its artillery operations since the start of the conflict.
AFPThe IDF says 100,000 shells have been fired since the start of the war[/caption]
AFPIsraeli tanks rolling near the border with Gaza as the ground offensive widens[/caption]
ReutersAn artillery unit near the border with Gaza following the end of the truce[/caption]
In a statement released this morning, the IDF said it has fired 100,000 shells over the course of its offensive against Hamas.
Taking into account that the Gaza Strip covers 141 square miles, every square mile has been hit by 710 shells.
The IDF also noted how artillery is an important part of the offensive as it assists in the advancement of the battle targeting the enemy with massive shelling.
It gives as an example a battle in the neighbourhood of Shejaya in Gaza City.
The statement reads: “The commander of the force made contact with the 282nd fire brigade and in a quick closing circle they fired massive artillery fire at the terrorists, destroying the enemy and allowing the Golani brigade to carry out the attack mission.”
On a separate occasion, a unit of the Givat brigade was caught in an ambush while terrorists opened fire.
It says: “The fighters in the field contacted the 215th fire brigade and asked for fire to rescue them – the artillery battalion came out to help, fired hundreds of shells near the troops and thereby enabled the destruction of the terrorists and secured the force.”
It comes as Israel launched an assault in the south of Gaza this morning in the biggest attack since the temporary ceasefire expired last week.
Israeli tanks were seen rolling into eastern parts of terror stronghold Khan Younis crossing from the Israeli border fence and advancing west.
Fierce fighting erupted on Monday as armoured columns came under fire and thousands of civilians fled in panic.
The onslaught was supported by Israeli warplanes and artillery amid fears many would be unable to reach designated “safe areas.”
And today locals reported that some took up positions inside the town of Bani Suhaila, while others continued further and were stationed on the edge of a Qatari-funded housing development called Hamad City.
Israel said it’s now expanding its ground campaign to the rest of the enclave.
“We’re moving ahead with the second stage now. A second stage that is going to be difficult militarily,” government spokesperson Eylon Levy told reporters in a briefing.
Dozens of wounded were brought to Nasser Hospital as Palestinian civilians were left fleeing for their lives.
Last week, Israel urged civilians to flee the region and escape to safe areas as it shared a map with hundreds of evacuation zones.
Hamas claims hundreds of Palestinians have been killed but Israel says it makes every effort to spare civilians and accuses the terror group of using them as human shields.
The Red Cross estimates that some 1.5million civilians have been forced to flee south amid the Israeli onslaught from land, air and sea.
And the fighting continues amid calls for a permanent ceasefire.
Meanwhile, Israeli troops are plotting to flood Hamas’s underground tunnel network with seawater in a bid to flush out terrorists.
At least five huge pumps have been set up close to the Al-Shati refugee camp in Gaza.
The pumps are capable of flooding the vast underground maze within weeks by pouring in thousands of cubic metres of water per hour from the Mediterranean Sea, reports The Wall Street Journal.
Fighting in Gaza has resumed after the ceasefire expired
ReutersPalestinians were urged to flee the Gaza Strip and were directed to “safe zones”[/caption]