“All options are on the table” in Jerusalem's war with the Palestinian movement Hamas, Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) spokesman Avichay Adraee told Sputnik on Sunday, regarding the possibility of the ground operation in the Gaza Strip.
He added that as a result of Israeli Defense Forces airstrikes in the Gaza Strip, more than 550 Hamas targets were destroyed.
“Israel carried out a series of dense and continuous attacks on the Gaza Strip, which resulted in the destruction of more than 550 Hamas installations, including high-rise buildings, houses, infrastructure, positions, residential compounds and other objects used by Hamas,” Adraee said.
The spokesman noted that the IDF also carried out airstrikes against groups trying to invade the Israeli territory, as a result of which several hundred Hamas saboteurs were killed, both in the Gaza Strip itself and on the borders.
The military wing of the Palestinian movement Hamas on Saturday announced Operation "Al-Aqsa Flood" against Israel. The Israel Defense Forces announced the launch of Operation "Iron Swords" against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in an address to the nation, said that the country was in a state of war and said that he had ordered a widespread mobilization of reserves.
The Israeli military is clearing populated areas.
Russia calls on Israel and Palestine to cease fire and return to the negotiating table, Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov told Sputnik.
The Palestinian-Israeli conflict, related to the territorial interests of the parties, has been a source of tension and fighting in the region for many decades. A UN decision with the active role of the USSR in 1947 determined the creation of two states - Israel and Palestine, but only the Israeli one was created. Israel, while declaring agreement with the two-state principle, did not completely liberate the Palestinian territories.