Israeli ground forces enter Gaza Strip as thousands flee city

Journalist killed, 3 others wounded in Lebanon

The Israeli military says for the first time that ground troops have been operating inside the Gaza Strip. In a statement on Friday, the army said troops had entered Gaza to battle militants, destroy weapons and search for evidence about the missing hostages held by Hamas.

On its X handle, the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) states, “The IDF conducted raids in Gazan territory to eliminate the threat of terrorist cells and infrastructure.

The announcement did not appear to be the beginning of an expected ground invasion of Gaza. Israel has been massing troops along the Gaza border since last Saturday’s deadly incursion by Hamas fighters.

This is coming as residents in the northern part of the Gaza Strip fled on Friday after Israel ordered the more than 1million people who live there to leave ahead of a possible ground operation from Israel’s defense forces.

Palestinians fled in a mass exodus despite Hamas telling residents to ignore the evacuation orders.

As at Friday evening, the death toll continued to rise as at least 2,800 people in Israel and Gaza were killed in the conflict, with thousands of others injured.

Health officials in Gaza said nearly 1,500 Palestinians had been killed in the Gaza Strip, while Israel officials say at least 1,300 Israelis are dead. Thousands of others have been injured.

In a related development, a Reuters news videographer has been killed while working in southern Lebanon, the news agency noted in a statement.

The incident happened in Alma ash-Shaab amid rising tensions on the Lebanon-Israel border.

“We are deeply saddened to learn that our videographer, Issam Abdallah, has been killed,” the statement noted.

“Abdallah was working as part of a Reuters crew in southern Lebanon, who was providing a live video signal.

Reuters journalists, Thaer Al-Sudani and Maher Nazeh, also sustained injuries and are seeking medical care, according to the statement.

Al Jazeera reporter Carmen Joukhadar and cameraperson Elie Brakhya are among those wounded.

So far, at least six Palestinian journalists were killed in the first days of Israel’s bombardment of Gaza.