Israel Begins Gaza Ground Incursion
Worldwide call for prayers on behalf of Israeli soldiers
Chabad.org Staff | July 17, 2014 4:44 PM
Rabbi Menachem Kutner, director of Chabad Terror Victims Project, prays with an Israel soldier.
Israel Defense Force ground troops began to move into the Gaza Strip on Thursday evening, according to the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
We are very sad to report that an IDF soldier has been killed in the line of duty during this operation.
The purpose of the operation, a statement by the Prime Minister’s office said, was to destroy terror tunnels in Gaza leading into Israel. Earlier in the day, Israeli troops bombed the area, killing eight of 13 terrorists who had attempted to enter Israel to murder or kidnap civilians from a nearby kibbutz.
“Israel is committed to act to protect its citizens. The operation will continue until its goals are reached: To bring quiet to the citizens of Israel for a long period of time, and to seriously harm Hamas and other terrorist organizations’ infrastructure in the Gaza Strip,” the statement read.
Prior to the ground invasion, the IDF launched a massive wave of combined air and artillery strikes on the Gaza border communities.
Jews throughout the world have been praying for the people of Israel, and performing good deeds on behalf of the Israeli soldiers and all those threatened by ongoing missile attacks.
We pray that there will be no more loss of life.