The Israeli military launched an intense bombardment of the Gaza Strip this evening and said it was “expanding” its activity there. The escalation came after two consecutive nights of raids into Gaza by Israeli forces, which officials described as laying the groundwork for the next phase of the war. “It’s really unclear what’s going on. “It could be that an invasion is already underway and the military is keeping mum about it,” he added. “Or this could be a pressure tactic, an attempt to make Hamas and other militias inside Gaza feel that they are about to be overrun by the Israeli military.”

---

Persons: “, ” Patrick Kingsley, ” Organizations: Times Locations: Gaza, Times Jerusalem