Israel's Army pounds Gaza Strip with artillery shells and air strikes

Israel ups ante amid war with Hamas as its army has kept pounding the densely populated Gaza Strip with artillery shells and air strikes. It also prepared for a possible ground invasion. Israel has massed forces, tanks and other heavy armour around Gaza and also called up 300,000 reservists. Israel has vowed to "crush" Hamas after gunmen from the Palestinian group attacked across the border and killed 1,200 people. This was the deadliest attack on the country since it was founded 75 years ago.

Troops have deployed 150 mm artillery guns in fields along the border with Gaza, placing them a few metres (yards) apart, near the towns of Netivot and Sderot which were overrun by Hamas militants in their weekend onslaught.  European Commission President Ursula Von Der Leyen will visit



Israel today to express solidarity with the victims of Hamas attacks. 

The US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, arrived in the country yesterday to extend American support and help mitigate the situation. He met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Tel Aviv and President Isaac Herzog on Thursday. Reportedly, Blinken will also meet Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas.

In the meantime, Prime Minister Netanyahu formed a new war management cabinet consisting of Prime Minister himself, the Defence Minister Yoav Gallant and a senior Opposition law maker and former Defence Minister Benny Gantz to Bolstar public trust and to infuse country's war time leadership with greater military experience.