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How Long Can Hamas Keep Fighting?
Thirty Palestinians have died and 50 more have been injured after Israel stepped up its bombardment of Gaza overnight. Hamas fired 15 rockets into Israel wounding three people. Emma Hurd asks how much longer can Hamas fight?
Israel had warned of an escalation and this could be the start of it: a new wave of assaults overnight and through the early morning, from the air, lands, and sea.
Israeli television filmed on board a gunship as it fired shells towards what the IDF claims were Hamas targets on lands.
It's hard to know what military capability Hamas has left now after more than two weeks of this, but its rockets are still hitting Israeli communities, causing injuries and spreading terror, and its leaders are still vowing to fight on.
Khaled Mashal, Hamas's leader in exile, condemned Israel's offensive as a holocaust. He said there would be no Hamas ceasefire until Israel stops its attacks and lifts the siege on Gaza.
There's no sign of that. Witnesses say Israel's ground offensive is intensifying around Gaza city—an indication that Phase 3 of this military offensive could be getting underway. That would take Israeli soldiers deeper into urban areas, putting them at greater risk, and all but guaranteeing more civilian casualties.
Close to 850 Palestinians have died, a third of them are thought to be children.
Emma Hurd, Sky News, Jerusalem.
