Israel launches ground offensive in Gaza

Israel has launched a ground offensive on the Gaza Strip.

The statement issued by the office of Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the military has been instructed to begin the ground offensive in Gaza.

Gaza residents have reported heavy artillery and naval shelling and helicopter fire along the border with Israel.

The focus of the ground attack is the terror tunnels from Gaza into Israel," the statement said.

A statement from the Israeli military further said the operation will include the use of "infantry, armoured corps, engineer corps, artillery and intelligence combined with aerial and naval support".

On Thursday night, loud thuds and flashes of orange light lit the sky in the eastern Gaza strip as Israeli gunboats fired shells and tracer fire, while artillery and helicopters fired over the border.

Meanwhile, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon expressed his regret over Israel rejecting his appeal for doing more to spare the lives of Palestinian civilians.

He said that war was no solution to ending the ongoing conflict.