Israeli cross-border operation kills 7 in Gaza

A Hamas military commander along with six other Palestinians was killed in a cross-border operation conducted by the Israeli Special Forces in Gaza on late Sunday night.

CNN reported that apart from the casualties in Gaza, an unnamed Israeli army officer also lost his life during the operation and moderately wounded a second Israeli soldier. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) claimed to have identified 10 launches but the actual reason that triggered the escalation of fire is still undisclosed.

The ground operation on Sunday was followed by sirens, indicating rocket fire from both the sides of the border.

Meanwhile, Hamas and Islamic Jihad, the two prominent militant groups in Gaza, announced that their fighters were also on high alert, CNN mentioned in its reports.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who was in Paris last week to commemorate 100 years since the end of First World War, had to cut short his trip after receiving the news of the latest crisis.

CNN also confirmed that the Israeli operation was conducted within days after Qatar sent 15 million USD to Gaza in an attempt to alleviate the presence of humanitarian crisis in the Strip and reduce tensions along the Israel Gaza border that often witnesses violent clashes between Israeli security forces and Palestinian protesters.

The Israeli Prime Minister who himself approved the money transfer to Gaza, defended the move by saying, "I am working in every direction to try to return the calm to the residents of the Gaza periphery and also to prevent a humanitarian crisis in Gaza. This is the decision that the (Israeli) security cabinet has made."

Netanyahu also concluded on a note that any diplomatic solution to the long-term crisis still ongoing crisis between Israel and Gaza can never be achieved. And, the leaders can only work to avoid an 'unnecessary war'.