CRI听力：Israel opens a ground war against Hamas

Israeli tanks and troops have swept across the border into the Gaza Strip, opening a ground operation against the Palestinian militant group Hamas after a week of intense airstrikes. ZhangCheng has the details.

Reporter:

The Israeli government says tens of thousands of reserve soldiers are being mobilised as the offensive in Gaza widens with the launching of a ground invasion on Saturday night.

The military did not give specific numbers. But it says it has expanded a call-up of some 9-thousand reserves soldiers that began earlier this week.

The Israeli airstrikes have badly damaged Gaza's infrastructure, knocking out power and water in many areas and raising concerns of a looming humanitarian disaster.

But Israel denies there is a humanitarian crisis in Gaza and says it has increased its shipments of goods into Gaza.

Israel insists it has confined its attacks to militants while trying to prevent civilian casualties.

Yigal Palmor is Israeli Foreign Ministry Spokesman.

"We have a fight with Hamas not with the people of Gaza, not with the Palestinian people. Since Sunday 10-thousand tons of humanitarian goods have been shipped into Gaza and more are due to be shipped in over the next few days. There are no restrictions and the border crossings are operating fulltime just for the sake of humanitarian aid."

Saturday's incursion expanded an 8-day-old operation that had been conducted almost exclusively from the air.

Earlier on Saturday, thousands of protests gathered around the world calling for an end to the Israeli strikes on Gaza.(www.hXen.com)

In the West Bank city of Ramallah, the protesters were marching in the streets and carrying flags reading "Stop the fire".

Among the demonstrators was Palestinian Legislative Council member Mustafa Barghouti, who called Israel's attacks a "war crime".

"The war on Gaza must be stopped and the siege on Gaza must be lifted as soon as possible. What is happening in Gaza is nothing but a war crime conducted by the Israeli side."

In Sakhnin, northern Israel, thousands of Israeli-Arabs also protested against the ongoing Israeli military operation in the Gaza Strip.

Tens of thousands of people also demonstrated in European cities on Saturday against Israel's bombardment of Gaza.

Arab League Secretary-General, Amr Moussa on Saturday called for an end to the Israeli airstrikes on Gaza insisting that a lasting solution was needed to achieve any real results in the troubled region.

Moussa told a news conference in Cairo.

"The best way is to negotiate and the best way is to reach a deal very soon. A protracted peace process and a protracted process of talks and negotiations and contacts would lead nowhere. Now is the time to be very clear about the next step."

The Secretary-General was scheduled to travel to New York over the weekend - along with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and several Arab foreign ministers.

They will discuss an Arab draft resolution that would condemn Israel and demand a halt to its bombing campaign in Gaza.

But the United States - a staunch alley of Israel - said the draft was "unacceptable" and "unbalanced" because it makes no mention of halting the Palestinian militant rocketing of southern Israel which led to the Israeli offensive.

Israel launched the offensive last Saturday in what they said was a response to rocket fire by militants in Gaza.

The operation has killed more than 460 people, left more than 2-thousand injured and reduced dozens of buildings to rubble.

ZhangCheng, CRI News.