Israeli tanks and troops moved into the southern Gaza Strip before dawn Wednesday, in an operation aimed at pressuring Palestinian groups to free an Israeli soldier seized Sunday in an attack on a military position near the Gaza Strip border.
According to Haaretz, the operation, dubbed "Summer Rain," comes after two days of failed mediation over his release.
The Israeli forces penetrated one kilometer into the Strip, deploying tanks and armored vehicles in open areas east of the border town of Rafah, including the disused international airport at Dahaniyeh.
Ahead of the ground invasion, an Israeli warplane attacked three bridges in central Gaza Strip. Israeli aircrafts also attacked a Gaza City power station after midnight Tuesday, cutting power to much of the area, Palestinian security officials said.
According to the Israeli newspaper, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert approved a limited ground incursion in southern Gaza Strip on Tuesday night, aimed at the "terrorist infrastructure."
