Hamas spokesman Ismail Radwan warned Israel that Gaza would become a “graveyard” for Israeli soldiers, but Israel is not backing down.

Israeli tanks and infantry rolled into Gaza after nightfall Saturday, launching a ground offensive in a widening war against Hamas. “This will not be easy and it will not be short,” Defense Minister Ehud Barak said in a televised address shortly after the ground invasion began. “I don’t want to disillusion anybody and residents of the south will go through difficult days,” he added.

“We do not seek war but we will not abandon our citizens to the ongoing Hamas attacks.”

Israeli officials told NBC News that the goal is to strike at Hamas’ foundations and that the operation could take many long days.

This fighting seems like it has been going on since the beginning of time and I can’t wait for it to be over. This war-like any war- is not without heavy casualties.

Eight days of fighting so far have left more than 460 Palestinians dead and four Israelis were killed by rocket fire. Gaza is densely populated, and intense urban warfare in those conditions could exact a much higher civilian toll. The U.N. estimates that at least a quarter of the Palestinians killed so far were civilian.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to the poor people caught up in this useless violence.

[image: Nikola Solic / Reuters]