Israel facing 'devil's own choice' as it prepares for onslaught

“INCREDIBLY grim scenes” are set to unfold in Gaza in the coming days, the Government warned today as Israel launches a ground attack in an attempt to destroy Hamas.

- Nicholas Cecil, Rachael Burford

Armed Forces minister James Heappey said Israel faced the “devil’s own choice” in its determination to defend itself against the terror group while also seeking to minimise civilian casualties.

He stressed that delaying a ground assault into Gaza would only allow Hamas more time to “melt away”, and move rocket and ammunition stocks, and then the risk for the offensive is that “all of this comes to nought” after the terror group’s Islamic State-style slaughter of more than 1,300 Israelis.

Israel has very sophisticated intelligence gathering capabilities which should allow it to prosecute its mission “with precision”, he argued. But former soldier Mr Heappey added on ITV’s Good Morning Britain: “That is not to say, however, that there are not going to be some incredibly grim scenes on our TV scenes over the next few days and weeks.”

He insisted that Israel was doing everything it could practically do to reduce civilian casualties, with its direction to a million people in Gaza city and the strip’s north to move to the south, which he accepted was very difficult for those forced to move. But the death toll of Palestinians in Israeli attacks in recent days has already risen above 2,700, according to health chiefs in Gaza, with whole buildings flattened. As the horrors of the conflict were growing: