来自以色列和巴勒斯坦方面的消息证实，以军当地时间３日晚间８时３０分左右展开了对加沙地带的地面攻势。

　　加沙地带北部拜特拉希亚的居民称，以军坦克和其他军用车辆已经进入加沙北部，他们可以清楚地听到以色列坦克和装甲车辆在进入加沙时发出的轰鸣声。

　　作为地面进攻开始的前兆，以军３日晚突然开始对加沙地带进行炮击。

　　As the Israel Defense Forces (IDF)Cast Lead operation entered its eighth day, the IDF Saturday evening began its ground incursion into the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip, vowing to destroy "terror infrastructure" of Hamas.

　　"On Saturday evening, the IDF began its ground incursion into Gaza," an IDF spokesman told Xinhua on the phone, saying that Cast Lead operation is now entering the second stage.

　　The purpose of the ground incursion is to destroy "terror infrastructure of Hamas," said the spokesman, adding that the IDF soldiers have entered Gaza and exchanged fire with Palestinian militants in Gaza.

　　"The incursion will last as long as necessary in order to achieve the goals of the operation," he noted.

　　Local daily Ha'aretz quoted IDF Major Avital Leibovitch, a military spokeswoman, as saying that "the objective is to destroy the Hamas terror infrastructure in the area of operations."