STORY: Israel expands ground operation, strikes over 11,000 targets in Gaza
SHOOTING DATELINE: Nov. 1, 2023
DATELINE: Nov. 2, 2023
LENGTH: 0:01:19
LOCATION: ASHDOD, Israel
CATEGORY: MILITARY

SHOTLIST:
1. various of the site
2. STANDUP (English): WANG ZHUOLUN, Xinhua correspondent in Jerusalem

STORYLINE:

STANDUP (English): WANG ZHUOLUN, Xinhua correspondent in Jerusalem
"Here I'm in Ashdod, a southern Israeli city only 30 minutes away by car to the Gaza border. A rocket fell in this parking lot surrounded by residential buildings on Tuesday amid a barrage of rockets fired from the Palestinian enclave to central and southern Israel, setting a lot of cars on fire. In the past few days, Israel has intensified its ground offensive in Gaza, sending more troops and clashing with Hamas militants in fierce battles. According to a statement released by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on Wednesday morning, since the beginning of the war, over 11,000 targets have been struck (by the Israeli army) belonging to Palestinian militant organizations in Gaza."

The number of Palestinian casualties in Gaza has now reached at least 8,796, including 3,648 children and 2,290 women, according to the Gaza-based Health Ministry. While in the occupied West Bank, more than 132 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli troops and settlers.
   
More than 1,400 people in Israel have been killed, mostly civilians who were slain in the initial Hamas surprise attack on Oct. 7 that triggered the fighting, said the Israeli Foreign Ministry.

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Ashdod, Israel.
(XHTV)