Morning Update: Israeli troops launch hours-long ground raid into Gaza

News Snapshot:

Good morning, Israel launched an hours-long ground raid into northern Gaza overnight into Thursday, the military said, striking militant targets in order to “prepare the battlefield” ahead of a widely expected ground invasion after more than two weeks of conflict. Follow our live updates. Israel also said it had carried out about 250 airstrikes across Gaza in the last 24 hours, targeting tunnel shafts, rocket launchers and other militant infrastructure. During the overnight raid, soldiers killed fighters and destroyed militant infrastructure and anti-tank missile launching positions, the military said. It said no Israelis were wounded and there was no immediate...