Israel: invasion of Gaza to be last resort to regain peace, military officials say

Israel: invasion of Gaza to be last resort to regain peace, military officials say

Israel withdrew from the Gaza Strip last summer, pulling out troops and closing all Jewish settlements there.

The Israeli army said Palestinians fired three rockets at Israel Friday, although there were no initial reports of injury or damage, the AP reports.

Senior military officers have said that they are prepared to send troops back into densely populated Gaza if necessary, but would only do so as a last resort. Such a move in the hostile and heavily-armed coastal strip would be potentially costly to lives on both sides and likely to cause fresh harm to Israel's image abroad.