Israeli military accused of using media to trick Hamas

The Israeli military says a misunderstanding caused it to tell some international reporters that it had invaded the Gaza Strip with ground troops

JERUSALEM -- Early Friday, just after midnight, the Israeli military put out an ominous statement to the media: “IDF air and ground troops are currently attacking in the Gaza Strip.” The terse statement set off frenzied speculation that Israel had launched a ground invasion of Gaza -- a much-feared scenario that would mark a bloody escalation of this week’s operation against Hamas militants. Some reporters were even told outright the incursion had begun. Hours later, the military issued a “clarification.” There were no troops inside Gaza. But by then, several major news outlets had erroneously reported the ground offensive was under way. While the army attempted to play down the incident as a misunderstanding, well-placed Israeli military commentators said the media had been used as part of an elaborate ruse to lure Hamas militants into a deadly trap that may have killed dozens of fighters.