Israeli Incursion Could Last Two Weeks

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israeli officials say the ground operation that began late yesterday in the Gaza Strip could last up to two weeks. And the prime minister is telling the military to prepare for a "significantly" wider campaign.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told his Cabinet today that the tunnels that are being used to infiltrate Israel can't just be dealt with from the air.

Some hard-liners in Israel want their military to completely crush Hamas and drive it from power in Gaza.

Israel's military says it's killed nearly 20 militants in exchanges of fire. Gaza health officials say more than 30 Palestinians have been killed since the ground operation began -- including three teenage siblings who died when a tank shell hit their home.

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The Palestinian U.N. ambassador is threatening to go to U.N. and international courts which would likely include the International Criminal Court if the Security Council doesn't act to protect Palestinian civilians from Israeli attack and end the conflict in Gaza.

Riyad Mansour told an emergency meeting of the council Friday that Israel's "savage" aggression into Gaza "cannot be justified by any means."

"It is not self-defense," he said. "It is a vengeful military aggression intentionally planned and perpetrated by the occupying power on the civilian population under its occupation."

Mansour said the Israeli campaign is designed to destroy "Palestinian unity and collapse of the national consensus government."

A U.N. official said Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will leave Saturday for the Middle East to help mediate the conflict between Israel and Hamas.