ISRAEL used fake news of a ground invasion in Gaza to trick Hamas fanatics into fleeing inside their network of tunnels before bombing them to bits, reports claim.

The region was hit with more than 1,000 missiles as the Israeli military are preparing for the "biggest bombardment yet."

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According to reports, troops are now packing border areas with 160 jets and numerous tanks in place – with Hamas expected to respond.

Last night the IDF sparked confusion by saying soldiers on the ground had entered the Palestinian enclave – as its fighter jets continued to hit targets belonging to militants.

The force tweeted: "IDF air and ground troops are currently attacking in the Gaza Strip."

Military spokesman Jonathan Conricus added: "There are ground troops attacking in Gaza, together with air forces as well."

The military columnists in Israel understood that this meant the armoured corps and artillery deployed near Gaza will attack, reports Israel National News.

However, shortly afterwards the IDF said no ground troops had crossed into the Gaza Strip.

It added: "Clarification: There are currently no IDF ground troops inside the Gaza Strip.

"IDF air and ground forces are carrying out strikes on targets in the Gaza Strip."

Reports in Israel claim the move was a planned trick to destroy the network of Hamas tunnels.

As Hamas initially believed a ground invasion was underway, it immediately sent its fighters into the underground tunnel system beneath Gaza City.

The terror tunnels were built by the Palestinians to gain access into Israel, but were supposedly destroyed by the Israeli Defence Force in the 2014 conflict.

But since then, Palestinian fighters have reconstructed the passages using them to enter Israel and ambush IDF soldiers.

The tunnels, run at depths of up to 130ft and reaching dozens of metres into Israel from the Gaza Strip.

The move comes as160 IDF aircrafts dropped 450 bombs, hitting 150 targets.

This 40-minute airstrike was the largest Israeli bombardment since the outbreak of fighting began earlier this week, the military says.

Gaza's Health Ministry said the death toll has climbed to 119 Palestinians, including 27 children, with 600 people wounded.

The Hamas and Islamic Jihad militant groups have confirmed 20 deaths in their ranks, though Israel says that number is much higher.

As the tension is escalating PM Benjamin Netanyahu saidtoday that Israel is fighting a "war on two fronts."

"We have no bigger threat now than these pogroms," he said.

"We have no choice but to restore law and order via determined use of force."

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