Mussa Qawasma/REUTERS
Israeli soldiers take part in an operation to locate three Israeli teens in valley of Haska near the West Bank City of Hebron June 24,2014.
The decades-old conflict between the Palestinians and Israelis has been playing out in the form of a full-scale ground war since mid-July within the Gaza Strip, where Hamas militants have been clashing with the Israeli military.
This round of fighting ignited after three Israeli teens allegedly kidnapped by Hamas operatives in the West Bank were found dead, and a Palestinian teen was found burned to death by Israeli extremists in a forest days later. Israel entered Gaza in response to rocket and tunnel attacks originating in the Strip, and its military has been there for over three weeks.
As the battle has raged on, the Israel Defense Forces has posted pictures of the day-to-day lives of its soldiers on the IDF's Instagram account. It gives a sanitized and selective view of a conflict in which over 1300 Palestinians and 60 Israelis have already been killed. But it's also a glimpse into life within a powerful conventional army that could already be mobilizing for all-out war. And it gives a sense of Israel's objectives and concerns in the conflict - and of the image that an often-criticized military wants to present to the outside world.
Check out some of the pics below:
Staff Sgt. Anan Halabi, a technician for the military, mans an IronDome position. The IronDome shoots down rockets in mid-flight.
IDF soldiers uncover a Hamas tunnel, one of 32 they had found as of Wednesday, according to Instagram. The soldiers also uncovered an underground rocket launching system.
Israeli artillery soldiers man a tank and shell a target off in the distance.
The Israeli artillery unit also helps to clear the path for the infantry to search for tunnels, which have been the focus of Israeli operations over the past week.
This group of Israeli soldiers conferences after uncovering a Hamas tunnel on July 24.
Agroup of soldiers who operate an IronDome battery.
Israeli soldiers uncover an extensive tunnel presumably used by Hamas.
These IDF soldiers prepared for a night operation at the onset of the Gaza Strip invasion two weeks ago by painting their faces in a camouflage pattern.
