Israeli tanks mass near Gaza border Israeli tanks massed near the Gaza border, preparing for a possible offensive against the enclave as the two sides edged closer towards a major conflict. Israeli warplanes pounded Gaza with more than 50 strikes early Tuesday after Hamas militants fired scores of rockets over the border. It was the most serious flare-up in and around the territory since November 2012 and came as Israel struggled to contain a wave of violence in Arab towns over the grisly murder of a Palestinian teenager by Jewish extremists. IMAGES