Israel has long been pounding Gaza, calling its ground invasion an operation to eliminate Palestinian terror group Hamas.
However, some experts say Israel’s ultimate objective is to confiscate Gaza's multi-billion-dollar gas resources.
Gaza Marine is a natural gas field located 36 km off the coast of the Gaza Strip at a depth of 610 meters.
It is estimated to hold 32 billion cubic metres of natural gas and a smaller field containing roughly 3 billion cubic metres of gas.
Many experts believe not just the destruction of Hamas, but the issue of sovereignty over Gaza’s gas fields is also vital for Israel.
Offshore gas reserves behind Israel’s "end game" for Gaza?