CNN reporter removed from Israel-Gaza after branding Israelis who gathered to watch bombardment 'scum' after they threatened her



Diana Magnay became infuriated by the attitude of Israelis watching invasion of Gaza and tweeted that the crowd had threatened her

She deleted the post - but it had been retweeted hundreds of times

CNN says she didn't mean to offend anyone not involved in the incident

She has now been assigned to Moscow



CNN's International correspondent Diana Magnay has been removed from covering the Israeli-Palestinian conflict after she branded a group of Israelis 'scum' on Thursday.



Magnay had taken to Twitter to express her fury after a group of whooping Israelis watching missile strikes 'threatened to destroy' her team's car if the British reporter used negative language.



Almost as soon as she posted the controversial comment, she deleted it - but not before it was retweeted more than 200 times. CNN said it has now assigned her to Moscow.

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Sent to Russia: Diana Magnay, who works for CNN, has been removed from Israel-Gaza after she branded a group of threatening Israeli's as 'scum' in a Twitter rant. CNN says she has been sent to Moscow

Deleted: This tweet from Magnay was quickly deleted from her account - clearly expressing her outrage at the reaction of Israeli bystanders watching the attack on Gaza

A CNN spokeswoman said in a statement to The Huffington Post that Magnay had reacted on Twitter after being threatened and harassed by the group before filming.



'She deeply regrets the language used, which was aimed directly at those who had been targeting our crew,' the statement said. 'She certainly meant no offense to anyone beyond that group, and she and CNN apologize for any offense that may have been taken.'

Earlier, during her live report, the braying Israelis on the hill could be heard as Magnay described the scene from the border overlooking Gaza.

The incident came after Hamas vowed that Israel will 'pay a high price' for their 'foolish' actions after their military began a ground invasion of Gaza on Thursday evening.

Thousands of troops from the Israel Defense Force backed by tanks launched amphibious, air and ground incursions into the narrow Gaza strip after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the military action in a bid to stop rockets being fired from Gaza.



The assault, which began at 10pm local time, followed a heavy barrage of rockets fired at Tel Aviv by Hamas militants from Gaza who have promised 'dreadful consequences' for Israel in the aftermath of the invasion.

Heavy attack: An Israeli rocket is fired into the northern Gaza Strip on July 17, 2014 as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday instructed the military to begin a ground offensive in Gaza Response: Palestinian missiles are fired from Gaza City toward Israel following Israeli air strikes. Israel launched a ground operation in Gaza late Thursday on the 10th day of an offensive to stop rocket attacks IDF soldier prepares: Israel announced the start of a Gaza ground campaign after 10 days of aerial and naval bombardments failed to stop persistent Palestinian rocket attacks

The IDF's attack follows a brief humanitarian truce and despite an appeal from Washington, which cautioned against a land assault and for Israel to do more to protect civilian lives.



'The prime minister and defense minister have instructed the IDF to begin a ground operation tonight in order to hit the terror tunnels from Gaza into Israel,' the official statement said as military officials announced that an additional 18,000 reservists have been called up to bolster the 48,000 already summoned.



The operation will include 'infantry, armored corps, engineer corps, artillery and intelligence combined with aerial and naval support', a statement from the Israeli military added.



The army said the aim of the operation is to protect Israeli lives and crush Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip.



The objective was 'to establish a reality in which Israeli residents can live in safety and security without continued indiscriminate terror, while striking a significant blow to Hamas's terror infrastructure'.



