During his address to the nation, Benjamin Netanyahu announced that Israel is preparing for an upcoming ground invasion in Gaza without going into further details and postponing until the end of the war the Israeli leadership’s accountability for the flaws in security systems during the Oct. 7 Hamas attack.
Last night’s raids inside the Strip with tanks and soldiers hint that the invasion is imminent.
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Netanyahu announces ground invasion in Gaza
There are probably multiple factors behind the delay of the invasion of the Gaza Strip by Israeli troops that seemed imminent a few days ago.
In an address to the nation, Netanyahu assured the nation that it will be there, although he did not go into details that would obviously be an advantage for Hamas forces:
“We are preparing for entry into Gaza. I will not say how or when. There are considerations that are not known to the general public. The date of entry into the Strip will be decided by the War Cabinet.“
This for Israel is considered the only way to finally defeat Hamas and free the hostages after the horrific attack on Oct. 7. despite international calls for a cease-fire to protect the exhausted Palestinian population. “All those who participated in the Oct. 7 attack will be killed,” Netanyahu said.
International appeals for a ceasefire
Following UN Secretary General Guterres’ call for a ceasefire, EU heads of state and government, who will meet at a summit in Brussels, will call in their conclusions for “humanitarian corridors and pauses” to allow aid to reach the civilian population in Gaza.
According to Sarah Hendriks, deputy executive director of UN Women, 50,000 women in Gaza are currently pregnant. And more than 5,500 are expected to give birth by next month. Thus underscoring the urgent need for women and girls in Gaza to access safe shelter, protection and maternal health care.
Targeted blitzes in northern Gaza
Meanwhile, the Israeli army is preparing for the ground invasion that now seems imminent. Israeli troops and tanks launched a number of targeted raids in northern Gaza overnight, hitting several Hamas targets.
As Israeli military spokesman Daniel Hagari said, ” The ground incursion into the northern sector of Gaza is part of our preparations for the next phase of the war.”
During the operation, which lasted several hours, the military “killed terrorists, and destroyed Hamas terrorist infrastructure. They defused devices, and neutralized ambushes.” At the end of the targeted tank raids, Israeli forces left the area, Hagari concluded, ”without having suffered any casualties.”
The military operation had been announced by Israeli military radio as ”an extensive ground incursion of infantry and armored troops that reached greater depth. This is a broader operation than the incursions carried out so far in the Gaza Strip in the past two weeks,” the station pointed out.
Hamas reaction
“Should Israel launch a large-scale ground attack toward the Gaza Strip “a new and proud page in our history would be written.
For the occupiers it will be a historic and unprecedented defeat.” This was stated by Saleh al-Arouri, deputy head of the Hamas political bureau quoted by the Hezbollah group’s official Telegram page and reported by major international media.
Read also: Israel-Hamas, fears for the outbreak of a Third World War: the possible scenarios
