An Israeli military spokesman said Sunday that Israeli troops are “in formation” to strike Gaza City in the northern Gaza Strip as Israel is expected to launch a ground incursion into the besieged enclave.
“Gaza City is where the focus and the hub of Hamas activities are, that is where most of the commanders are, most of their infrastructure and their ability to continue to operate,” said Israeli military spokesperson Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus, according to NPR.
The New York Times reported on Saturday that Israel’s plan is to invade and capture Gaza City and attempt to wipe out Hamas’ leadership. The operation is expected to involve tens of thousands of troops and will be Israel’s largest ground incursion since at least 2006 when it invaded Lebanon.
Besides sending in the infantry, the incursion will include tanks, commandos, and mine sappers. The force will receive support from Israeli warplanes, attack helicopters, and artillery fired from land and sea. The US is strongly backing Israel as it’s preparing to invade Gaza and launching relentless airstrikes on the enclave.
The invasion force will face stiff resistance from Hamas militants and other groups that will join the fighting. The Israeli incursion of Gaza is expected to lead to months of brutal urban warfare in one of the most densely populated places in the world. Israel’s long-term plans and whether it would eventually withdraw from Gaza City if it’s successfully captured are unclear.
Ahead of the expected ground invasion of Gaza, Israel calls for northern Gaza to be evacuated, an area that’s home to 1.1 million people. Israel said the residents should move to southern Gaza, a huge movement of people that UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has said is likely “impossible.” According to Middle East Eye, at least 70 people were killed by an Israeli airstrike while attempting to flee to the south.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Sunday that the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and Gaza will soon reopen for aid. The crossing was closed last Tuesday amid Israeli airstrikes in the area and was not reopened.
Israel had also threatened to bomb aid trucks entering Gaza from Egypt, but Blinken’s comments suggest a deal was reached to allow the flow of at least some humanitarian good. Israel’s continued siege and imminent ground invasion will still incur a huge civilian cost.
So far, Israeli airstrikes on Gaza in the wake of the October 7 Hamas attack have killed at least 2,450 Palestinians, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry. The number includes 724 children and 458 women.
No water,no food,no medicine, no electricity. Now this. Joe will not step in to stop this. AIPAC is watching, listening. He has an election next year, you know……………
Yep, he’s a dirtbag, all right.
Are you still under the impression that the POTUS has real powers?
https://www.moonofalabama.org/2023/10/arnaud-bertrand-how-israel-stepped-into-a-trap.html#more
Bertrend certainly has a point. Whether Hamas actually strategized it as a suicide mission (very possibly) or not it touches the primal, recalls the likes of Leonidas, and could inspirit the entire Moslem peoples to rise against Washington/Israel.
Consider this possibility, remote as it may be. The possibility that Hamas is leading the IDF into a trap.
Not the death & ambush kind – an international PR nightmare kind of trap.
What if the IDF Special Services and Special Armour divisions invade with full shock und awe … and meet zero resistance ? Palestinians and Hamassian forces alike come out to greet them as liberators with flowers literally in hand, just to be gunned down unarmed in plain view of world media ? For the expressed purpose of showing the IDF and the State regime for what it is ?
Good movie script, not going to happen in real lfie.
USS Liberty would still make the better movie.
No, very unlikely scenario I pose. Just putting it out there on the very long odds it goes that way.
This will not end well for Israel; they will eventually win, of course; but this type of fighting negates all their advantages. Given the very high level of coordination and execution shown by HAMAS in the attack, I would expect their defense to be well planned out as well – and as the last Lebanon incursion against Hezbollah showed, Israel has little stomach for casualties.
So use fuel air explosives and gas-Hamas and Hezbollah are attacking-let them face the whirlwind.
Bent over with their pants pulled down…
And Hezbollah is in formation to get Shebaa Farms back…!
Newcomb