The Israeli army is prepared for an offensive on the Gaza Strip, involving attacks from “air, sea, and land.”

The IDF (Israel Defense Forces) states that it is ready for the next stage of an offensive against Hamas.

The army is preparing for an extensive campaign in Gaza and “the implementation of a wide range of offensive plans, including, among other things, a comprehensive and coordinated assault from the air, sea, and land.”
“Israeli army soldiers are deployed throughout the country and ready for the next stages of the war, with a strong focus on a significant ground operation,” the statement says.

It is likely that a ground operation will commence soon in the northern part of Gaza, as the Israeli army had previously urged civilians to evacuate these areas. 

Today, the country’s Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, visited a border kibbutz that had come under attack from militants. In a conversation with soldiers, he asked them: “Are you ready to continue? Ready?” The soldiers responded, “Ready.”

Israel had planned to begin a ground operation in the Gaza Strip over the weekend but postponed it in part due to weather conditions that “made it difficult for Israeli pilots and drone operators to provide air cover for ground forces,” sources told The New York Times. 

According to the publication, the goal of the operation is to destroy the top political and military leadership of Hamas and capture Gaza. 

Israel will deploy tens of thousands of troops, tanks, engineers, and special forces for the operation. 

The planned operation could be the largest since 2006 (during the Israeli-Lebanese conflict) and also risks plunging Israel into “the quagmire of bloody urban combat” for months in a small area with a population of over 2 million people.

As the newspaper notes, it is unclear what Israel plans to do after capturing Gaza and what exactly is meant by the destruction of the Hamas leadership. 

Sources in the Israeli army told The New York Times that Hamas may kill hostages and use the civilian population as human shields, as well as set traps. 

A Hamas source, in turn, told the publication that the Israeli military is planning ambushes in the tunnels. 

The New York Times points out that it is still unclear what role Hezbollah plays in this conflict and whether it can open a second front along the Lebanese border.

The USA and Egypt have agreed to temporarily open the Rafah border crossing at the Gaza Strip border to allow American citizens living in the area to evacuate from the bombardment zones. 

According to the Washington Post, there are approximately 500-600 Palestinians with American citizenship living in the Gaza Strip, with many of them having contacts with U.S. authorities.

The IDF (Israel Defense Forces) reported the elimination of the commander of Hamas forces, Nakba Ali Kachi, who led the attack by militants on Israeli border settlements. 

In 2005, Kachi was arrested for the kidnapping and murder of Israelis, but he was later released as part of a hostage release deal.

The United Nations characterizes the situation in the Gaza Strip as a matter of “life and death.” 

The organization warns that clean water supplies for two million people in the region have reached dangerously low levels, posing a high risk of waterborne disease outbreaks.

The Palestinian Ministry of Health reported that since the beginning of the conflict, 2,215 civilians have been killed, including 724 children and 458 women. 

Another 8,714 civilians have been injured, including 2,450 children and 1,536 women. Gaza’s hospitals are overwhelmed and struggling to cope with the influx of casualties. 

As a result, the hospital in Deir al-Balah had to store bodies in refrigerated trucks originally meant for transporting ice cream.

Hamas expressed gratitude to Vladimir Putin for his earlier statement regarding the necessity of establishing an independent Palestine and his condemnation of the Gaza blockade. 

In the movement’s Telegram channel, they stated that they appreciate the position of the Russian President and welcome the efforts of the country’s authorities to halt “Israel’s aggression.”

The Palestinian Ministry of Health also accused Israel of causing the death of 70 people as a result of the shelling of a refugee convoy in the Gaza Strip. 

According to their information, three convoys traveling from north to south in the region came under fire, and 200 people were injured in the attack.