The Israeli ground forces launched 'localised raids' in the Gaza Strip on Friday, ahead of a much likely full-scale invasion. In a statement, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said infantry forces and tanks entered to “cleanse the area” of potential militants and weaponry.
According to the Times of Israel, IDF spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said the forces carried out searches and “thwarted anti-tank guided missile squads that intended to infiltrate into Israeli territory.” The ground forces also searched for missing Israelis and hostages. The Hamas militants have held over 150 people captive, both Israelis and foreign nationals.
In a rare televised address ahead of Shabbat, the Jewish Day of Rest, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the whole nation is united in the fight for the homeland. “We are hitting our enemies with unprecedented force, but I stress, it is only the beginning,” he said.
In the fiery speech, he further said: “Our enemies have only just begun to pay the price. I won’t detail what will come next. But I’m telling you, it’s only the beginning.” A week after Hamas militants took Israelis by surprise and launched the gruesome attack across the border, the PM vowed that Israel will not forget the atrocities and that the “deep pain of that cursed Shabbat” will be etched into Israel's identity.
Netanyanhu, who has been faced blistering criticism for not reaching out to the families of hostages, said he has spoken with a few families.
Humanitarian crisis
As Israel's evacuation deadline looms, several thousand Gaza residents hit the roads heading out of the northern strip, while many others said they will not leave their homes. On Friday, Israel gave more than a million Gazan residents of the northern part to flee to the south within 24 hours—an order the United Nations termed as “impossible”.
The UN and other organisations warned of a disaster if so many people were forced to flee. Mahmoud Abbas, president of Hamas rival Palestinian Authority, told US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Jordan that the forced displacement would constitute a repeat of 1948, when hundreds of thousands of Palestinians fled or were driven from what is now Israel.
The Hamas has called on Gazans to stay in their homes and reject the threats to relocate.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) said hospitals in Gaza are struggling to handle the sheer number of dead and injured from relentless Israeli airstrikes and shelling. The health system in Gaza is "at a breaking point". The UN sexual and reproductive health agency says 50,000 pregnant women are unable to access essential health services and clean water in Gaza.
The Israeli military which pounded the Gaza Strip with airstrikes, and is preparing for a ground offensive,had said that the complete siege of the territory will remain in place till Hamas frees the hostages. Hamas' assault earlier this week killed more than 1,300 people in Israel and over 1,500 people have died in the Israeli retaliation in Gaza.
