In a press conference early Saturday morning, an IDF spokesman hinted that Israeli soldiers were preparing for a possible ground incursion into Gaza.
“Across the Gaza Strip, as has been the case for several days, there are Israeli reserve soldiers in formation, preparing for the next phase of operations,” IDF international spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Conricus said in a statement. video. “They are present all over the Gaza Strip. In the south, in the center, and in the north. They are preparing themselves for whatever goal they reach, whatever the mission.”
Israeli Defense Ministry officials said on Friday that ground forces launched raids on Gaza for the first time since then Hamas invasionChasing militants and more They hold 120 hostage.
Earlier this week, Israel said it had deployed about 300,000 soldiers on the border with Gaza. Israel issued it late Thursday and Friday morning Evacuation orders To approximately 1.1 million residents of northern Gaza, it warned them not to leave the area and head south, and it appears that tens of thousands responded to this call.
But this matter sparked criticism from the United Nations, which said that “it is impossible for such a movement to take place without devastating humanitarian consequences.”
“We announced our intentions in advance, not because it has any military logic, it doesn’t,” Conricus said on Saturday. “Because we want civilians not to be affected by the war… We are not trying to kill or injure any civilians, but rather we are fighting against Hamas.”
He said that there has been a “large movement of Palestinian civilians towards the south” since the order was issued.
Since the Hamas invasion, Israel has imposed a complete blockade on Gaza, allowing no food, water, gas, medicine or electricity to enter, putting the region on the brink of a humanitarian crisis.
At least 423,000 Palestinians have been displaced since the conflict began on October 7, according to the United Nations. mentioned Friday.
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