The Israeli army said it was awaiting a “political decision” on a ground offensive in the Gaza Strip, which it has been shelling relentlessly in retaliation for the bloody Hamas attack on October 7.
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Israel has urged residents of the besieged Palestinian territory in the north – around 1.1 million people out of a total population of 2.4 million – to flee south, saying it is targeting the northern city of Gaza, the center of operations for the ruling Islamist movement to destroy movement.
According to the UN Office for Humanitarian Affairs (Ocha), tens of thousands of Gazans have already moved south, while Israel has deployed tens of thousands of soldiers in the Gaza Strip.
In two separate press conferences, Israeli army spokesman Richard Hecht and Daniel Hagari suggested that any invasion would have to be preceded by a “political decision.”
“We will have discussions with the political level,” said Mr. Hecht.
Since the attack by Hamas commandos on Israeli soil, thousands of Israeli airstrikes have been carried out on the Gaza Strip.
Israeli officials said more than 1,300 people were killed in Israel and at least 126 hostages held by Hamas were identified. The Israeli response has killed more than 2,300 people in Gaza.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant discussed the evacuation of civilians from the Gaza Strip and “humanitarian issues” during talks with U.S. senators on Sunday, his office reported.
He emphasized “military power” and “(Israel’s) determination to destroy the enemy.”
Israeli military spokesmen told reporters that an invasion of Gaza would aim to wipe out the Hamas network to prevent it from carrying out further attacks.
According to Mr. Hecht, Gaza’s Hamas leader, Yahya Sinouar, is being targeted because he is considered the mastermind of the October 7 attack: “He is a dead man walking, and we will go to him.”