The Israeli military has said that it will be extending its ground operation into Gaza, bringing in tanks and troops with heavy air and naval assistance. This is a major step forward in the nearly three-week-old confrontation that is still going on with Hamas.
Most communications in Gaza have been affected by the current bombing, which locals have characterised as the most intensive of the conflict. This has isolated the 2.3 million people living in the beleaguered territory from the outside world. This has given the Israeli military the narrative clout in this new phase of the conflict.
“The ground shook in Gaza,” declared Israel’s Defence Minister Benny Gantz, indicating that a new phase of the fight had begun.
The Israeli military hinted at the start of a new phase in the continuing conflict with Hamas on Friday when it said that its ground soldiers were “expanding their activity” in Gaza. Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, the top military spokesperson for Israel, declared that the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) had increased their assaults in the Gaza Strip. Although the precise scope of this extension is yet unknown, it suggests a major intensification of the battle.
This happened when the intense bombing in Gaza caused phone and internet services to fail, further isolating the populace. As a result of the heavy bombing, the Palestine Telecommunications Company reported a “complete disruption of all communication and internet services”.
Israel has launched ground assaults into Gaza in recent days, backed by fighter planes and unmanned aerial vehicles. According to the IDF, hundreds of locations on Gaza City’s outskirts were the focus of these assaults. Despite their modest scope, these ground invasions had a critical role in setting the stage for the subsequent stages of the fight. The primary goals of the IDF’s operations are to locate and destroy terrorists’ launch platforms and explosives.
Since the crisis started on October 7, rockets fired at southern Israel have been launched by Hamas and other violent Palestinian organisations. While Israel’s Iron Dome defence system intercepts the majority of these rockets, several have nonetheless damaged and injured Israeli cities. One missile struck Tel Aviv on Friday, seriously damaging the city and wounding three people.
Significant deaths have been caused by Israel’s heavy artillery and airstrikes on Gaza in response to the rocket assaults. Over 7,000 deaths have been recorded by Gaza health officials; Israel contests this number. Numerous families are buried beneath the debris that has destroyed entire neighbourhoods.
A change in the conflict is marked by Israel’s ground assault having a rolling start. Before bringing in major troops, a rolling start entails the deployment of scouting units to better assess the situation. A Marine general with experience in urban fighting and special operations has been dispatched by the US to provide guidance to the Israeli military during this transitional period.
The world community is still calling for a ceasefire and a diplomatic solution to put a stop to the carnage in Gaza and Israel as the situation intensifies.
This article focuses on how Israel’s ground campaign in Gaza has become more intense and how it has affected the continuing war with Hamas. It highlights the difficulties that Gaza’s civilian population faces and the pressing necessity for a diplomatic settlement to the conflict.
