Israel bombs Gaza and is ready to invade. The United States: “Israel think again”

John

By John

Israel accelerates operation on Gaza, announcing to intensify the raids with troops and tanks inside the Strip while never before have so many planes taken off for raids in the Palestinian enclave. An announcement from the military spokesperson which was immediately confirmed by Hamas’s denunciation of “a massive attempt by Israel to penetrate the Strip with tanks from the north and east: the battle is underway around the dividing barrier”. The army’s move is considered a concrete prelude to the mass entry into Gaza which in the last few hours has already seen a massive intensification of raids in the north of the Palestinian enclave.

“The ground forces of the Israeli army – said military spokesman Daniel Hagari – are expanding their blitz inside the Gaza Strip this evening together with air strikes.” Then he renewed his appeal to Palestinian residents to evacuate to the south of the Strip so as not to find themselves involved in the fighting which has already knocked out communications in Gaza, with the internet down. Also denouncing that the Hamas command is hiding under the main hospital in Gaza City. That the army’s strategy had changed for days was already clear with the two new raids carried out last night inside the Strip. The first in the area of ​​Shujaiya, a suburb of Gaza, where tanks and ground troops hit Hamas positions. The second is that of ‘Flotilla 13’, an Israeli navy unit that landed in the south of the Strip to destroy terrorist positions of the Palestinian faction, in particular a base of the ‘Frogmen of Hamas’. At the end, the Israeli forces returned to their bases, crossing the border again. Israel also issued a warning, most likely referring to Lebanon from where the launches continue and to Syria: the army is “preparing to defend itself on all fronts and the forces on the northern border are also on maximum alert”. And there is a real risk that the sparks of war in Gaza could ignite not only the northern front but also enemies further away geographically, in particular those in the Red Sea area. Israel has in fact announced that it has thwarted an “air threat” coming from that area.

And there are quite a few military analysts who have indicated the origin of the threat to be the Yemen of the Houthis, allies of Tehran, or an Iranian ship present off the coast of the area. “After the identification occurred in the Red Sea area – explained the army – the air force intercepted hostile targets in that area”. According to AlQaera News, the city of Taba in Egypt was hit, with some injured. Center that borders Eilat, the extreme tip of Israel on the Red Sea. For the army, the hostile target intercepted was a drone that fell on the Egyptian coastal town. Moreover, already last October 19, a destroyer had shot down “three land attack cruise missiles and several drones” launched by Houthi rebels and directed “potentially against targets in Israel” in the Red Sea. A scenario that also saw American military jets, on orders from President Joe Biden, attack groups of militants supported by Iran in Syria that had hit American troops in the country and in Iraq after the October 7 attack. In the maximum alert on all fronts indicated by the Israeli army, it is certainly contemplated that the enemy areas around the Jewish state could become active. The announcement of the increase in incursions into Gaza was preceded by intense rocket fire towards the south and center of Israel, especially on Tel Aviv. In rapid succession, the alarm sirens went off twice. An apartment in a building in the south of the city was hit by a rocket which injured 3. In the Strip – where around 10 aid trucks and a medical team arrived from the Rafah crossing with Egypt in a dramatic humanitarian situation – the deaths have risen to 7,326 with around 19,000 injured. The puzzle of the 229 Israeli hostages in the hands of Hamas in Gaza remains: for days there has been talk of progress in the negotiations between the parties, mediated by Egypt and Qatar. But at the moment there is no decisive turning point.

“This is the time for weapons.” So Hamas launched “an urgent appeal to our people in the West Bank” to take up arms against Israel. While the United States under Biden is urging Israel to rethink its plan for a ground offensive in Gazaand to opt for a more “surgical” operation using planes and special forces for targeted and precise raids. The Washington Post reports this, citing some sources, according to whom the administration is worried about the potential repercussions of a total assault and always doubts more than it could achieve Israel’s goal of eliminating Hamas. An invasion could also derail negotiations for the release of the hostages