Israel plans to capture Gaza City — the largest Palestinian enclave — with the goal of destroying the Hamas leadership in an upcoming ground invasion of the Gaza strip, Israeli military officials said.
Tens of thousands of Israeli soldiers will storm Gaza in the coming days with orders to capture Gaza City and destroy the Hamas leadership there, three senior Israeli military officials told the New York Times of the undisclosed plan.
It is not clear what Israel intends to do with Gaza City if it is captured, the Times reported. The city, home to over half a million people, is home to the offices of the Hamas government.
It is also not clear what military officials mean when they say it plans to destroy the militant group’s leadership – although an Israeli military spokesman told the paper the army intended to kill Yahya Sinwar, a top Hamas official.
The incursion is expected days after the Israel Defense Forces ordered the evacuation of up to 1.1 million Palestinians from northern Gaza — where Gaza City is located.
Israeli officials say thousands of Hamas fighters are dug in under Gaza City. AFP via Getty Images
Israel has assembled a large fighting force on the Gaza border, including 35 battalions with 300,000 soldiers who will be led into battle by 100 fortified bulldozers.
Israel’s weapons include 300 tanks and several armored personnel carriers, sources said.
Israel had planned to launch the invasion this weekend – but it was delayed because of cloudy conditions that would have blocked the view of Israeli pilots and drone operators providing air support for troops on the ground, Israeli military officials told the Times.
Israel has massed its ground forces on the Gaza border with an invasion expected at any moment. AFP via Getty Images Israel says it wants to oust the Hamas leadership in response to the militant group’s unprecedented attacks last week. AFP via Getty Images
Israeli military officials believe tens of thousands of Hamas soldiers are hiding in hundreds of miles of underground tunnels and bunkers under Gaza City and surrounding areas, according to the outlet.
Terrorists likely blew up some of the tunnels as Israeli ground forces moved up, military officials said. Roadside bombs and obscurely trapped buildings are also major concerns, the newspaper reported.
A Hamas official told the Times that the militants planned to launch a surprise attack on advancing Israeli forces from behind by suddenly emerging from underground shelters.
The incursion is expected to be Israel’s biggest ground offensive since 2006, when troops moved into Lebanon. It was also Israel’s first attempt to capture land since it invaded Gaza in 2008, the three senior officials told the newspaper.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
