“Deploy troops and continue fighting”… Large-scale ground warfare is still
The Israeli military announced on the 28th (local time) that it entered the northern Gaza Strip overnight and expanded ground operations.
According to CNN, Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesman Daniel Hagari said in a press briefing that day, “We have entered the Gaza Strip and expanded ground operations involving infantry, armor, engineering units, and artillery.”
Spokesperson Hagari explained that “troops have been deployed to the scene and are continuing the fight,” but did not provide specific details.
CNN assessed that this announcement confirms that military operations have expanded significantly following two “targeted airstrikes” on the nights of the 25th and 26th. In that airstrike, Israeli ground forces withdrew within hours.
However, it is understood that a large-scale ground attack to occupy the Gaza Strip has not yet proceeded.
Hagari said there were no casualties in the fighting overnight and that “we continue to do everything to keep our troops safe.”
He also said residents who had been moved to the southern Gaza Strip were in a so-called “protection zone” and would receive more food, water and medicine today.
He repeatedly denied any involvement in hostage negotiations with Hamas and countered that it was “Hamas’s cynical action to promote psychological terrorism.”
He added, “Returning the hostages home is the country’s greatest effort,” and added, “All operational activities are aimed at realizing this goal.”
In addition, the IDF announced in a separate update that Hezbollah attempted to fire an anti-tank missile at Israel’s Hanita Kibbutz (collective farm) that day, and responded with a drone.
Previously, the IDF announced that, in collaboration with the Israeli intelligence agency Shin Bet (ISA), it had raided Assem Abu Raqaba, who was in charge of the paraglider strike during Hamas’s ‘Al-Aqsa flood’ surprise attack on the 7th.
In addition, it said that it attacked 150 underground targets in the northern Gaza Strip with fighter jets and attacked Hezbollah’s military infrastructure in Lebanon in response to Hezbollah’s rocket attack.
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.