Israeli infantry raids Gaza
Oct 24, 2023
Tel Aviv [Israel], October 24: Israeli ground forces have conducted limited attacks in the Gaza Strip, while the US is said to have advised Israel to postpone a large-scale amphibious operation.Hamas forces yesterday (October 23) accused Israel of attacks on the Gaza Strip overnight and in the early morning of the same day that killed at least 70 people, according to AFP. Over the past two weeks, Israel has conducted many air strikes on Gaza in retaliation for the October 7 surprise attack by Hamas that left at least 1,400 people dead in Israel . Israel's retaliatory bombing campaign has killed more than 4,650 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Health Authority.Israel attacked 320 targetsThe Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced this morning that in the previous 24 hours, they had attacked about 320 targets belonging to Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) in Gaza, according to The Times of Israel . The IDF said that the air force attacked multiple tunnels and military sites in Gaza.The IDF also stated that ground forces conducted limited attacks into Gaza overnight against opposing forces. "During the night there were raids by tank and infantry forces. These raids were aimed at destroying terrorist groups that were preparing to deal with our next phase in the war," the spokesman said. IDF Daniel Hagari emphasized. MrHagari described the raids as going "deep" into Gaza, "helping to locate and search for anything we could get in terms of intelligence regarding the missing persons and the hostages". .Previously, on the evening of October 22, Hamas said that its members fought with Israeli forces who invaded an area in southern Gaza, and returned to their base after destroying some Israeli military equipment, according to Reuters.Washington advised Tel Aviv to postpone the landing campaign?New developments take place while Israel is preparing to conduct a large-scale landing campaign in Gaza to destroy Hamas. However, The New York Times yesterday quoted several US officials revealing that President Joe Biden's administration advised Israel to postpone the ground attack on Gaza, hoping to buy time for negotiations. to rescue the hostages and allow more humanitarian aid to reach the Palestinians .In it, an official familiar with the hostage negotiations said Hamas had warned that a ground attack on Gaza would make the hostages' release less likely. These negotiations take place primarily through Qatar, which has close ties to Hamas.The advice was conveyed through US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin because the Pentagon is helping advise Israel on military actions, including the amphibious operation, according to two US officials. Meanwhile, an Israeli diplomat in Washington DC denied that the US government advised Israel to postpone the landing campaign.According to Bloomberg, the US is increasingly concerned that Israel's expected large-scale ground attack could attract intervention from Iran-backed Hezbollah forces in Lebanon. If Hezbollah intervenes, it could open a second front in the Hamas-Israel conflict and lead to a wider conflict.On the same day (October 22), US President Joe Biden convened an online meeting with the leaders of Canada, Britain, Germany, France and Italy to discuss the ongoing Hamas - Israel conflict, according to Reuters. In a statement released after the meeting, the leaders emphasized their support for Israel but also called on the country to comply with international humanitarian law and protect civilians.Source: ThanhNien Newspaper