Israel plans to capture Gaza City, the largest Palestinian enclave, with the aim of destroying the Hamas leadership in its imminent 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 about the unclassified plan.
It is unclear what Israel intends to do with Gaza City if it is captured, the Times reported. The city, home to more than half a million people, is where Hamas’ government offices are located.
It is also unclear what military officials meant when they said they plan to destroy the militant group’s leadership, although an Israeli military spokesman told the newspaper that forces intend to kill Yahya Sinwar, the senior Hamas official.
The invasion 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 said thousands of Hamas fighters are entrenched beneath Gaza City. AFP via Getty Images
Israel has amassed a huge fighting force on the Gaza border, including 35 battalions with 300,000 troops who will be preceded into battle by 100 fortified bulldozers.
The Israeli arsenal includes 300 tanks and dozens of armored personnel carriers, the sources said.
Israel had planned to launch the invasion this weekend, but it was delayed due to cloudy conditions that would have obstructed the view of Israeli pilots and drone operators providing aerial support to soldiers on the ground, Israeli military officials told the Times.
Israel has built up its ground forces on the Gaza border and an invasion is expected at any time. AFP via Getty Images Israel said it wants to overthrow Hamas leaders in response to the militant group’s unprecedented attack last week. AFP via Getty Images
Israeli military officials believe tens of thousands of Hamas soldiers are hiding in hundreds of kilometers of underground tunnels and bunkers beneath Gaza City and its surrounding areas, according to the outlet.
Terrorists are likely to blow up some of those tunnels as Israeli ground forces advance upward, military officials said. Roadside bombs and booby-trapped buildings are also a major concern, the newspaper reported.
A Hamas official told the Times that the militants plan to make a surprise attack on advancing Israeli soldiers from behind by suddenly emerging from underground shelters.
The invasion is expected to be Israel’s largest ground assault since 2006, when forces entered Lebanon. It will also be Israel’s first attempt to capture land since it invaded Gaza in 2008, the three senior officials told the newspaper.
Categories: Trending
Source: vtt.edu.vn