Unlike previous incursions, Israeli forces have not pulled back from Gaza after entering the strip and there have been reports of ongoing battles involving tanks, infantry and air support in the north of the strip.
One of the number one goals of the IDF is likely to neutralise Hamas’s huge underground tunnel network that can be used to move troops and equipment around Gaza. Israel also said its forces had hit Palestinian militants preparing anti-tank missile launches.
The intense fighting has sparked fears that the conflict could quickly spread to other areas of the Middle East.
This morning, Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi posted to X (formerly Twitter) warning that Israel had “crossed the red lines” and warned this could “force everyone to take action”.
In addition, Israeli forces have engaged with Lebanon-based terror group Hezbollah on an almost daily basis since Hamas launched its attack kicking off the war on October 7.
Last night, the IDF said it struck Hezbollah targets inside Lebanon in response to rocket launches by the group.
At least 7,703 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since the war began, according to the UN, while Israel says more than 1,400 people were killed in the October 7 attacks. In addition, Palestinian militants are holding at least 229 people hostage in Gaza.
Despite the ground offensives ongoing in northern Gaza, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stopped short of describing the operations as a full-scale invasion, saying instead that Israel had decided to “expand ground operations” in Gaza.
