The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) will increase airstrikes in the Gaza Strip “starting today,” said IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari this Saturday (21).
“We will increase our attacks, minimize the risk to our troops in the next stages of the war, and we will intensify the attacks, starting today,” Hagari told reporters during a briefing in Tel Aviv.
When asked whether Israel halted a ground operation in Gaza due to pressure from the United States, Hagari stated that the Israeli military would launch such an operation when conditions for the military were optimized.
The IDF continued conducting airstrikes yesterday, Hagari said.
“Our main effort in Gaza is to eliminate terrorists, especially those involved in Saturday’s massacre two weeks ago,” he said, referring to the surprise Hamas terrorist attack that Israeli authorities say killed more than 1,400. people.
“We continue to destroy terrorist targets ahead of the next phase of the war and are focused on our preparation for the next stage,” he added.
VIDEO – Government advises Brazilians to leave the West Bank
Hamas controls the Gaza Strip, the coastal region where more than 2 million Palestinians live. Gaza is gripped by a deepening humanitarian crisis, with an Israeli siege preventing access to critical resources and airstrikes that have killed at least 4,385 people since October 7, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.
Israel has told more than 1 million people to leave the northern Gaza Strip as it prepares for the next stages of the war with Hamas. The Israel Defense Forces chief of staff told IDF commanders on Saturday that the military “will enter the Gaza Strip.”
He said the territory is complicated, but that the IDF is preparing. “All IDF capabilities will be with you in this maneuver. Be brave, with that mindset, be very determined and give your soldiers confidence,” said Halevi.
See images of the conflict between Israel and Hamas
Source: CNN Brasil

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