Israel will increase the deployment of its ground forces on Friday evening, said Daniel Hagari, a spokesman for the Israeli military, IDF.
At the same time, he urges civilians in Gaza to move south.
– We will continue to attack Gaza, he says.
The recent Israeli ground raids into the Gaza Strip are a direct preparation for an imminent offensive, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said on Friday.
Soldiers have attacked several Hamas strongholds with the support of aircraft and artillery.
During a live press conference, Daniel Hagari, a spokesman for the Israeli military, calls on residents of Gaza City to move south.
– We will continue to attack the city of Gaza. The ground forces are increasing their activity this evening, says Hagari.
Furthermore, he announced that the Israel Defense Forces are now “working vigorously in all dimensions” to achieve their military goals.
TV4’s correspondent: “Want to eat Hamas’ tunnel network”
According to TV4 Nyheterna’s Middle East correspondent, the message from the IDF is very unclear.
– We still know very little about what it means. Does that mean that you are now going in and trying to stay and hold parts of Gaza? But they want to attack Hamas’s tunnel network, and this is part of doing that, says Terese Cristiansson.
According to Israeli Haaretz, the Internet connection in Gaza is supposed to be down.
– It is usual to do this before going in with ground troops. It is a way of making it difficult for the groups to communicate with each other. But it is also a way to control what information comes out of Gaza, says Terese Cristiansson.
The text is updated.