During the evening, the Israeli military, the IDF, announced that it is stepping up its attacks on Gaza. The aim is to put additional pressure on the terror-labeled group Hamas ahead of the expected ground offensive.
– We are increasing our attacks to minimize the danger to our forces in the next stage of the war. We will escalate the war from now on, spokesman Daniel Hagari said at a press conference on Saturday when asked about a ground invasion.
He also again called on the residents of Gaza to seek refuge in the southern parts for security reasons.
Chief of Staff: “Will enter the Gaza Strip”
Even Herzl Halevi, the IDF chief of staff, says that the Israeli attacks on Hamas targets are now intensifying.
According to him, it is already clear that the Israeli soldiers will carry out a ground invasion.
– We will enter the Gaza Strip to carry out an operational and professional mission, to destroy Hamas militants and infrastructure, he says according to the newspaper Haaretz.
– We will also remember the pictures and they fell from last Saturday two weeks ago.
Halevi also states that Hamas is preparing for what is to come.
– Gaza is complicated and dense. The enemy is preparing many things, but we are also preparing ourselves, he says.
UN: The situation in Gaza is catastrophic
While the IDF and Hamas prepare for a ground invasion, the death toll continues to rise. Over 1,400 people have been killed in Israel. Most are civilians who were killed when the terror-labeled group attacked Israel on October 7.
At least 4,300 people have died in Israeli attacks on Gaza, according to a statement from the Ministry of Health. On Saturday, the UN called the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip “catastrophic”.
“Children, pregnant women and the elderly are still the most vulnerable. Almost half of Gaza’s residents are children,” several UN agencies, including the World Health Organization WHO and Unicef, state in a joint statement.