Netanyahu announces start of ground operation in Gaza City as part of Gideon’s Chariots 2
Al-Khamisa News Network - Gaza
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Tuesday morning, at the start of his testimony in court, that Israel has begun carrying out a large-scale ground military operation in the city of Gaza, as part of the new phase of Operation “Gideon Vehicles 2”.
Netanyahu said: “We are in an extremely critical situation, the operation has already begun, and I am occupied from 9:30 a.m. until 6 p.m.” He added that he did not request the courtroom doors be closed during his testimony, indicating he continued to follow developments in the field despite his court session.
Details of the operation
According to Israel’s Channel 12, the army this morning dropped leaflets over the city of Gaza calling on residents to evacuate immediately, as part of what Israel describes as “military measures to protect its forces” during the city’s assault and the targeting of infrastructure and residential areas.
Security estimates in Tel Aviv indicate that around one million Palestinians were living in the northern Gaza Strip before the operation began, and that more than 350,000 civilians had already been displaced by last night, with further displacement expected as Israeli forces advance.
Military support and on-the-ground escalation
CNN quoted Israeli officials as saying the ground operation in Gaza has “already begun gradually”, and that it will be carried out in phases starting from the outskirts and moving into the heart of the city.
Last night, the Israeli Air Force launched an intensive attack of unprecedented intensity, with fighter jets, attack helicopters and tanks used simultaneously, resulting in the destruction of additional residential towers and strategic buildings.
The reverberations of the violent explosions were heard as far as central Israel and the West Bank, indicating the scale of the aerial bombardment that preceded the ground incursion.
The new operation comes after weeks of intensified air raids targeting high-rise towers and densely populated neighborhoods in an attempt to pave the way for the ground incursion. Operation “Gideon Vehicles 2” also forms part of Israel’s strategy to impose full military control over the city of Gaza, amid international warnings of an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe as the bombing and mass displacement continue.
