Hamas terror attack 'potentially phase 1 of larger plan' involving region's other Iranian interests

Israel expects to launch a long and difficult ground offensive into Gaza soon to destroy Hamas, the defense minister said Friday, describing a campaign that will require dismantling a vast network of tunnels used by the territory’s militant rulers. Defense Minister Yoav Gallant’s comments pointed to a potentially grueling and open-ended new phase of the war, three weeks after Hamas’ bloody incursion into southern Israel sparked relentless bombardment in Gaza. Israeli troops carried out a second ground raid into Gaza in as many days, striking the outskirts of Gaza City. Gallant told a small group of foreign reporters that the invasion “will take a long time” and be followed by a lengthy phase of lower-intensity fighting as Israel destroys “pockets of resistance.” Israel has said it aims to crush Hamas’ rule in Gaza and its ability to threaten Israel. But how Hamas’ defeat will be measured and an invasion’s endgame remain unclear. Israel says it does not intend to rule the tiny territory of 2.3 million Palestinians but not who it expects to govern – even as Gallant suggested a long-term insurgency could ensue. In a sign of rising tensions in the region, U.S. warplanes struck targets in eastern Syria that the Pentagon said were linked to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard after a string of attacks on American forces, and two mysterious objects hit towns in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula. The Palestinian death toll in Gaza has soared past 7,300, according to officials there. A blockade on Gaza has meant dwindling supplies of food, fuel, water and medicine, and the U.N. warned that its aid operation helping hundreds of thousands of people was “crumbling” amid near-depleted fuel. Gaza’s Health Ministry on Thursday released a detailed list of names and identification numbers of those killed, including more than 3,000 minors and more than 1,500 women. More than 1,400 people were slain in Israel during Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack, according to the Israeli government, and at least 229 hostages were taken into Gaza. Palestinian militants have fired thousands of rockets into Israel, including one that hit a residential building in Tel Aviv on Friday, wounding four people. The overall number of deaths far exceeds the combined toll of all four previous Israel-Hamas wars, estimated at around 4,000. A ground invasion is expected to cause even higher casualties on both sides as Israeli forces and Hamas battle each other in dense residential areas. For in-depth analysis and a deeper perspective on a rapidly escalating war that could explode into an all-out regional war, FRANCE 24's Shona Bhattacharyya is joined by Philip Ingram, investigative journalist, specialising in security and intelligence arenas. He has built on a long and senior career in British Military Intelligence.
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Видео Hamas terror attack 'potentially phase 1 of larger plan' involving region's other Iranian interests канала FRANCE 24 English