by WorldTribune Staff, October 23, 2023
The Biden Administration is prevailing on Israel to delay its ground invasion of the Gaza Strip to allow time for the release of hostages and shipments of aid into the Hamas-controlled territory, The New York Times reported on Monday, citing U.S. officials.
Meanwhile Israel’s Air Force on Monday continued to check off its military objectives, paving the way for the ground invasion by targeting tunnels with terrorists in them and by launching airstrikes on hundreds of Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad locations in Gaza, the Israeli military said.
Special ops infantry and armored corps conducted raids on the ground in the enclave in preparation for a wider ground offensive, the military added.
The New York Times report stated that Team Biden sought to buy time for negotiations with Hamas on the release of captives and to allow more humanitarian aid to reach Gaza.
The report added that American officials also wanted more time to prepare for possible attacks on U.S. interests in the region from Iran-backed terror groups, which officials said are likely to intensify once Israel moves its forces fully into Gaza.
In a televised briefing on Monday describing Israel’s latest moves on the ground, Israel Defense Forces (IDF) chief spokesperson Daniel Hagari said 222 people had been confirmed as taken captive by Hamas terrorists during their Oct. 7 attack on Israel.
“During the night, there were raids by tank and infantry forces. These are raids that kill squads of terrorists who are preparing for the next stage in the war,” Hagari said, describing incursions that went “deep” into Gaza. “These raids also locate and search for anything we can get in terms of intelligence on the missing and the hostages.”
Hagari added that the Israeli raids also help commanders understand where “the terrorists are assembling, [and how] the terrorists are getting organized in anticipation of the next stages of the war. And our role is to reduce these threats.”
On Sunday, during a visit to the Air Force’s Operations Command and Control Center, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said: “In terms of the operational aspects of maneuvering — at the end of the day, nothing will stop the IDF. It is a combination of two things: Our aerial capabilities and ground maneuvering. This should be our last maneuvering operation in Gaza, for the simple reason that afterwards there will be no more Hamas.”
Gallant added: “It may take a month, two or three, but at the end there will be no more Hamas.”
In southern Gaza, the IDF said it has begun inspecting trucks delivering food, water and medicines to those Palestinians who have evacuated northern Gaza and Gaza City.
The IDF is seeking to push more civilians in Gaza to move south “until we finish the next stages,” said Hagari.
“Any other supplies, fuels, are not entering Gaza and we are supervising to ensure that Hamas is not taking UNRWA supplies,” said Hagari, adding, “We watch this aerially and if needed we will take action.”
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