Prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu has told Israelis that a ground invasion of Gaza, and the besieged Palestinian enclave already subject to intensive Israeli air strikes, is coming in spite of delays.
In an address to the nation on Wednesday night, Mr Netanyahu said the goal of the operation was to destroy Hamas and free hostages taken by the militant group in its attack on Israel on October 7th, in which 1,400 people were killed.
He was speaking as Israel maintained its relentless bombing of the Gaza Strip, which has forced hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to leave their homes in the north and seek refuge in the south of the enclave – though air strikes are also taking place there.
The Hamas-controlled health ministry in Gaza says that 6,500 people have been killed in the Israeli strikes to date, and Gaza hospitals are performing only emergency services, due to a lack of fuel.
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In his televised address, Mr Netanyahu said: “We are preparing for a ground incursion. I won’t specify when, how, how many. I also won’t detail the range of considerations, most of which the public is not aware of. And that’s the way it is supposed to be.”
He said that “everyone will have to answer for the Hamas attack, including myself” after Israel’s war with Hamas is over.
The Israeli leader’s comments came as contacts continued over the release of hostages held by Hamas, which governs Gaza, but Israel has warned that the window is narrow and says it will not get bogged down in endless negotiations.
Speculation was rife that under consideration was the release of the 30 children under the age of 16, along with the women in captivity. It’s not clear what Israel would give in return.
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Hamas has made it clear that it will not release any of the soldiers it seized when some 2,000 gunmen stormed across the border into southern Israel on October 7th. and engaged in a killing spree. Most of the 1,400 dead were civilians.
The Wall Street Journal reported, citing US and Israeli officials, that Israel has agreed to a request from Washington to postpone its ground incursion as Washington rushes air defences to protect its troops in the region, after attacks on US troops in Syria and Iraq.
Qatari prime minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Jassim Al-Thani said on Wednesday afternoon at a press conference with Turkey’s foreign minister that there had been a “breakthrough” in the negotiations for a release of hostages. He said he expected to soon see the release of more hostages from captivity.
Shortly after the sheikh’s statement, the head of Israel’s national security council, Tzachi Hanegbi, posted on the X social media platform that he was “pleased to say that Qatar is becoming an essential party and stakeholder in the facilitation of humanitarian solutions”, adding that Qatar’s diplomatic efforts are “crucial at this time”.
Hamas has already released four hostages in what it termed humanitarian gestures: a mother and daughter with American citizenship and two elderly Israeli kibbutz members.
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At least 222 other people remain in captivity, including 138 with foreign citizenship, although not all of them are being held by Hamas.
Some argue that a ground offensive will torpedo any chance to free the hostages. Others argue that such a move will increase the pressure on Hamas to strike a deal as well as creating the possibility that some hostages may by rescued by Israeli special forces.
On day 19 of the war, there has been no letup in Israel’s unprecedented bombing campaign, with much of the northern Gaza Strip already reduced to rubble. One overnight strike brought down several apartment buildings in the southern Gaza town of Khan Younis.
Although humanitarian aid convoys continue to cross via the Rafah crossing to Egypt, bringing food, water and medicine, Israel is preventing the transfer of fuel.
The Israel Defence Forces released satellite images of what it claims is a depot with 12 large fuel silos near the Rafah crossing. Israel claims that that hundreds of thousands of liters of fuel are currently stored at the site by Hamas at the expense of Gaza’s civilian population.
Hamas fired two long range rockets from Gaza on Wednesday, one towards Haifa in the north and one towards the Red Sea resort of Eilat, reinforcing the feeling amongst many Israelis that nowhere is safe.
