Israel on Thursday said that a column of tanks and infantry had launched an overnight raid into Hamas-controlled Gaza, striking “numerous” targets before retreating to Israeli territory, news agency AFP reported. The military announced the incursion into Palestinian territory to the north just hours after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared that preparations for a ground war were underway.
The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) described the operation as a “targeted raid” that targeted “numerous terrorist cells, infrastructure, and anti-tank missile launch posts” in an X post.
The operation was described as “preparation for the next stages of combat,” and “the soldiers have since exited the area and returned to Israeli territory”.
The military released black-and-white video footage of a column of armoured vehicles and bulldozers winding towards and breaking through what appeared to be a border fence.
Take A Look At The Visuals Here:
In preparation for the next stages of combat, the IDF operated in northern Gaza.
IDF tanks & infantry struck numerous terrorist cells, infrastructure and anti-tank missile launch posts.
The soldiers have since exited the area and returned to Israeli territory. pic.twitter.com/oMdSDR84rU
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) October 26, 2023
News agency AFP confirmed the location as being south of the Israeli city of Ashkelon, but could not confirm when the footage was shot.
According to the AFP report, another video appeared to show an airstrike and later buildings being hit with munitions, sending debris and a thick plume of smoke high into the air.
Just hours before, Netanyahu had delivered a nationally televised address to Israelis still in mourning and rage following Hamas’s bloody October 7 attacks, telling them that “we are in the midst of a campaign for our existence”.
Throngs of Hamas gunmen poured into Israel from Gaza, killing 1,400 people, mostly civilians, and kidnapping 222 more, AFP reported citing official figures.
Israel has retaliated with heavy bombing, killing more than 6,500 people, according to Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry, with the death toll expected to rise significantly if tens of thousands of Israeli troops massed near Gaza move in.
