Israel-Hamas War Latest Update: The Israeli military has stepped up its air strikes on Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip in order to create ‘best conditions’ for its troops as they stand ready to enter the next stage of war – a full-scale ground, air and sea assault.
While addressing a press conference last night, Israel Defence Forces (IDF) spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said that Israel is planning to enter “the next phase of the war in the best conditions, and not according to what anyone tells us.”
“From today, we are increasing the strikes and minimizing the danger,” Hagari said in a press briefing. The Israeli military has declared a war against Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip, following its unprecedented October 7 assault on Israel.
The IDF has been pounding Hamas targets in the coastal enclave since October 7, when the war first broke out. The Israeli military has massed tens of thousands of troops not far from the Gaza Strip border as they prepare for a coordinated land, air and sea assault to root out Hamas.
Israel has already ordered nearly 1.1 million Gazans to leave their homes in the north and move to safer areas south of the Wadi Gaza. Israel says the mass evacuation order has been issues to minimize the harm to civilians even as world bodies like the UN and WHO warned of “catastrophic humanitarian consequences”.
October 7, around 2,500 Hamas militants invaded Israel and rampaged through several Jewish communities near the Gaza border, killing more than 1,400 people, including children, women and foreign nationals. The militants also seized more than 210 hostages of all ages under the cover of thousands of rockets fired at Israeli towns and cities from the Gaza Strip.