The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) Monday said that its troops carried out ground raids in Gaza “to kill terrorist cells” and locate the hostages being held by Hamas. The overnight raids, Israeli military spokesperson Daniel Hagari said, were carried out “by armoured and infantry forces.”

Addressing a press briefing, Hagari said that the ground raids were intended to kill Hamas militants who were preparing for the next phases of war. He also said that the Israeli forces have been trying to find information on hostages being held in the Gaza Strip by Hamas.

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The development comes in the wake of a likely ground assault by the Israeli military in Gaza. Israel has declared a war against Hamas in response to the brutal October 7 assault, in which 1,400 Israeli men, women and children were killed by Palestinian militants.

The IDF spokesperson also said that the number of hostages in Gaza, as per the latest information, stands at 222. Hagari said that there are “quite a lot” of foreigners among the captives and that is why it took time to confirm the number.

The limited ground raids, experts believe, could be a trial before the full-scale ground assault the IDF hinted it will launch to wipe out Hamas. However, questions are now being raised over the delay in ground operation.

According to local media reports, US officials have been putting pressure on Israeli authorities to delay the planned assault in order to secure the release of more hostages.

Moreover, a Times of Israel report stated, “the Biden administration also wants to increase preparedness for any potential attacks on US targets in the region from Iran-based groups, which it believes are likely to increase as the war goes on.”

Israel has been saying that delay in the ground assault will give Hamas more time to prepare and hide its assets deep inside the vast underground tunnel network it has created over the years.

The war that broke out after the brutal October 7 attack in southern Israel by Hamas militants has killed more than 1,400 people in Israel and nearly 4,500 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.