2023 Israeli ground operations in the Gaza Strip

On the evening of 13 October 2023, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) stated that ground forces had conducted raids within the Gaza Strip with the intent to attack Hamas militants and locate abducted Israeli hostages.[1][2]

2023 Israeli ground operations in the Gaza Strip
Part of the 2023 Israel–Hamas war
Date13 October 2023 – present
Location
Gaza Strip
Status Ongoing
  • IDF conducts raids within the Gaza Strip
  • Israel orders northern Gaza to be evacuated
Belligerents
Israel Israel Hamas Hamas

Background
Main article: 2023 Israel–Hamas war
See also: Evacuation of the northern Gaza Strip

After Hamas militants invaded Israel on 7 October 2023, Israel declared war against Hamas.[3] Israel moved to mobilize 300,000 reservists and began to move armor close to the border with the Gaza Strip in the aftermath.[4][5] Included in the amassing of armor were Namer armored personnel carriers and Merkava tanks.[5]

Prior to the invasion, Israel had called for the more than one million people living in the north half of the Gaza Strip to evacuate during a 24-hour window, while Hamas had instructed those residents to stay put.[6][7] The IDF had urged around 1.1 million civilians to leave North Gaza so they would not be hurt or caught in crossfire,[8] and Israeli officials said that the window was left at 24-hours to reduce the time for Hamas to conduct military preparation in the area. However, aid groups stated that the time window was too short to evacuate the one million people, and lack of electricity in Gaza hampered the ability of electronic communications regarding the evacuation to reach Gazans.[7] Israel had dropped leaflets in Gaza City containing the evacuation order, in addition to electronic communications.[9]

On 21 October 2023, the Israeli army dropped more leaflets in Gaza with the message: "Urgent warning! To the residents of Gaza: your presence to the North of Wadi Gaza is putting your lives at risk. Anyone who chooses not to evacuate from the North of the Gaza Strip to the South of the Gaza Strip may be identified as a partner in a terrorist organization."[10][11]

Operations

On 13 October 2023, the Israeli Defense Forces sent armored vehicles and infantry into the Gaza Strip, stating that their goals were to attack Hamas militants and to rescue hostages that had been abducted to Gaza by Hamas.[2] The operation, according to Israeli officials, was not part of a larger and widely anticipated ground invasion, but rather a raid in which troops only temporarily enter the Gaza Strip.[12][13]

The IDF confirmed on 13 October that Israeli remains were located and retrieved in the Gaza Strip.[14]

On 17 October 2023, Israeli army spokesperson Richard Hecht stated that Israel was still considering whether the next phase of the war against Hamas would be a ground offensive or "something else".[15]

Reactions

During a meeting with UN diplomat Tor Wennesland on 14 October, Iranian foreign minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian warned that Iran could intervene in the war if IDF launched a ground invasion of Gaza.[16][17]

In an interview that aired on 15 October, US President Joe Biden said it would be a "big mistake" for Israel, which is preparing for a ground attack on Gaza in pursuit of Hamas, to reoccupy the 25-mile stretch of territory.[18]

According to experts, the invasion will endanger the lives of hostages kidnapped by Hamas.[19] U.S. officials said the Biden administration advised Israel to delay the ground invasion of Gaza to allow more time for hostage negotiations.[20] According to Israeli officials, once Israel begins a ground invasion of Gaza, it will be almost impossible to reach a deal on the release of the hostages.[21]

Lebanese militant group Hezbollah warned that a ground invasion of Gaza could result in a wider conflict in the Middle East.[22]

On 19 October 2023, a poll by the Israeli newspaper Maariv found that 65% of Israelis supported a ground invasion and 21% opposed it.[23][24]

See also

References
  1. Raice, Shayndi (13 October 2023). "Israelis Conduct Raids in Gaza Strip". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on 13 October 2023. Retrieved 13 October 2023.
  2. Fabian, Emanuel (13 October 2023). "IDF: Infantry troops, tanks entered Gaza for 'localized raids' to clear area of terrorists, locate hostages". The Times of Israel. Archived from the original on 13 October 2023. Retrieved 13 October 2023.
  3. Debre, Isabel (13 October 2023). "What to know on the seventh day of the latest Israel-Hamas war". Associated Press. Archived from the original on 12 October 2023. Retrieved 13 October 2023.
  4. "Hamas tells Gaza residents to stay put as Israel ground offensive looms". Reuters. 13 October 2023. Archived from the original on 13 October 2023. Retrieved 13 October 2023.
  5. Sharma, Kadambini; Singh, Umashankar. Mitra, Chandrajit (ed.). "Ground Report: Israeli Tanks Roll Up To Border As Gazans Asked To Move South". NDTV. Archived from the original on 13 October 2023. Retrieved 13 October 2023.
  6. "'Only the beginning' says Netanyahu as Israel makes first raids into Gaza". Reuters. 13 October 2023. Archived from the original on 12 October 2023. Retrieved 13 October 2023.
  7. Ward, Alexander (13 October 2023). "Ground invasion of Gaza 'imminent,' Israeli officials say". Politico. Archived from the original on 13 October 2023. Retrieved 13 October 2023.
  8. Askew, Joshua (13 October 2023). "Gaza becoming 'hell hole', as hospitals at 'breaking point'". Euronews. Archived from the original on 13 October 2023. Retrieved 13 October 2023.
  9. Aggarwal, Mithil; Salam, Yasmine (13 October 2023). "Gaza residents, under the threat of a ground invasion, desperately seek safety but their options are dire". NBC News. Archived from the original on 13 October 2023. Retrieved 13 October 2023.
  10. "Israeli military steps up warnings to north Gaza residents, preparations for ground offensive". Politico. 21 October 2023. Archived from the original on 22 October 2023. Retrieved 24 October 2023.
  11. "Israel tells Gazans to move south or risk being seen as 'terrorist' partner". Reuters. 22 October 2023. Archived from the original on 22 October 2023. Retrieved 24 October 2023.
  12. Fabian, Emanuel (13 October 2023). "IDF launches first 'localized' raids into Gaza ahead of expected ground invasion". The Times of Israel. Archived from the original on 13 October 2023. Retrieved 13 October 2023.
  13. Debre, Isabel; Lederer, Edith M.; Shurafa, Wafaa. "Palestinians flee northern Gaza after Israel orders 1 million to evacuate as ground attack looms". Associated Press. Archived from the original on 13 October 2023. Retrieved 13 October 2023.
  14. "Troops on 'localized' raids into Gaza said to recover bodies, items of missing people". The Times of Israel. 13 October 2023. Archived from the original on 14 October 2023. Retrieved 13 October 2023.
  15. "Iran's Khamenei demands Israel stop bombardment of Gaza". Al Jazeera. 17 October 2023. Archived from the original on 24 October 2023. Retrieved 24 October 2023.
  16. Ravid, Barak (14 October 2023). "Scoop: Iran warns Israel through UN against ground offensive in Gaza". Axios. Archived from the original on 16 October 2023.
  17. "Iran threatens Israel with 'intervention' in case of ground operation in Gaza". Business Today. 15 October 2023. Archived from the original on 15 October 2023.
  18. "US warns Iran against escalating Israel-Hamas war into regional conflict". Financial Times. 16 October 2023. Archived from the original on 15 October 2023. Retrieved 16 October 2023.
  19. "Diplomats Race The Clock To Free Hostages Before Ground Invasion". NPR. 24 October 2023.
  20. "US seeks delay of Israeli ground incursion for more time for hostage talks". CNN. 22 October 2023.
  21. "Scoop: Israel willing to delay Gaza invasion to discuss large release of hostages". Axios. 24 October 2023.
  22. "Lebanese Militant Group Warns that Israeli Gaza Invasion Could Trigger Wider Conflict". VOA News. 18 October 2023. Archived from the original on 24 October 2023. Retrieved 24 October 2023.
  23. "Israelis feel abandoned by Netanyahu after October 7". Vox. 21 October 2023. Archived from the original on 22 October 2023. Retrieved 24 October 2023.
  24. "Poll: 80% of Israelis say Netanyahu must publicly take responsibility for Oct. 7 failures". The Times of Israel. 20 October 2023. Archived from the original on 23 October 2023. Retrieved 24 October 2023.
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