The commander of the Israeli army said that the goals of the war against Hamas “require a ground operation” in Gaza, according to Sky News.

In a statement released by the Israel Defense Forces, Israel’s chief of staff, Hertzi Halevi, said “the best soldiers are now operating in Gaza.”

“To expose and destroy the enemy, there is no other way than to enter his territory by force. This action serves all the purposes of the war,” he said.

He added that those on the ground are being supported by “accurate and powerful fire” and all involved in ongoing operations are well trained and effectively trained.

The IDF is “prepared for any possible scenario” in the event of a regional escalation, particularly on the northern border with Lebanon, where the Hezbollah militant group is based, he added.

The war against Hamas “entered a new phase”

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant announced on Saturday that the war against Hamas had “entered a new phase” after a night of intense bombing and the army’s incursion into the Gaza Strip, AFP reported.

“We have entered a new stage of the war. Yesterday (Friday) the ground shook in Gaza,” Yoav Gallant said in a video released by his press service.

Israeli army spokesman Daniel Hagari earlier announced that the IDF offensive was “only at the beginning”.

“IDF forces entered the Gaza Strip and expanded their operations,” he announced.

Israel’s military bombarded the Gaza Strip relentlessly on Saturday after a night of intense airstrikes that destroyed hundreds of buildings, rescuers said, three weeks into the war sparked by a Hamas attack on October 7, the bloodiest in Israel’s history.

In the 22nd day of a war that has left thousands dead, the Palestinian enclave besieged by Israel and home to 2.4 million destitute Palestinians was today cut off from the world after telecommunications and the internet were cut off.

Warning for molders

Israeli army spokesman Daniel Hagari issued an “urgent appeal” to citizens of the northern part of the Gaza Strip and Gaza City to “immediately” relocate to the south, the BBC reports.

In a post on X, Daniel Hagari, a spokesman for the Israeli army, said they would be able to return to their homes when “the intense hostilities cease.”

He also said that Hamas was risking their lives by placing weapons in civilian areas, and that Israel would not forget the group’s brutal attacks on October 7. “The window in which you can act is closing,” Hagari warned.

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