The military has stated that the incursion is a part of their preparations for a larger ground assault . President Biden and Prime Minister Netanyahu have discussed various issues, including the possibility of freeing hostages held by Hamas and facilitating the evacuation of foreigners from Gaza.
The Israel Defense Forces have reported that fighter jets targeted more than 250 sites belonging to Hamas in the Gaza Strip in the past day. These sites included infrastructure, command centers, tunnels, and rocket launchers, as stated by the IDF. According to the IDF, some of the rocket launchers were situated within civilian areas and were used to fire rockets toward Israeli territory throughout the conflict.
Additionally, the IDF reported that Navy forces struck a Hamas surface-to-air missile launch position in Khan Younis. This site was found adjacent to a mosque and a kindergarten, which the IDF claims is evidence of Hamas deliberately using civilian locations for military purposes.
Saleh al-Arouri, the Lebanon-based deputy head of the Hamas political bureau, has stated that “the battles have not begun yet.” In a recent phone interview with al-Manar, the TV channel of Hezbollah, al-Arouri mentioned that Hamas leaders maintain continuous communication with Hezbollah. He also disclosed a meeting with Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah on October 7, which coincided with Hamas’ offensive against Israel. Not all such meetings are made public.
Al-Arouri has had a publicly known meeting with Nasrallah and Islamic Jihad chief Ziad al-Nakhaleh. He emphasized that the struggle of Hamas is aligned with that of Hezbollah, stating, “Our battle is also Hezbollah’s battle.” Al-Arouri believes that an anticipated Israeli ground incursion into Gaza would result in an unprecedented defeat for Israel, and he claimed that Hamas fighters remain in good condition despite Israeli airstrikes on the Gaza Strip. a larger ground assault
Regarding the issue of hostages held by Hamas, al-Arouri characterized foreign hostages as “guests,” while Israeli prisoners are expected to be exchanged for Hamas detainees in Israel. It’s worth noting that many of the approximately 220 hostages held have foreign citizenship. Additionally, he called on the people of the West Bank to “escalate the resistance by any means.”