Israel’s planned ground invasion of the Gaza Strip, which was supposed to begin Saturday, has been delayed due to unfavorable weather conditions such as clouds and rain which hinders air support operations.
“This just in: Israel’s ground invasion delayed until next week due to severe weather. This is according to three senior Israeli officials, who spoke to The New York Times,” said Fox News host Brian Kilmeade on Saturday, Oct. 14. Kilmeade was referring to an article from the Times that reported the invasion was “at least in part” delayed due to “cloudy conditions that would have made it harder for Israeli pilots and drone operators to provide ground forces with air cover.”
“We will take Hamas apart,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the first formal gathering of officials from the country’s new emergency wartime government, according to a statement from his office. Israel has called on 360,000 military reservists for duty.
Israel has troops, tanks, artillery, and a host of military equipment near the border of the Gaza Strip in anticipation of its campaign. As early as Oct. 9, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told U.S. President Joe Biden that a ground invasion was necessary. On Saturday, Israel said it had planned “an integrated and coordinated attack from the air, sea and land.” The New York Times reported the invasion was supposed to begin over the weekend.
Breaking News: Israel is preparing to invade Gaza in the coming days with the goal of eliminating Hamas’s leadership, according to three Israeli officers. https://t.co/EewhKFztR2
— The New York Times (@nytimes) October 14, 2023
“In addition to infantry, the Israeli strike force will include tanks, sappers and commandos, the officers added. The ground troops will be given cover by war planes, helicopter gunships, aerial drones and artillery fired from land and sea,” the New York Times reported.
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On Friday Oct. 13, Israel told Gazans in the northern part of the high-density urban strip to evacuate their homes and move to the southern end. Hamas responded by telling civilians to remain in their homes, rejecting Israel’s call as a “ploy.” Hamas evidently intends to leave civilians in the crossfire during the ensuing urban conflict. The UN urged Israel to reconsider its ground invasion plans, saying the evacuation of one million people over such a short period of time will inevitably lead to a humanitarian crisis.
On Sunday Oct. 15, Israel Defense Forces (IDF) gave the Palestinian residents of the northern half of the Strip a three hour deadline to evacuate. According to First Post, roughly one million civilians had fled their homes as of Sunday. There are roughly 2 million civilians who need to evacuate, according to one figure.
While Israel awaits the right conditions to launch its invasions, it has been carrying out airstrikes on Gaza which have killed some 2,300 Palestinians. The chief of staff of the Israeli Air Force (IAF) Brig. Gen. Omer Tishler said Israel was not targeting civilians in the Gaza Strip but warned that the strikes were no longer “surgical.” “We do not act like the other side, we do not attack the civilian population. Behind every attack there is a target,” he said. “We act precisely and professionally but not surgically. I’m not talking about single, tens, or hundreds [of strikes]. We are talking about thousands of munitions.”
Former Israeli special operator Aaron Cohen suggested to Fox News that the pretext for the delay was false, and the true reason was to save hostages. “Buying time to save hostages is a top priority for Israeli forces, and a phony delay of the invasion may have offered extra time,” he said.
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