WhatsappThe IDF’s ground campaign to capture Gaza City and rid it of Hamas terrorists is drawing closer. The timetable to begin the campaign is said to have been accelerated with the start date a few weeks away.
Military correspondent Doron Kadosh: “Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir will convene a broad discussion today at the Southern Command to approve the plans for the conquest of Gaza City. The IDF’s objective: by October 7th, not only to evacuate the population of Gaza City (as has been reported so far), but also to complete the encirclement of the city and achieve operational control within it. The implication: the maneuver into Gaza City will begin in the coming weeks, in order to move up the timetable.”
In remarks published by the IDF, Zamir stated, “Today we are approving the plan for the next stage of the war. We will maintain the momentum of Operation Gideon’s Chariots while focusing on Gaza City.”
“We will continue to strike until Hamas is defeated, with the hostages before our eyes. We will act with a sophisticated, measured, and responsible strategy. The IDF will employ all its capabilities on land, in the air, and at sea in order to strike Hamas with force,” Zamir said in a visit to the Gaza Strip. The IDF chief added, “Soon we will move on to the next stage of Operation Gideon’s Chariots, in which we will continue to deepen the harm to Hamas in Gaza City until its defeat.”
Ramping up the pressure on Hamas, Prime Minister Netanyahu has reportedly decided that there will be no more “staged deals” to release the hostages and that Hamas must release all the hostages and disarm to end the war. While Netanyahu appears vague on the day after plan for Gaza, Gaza City’s days appear to be numbered.
