The Israel-Hamas war is seemingly about to enter a dramatic phase, as a spokesperson for the Israeli army told Fox News that ground troops are about to enter the Gaza enclave, following unprecedented bombardment over the past five days which has flattened whole neighbourhoods, in retaliation for the killing of more than 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals, mostly civilians, in cities and Jewish settlements across southern Israel on Saturday. Numerous atrocities have been reported, including the brutal killing of children and burning people in their homes.
The Israeli infantry has been amassing at the border for more than three days, supported by tanks and artillery, while more than 300 thousand reserves have been recalled to action, the largest ever number in the history of the country. There had been speculation over the past 48 hours that Israel was preparing a ground invasion after ‘clearing’ the way in Gaza City with heavy air strikes and the aim of eradicating Hamas, as Prime Minister Netanyahu has said and many other officials reiterated in recent days.
Almost 1000 Palestinians have been killed in the pounding of the enclave, home to 2.3 million Palestinians, including hundreds of children, while almost 200 thousand people have lost their homes. Negotiations are on-going between the US, Israel and Egypt to open a humanitarian corridor to Egypt so that civilians have a way out.
