Nearly 400,000 reservists have been mobilized for the pending ground invasion of Gaza. Israeli forces have been pounding the strip for days, softening positions for the infantry to mop up. Known Hamas sites are being turned into rubble, with the IDF warning civilians to vacate these areas, offering detailed instructions on how to avoid the dangers of the airstrikes.
Israel informed the United Nations that everyone north of Wadi Gaza should evacuate, suggesting the expected land invasion could begin soon. Israeli ground troops did enter Gaza for “localized raids” today (via Fox News):
TODAY: Israeli forces entered Gaza to conduct limited operational raids
— Trey Yingst (@TreyYingst) October 13, 2023
BREAKING NEWS: Israeli forces entered Gaza for 'localized raids,' IDF tells Fox News https://t.co/nSX6Y4uDXv
— Fox News (@FoxNews) October 13, 2023
The IDF tells Fox News' Trey Yingst that Israeli forces entered the Gaza Strip Friday, both infantry forces and tanks, to conduct localized raids.
The Israeli military said the raids were an effort to eliminate militants along the border and to gather information about those held hostage inside the Gaza Strip.
This was not the highly anticipated full-scale invasion Israel has been preparing, but it marks the first time Israeli forces entered Gaza on the ground since the start of the war on Saturday.
More than 1,300 Israelis were killed and thousands more wounded when Hamas launched a surprise terror attack on the Jewish state Saturday. As many as 150 people are believed to have been taken captive by terrorists and held in Gaza, according to Israeli authorities.
Israel has called up some 360,000 military reservists to respond to the Hamas-led terror campaign. Those forces have gathered on Israel's border with Gaza ahead of a possible full-scale invasion to reclaim the hostages and eliminate Hamas terrorists.
Israel has warned the 1.1 million people living in the north of Gaza to evacuate the area within 24 hours as a "humanitarian step in order to minimize civilian casualties" ahead of the military's response to Hamas' terrorist attacks.
Times of Israel reported that these small raids aimed to recover bodies and items from missing people.
Troops on ‘localized’ raids into Gaza said to recover bodies, items of missing people https://t.co/2gR7a9KDW1 . Click to read ⬇️
— The Times of Israel (@TimesofIsrael) October 14, 2023
Meanwhile, Hezbollah has claimed responsibility for attacks on Israeli positions in the country's northern parts, showing that this Gaza operation could devolve into a regional war. It’s why two US carrier strike groups are set to be in position in the eastern Mediterranean.
