Too cloudy for air support
Ground offensive is reportedly postponed
October 15, 2023, 6:13 a.m
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After Israel calls on residents of Gaza City to flee, the army is expected to move into the Gaza Strip this weekend. Now the start of the ground offensive appears to be delayed – but not for humanitarian reasons.
According to a US media report, Israel’s military has postponed its planned invasion of the Gaza Strip by a few days due to adverse weather conditions. The ground offensive was actually supposed to begin this weekend, but was postponed due to cloudy skies and the resulting difficulty in visibility for pilots and drones, reports “New York Times” citing three unnamed senior Israeli officers.
Following the Hamas massacre in Israel last week, the aim of the operation is to eliminate the political and military leadership of the Islamist organization, which is classified as a terrorist organization in the USA and Europe. Israel’s largest ground operation since the invasion of Lebanon in 2006 is planned – an offensive that has so far been avoided because of the enormous risks in the region populated by two million people.
Danger from tunnel system
The military operation carries the risk that Israel will become embroiled in months of bloody house-to-house fighting, writes the New York Times. Tens of thousands of Hamas fighters are believed to be holed up in bunkers and the hundreds of kilometers of underground tunnel systems beneath Gaza City and the surrounding parts of the northern Gaza Strip. Israel’s army therefore assumes that Hamas will try to impede its progress by blowing up tunnels as ground forces advance over them. She also expects that Hamas will try to get behind Israeli lines through secret tunnel exits and attack from behind. Another strategic dilemma is that the terrorists can hide themselves particularly effectively underground with hostages.
In addition to infantry units, Israel’s intervention force will also include tanks and engineers, the officers said, according to the newspaper. The ground troops would receive cover from fighter aircraft, attack helicopters, drones and artillery from both land and sea, it said. Israeli officials warn that Hamas could kill Israeli hostages and use civilians as human shields. They also littered the area with booby traps, the newspaper reported.
As the officers said, the regulations were relaxed in view of the delicate operating conditions. This would allow soldiers in the Gaza Strip to shoot suspected enemies more quickly. The army has also received additional training in recent days for combat in devastated urban environments.
Palestinian terrorists, acting on behalf of Hamas, carried out a massacre of Israeli civilians in border towns and at a music festival last weekend. More than 1,300 people were killed. Israel has since responded with heavy air strikes on targets in the Gaza Strip, where at least 2,228 people were killed and 8,744 others injured, according to Palestinian figures on Saturday. The first army reconnaissance units advanced into the Gaza Strip on Friday.