JERUSALEM, Oct. 15 (CGTN) - The Israeli military stated on Sunday that it would continue allowing Gazans to evacuate south, and hundreds of thousands had already moved. The troops were preparing for a ground assault on the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip in retaliation for unprecedented attacks.
Israel vowed to annihilate the Hamas militants after they rampaged through Israeli towns, resulting in around 1,300 casualties. In response, Israel subjected Gaza to the most intense bombardment it had ever seen, putting the small enclave, home to 2.3 million Palestinians, under a total siege and causing significant damage to its infrastructure.
Gazan authorities reported over 2,300 casualties, with a quarter of them being children, and nearly 10,000 wounded. Rescue workers searched desperately for survivors of night-time air raids, and one million people had reportedly left their homes.
The violence in Gaza was accompanied by the deadliest clashes at Israel's northern border with Lebanon since 2006, raising fears of the war spreading to another front.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu toured southern Israel on Saturday, where the surprise Hamas attack took place a week ago, encouraging troops to get "prepared for what is coming," according to his office.
Daniel Hagari, the spokesman for the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), also stated that the forces were preparing to expand the attack, suggesting a ground operation in the Gaza Strip.
A statement released by the military mentioned, "The IDF forces are currently preparing to implement a wide range of operational offensive plans, which can include combined and coordinated attack from the air, sea and land."
The IDF issued a second warning to Gaza residents on Saturday, urging them to evacuate to the southern part of the coastal enclave. The army allowed safe passage on two major routes in the Gaza Strip for several hours and resumed massive airstrikes afterward.
Israel's mass evacuation order was met with rejection from several countries, including Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye, as well as regional and international organizations, including the Arab League, United Nations and the WHO.
According to the IDF, its aircraft targeted and killed Ali Qadi, a commander of the Hamas commando force believed to be behind the surprise attack on southern Israel exactly a week ago.
Israeli National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi admitted in a press conference that Israel made a mistake in not foreseeing the attack. He also warned that Hamas will "no longer be the sovereign, or in control," of the Gaza Strip after Israel's military operation.
Clashes on Israel's border with Lebanon, which had been limited so far, resumed on Sunday when Hezbollah fighters launched a missile at an Israeli border village, killing one person and wounding three others. The Israeli military responded with strikes in Lebanon in retaliation.
Syria, which also borders Israel and has ties to Iran, has accused Israel of carrying out strikes against its airports, while Israel has accused Iran of trying to smuggle weapons through Syria.
Israel claims that Hamas is preventing people from leaving, alleging they are being used as human shields. Hamas denies these claims.
Photo from CGTN
