Israeli Chief of General Staff Aviv Kohavi has announced that Israeli troops have entered Gaza and have begun surrounding the city from various directions, according to TASS.
“Our soldiers are now in the city of Gaza, surrounding it from multiple directions, and I can see that we are making progress. We are forced to fight in a very difficult situation, in densely populated and built-up areas,” said Kohavi.
Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak has stated that international support for Israel will quickly wane and the legitimacy of the military operation in Gaza will be called into question.
Barak mentioned that the operation in Gaza is being conducted with several restrictions in mind, including the presence of hostages held by Hamas, the risk of the conflict spreading to Hezbollah in Lebanon, and adherence to international law, “which we are committed to.” Additionally, the former prime minister criticized current Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, stating that “in any normal country” he would have resigned on the morning of October 8.
According to updated information, on October 7, over three thousand Hamas militants infiltrated Israel. The country also faced extensive rocket attacks, and over two hundred hostages were taken. In response, the Israeli Defense Forces announced the start of Operation “Iron Swords,” with one of its goals being the complete destruction of the Hamas movement.
Earlier reports indicated that Egypt rejected the proposal for international and Israeli management of Gaza.
