The ongoing military operation in the Gaza Strip is expected to last for several more weeks, according to Israel’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Gilad Erdan. In an interview with CNN, he referred to the current phase of the operation as a matter of “a few weeks,” without disclosing further details about what the next stage may entail.
On November 14th, the Palestinian extremist organization Hamas claimed control over the situation in the Gaza Strip. On the same day, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) announced that they had gained control of government buildings in Gaza that were previously under Hamas control.
Tensions in the Middle East escalated following the infiltration of thousands of Hamas militants from the Gaza Strip into Israeli territory on October 7th, when Hamas declared the start of the “Flood of Al-Aqsa” operation. In response, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared a state of war.
The objective of Israel’s counteroperation, named “Iron Swords,” is to repel the attack, free over 200 hostages (including foreigners), and dismantle Hamas. To achieve this goal, Israel initiated a massive rocket bombardment of the Gaza Strip from the first day of the operation. Additionally, the Israeli National Security Council decided to halt the supply of water, food, goods, electricity, and fuel to the Gaza Strip. Humanitarian aid shipments to Gaza started only after October 20th through the Rafah Crossing, although their volume is considered insufficient.
On October 27th, Israel announced the “expansion” of its ground operation in Gaza. The exact start date of this operation remains unknown, but prior to its initiation, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians had already evacuated their homes and sought refuge in shelters and the southern part of the enclave.
Earlier, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu had promised to destroy Hamas.
