According to The Washington Post, Hamas, the Palestinian radical movement, had planned to continue its offensive against Israeli citizens from the Gaza Strip all the way to the West Bank. The report cites intelligence information and maps that indicate the militants’ intentions.
Hamas hoped that the scale of the attacks would provoke an “overwhelming” response from Israel, leading to a conflict that would engulf the entire Middle East.
Tensions in the Middle East escalated after thousands of Hamas militants infiltrated Israeli territory from the Gaza Strip on October 7, when Hamas declared the start of its “Flood Al-Aqsa” operation. In response, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared that the country was in a state of war.
Israel’s counter-operation, named “Iron Swords,” aimed to repel the attack, free over 200 hostages (including foreigners), and destroy Hamas. From the first day of the operation, Israel conducted massive rocket strikes on the Gaza Strip. Additionally, the Israeli National Security Council decided to halt the supply of water, food, goods, electricity, and fuel to the Strip. Humanitarian aid deliveries to Gaza only resumed after October 20, but their volume is considered insufficient.
On October 27, Israel announced the “expansion” of its ground operation in Gaza. The exact start of this operation remains unknown, but ahead of it, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians evacuated their homes and sought refuge in shelters and the southern part of the enclave. As of November 5, fighting continues in the center of Gaza, as the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) have surrounded the city and cut off its supply routes.
Prime Minister Netanyahu had previously vowed to destroy Hamas.
