(Dan Tri) – The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said on October 13 that their infantry and tanks entered the Gaza Strip in a local attack in a campaign to respond to Hamas, rescuing children.
An Israeli tank near the border with Gaza (Photo: Reuters).
IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari said this was a local attack and Israeli forces did not penetrate deep into the Gaza Strip.
According to the Israeli army, this local offensive campaign has several purposes.
The second is to destroy Hamas’s anti-tank capabilities.
Third is to collect information for hostage rescue operations.
After the local raid, Israeli forces returned to the border.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also confirmed yesterday that the raid was just the beginning of the campaign to respond to Hamas.
Israel warned that it would `eradicate` Hamas after this force launched a surprise attack on an unprecedented scale against Israel last weekend.
Week-long fighting between Israel and Hamas has left at least 1,900 people in Gaza dead and nearly 8,000 injured.
Israel declared war on Hamas and began a complete blockade of the Gaza Strip, home to about 2.3 million people.
Meanwhile, Hamas announced that it would fight to the end and called on people not to leave at Israel’s request.
Thousands of Gazans sought to evacuate the northern region, while many refused to leave.
The United Nations believes that the immediate relocation of more than 1 million people in Gaza is impossible and asks Israel to cancel this request.
On the US side, White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said: `We understand what they are trying to do. They are trying to separate civilians from Hamas forces, their real goal.`
