Israel says it is ready for a ground operation in Gaza
US and European governments urge Israel to postpone invasion of Gaza to free hostages
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) has announced its readiness to conduct a ground operation against the Hamas group in the Gaza Strip.
Source. This was reported by The Times of Israel, citing its own sources.
The IDF believes that the military should launch a ground operation in Gaza as soon as possible. The Israeli army has reported to the government that it is fully prepared for the offensive and believes that it can achieve its goal, despite the risk of heavy losses among soldiers and repeated attacks by Hezbollah from the north.
If the army needs to "shift its attention to the north," it can turn around in a few days, according to the IDF.
The military is also preparing for possible hostage rescue operations in Gaza. A ground offensive could put pressure on Hamas in this regard, the military is confident.
At the same time, the army fears that if Hamas continues to release hostages on its own, the Israeli authorities will delay the ground invasion or even stop it halfway.
For this reason, tensions are growing between Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant and IDF Chief of Staff Gertz Galevi on the one hand and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the other, The Times of Israel reports.
According to the newspaper, the prime minister lacks the "green light" to launch a ground operation, as he seems to be stalling for time to negotiate the release of the hostages.
However, the parties reject media reports of "a flurry of disagreements" between the army and the prime minister.
"The prime minister, defense minister and IDF chief are working together around the clock, in close cooperation, to bring Israel a complete victory over Hamas," reads a joint statement from Netanyahu's office, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant's office and an IDF spokesman.
Israel is being persuaded by the United States and European governments, with the mediation of Qatar, to postpone the invasion of the Gaza Strip in order to free the hostages, sources told The Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg. According to them, Western officials hope to buy time to secure the release of at least some of those held captive by Hamas.
Background. As a reminder, Israeli army spokesman Jonathan Conricus said that Israel would end its ground operation in the Gaza Strip if Hamas releases the hostages and surrenders.
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