The Israeli army yesterday said it was preparing for a ground assault on Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip, but that the country’s political leaders had not yet taken a decision.
It said the military’s campaign against Hamas was also aimed at “taking out” the group’s senior leadership, including top government officials.
“We are waiting to see what our political leadership decides about a potential ground” incursion, army spokesman Richard Hecht told reporters.
Photo: AFP
“This has not been decided yet ... but we are preparing for a ground maneuver if it is decided,” he added.
The army has deployed tens of thousands of troops to the border with the Gaza Strip as it continues a withering air campaign it says targets Hamas infrastructure, commanders and operating centers in the enclave.
The airstrikes came in response to a air, land and sea assault on Saturday by Hamas fighters that killed more than 1,200 people in Israel.
Hamas had fired more than 5,000 rockets at Israel, the army said.
Israel’s air campaign has also so far killed at least 1,354 people in the Gaza Strip, the Hamas-affiliated health ministry said.
“We are preparing ourselves for the next stages of war ... to prepare for multiple operative contingency plans,” Hecht said.
He said that the possible operation “could be from the air, it could be combined from the sea [and] air.”
Israel’s assault is targeting senior leaders of Hamas, Hecht said, including the group’s head in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar.
“Right now we are focused on taking out their senior leadership, not only the military leadership, [but] also their governmental leadership, all the way up to Sinwar,” Hecht said.
“They were directly connected” to the weekend attack, he added.
In a separate briefing to reporters, chief military spokesman Daniel Hagari reiterated the army’s plans against Hamas.
“We are crushing Hamas’ ability to function as sovereign,” Hagari said.
“It is already failing to run Gaza in some areas,” he said, adding that the military would continue to target the group until it is no longer able to rule “in all of Gaza.”
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