Since the massacres perpetrated by Hamas during the attack on October 7 in Israel from the Gaza Strip, the Israeli army has established a real military blockade of this small territory 41 kilometers long and six to twelve kilometers wide. wide. Some 350,000 reservists as well as tanks, armored vehicles and artillery are positioned around the Palestinian enclave, ready to invest it militarily to “eradicate” Hamas.
However, the IDF assault is still overdue. The operation, which is very complex, requires preparation time. And the risks of regional escalation of the conflict must be anticipated by the Israeli government if it has to face the opening of a front by Hezbollah on its northern border with Lebanon. Finally, there is the crucial question of the hostages, some of whom are of foreign nationality.
The Israeli army is in any case on alert, as shown by satellite images that Le Figaro was able to consult. In the north of the Gaza Strip, about five kilometers from the Erez crossing and south of the city of Ashkelon, rows of armored vehicles, including Israeli Merkava tanks, took place in a field, according to images from the American satellite company Planet Labs. If we put into perspective the numerous announcements, since October 7, calling on the Gazan population, on social networks and in panic, to leave the north of the Gaza Strip to join the South zone, we can predict an assault potential of troops on the northern part.
It is also in this territory that the city of Gaza is located, and where Hamas holds several infrastructures, notably command facilities. These “military targets”, intensely bombed since the outbreak of war by the terrorist group, could therefore be the priority for land assault. But experts agree that the IDF will undoubtedly seek to carry out a multi-dimensional operation, also using the sea for example.
Israel’s planned assault on the Gaza Strip could well be the IDF’s largest ground operation since the 2006 invasion of Lebanon. The Israeli army has 400 modern Merkava tanks, as well as more than 1,000 infantry vehicles. armored vehicles, including 290 heavily protected Namers, making it ready for a long war. In terms of ammunition, the United States has announced its unfailing support, with deliveries already made since October 7.
But Netanyahu’s government, which now includes former Defense Minister and opponent of Prime Minister Benny Gantz, is delaying the start of the assault as much as possible. According to several American media, United States President Joe Biden asked his Israeli counterpart to delay the operation due to discussions initiated around the release of more than 220 hostages. Two of them, Americans, were released by Hamas and reached Egypt through the Rafah crossing this weekend. Questioned by CNN, a senior Israeli official, however, denied any pressure exerted on this subject by the United States.
Two other Israeli women were released this Monday by Hamas, “for pressing humanitarian reasons”, thanks to mediation from Qatar and Egypt. “We are doing everything we can to free all the hostages, regardless of their nationality,” said Israeli army spokesman Daniel Hagari, without reacting directly to Hamas’ announcement. According to him, Israeli soldiers carried out raids in the Gaza Strip overnight from Sunday to Monday “to locate and search for any available information on the hostages.”
