An Israeli ground invasion of the Gaza Strip, which was set to take place over the weekend, has been delayed for a week over bad weather conditions, Israeli officials told New York Times on 15 October.
According to the report, the current weather conditions could negatively affect the Air Force’s ability to provide cover for troops invading the besieged strip.
Israel has been undergoing preparations for a ground invasion of the Gaza Strip, as hundreds of thousands of reserve troops have been amassed. A newly formed Israeli war cabinet has greenlit the operation.
Tens of thousands of soldiers are reportedly being prepared to invade the Gaza Strip.
However, Hebrew media has highlighted a dispute between the military and political branches of the Israeli government on how deep an operation from within Gaza should go. The dispute revolves around whether Israel should focus on trying to weaken Hamas, or pursue a full defeat of the resistance group and its extensive network of infrastructure inside the strip.
Ehud Olmert, former Israeli prime minister, said “everything you can imagine and worse” await Israeli troops inside Gaza, adding that an invasion of the strip is not “simple.”
US media outlet Bloomberg reported on 14 October that Washington is worried about the lack of proper strategy and a coherent plan for the ground invasion. Nonetheless, it has pledged its unconditional support for Israel, and has sent a second aircraft carrier to the Mediterranean in case of a wider regional conflict.
Concerns have been simmering that the ground assault could trigger a regional war which would see several fronts open up against Israel.
Reinforcing reports of dispute within the military establishment, Hebrew news outlet Channel 10 claimed that there have been mass desertions among soldiers and commanders, as many have reportedly expressed unwillingness to participate in the war.
According to Israel Hayom newspaper, many reservists have complained about “equipment shortages” and “shortcomings” in the preparations of the army.
Hamas’ military wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades, released a video on Saturday showing many armed and fully prepared fighters, with a message that reads: “This is what awaits you in Gaza.”
As the ground invasion stalls, Israeli warplanes have continued to mercilessly target the Gaza Strip’s civilian population. As of 15 October, the death toll in the strip is at over 2,300 and rising. Over 9,000 have been wounded.
Israel has also been attempting to force over a million Gazans to flee from northern Gaza towards the Egyptian border in the south – where the Rafah border crossing with Egypt has remained shut.
“Israel forcing more than 2,000 patients to relocate to southern Gaza, where health facilities are already running at maximum capacity, is tantamount to a death sentence,” the World Health Organization (WHO) said.
Amnesty International referred to Israel’s evacuation request as an “impossible demand” which “may amount to forced displacement.”
Ismail Haniyeh, head of the Hamas political bureau, said during a Saturday speech that the Palestinian “decision is to stay on our land,” adding that Gazans will not flee to Egypt.
The displacement of Gaza’s residents has raised fears over a longstanding Israeli plan to resettle Palestinians in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula. An Egyptian member of parliament, Mustafa Bakri, told Al-Arabiya TV that Cairo will fight this plan.
On the afternoon of 14 October, Israeli warplanes targeted civilians as they were fleeing towards the southern Gaza Strip.
The delay of ground operation can have different explanation than weather. I guess US observing rapid growth of consolidation of muslim world on the anti-american basis are hesitating whether let Irael to do that or not. Calculation of direct consequences show total collapse of…
— Alexander Dugin (@Agdchan) October 15, 2023