JERUSALEM: Israel's military said on Monday (Oct 23) that its ground forces mounted limited raids into Gaza and airstrikes targeted Palestinian militants assembling to repulse any wider Israeli invasion, as each side prepares for the next stage of the escalating war.
Palestinian group Hamas said on Sunday that its fighters had engaged an armoured force infiltrating a southern area of Gaza and destroyed some Israeli military equipment before returning to base. There was no Israeli comment on such losses.
In a televised briefing describing Israel's latest moves on the ground, Israel's chief military spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari also said that 222 people had now been confirmed as taken hostage during Stoking expectations of a full-scale ground offensive by Israeli forces massed around Gaza, he said that the military's operational readiness was improving and being enhanced"all the time".
Since cross-border attacks by Hamas on Israeli communities on Oct 7 killed 1,400 people, Israel has amassed tanks and troops near the fenced border around Gaza for a planned ground invasion. Israel has already launched intensive airstrikes on Gaza, where at least 4,600 people have been killed. Israel has said its military campaign will exceed any previous moves against Hamas, but the Palestinian group has proved capable of surprising Israel in the past and will be fighting in a dense urban setting with powerful weapons.
Iranian security officials told Reuters that Iran's strategy was for Middle East proxies like Hezbollah to pursue limited strikes on Israeli and United States targets but to avoid a major escalation that would draw in Tehran.
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