The IDF’s ground invasion into the Gaza Strip was planned to take place over the weekend, but was delayed by a few days due to cloudy weather, among other factors, The New York Times reported on Saturday, citing three senior IDF officers.
The cloudy conditions would have made it harder for IDF pilots and drone operators to provide air cover for ground forces.
The invasion will include tens of thousands of soldiers who will capture Gaza City and destroy Hamas’s leaders, according to the report. The Israeli officers told NYT that the IDF’s rules of engagement have been loosened to allow soldiers to make fewer checks before shooting at suspected combatants.
Tens of thousands of Hamas gunmen are believed to be hiding in the hundreds of miles of underground tunnels and bunkers beneath Gaza City and the rest of northern Gaza, with Israeli military officials expecting that the terrorists will try and blow up some of the tunnels while IDF soldiers are above them.
A Hamas officer told NYT that Hamas also plans to ambush IDF soldiers from behind by using hidden tunnel openings around northern Gaza.
IDF spokesperson says offensive will only be launched once civilians leave
Another possible reason for the reported delay in the launch of the ground invasion is efforts to protect civilians.
IDF spokesperson Lt. Colonel Jonathan Conricus told CNN on Saturday that the IDF will “commence significant military operations only once we see that civilians have left the area.”
“It’s really important that people in Gaza know we’ve been very, very generous with the time. We have given ample warning, more than 25 hours…I cannot stress more than enough to say now is the time for Gazans to leave.”
Earlier on Saturday, the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit reported that Hamas had attempted to block Palestinians from evacuating the northern Gaza Strip, placing roadblocks on evacuation routes designated by the IDF.
On Friday, the IDF published instructions to residents of northern Gaza, directing them to evacuate to southern Gaza due to planned military operations in Gaza City in northern Gaza. Leaflets were also dropped over the Gaza Strip with the instructions and a map was published showing which roads would be safe to use for evacuation.
“Civilians of Gaza City, evacuate south for your own safety and the safety of your families and distance yourself from Hamas terrorists who are using you as human shields. In the following days, the IDF will continue to operate significantly in Gaza City and make extensive efforts to avoid harming civilians,” said the IDF.
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