Israel said on Saturday evening that its military forces were preparing to implement a “wide range of operational offensive plans”, ahead of an expected full-scale ground invasion of Gaza in the wake of Hamas’s assault on Israel.
The Israel Defense Force said that its soldiers were deployed “across the country” and were increasing “operational readiness for the next stages of the war, with an emphasis on significant ground operations”.
Israeli forces have been bombarding Gaza since Hamas launched a devastating attack last week. In recent days, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians have fled their homes after Israel ordered 1.1mn civilians — nearly half of Gaza’s population — to leave the northern part of the densely populated enclave, including Gaza City.