Tel Aviv, Israel – Israel has begun the main phase of a ground operation to take control of Gaza City, an Israeli military official said Tuesday.
This came hours after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem and informed him that Washington stands with Israel.
Israeli Army Radio reported the launch of the next phase of Operation Gideon Vehicles 2, with two divisions beginning to maneuver toward downtown Gaza City.
The Israeli army explained that the 162nd and 98th Regular Divisions are leading the operation in Gaza City.
He added that the 36th Division will gradually join the operation in the coming days.
On Tuesday morning, Israeli gunboats opened fire northwest of Gaza City.
Meanwhile, an Israeli Apache helicopter opened fire towards the eastern areas of Gaza City.
Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper quoted the Israeli army as expecting the Gaza City operation to end within a few months.
For his part, Israeli Army Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir stressed that military action will not bear fruit without a decisive political decision regarding the future of the Gaza Strip.
Deaths in Gaza
In addition, medical sources reported that 38 Palestinians were killed in Israeli bombing in various parts of the Gaza Strip since dawn on Tuesday.
The Palestinian Information Center quoted the sources as saying that among the dead were 35 from Gaza City, where “the crisis of starvation and destruction is worsening as the occupation seeks to empty it of its entire population”.
