Ready to invade Gaza, working on 'exact timing' of ground assault, says Israel Defence Forces chief

Israel Defence Forces (IDF) on Tuesday announced that the ground personnel massing on the southern border were ready to ‘invade’ Gaza, The Jerusalem Post reported. Briefing reporters at the country’s southern border, IDF Chief-of-Staff, Lt.-Gen. Herzi Halevi said, “I want to be clear, we are ready to invade.” He added that the IDF was in the process of deciding on the ’exact timing’ of the ground invasion of Gaza in coordination with the country’s political echelons. On the delay in the counter-invasion of Gaza after the Hamas terror attacks on Israel on 7 October, the IDF chief-of-staff was quoted by the Jerusalem Post as saying, “At this stage, there are tactical and strategic factors which are allowing us more time to improve and to exploit every minute to be more ready.” He added that with “every minute that passes”, they are “attacking the enemy more”. “With every minute that passes for the other side, we are attacking the enemy more, killing its fighters, killing its commanders, destroying its infrastructure, and collecting more intelligence for the next moves,” he added. “We are keeping him in tension,” Halevi said, adding that the longer Hamas waits for the Israeli invasion, the more stressed it will become, the Jerusalem Post reported. Meanwhile, the Israeli Air Force (IAF) on Tuesday said under the intelligence guidance of the Shin Bet, it thwarted terrorists of the Hamas terror organization. “The Air Force under the intelligence guidance of the Shin Bet thwarted terrorists of the terrorist organization Hamas tonight, among them: - Abd al-Rahman, deputy commander of the Nuzirat Battalion, participated in the murderous raid on Kibbutz Bari. - Khalil Mahjaz, deputy commander of the Shati Battalion. - Khalil Tethari, deputy commander of the Sheik Radwan Battalion,” the Israeli Air Force posted from its official handle on X. Earlier, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shared on X that Israel has only one task at hand, which is to crush Hamas and it won’t stop till the objective is accomplished. “With the fighters in the field, we have only one task - to crush Hamas, and we will not stop until we complete the task,” the Israeli PM stated. Moreover, according to a report in The Times of Israel, infiltration alarms were sounding in Netiv Ha’asara, a kibbutz just north of Gaza, after similar soundings earlier in Zikim and Karmia. While residents were largely evacuated, those choosing to stay back were told to stay at home and lock their doors, according to the report.