With thousands of troops amassed near the Gaza border, the Israeli military announced plans to expand its ground activity in the Gaza Strip.
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Israel on Friday expanded attacks by ground and air into Gaza, in what appear to be limited operations in the buildup to a full-scale invasion in response to the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks.
Israel has been massing forces near the border of the territory and conducting relentless airstrikes on targets inside the Gaza Strip. An invasion by ground forces would likely be led by tanks and armored personnel carriers. Hamas militants have likely been preparing for the invasion by laying in stores of ammunition and setting up ambushes in the densely populated urban setting of the Gaza Strip, which is roughly the size of Las Vegas or twice that of Washington D.C.
Israeli military spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari told reporters that ground forces were “expanding” their activity in the Gaza Strip on Friday night. However, he did not announce the widely anticipated offensive. Nor did he say that Israeli troops had entered Gaza. Israeli tanks have made temporary incursions into Gaza twice in the last two days.
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