The Israeli military have issued an “urgent” message to all Palestinians who are in northern Gaza to immediately “relocate south” for their own “safety.”
This comes as Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) have already entered Gaza and have conducted air, sea and land operations.
The looming full scale ground offensive will be brutal for both the Israelis and Hamas in what will be a “significant” operation.
The IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari said, “This is an urgent military advisory.
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“For your immediate safety, we urge all residents of northern Gaza and Gaza City to temporarily relocate south.”
“The impending IDF (Israel Defense Forces) operation is set to neutralize the threat of Hamas with precision and intensity,” he added.
Major General Rupert Jones told Sky News no time scale has been announced on the incursion planned, but “no one should underestimate” how difficult the full ground assault will be.
“It’s slow, it’s painstaking. Everything is accentuated.
“It’s terrifying for the soldiers on both sides and, of course, the civilians in the midst,” he said.
Maj Gen Jones warned that the ground offensive will be a “brutal undertaking” that the Israeli military have been carefully preparing for.
“When they do go with a ground incursion they’ve got the best possible chance.
“But… urban warfare, fighting in cities, particularly in the close knit urban nature of Gaza can be very tough.
“And of course, that’s why the Israelis are encouraging the Palestinian population to move out of the way.”
He added, no matter how much Israel tries to allow Palestinians to evacuate the Gaza Strip, there will unfortunately be civilian casualties in “probably quite significant numbers.”
