Highlighting the new phase of attacks,the Israeli military released grainy images showing tank columns moving slowly in open areas of Gaza,many apparently near the border. It now appears Israel will conduct a staged escalation on the ground in Gaza,instead of the sudden and overwhelming offensive many had expected.
Israeli airstrikes hit areas around Gaza’s largest hospital,destroying roads leading to the Shifa facility,which has sheltered Palestinians fleeing Israeli bombardment. Israel says the hospital sits above underground Hamas bunkers used as military command posts.
The Israeli military said its warplanes had bombed dozens of Hamas tunnels and bunkers on Sunday.
The escalation in Israel’s bombardments was evident in Sderot,a city in southern Israel less than two kilometres from the border with Gaza. Tank fire and machinegun rounds were far more persistent than in past weeks.
“There are moments in which a nation faces two possibilities:to do or die,” Netanyahu said. “We now face that test and I have no doubt how it will end:We will be the victors. We will do,and we will be the victors.”
Taking questions from reporters for the first time since Hamas’ October 7 massacre,Netanyahu said:“The war inside Gaza will be long and difficult,and we are ready for it.