Israeli forces have begun an invasion of southern Gaza, according to a New York Times analysis, in what is being described as a military operation that could “decide the fate” of Gaza and the Palestinian people.
New satellite images reported on by the NYT showed that the Israeli Defence Force (IDF) had reached a position south of Deir al Balah, about 5km north of the centre of Khan Younis. The images showed more tha 50 armoured vehicles and fortified berms.
The images also showed tracks and clearings, believed to be from bulldozers.
The images confirmed that the IDF have begun its long-awaited operation to move south after a weeklong ceasefire came to an end at the weekend, to an area where it believes Hamas leadership and command to be hiding.
Israeli troops have already captured large parts of Northern Gaza.
The invasion south is expected to be be the deadliest part in a war that has already seen 15,000 Palestinian killed since October 7, according to Gazan health officials. So far, more than 80% of Gaza’s population has been displaced.
It is also expected to complicate communications in the area and worsen conditions for civilians struggling with the spread of disease and shortages of water, food, fuel and medical supplies.
It comes as world leaders are feeling mounting pressure on their stances towards Israel’s bombardment of Gaza. U.S. President Joe Biden is reportedly facing deep anger from both the public and his own staff, and French President Emmanuel Macron said Israel must “define more precisely” its aims in Gaza.
“We are at a moment where the Israeli authorities will have to define more precisely their objective and the desired final state,” he said in a speech over the weekend.
“The total destruction of Hamas, what is it, and does anyone think it is possible? If that’s it, the war will last 10 years, and I don’t think anyone knows how to seriously define this objective.”
In Australia, calls have risen for Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to change his position on the conflict and “be more sympathetic” to Palestinians.
Federal Minister for Education Jason Clare said on a televised interview that all people, including the Prime Minister, needed to push for a unified approach to the conflict
“All of us want a just and enduring peace in the Middle East,” he said during an interview with 7News.
“A peace where people are safe and not subject to a terrorist attack or the checkpoints and all the problems that beset that part of the world is what we all want.”
The Israeli government is also facing questions of what it will do if it is successful in capturing the entirety of the Gaza strip.
It said it did not want to resettle its citizens in Gaza, but had also ruled out handing the territory over to the Palestinian Authority that runs the West Bank.
