Thousands of infantry soldiers and hundreds of Israeli armored vehicles concentrated on the outskirts of Gaza this Saturday, despite details of the expected ground invasion of the enclave still unknown.
“It doesn’t matter how long it takes and it doesn’t matter what we have to do. We are going to fulfill our mission and we are going to destroy Hamas,” said the commander of a tank waiting for orders in one of the locations near Gaza where the forces are concentrated, Lusa told Israel.
“I think this was all caused by the big mess that started with a big Hamas attack. Our mission and our goal now is to get our country back. This is our country, we have to defend ourselves and what we want now is to reach Hamas and destroy it completely,” said the same 33-year-old official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The Lusa agency today monitored the installation of an armored unit accompanied by infantry troops near the Gaza Strip.
Integrated into the armed forces are thousands of reservists, most of them young people who were conscripted after last week’s major Hamas attack.
“We are here. This Hamas attack (October 7) has changed the mentality of the people. Previously, half the people (in Israel) thought one way and the other half the opposite way, but now the situation is different. Now we are united and strengthened,” the official said when asked about the Palestinian issue.
In addition to tanks, this large armored force is accompanied by troop transport vehicles and cars to directly support soldiers.
In the regions north and east of Gaza, the circulation of military vehicles has intensified and special police units control the roads, with some points even blocked.
“We are prepared, we are motivated. We have the population, that is the most important thing. We have weapons. We have what it takes,” the soldier added.
Inside the military perimeter, tank crews work to assemble equipment, while infantry companies “ensure security” in the restricted military access zone.
Today, a week after the attack by the Islamist movement that controls Gaza, Israeli field artillery bombardments have intensified, especially against the central part of the enclave.
Hamas, on the other hand, demonstrated its firepower by firing several rockets, mainly at the town of Sderot, while some projectiles were also launched at Ashknot, near the coast, north of Gaza.
The military speaks of unity and achieving peace through war and accuses Hamas of “exploding” the war.
“We want our country with peace and love. We don’t want war. We don’t want war, but things are the way they are,” the soldier concluded.
Further along, the crew of another armored vehicle joins in shouting “war songs” and “praise” to the armed forces.
Next door, a soldier with very long hair, sitting in the turret of a tank, smoked a cigarette as he watched the firefight in Gaza. When the cigarette was finished, the soldier rolled another cigarette and stood looking in the same spot.
Source: DN
