The Israeli military announced on Wednesday (August 20) that it has begun military operations to implement a comprehensive takeover plan of Gaza City.
Israeli Defense Forces spokesperson Effie Defrin told reporters on Wednesday: “We have initiated initial actions and early stages of the attack on Gaza City, and currently Israeli Defense Forces are stationed on the outskirts of Gaza City.”
He added, “We will intensify our strikes against Hamas within Gaza City, which is the political and military stronghold of this terrorist organization.”
Defrin also stated that in order to “minimize civilian casualties to the maximum extent,” the Israeli military will provide advance warnings to residents of Gaza City, giving them the opportunity to evacuate.
“We continue to allow humanitarian aid to be provided to residents in the Gaza Strip, and are even expanding the aid distribution points by setting up more primary aid material distribution centers,” he said.
Defrin mentioned that Israeli forces have begun surrounding the outskirts of Gaza City, and Hamas has now become a “battered” guerrilla force.
On Wednesday, the Israeli military called up tens of thousands of reserve soldiers in preparation for the anticipated assault on Gaza City. Meanwhile, the Israeli government is considering a new ceasefire proposal to end the nearly two-year long conflict.
An Israeli military official stated that on Wednesday, there was a clash with over 15 Hamas armed militants near Khan Younis in the southern Gaza City. These Hamas militants emerged from tunnel openings and attacked with firearms and anti-tank missiles, resulting in one soldier severely wounded and two soldiers lightly wounded.
The Hamas-affiliated military faction Al-Qassam Brigades confirmed in a statement that they launched an assault on Israeli forces in the southeast of Khan Younis and engaged in close-range combat with the Israeli military. The statement indicated that the attack lasted for several hours, during which a Hamas militant detonated himself among Israeli soldiers, causing casualties among Israeli personnel.
(Translated and paraphrased from a report by Reuters)