Israel gears up for prolonged offensive on Gaza

After security evaluation following the killing of 13 Palestinians, including women and children, the Israeli occupation government said it is preparing for a prolonged offensive in the Gaza Strip, Israeli media reported on Tuesday.

Chief of Staff of the Israeli Occupation Army, Herzi Halevi, concluded a meeting with top army and intelligence leaders held for security evaluation after the intense offensive that left 13 Palestinians killed and 20 others wounded in Gaza.

They discussed the possible response of the Palestinian Resistance groups to the Israeli aggression on Gaza.

According to the Times of Israel, the Israeli Occupation Forces said that the meeting at the military’s main command centre focused on “action plans based on the potential developments and the IDF’s readiness on all fronts.”

Meanwhile, Israeli settlements near to the besieged Gaza Strip greenlighted the evacuation of settlers as the “fighting expected to last several days”.

Bomb shelters in the centre and south of Israel, the Israeli newspaper said, were opened and hospitals moved patients to fortified areas.

The Israeli occupation carried out a series of air strikes in a pre-dawn attack in the Gaza Strip, killing 13 people, including four women and four children, the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza said.

According to the Health Ministry, 20 other people were wounded in the air strikes, including three children and seven women. The condition of the wounded ranges between moderate and serious.

In a statement, the Joint Operations Room of Palestinian Resistance factions in the Gaza Strip – under a tight air, ground and sea Israeli blockade since 2007, said the Israeli occupation and its leaders will “pay the price” for the airstrikes.

The Resistance factions also said: “The Israeli occupation bears full responsibility for this cowardly crime and Israeli leaders will pay the price.”

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