UN says tens of thousands have fled south as Israeli ground troops prepare for next stage of operations to ‘dismantle Hamas’
Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, told his troops today “The next stage is coming” as IDF plan to strike Gaza from air, land and sea.
Netanyahu was speaking in southern Israel, in a video posted by his office.
“We’re all ready,” the prime minister wrote on social media.
It came as Israeli Defense Forces released a statement troops are preparing to expand their operations on the ground.
“IDF is gearing up for a comprehensive offensive” with the help of hundreds of thousands of reserve personnel, it says.
No timings were given but it says they plan an offensive “involving air, sea, and land” forces.
“Essential combat equipment has already been dispatched” to the relevant locations, and the “IDF battalions and soldiers are strategically deployed across the country” it added.
Tens of thousands of Palestinians have fled their homes to southern Gaza as Israel launches the first ground raids into the territory, according to the UN.
‘More than a hundred thousand’ attend protest in ‘tremendous show of support’, organisers say
London’s Free Palestine protest co-organisers Friends of Al-Aqsa have claimed the number of people turning out stands at 150,000.
Fireworks and flares were let off in the crowd as supporters dispersed from Whitehall.
FOA’s Dr Ismail Patel: “What we are facing is nothing new. 75 years ago Palestinians faced the same crisis: either stay in their homes and die or become refugees.”
FOA’s Shamiul Joarder added: “Today we’ve seen 150,000 people on the streets of London in a tremendous show of support for Palestine.
“The British government must listen to the people now: it needs to uphold international law and impose sanctions on Israel until it stops violating human rights in Gaza”
Scotland Yard has deployed more than 1,000 officers to police the event.
Police are using powers to make a person remove items which conceal their identity along the march route.
A Met spokesman said: “We are aware of people lighting flares/fireworks within the group. This is clearly a danger to them and those around them. Action will be taken when we identify those in possession of/throwing them.”
