The caution with which Israeli ground troops are proceeding stands in contrast to the relentless air strikes over the past three weeks in Gaza, as well as Israel's previous ground attacks on the Palestinian enclave.
Israeli soldiers advance slowly during the Gaza landing to avoid casualties. Photo: Reuters
Hostage concerns and dangers from tunnels
According to experts, the refusal to enter crowded areas of Gaza City with full Israeli ground forces is intended to create space for a negotiated deal to free the hostages.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said last week that rescuing hostages was an “integral” part of the Israeli military’s goal in Gaza. Hamas has so far released four civilians out of 239 believed to be held, many in a vast network of tunnels in the cramped territory.
The Israeli military said on Monday it had freed an Israeli soldier from Hamas captivity during a ground operation in Gaza.
By moving slowly, the Israeli military also hopes to lure Hamas fighters out of tunnels or more crowded urban areas to fight in open areas where they can be easily killed, a former senior Israeli commander said.
“The operation is moving inch by inch, meter by meter, trying to avoid casualties and trying to kill as many Hamas terrorists as possible,” Amos Yadlin, former head of Israel’s defense intelligence agency, told reporters.
Israeli air strikes have devastated large swathes of Gaza, killing more than 8,000 people including more than 3,000 children, and cutting off supplies of food, medicine and fuel, according to the Hamas-run health agency in Gaza.
Meanwhile, Hamas said a ceasefire was needed to free the hostages, who Israel said included people with passports from 25 different countries.
Besieging Gaza City from two directions
After massing hundreds of thousands of troops, including reservists, on the border with Gaza, Israel launched its first ground offensive last Friday.
Israeli troops use bulldozers during a cautious landing in Gaza. Photo: Israel Defense Forces (IDF)
The Israeli government has given the military two goals - to destroy Hamas, including its infrastructure and operational capabilities, and to bring the hostages home, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said.
Backed by helicopters and drones, tanks and armored personnel carriers advanced into a semi-rural area north of Gaza City, the enclave's main urban center.
Infantry and armored forces supported by artillery and combat specialists have been sent in. They are operating on the ground and engaging Hamas militants, Hagari added.
Israeli ground forces have also advanced south of Gaza City, aiming to take control of the Salah Al Deen road, the main traffic artery running along the 40-kilometer strip.
According to militants and residents, Israeli tanks encountered resistance on the road. In addition, a senior spokesman for the Islamic Jihad group - a smaller militant movement than Hamas - said Israeli forces had not made any breakthroughs, other than advancing into open areas.
Israel has yet to gain access to Hamas' extensive network of tunnels in Gaza - an underground city that includes rocket launch sites, command centres and strike teams that could easily target Israeli forces if they entered, according to sources.
Hoang Anh (according to Reuters, CNN, AP)
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