Israel-Palestine war: Preparing for ground invasion of Gaza to wipe out Hamas, says Netanyahu

Israel is preparing a ground invasion of Gaza to wipe out Hamas, the terror group which controls the Palestinian enclave, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said. He called October 7, the day Hamas started massive air, sea, and land strikes on Israel, a "black day of our history" during his speech.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that Israel is getting ready to launch a ground invasion of Gaza with the goal of eliminating Hamas, the terrorist organisation that rules the Palestinian territory. He did not, however, provide the operation's date or any other specifics.

In a televised statement, Netanyahu said the decision on Israeli forces entering Gaza would be taken by the government's special war cabinet, which includes the leader of one of the centrist opposition parties.

"We are getting ready for a ground assault at the same time. I won't go into detail about how, when, or how many. I won't go into detail about the different computations we are doing, since most people aren't aware of them and that's the way it should be," he added. Netanyahu asserted that Israel has killed "thousands of terrorists and this was only the beginning".

Netanyahu called October 7, the day Hamas started massive air, sea, and land strikes on Israel, a "black day of our history" during his speech. According to The Times of Israel, he declared that Israel ought to prevail in what he called "a fight for our existence."

The Israeli prime minister said that all of his colleagues, including himself, would "have to answer, but only when the war was over" in reference to the security lapses that allowed Hamas to carry out its brutal attacks.

Israel launched lethal airstrikes on the Gaza Strip in retaliation for the Hamas onslaught, killing over 1,400 Palestinians. The Gaza health ministry, under Hamas control, reports that over 6,500 Palestinians have lost their lives as a result of the bombardment.