An Israeli soldier in an APC head towards the Gaza Strip border in southern Israel on 13 October. AP
Israel’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to “eradicate” Hamas and said the country’s counteroffensive in Hamas-ruled Gaza “is just the beginning”. Tens of thousands of people are believed to have fled northern Gaza after the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) ordered them to move south so they are not in the area where the troops are “going to enhance our military operations.”
Israel, which has the most powerful army in West Asia, is expected to launch a ground invasion of the Gaza Strip. The IDF was caught off guard after Hamas carried out its surprise multi-front attack last Saturday (7 October). Israeli warplanes have been bombarding Gaza on a never-before-seen scale, killing at least 1,900 people, including 614 children and 370 women, in the narrow enclave. The IDF said its infantry forces and tanks entered the Gaza Strip yesterday in “localised raids”, which is being seen as a likely precursor to a full-scale invasion.
Israel is also facing a “very tense” situation on the northern border where Hezbollah fighters sent drones and fired surface to air missiles towards Israeli aircraft, IDF spokesperson Jonathan Conricus told reporters today (14 October). The attempts were “successfully intercepted” by the military.
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On Hamas, the spokesperson reportedly said: “Our aim is very clear. The end state of this war is that we will dismantle Hamas and its military capabilities, and fundamentally change the situation, so that Hamas never again has the ability to inflict any damage on Israeli civilians or soldiers.”
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As the conflict rages in West Asia, let’s explore through graphics how powerful Israel’s military is and what kind of firepower it boasts of.
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