Will Israel launch a ground attack on Gaza? Why were Shijaiya operations accused of war crimes?

It has been 10 days since the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas. So far 1400 people of Israel have lost their lives in this. At the same time, the death toll in Israel’s counterattack has now reached close to 2500. The situation is expected to worsen further. In fact, the Israeli army is soon preparing to attack Gaza through sea and land routes.

Is Israel preparing a ground attack on Gaza?
During the weekly cabinet meeting on Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, ‘Hamas thought that Israel would break up. But we will destroy Hamas itself. We are determined that we will completely destroy Hamas. Netanyahu said Israel would continue to retaliate against Hamas.

The Israeli government on Monday announced a complete siege of Gaza. Along with this, the ban on supply of basic needs like water and electricity continues in Gaza. The Israeli army had asked people to vacate the northern Gaza Strip and had also given two safe corridors. Lieutenant Colonel Peter Lerner informed that the army is trying to send people living in northern Gaza towards the south.

Many commanders of Hamas killed, now the chief is on target
Meanwhile, the Israeli army is busy killing Hamas commanders through air strikes. Bilal al-Kedra, commander of Hamas’s naval commando unit Nukhba, Hamas’s air force chief Abu Mudad and commando force chief Ali Qadi have been killed in these attacks.

Israel Defense Forces (IDF) international spokesperson Lt. Colonel Research Hecht said that now it is Sinvar’s turn. He is responsible for the Western Negev massacre of October 7 in Israel. Hecht said that Yahya Sinwar was the mastermind of this massacre, much like Osama bin Laden. Even in Palestine his job was to kill people. He used to kill Palestinians whom he considered allies of Israel. From this he got the name Butcher of Khan Yunus. We will end only by eliminating this man and his group. The campaign for this may continue for a long time.

Hezbollah also on target
Hezbollah is carrying out small attacks on Israel from Lebanon on Israel’s northern border. Hecht said the army would gradually advance into the southern Gaza Strip. In-depth intelligence analysis will be conducted before each target is struck. At present, the Nuhba unit of Hamas is being eliminated, the terrorists of this unit were at the forefront of attacks.

What is the situation in Gaza now, what will happen if there is a ground attack?
The Red Cross has expressed fear that the Gaza Strip, one of the smallest areas in the world, could turn into a crematorium. Actually, the total area of Gaza Strip is only 365 square km. Its length is only 41 kilometers and maximum width is 12 kilometers. According to the United Nations, at least 23 lakh people live in this small area of 365 square kilometers. It is the 63rd most densely populated urban area in the world.

UNICEF figures say there are approximately 1 million children living in the Gaza Strip. Which means that if there is a ground attack on Gaza, the children living here will become victims of humanitarian crisis. According to the CIA, about 40 percent of the population is under the age of 15. According to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, there are more than 1.4 million Palestinian refugees in the total population here. Any attack will severely affect the lives of these refugees.

World Bank data says the Gaza Strip has the highest unemployment rate in the world. 80 percent of the population here is dependent on international aid even for basic needs. Due to the recent outbreak of conflict, external aid is also being affected and it is feared that the situation may worsen.

Has there ever been a ground attack on Gaza before?
In 2014, Hamas kidnapped and killed three Israeli youth. After this, many Palestinian and Israeli civilians were killed in attacks from both sides. Israel then launched a ground military operation in Shijaiya, Gaza.

After the attacks, the United Nations said in its report that there were strong indications that the Shijaiya operation involved indiscriminate firing which could amount to a war crime. The International Criminal Court is currently investigating any war crimes committed by both sides during the fighting.