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Israeli tanks raid the Gaza Strip

Oct 27, 2023

Tel Aviv [Israel], October 27: Israeli infantry penetrated the northern Gaza Strip and attacked many Hamas targets, while the UN Security Council could not find a common voice on the conflict.
Israel marched at night
Israel announced on October 26 that a group of its tanks and infantry entered Gaza the night before, attacking Hamas targets before retreating. According to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), this was a "targeted raid" against "many lairs, infrastructure and anti-tank missile launch sites" of Hamas. The IDF said the purpose of this operation is to prepare for the next stages of combat, hinting at a large-scale ground offensive campaign that Israel may soon launch in Gaza.
A black-and-white video posted by the Israeli military shows a convoy of armored vehicles and bulldozers approaching what appears to be a border fence and crossing. AFP said the location in the video was in the southern Israeli city of Ashkelon but could not verify when the video was recorded. Just hours earlier, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave a televised speech, telling the people that "we are waging a campaign for our own survival." He said Israel was still preparing for a ground offensive in Gaza to "eliminate Hamas" but did not provide specific information. Meanwhile, The Wall Street Journal quoted US and Israeli officials as saying that Israel had agreed to delay sending troops to Gaza to give Washington more time to deploy air defense systems to protect US forces in China. Winter. The threat to US military assets in the region is currently the biggest worry of President Joe Biden's administration, according to officials.
Deadlock at the UN
Hamas, the Palestinian political-military organization controlling Gaza, suddenly attacked southern Israel on October 7, killing about 1,400 people and kidnapping more than 200 hostages. Israel then retaliated against Hamas, killing more than 6,500 Palestinian civilians in Gaza as of October 26, according to Gaza health authorities.
The conflict has deepened divisions at the UN Security Council when two resolutions proposed by Russia and the US were not passed at this body on October 25. While the US and its European allies rejected calls for a ceasefire, Russia, China and many developing countries supported an immediate end to the conflict. Speaking at the White House on October 25, President Biden emphasized the "path to peace" between Israelis and Palestinians including a "two-state" solution. "Israelis and Palestinians both deserve to live side by side in safety, dignity and peace," according to Reuters quoting Mr. Biden.
Meanwhile in Moscow, Russian President Vladimir Putin warned that the conflict could spread beyond the Middle East and that the world's main task right now is to prevent "bloodshed". "Otherwise, further escalation of the crisis will cause serious, extremely dangerous and devastating consequences. Not only for the Middle East, the impact could spread far beyond the region," Mr. Putin said.
Source: ThanhNien Newspaper