"Israeli Officers: Gaza Invasion Could Be the Largest Operation Since the 2006 Lebanon War"

Three senior Israeli officers revealed to The New York Times on Sunday that a ground invasion of Gaza, which was initially scheduled to begin early in the week, has been postponed for a few days. According to the unnamed officers, the delay is attributed to various factors, including adverse weather conditions that would have hindered the Israeli Air Force's ability to provide air cover for ground forces.

The officials further indicated that the potential Israeli incursion into Gaza would involve tanks and special forces, with air and artillery support providing cover for the ground troops. They anticipate that this ground assault on Gaza could be the largest operation of its kind since the 2006 invasion of Lebanon.

The Israeli military is gearing up for a ground assault on the Gaza Strip, which is controlled by the Hamas movement, in response to an unprecedented attack on Israeli territory carried out by Hamas fighters. This attack involved the intrusion of Hamas fighters into Israeli towns, gunfire, and the hostage-taking of civilians, marking the worst attack on civilians in the country's history.

Approximately 1,300 people lost their lives in the sudden and shocking attack that shook the nation. In retaliation, Israel conducted its most intensive bombardment of Gaza, enforcing a complete blockade on the territory inhabited by 2.3 million Palestinians and causing significant damage to its infrastructure.

Authorities in Gaza reported that over 2,200 people, a quarter of them children, were killed, with nearly 10,000 injured. Rescue workers have been tirelessly searching for survivors of the nighttime airstrikes, and it's rumored that a million people have been displaced from their homes.

In addition, the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has requested that the Lebanese Hezbollah refrain from starting a war on a second front, warning of the "destruction of Lebanon" if such a scenario were to unfold.

Late on Saturday, the Iranian mission to the United Nations issued a warning that if Israel's "war crimes and genocide" are not halted immediately, the situation could spiral out of control with long-term consequences.

Hamas, in a statement, confirmed that Ismail Haniyeh, the head of the political bureau of Hamas, met with the Iranian Foreign Minister in Qatar on Saturday, where they discussed the recent attack by the Palestinian movement in Israel and reaffirmed their ongoing cooperation to achieve the objectives of resistance and the Palestinian people.

US President Joe Biden and other world leaders have cautioned against any country escalating the conflict. International organizations and relief groups are urging for calm and pressing Israel to allow the entry of urgent humanitarian assistance.

In New York, Russia has requested a vote in the United Nations Security Council on Monday on a draft resolution concerning the conflict between Israel and Hamas, calling for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire and condemning violence against civilians and all acts of terrorism.

The United States has announced that the strike group for the aircraft carrier USS Eisenhower will begin moving towards the eastern Mediterranean to join another carrier group already in the region.