Israel has said it has been preparing a ground invasion of Gaza, but has been urged by the U.S. and Arab countries to delay an operation that would multiply the number of civilian casualties in the densely populated coastal strip and might ignite a wider conflict. Such an operation would exacerbate what aid groups call a humanitarian crisis in the territory following days of aerial bombardment that Palestinian health authorities in Hamas-run Gaza say has killed more than 7,000 Palestinians. That followed a shock attack by hundreds of Hamas gunmen, who rampaged through Israeli communities close to the Gaza Strip, killing 1,400 people and dragging more than 200 into captivity. Hamas has linked the return of those hostages to a ceasefire in Gaza. Concerns about a risk of a wider Middle East conflict have risen in recent days with the U.S. dispatching more military assets to the region as Israel pummelled targets in Gaza and Hamas supporters in Lebanon and Syria. Israeli leaders have vowed to wipe out Hamas, the Islamist movement that has run Gaza since 2007, and kill the leaders and planners of the Oct. 7th assault, undeterred by pleas from humanitarian agencies to spare the civilian population. For in-depth analysis and a deeper perspective on the ramifications of a dramatic escalation of the Israel-Hamas war, FRANCE 24 is joined by Dr H A Hellyer, Senior Associate Fellow at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI).
