Israel advances in Gaza’s open areas to avoid repeating 2014 mistakes

Israel’s ground invasion of the Gaza Strip is now becoming a siege operation, as Israeli troops tentatively advance in a pincer movement to surround Gaza City.

After three weeks of ferocious bombardment, Israeli soldiers entered the coastal enclave overnight on 27 October from the north and the east.

The military is being coy about the number of troops involved and their objectives, but it has acknowledged that artillery, tanks, and bulldozers have accompanied infantry and special forces, in an offensive dubbed "Operation Iron Swords".

So far, the advance has been made through agricultural lands and sparsely populated urban areas, indicating the Israeli military is avoiding clashes with Palestinian fighters in residential areas at this stage.

However, it has no qualms about bombing heavily residential areas and a raid on the Jabalia refugee camp on Tuesday killed around 100 people.

More than 9,000 Palestinians, including over 2,300 children, have been killed by the Israeli bombardment over the last four weeks.

The ground invasion was launched after intense shelling of less built-up areas close to the separation fence on the boundary between Gaza and Israel, specifically near the Palestinian towns of Beit Lahia in the northwest, and Beit Hanoun in the northeast.

However, Israeli troops are still far from the tunnels belonging to Hamas’ armed wing, the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, and other armed groups.

Read more: Israel's army advances in Gaza’s open areas to avoid repeating 2014 mistakes