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Netanyahu seeks ground invasion delay over proposed plans skepticism

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Axios
25 Oct 2023 20:20
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This delay is owed to his skepticism regarding the current strategies proposed by his military leaders.

Israeli soldiers move a tank at a staging area near the border with Gaza Strip, in southern Palestine on Sunday, Oct. 15, 2023 (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)

Axios reported on Wednesday, citing US officials, that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is seeking to delay the commencement of a ground invasion into the Gaza Strip.

According to the sources, this is owed to his skepticism regarding the current strategies proposed by his military leaders.

They also said that US President Joe Biden is cautious about rushing into a ground invasion and is aiming to provide additional time and support for the Israeli military.

🇮🇱🇵🇸 🇺🇸 Israeli Channel 12 says that Netanyahu has once again decided to delay the start of the ground operation in the Gaza Strip . This happened after a call from Joe Biden (already the seventh in a row): the White House press release directly states that the American pic.twitter.com/xBxF3zaACf
— dan mutungi (@dannmuts) October 23, 2023

According to the report, Netanyahu is seeking time to engage in negotiations for the release of captives taken by Hamas and to allow the IOF to make better preparations for the ground invasion.

Biden is also concerned that an immediate launch of the ground invasion could result in a high number of casualties without necessarily achieving the destruction of the Palestinian group Hamas.

Additionally, the White House holds the view that the launch of the Israeli invasion of Gaza might encourage Hezbollah and other armed groups in the region to join the conflict in support of Hamas. This could potentially result in casualties among US soldiers, as indicated by US officials in their conversation with Axios.

Yesterday, Emmanuel Nahshon, the Deputy Head of Public Diplomacy at the Israeli Foreign Ministry, stated that "Israel" is proceeding with caution to avoid potential "dangerous situations" in Gaza.

As reported by The New York Times, senior US government officials expressed concerns about "Israel's" urban warfare capabilities and believe that it is not yet fully prepared to initiate a ground invasion.

Likewise, on Tuesday, Israeli media reported that "significant tensions" were mounting between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Security Minister Yoav Gallant after a video clip circulating online showed Netanyahu speaking, and suddenly Gantz leaving during the conversation.