CNN - MEANWHİLE IN THE MIDDLE EAST - November 1, 2023 Israel’s ground operation in Gaza is underway.

 

MEANWHİLE IN THE MIDDLE EAST  November 1, 2023       Israel’s ground operation in Gaza is underway. Here’s what we know about the military’s movements     Andrew Carey, Ivana Kottasová, Katie Polglase, Gianluca Mezzofiore, Paul Murphy, Henrik Pettersson and Lou Robinson

An Israeli tank manoeuvres inside the Gaza Strip, as seen from Israel on Tuesday. (REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein) The Israeli army began its full ground operation in Gaza on Friday, moving tanks, bulldozers, infantrymen and combat engineer units into the strip.   But rather than make any quick advance on Gaza City, Israeli forces so far appear to have moved only slowly towards the enclave’s largest population center.   Drawing on videos and photos from open and official sources, as well as reporting from CNN teams on the ground, it appears as though Israeli forces crossed the border in three main locations.   The first is in the northwest corner of the strip. A video released by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on Saturday morning showed bulldozers pushing through sand very close to the seashore. A breach in the perimeter fence, through which Israeli vehicles appeared to have entered Gaza, is clearly visible.   But there is also evidence of Israeli forces close to the sea further south from this location. On Sunday a video circulated showed Israeli soldiers waving a flag from the roof of a resort hotel, geolocated by CNN to Atatra, which lies about two miles south of the perimeter fence.   On Tuesday, photos released by the Israeli army showed soldiers even deeper into the strip, just to the north of the Al Shati, or Beach, refugee camp, which would put them only three miles or so from the center of Gaza City.   A second point at which Israeli forces appear to have entered Gaza is from the northeastern corner of the Strip near the town of Beit Hanoun, according to footage and satellite imagery. Video distributed by the Israeli army and geolocated by CNN shows dozens of soldiers advancing on foot across sandy terrain and, in a different clip, a bulldozer pushing through sandy soil to create a lane free from IEDs (improvised explosive devices).   Videos show deserted buildings that have sustained massive damage from Israeli aerial and artillery strikes ahead of the ground operation. There is no visible presence in the footage of civilians or Hamas militants, indicating people had fled or withdrawn before the Israeli military arrived. Even so, a CNN team just a mile or so away on the Israeli side of the border reported hearing sporadic machine gun fire, and on Tuesday morning multiple explosions from the same direction.   The CNN team reported the number of Israeli military vehicles inside the perimeter appears to be increasing, as the IDF appears to have expanded the ground operation once again.   Finally, another piece of video evidence, which surfaced on Monday, points to a possible third entry point about 10 miles to the south, along the eastern perimeter. The video, filmed by freelance Palestinian journalist Yousif Al Saifi, showed an Israeli tank opening fire on a car on the main Salah Al Din road, which runs the length of the Strip.   The video was geolocated by CNN to just south of the Netzarim junction, named after a former Israeli settlement, and likely regarded by Israel as a strategic location to hold by if it wants to divide the northern part of Gaza from the south.   The junction lies just to the southeast of Gaza City and is not far from Wadi Gaza, the waterway that Israel has been telling Gazans to relocate to the south of, in order to be more safe from Israeli attacks.

More on the Israel-Hamas war  Following an Israeli airstrike on the Jabalya refugee camp in northern Gaza, CNN’s Senior International Correspondent Ben Wedeman recounts his past visits to the area. The camp, he says, was known for the number of children who lived there, always “curious and excited” at the arrival of strangers. “Even in the best of times though, life was tough,” Wedeman writes, referencing Jabalya’s crowded schools, dependence on food aid from the UN, and high unemployment. But there was always hope, he adds. Now, he fears “optimism against all odds may now have been shattered.”    Jews around the world are facing a new wave of antisemitism, sparked by the Hamas attacks on October 7 and intensified by Israel’s relentless response. Jewish American students at Cornell University said death threats online are causing them to fear for their lives. A professor said he was “exhilarated” by the shift in power that occurred after the Hamas attacks. The incidents at Cornell are representative of wider antisemitic and Islamophobic sentiment in the US. President Joe Biden addressed antisemitism on college campuses, saying the White House is “closely monitoring” threats and putting new measures in place to protect Jews.    Tunnels built by Hamas are likely to be a main target of the Israeli offensive, writes Peter Bergen, CNN’s national security analyst. Dr. Daphne Richemond Barak, an expert in Subterranean Warfare, told him underground tunnels are “suffocating” and it is easy to “lose your sense of direction.” Israel began training its soldiers in underground warfare in 2014 during Operation Protective Edge—when it campaigned against Hamas with airstrikes and ground raids. Barak said that to destroy Hamas’ capabilities, eliminating the tunnels is crucial. High-pressure water could be used to collapse the structure of tunnels but requires the evacuation of civilians first.    Also read:  Up to 500 foreign nationals could be evacuated from Gaza under a Qatar-mediated deal. Americans are not believed to be part of the first batch Israel said it thwarted aerial attacks by Yemen’s Houthis near Red Sea  Gaza hit by another communications blackout, telecom firms say  Israel’s history suggests the clock is ticking for Netanyahu after Hamas attack failures  ‘Children were carrying other injured children’: Witness describes strike aftermath

What to watch Pure cruelty: Containers laid out in rows contain hundreds of bodies of Israelis requiring identification after Hamas’ brutal attack on October 7, CNN’s Sara Sidner reports. Forensic experts work alongside rabbis and dentists to identify these bodies, some of which are mutilated and in fragments.     Also watch:  ‘You decided to still drop a bomb’: Wolf Blitzer presses IDF spokesman on Israeli airstrike on a Palestinian refugee camp ‘Are we kidding ourselves?’: CNN analyst calls out antisemitism on US campuses

Listen The Gaza ground operation is underway  Over the weekend, Israeli ground forces entered Gaza as part of the “second stage” of its war against the militant group Hamas in response to the October 7 attack. Meanwhile, the United Nations is warning that there are signs “civil order is starting to break down” in Gaza as water, food, and fuel shortages continue to grip the enclave. In this episode of the Tug of War podcast, CNN’s Jeremy Diamond breaks down what we know about the ground operation thus far and if growing international pressure for a ceasefire is being heard.  Find the Tug of War podcast here.    Help humanitarian efforts in Israel and Gaza here.

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MEANWHILE IN THE MIDDLE EAST