Israel plans to capture Gaza City, destroy Hamas leadership: report

Israel plans to capture Gaza City — the largest Palestinian enclave — with the goal of destroying Hamas’ leadership in its imminent ground invasion of the Gaza strip, Israeli military officials said.

Tens of thousands of Israeli soldiers will storm into Gaza in the coming days with orders to capture Gaza City and destroy Hamas leadership there, three senior Israeli military officers told the New York Times about the unclassified plan.

It’s not clear what Israel intends to do with Gaza City if captured, the Times reported. The city, which is home to more than half a million people, is where Hamas government offices are located.

It also is unclear what military officials meant when they said it plans to destroy the militant group’s leadership — although an Israeli military spokesman told the paper said forces are intent on killing Yahya Sinwar, the top Hamas official.

The invasion is expected days after Israel Defense Forces ordered the evacuation of up to 1.1 million Palestinians from northern Gaza — where Gaza City is located.

Israel has amassed a massive fighting force on Gaza’s border, including 35 battalions with 300,000 troops who will be preceded in battle by 100 fortified bulldozers.

The Israeli arsenal includes 300 tanks and scores of armored personnel carriers, sources said.

Israel had planned to launch the invasion this weekend — but it was delayed due to cloudy conditions that would have obstructed the view of Israeli pilots and drone operators providing air support for soldiers on the ground, Israeli military officials told the Times.

Israeli military officials believe tens of thousands of Hamas soldiers are hiding in hundreds of miles of underground tunnels and bunkers beneath Gaza City and the surrounding area, according to the outlet. 

The terrorists are likely to blow up some of those tunnels as Israeli ground forces march forward above, military officials said. Roadside bombs and booby-trapped buildings are also a top concern, the paper reported.

A Hamas official told the Times the militants plan to surprise-attack advancing Israeli soldiers from behind by suddenly emerging from the underground shelters.

The invasion is expected to be Israel’s largest ground assault since 2006, when forces moved into Lebanon. It will also be Israel’s first attempt to capture land since it invaded Gaza in 2008, the three senior officials told the paper.