Israel's military said on Saturday it was in the final stages of preparations for a “significant ground operation” in the densely populated Gaza strip.
The announcement was made on the official website of the Israeli army, and follows a weeklong bombardment of Gaza that has left at least 2,200 dead and thousands wounded.
It came as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited front-line troops.
The expected offensive – a long-feared full-scale invasion of Gaza – follows the October 7 incursion by Hamas militants into Israel that left about 1,300 people dead. The majority of those killed on both sides are civilians. The Israeli army has built up a force of about 300,000 soldiers for the attack.
The Israeli military said their forces, “backed by an extensive logistical effort and by completing the reserve mobilisation of hundreds of thousands of servicemen, are preparing to implement a wide range of offensive operative plans which include, among other things, an integrated and co-ordinated attack from the air, sea and land.”
It follows stern warnings from Israeli leaders including Mr Netanyahu, who said on Wednesday during a meeting with US President Joe Biden in Washington that “every Hamas member is a dead man.”
Israel's Minister of Defence Yoav Gallant also said the army would “wipe Hamas from the Earth.”
