Israel bombards Gaza, readies its troops for ground assault

GAZA/JERUSALEM: Israeli air strikes pounded locations across the Gaza Strip on Thursday, including parts of the south that Israel told Palestinians to take refuge, heightening fears among more than 2 million Palestinians trapped in the territory that nowhere was safe.
Israel's defence minister Yoav Gallant told ground troops to be ready to enter Gaza, though he didn't say when the invasion will start.

"You see Gaza now from a distance, you will soon see it from inside. The command will come," he told soldiers. Gallant said the battle will be long and hard. Shortly after his remark, PM Benjamin Netanyahu issued a video of himself with troops near the border promising victory.
Troops were not expected to enter while foreign leaders were visiting. On Thursday, UK PM Rishi Sunak followed US President Joe Biden and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz with a visit to demonstrate Western support for the war against Hamas militants. Sunak borrowed a phrase associated with British wartime leader Winston Churchill, pledging to stand by Israel "in its darkest hour". "...We also want you to win," he added. Later in the day, Sunak travelled to Saudi Arabia and met Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

While on his trip to West Asia, Sunak also contends with complex domestic political dynamics. The conflict has led to a surge of reports of anti-Semitic incidents as well as those of Islamophobia in the UK. UK security minister Tom Tugendhat alluded to that when he said British intelligence still hadn't reached a conclusion on who was responsible for a hospital explosion in Gaza.
Meanwhile, Israel's consent for Egypt to let in food, water and medicine provided the first possibility for an opening in its sealing off of the territory. Gaza residents are down to one meal a day and drinking dirty water. The UN-brokered deal includes its flag being raised at the Rafah crossing and international observers inspecting aid trucks before they enter Gaza, to satisfy Israel's demand that none of it benefitted Hamas. Egypt has said it would allow 20 aid trucks, according to Biden, but the timing is unclear. Hopes are high that the aid trucks would be able to cross into Gaza on Friday, according to EU officials.