Israel-Hamas war: ‘Next stage is coming,’ Netanyahu tells soldiers outside Gaza

On Saturday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu paid a visit to Israeli infantrymen stationed near the Gaza Strip, according to a statement from his office. A video accompanying the statement showed Netanyahu asking the soldiers, 'Are you ready for the next stage? The next stage is coming. ' He did not provide further details in the video, but the soldiers responded affirmatively to his question. Concurrently, the Israeli military announced its readiness for a 'coordinated' air, ground, and naval offensive in the Gaza Strip. This marked Netanyahu's first visit to the border area since Hamas attackers managed to breach Israeli defenses in a surprise attack a week prior. Netanyahu also visited the kibbutzim of Be’eri and Kfar Aza to inspect the homes destroyed in the 'terrible massacre' the previous weekend. His office released a statement about the visit on Saturday. There had been criticism in Israel recently that the prime minister had not yet visited the devastated villages and towns in southern Israel. Israel is inching closer to a ground invasion of the Gaza Strip, a week after its Hamas rulers shocked the world with their massacre of Israelis living in border communities. 'We are ready,' Netanyahu wrote of the visit on the platform X. Palestinians in Gaza are faced with a difficult choice: to stay under the threat of strikes, or to flee and risk being targeted while on the move. Thousands of Palestinians fled the north of the Gaza Strip on Saturday, anticipating the expected ground assault, while Israel continued its air strikes and promised to keep two roads open for people to escape. Israel had given the entire population of the northern half of the Gaza Strip, which includes Gaza City, the enclave’s largest settlement, until Saturday morning to move south. It announced overnight that it would ensure the safety of Palestinians fleeing the area on two main roads until 4pm, a window that has since closed. 'Around the Gaza Strip, Israeli reserve soldiers are getting ready for the next stage of operations,' Israeli military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Conricus told a video briefing early on Saturday. 'They are all around the Gaza Strip, in the south, in the centre and in the north, and they are preparing themselves for whatever target they get, whatever task.