Israel on Thursday implied that a ground invasion of the Gaza Strip might be approaching as Defense Minister Yoav Gallant told soldiers that they would soon see the Palestinian enclave "from the inside."
In a meeting with Israeli infantry soldiers on the Gaza border, Gallant urged the forces to "get organized, be ready" for an order to move in.
"Whoever sees Gaza from afar now, will see it from the inside," he said. "I promise you."
Israel has launched an unprecedented bombing campaign on Gaza and has massed tens of thousands of troops along the border following an Oct. 7 cross-border attack by Palestinian resistance group Hamas.
The United Nations says around half of more than 2 million Gazans have been made homeless, still trapped inside the enclave, one of the most densely populated places on earth where nowhere is safe.
Gallant said the battle will be long and hard.
Shortly after Gallant's statement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a video of himself with troops near the border promising victory.
With authorities still working out logistics for delivery of aid into Gaza from Egypt, overwhelmed hospitals are trying to stretch out ebbing medical supplies and fuel for diesel generators to keep the equipment running.
Even after Israel told Palestinians to evacuate the north of Gaza and take refuge in the south, strikes extended throughout the territory.
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 besieged territory. Many among Gaza's 2.3 million residents are down to one meal a day and drinking dirty water.
The Gaza Health Ministry said 3,785 people have been killed in Gaza since the conflict began, the majority of them women, children and older adults. Nearly 12,500 others were injured, and another 1,300 people were believed buried under the rubble, health authorities said.
More than 1,400 people in Israel have been killed during Hamas' attack on Oct. 7. Roughly 200 others were abducted. The Israeli military said Thursday it had notified the families of 203 captives.
More than 1 million Palestinians, roughly half of Gaza's population, have fled their homes in Gaza City and other places in the northern part of the territory since Israel told them to evacuate. Most have crowded into U.N.-run schools-turned-shelters or the homes of relatives.